U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) Prelease Geological and Geophysical (G & G) Data Acquisition: A 20-Year Retrospective, 1976-1996 |
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| Authors: | George Dellagiarino |
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| Abstract: | Since 1976, the Minerals Management Service (MMS) has administered its prelease geological and geophysical (G & G) data acquisition program through Title 30, Part 251, of the Code of Federal Regulations, which govern permitting, acquisitions, and data release. Leading indicators of offshore oil and gas activity are the number of permits issued to industry, associated mileage, and expenditures. Over the last 20 years, permit activity has indicated that most of the oil and gas surveying has been in the Gulf of Mexico, where 80 % of all permits have been issued, followed by Alaska (10 %), the Pacific (7 %), and the Atlantic (3 %). These statistics correlate with the dominant position of the central and western Gulf of Mexico areas in oil and gas activity. More than 95 % of all permits were issued for geophysical exploration, mostly for two-dimensional (2-D) common-depth-point (CDP) seismic data. However, over the last 10 years, permits for three-dimensional (3-D) seismic data have averaged 25 % of all geophysical permits and, by 1996, made up approximately half of all geophysical permits offshore-wide. Between 1976 and the early 1990s, industry shot approximately 500,000 linemiles of 2-D CDP data each year on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Of that total, MMS acquired approximately50,000 line-miles annually. In the 1990s, parallel with industry, MMS increased its acquisition of 3-D seismic data in concert with the development and use of interactive workstations. The majority of 2-D and 3-D data have been acquired in the Gulf of Mexico by a ratio of 2:1 over Alaska, the next largest data inventory. With regard to MMS expenditures for G & G data, from 1976 through the 1980s, Alaska, having more offshore area than the other three regions combined, had the largest portion. However, in the 1900s, the vast majority of expenditures have been in the Gulf of Mexico. Over the years, permit totals, mileage acquired, and expenditures for data reflect trends of oil and gas pricing, limitations of offshore moratoria, and a shift of industry emphasis to foreign theaters. |
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