AAPG

You belong here. This year at IMAGE, AAPG is creating more than a booth. We’re creating a place where you can step away from the noise, recharge your phone, grab a seat, connect with colleagues, ask questions, and simply take a breath between sessions.

Whether you’re a longtime member, a student attending for the first time, or someone interested in learning more about AAPG, we hope you’ll stop by and make yourself at home. We have a completely new booth experience planned, with a few surprises still to come.

Register for IMAGE and come see what we’re building. We’ll save you a seat.
https://hubs.la/Q04r16J60

Here's what you need to know to be this week!

1. Sempra and TotalEnergies shipped first LNG from Baja California, making Mexico the world's latest LNG supplier. The first cargo from the ECA project was shipped to Korean customers. Developing LNG export terminals along the Pacific coast has been a focus for Mexico and Canada. Asian customers welcome these additional sources, especially in light of the recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

2. ConocoPhillips entered Iraq's Kirkuk Field, joining partner BP. America's third-largest oil company recently announced it has agreed to acquire a 42 percent interest in BP’s subsidiary, BP Energy Company of Kirkuk Limited.

Every week, Nie brings you the information you need to know to navigate and make decisions in the upstream industry. Subscribe to receive the full stories here: https://hubs.la/Q04qJKwz0

We've already started receiving some incredible submissions—and we're just getting started.

From 83-million-year-old granodiorite in Kings Canyon National Park to student adventures in Namibia and breathtaking sandstone canyons carved by time, geologists around the world are sharing the moments that inspire them.

Now it's your turn.

We're looking for the landscapes, field experiences, discoveries, and stories that have shaped your geology journey.
- Submit up to 5 original photos
- Open to AAPG members
- Be featured across AAPG publications, social media, and more

Your geology story deserves to be seen.
Submit your photos today!

https://www.aapg.org/campaign/geology-in-focus-contest/

From intelligent AI agents to open data ecosystems, subsurface AI is moving from possibility to practice.

In partnership with AspenTech, AAPG is pleased to share a new Special Report exploring the technologies and trends shaping upstream energy in 2026, including:
• Simplified vendor portfolios
• Agentic AI for upstream workflows
• The Open Subsurface Data Universe
• Training the next generation of professionals

Whether you're a geoscientist, technical leader, or simply curious about where AI is taking the industry, this report offers valuable insights into what's next for subsurface applications.

Download your free copy today at the link below.

https://hubs.la/Q04pGvbW0

This Thursday, join AAPG Academy for The State of Exploration: Mid-Year Update & Outlook, a free webinar sponsored by Global Energy Group, that will look at the discoveries, trends, and industry shifts shaping exploration in 2026.

Featuring insights from Collard, Exploration Research Manager at Westwood, plus a discussion moderated by Nie with Bill Langin, Executive Vice President, Exploration and Development at Energy, and Graeme Bagley, Head of Global Exploration and Appraisal at Global Energy Group, this discussion will cover some of the industry's most important questions:
• Why hasn't exploration drilling increased despite renewed industry interest?
• How is the changing seismic landscape affecting future opportunities?
• Where are the next exploration hotspots—and could another Guyana be on the horizon?
• What separates today's most successful exploration teams from the rest?

📅 16 July | 8:00 a.m. CT

This webinar will conclude with a Q&A, so don't miss your chance to join us live: https://hubs.la/Q04pwk9r0

We are pleased to announce the merger of Datapages into GeoScienceWorld, bringing together two trusted organizations with a shared commitment to preserving, modernizing, and expanding access to decades of geoscience knowledge.

Together, we're helping ensure that trusted scientific content remains discoverable, accessible, and valuable for researchers, publishing partners, customers, and the global geoscience community for years to come.

Read the full press release at the link in the comments.

Could today's oil and gas wells become tomorrow's geothermal energy source?

Join AAPG Academy for an exciting webinar exploring how existing wells are being repurposed to generate clean, reliable geothermal energy—even within the Eagle Ford shale.

Hear from Dr. Saeed Salehi (SMU) and Joseph Batir (BatirWeGo Holdings) as they discuss lessons learned from real projects, emerging technologies, and the future of "Shale 4.0: Geothermal Conversion."

📅 July 22, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM CT

✅ Free to attend
✅ Open to the public
Register today.
https://hubs.la/Q04nWk-t0

Thank you to for sponsoring this webinar and helping make it available to everyone.

Your geological memories 📸 deserve to be in the spotlight.

Introducing Geology in Focus, AAPG's new member photo contest celebrating the incredible places, people, discoveries, and moments that make geoscience so inspiring.

Whether it's an unforgettable field experience, a stunning landscape, an outcrop that stopped you in your tracks, or the people behind the science, we want to see the world through your lens.

🌍 Open to current AAPG members
📅 Entries accepted through July 31

Love one of your geology photos? Give it the spotlight it deserves with a custom Explorer-style digital cover. Available as an optional keepsake for both contest participants and non-participants.

Ready to share your story?
📷 Submit your photos today or create the perfect keepsake.
www.aapg.org/geologyinfocus

What does the first half of 2026 tell us about the future of global exploration? 🌍

Join AAPG Academy on 16 July at 8:00 a.m. CT for The State of Exploration: Mid-Year Update & Outlook.

Sponsored by Westwood Global Energy Group and moderated by Shangyou Nie, this session will explore:
🔹 Exploration activity and performance
🔹 2026 trends and acreage access
🔹 The year's biggest hits and misses
🔹 What's ahead for the rest of 2026

Plus, we'll discuss some of exploration's biggest questions:
• Why isn't drilling increasing?
• Is seismic acquisition declining too quickly?
• Where are the next global hotspots?
• Will there be another Guyana?

Register today and join the conversation.
https://hubs.la/Q04nBDXH0

Thanks to our sponsor, Westwood Global Energy Group, this amazing content is open and free to all.

Did you know the Valkerri Formation in Australia dates back to the Mesoproterozoic times, making it the oldest shale gas formation in the world? This week's Core Elements covers new studies in the AAPG Bulletin, uncovering insights on shale gas in Australia and Pakistan. Subscribe to read more: https://hubs.la/Q04m_x410