3
1
Introduction
In order to reach the Truth, it is necessary, once in one’s life, to put
everything in doubt—so far as possible.
—Descartes
Background
Petroleum resource evaluations have been performed by geologists,
geophysicists, geochemists, engineers, and statisticians for many
decades in an attempt to estimate resource potential in a given region.
Because of differences in the geological and statistical methods used
for assessment, and the amount and type of data available, resource
evaluations often vary. Accounts of various methods have been compiled by Haun (1975), Grenon (1979), Masters (1985), Rice (1986), and
Mast et al. (1989). In addition, Lee and Gill (1999) used the Michigan
reef play data to evaluate the merits of the log-geometric method of
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the PETRIMES method developed by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC); the Arps and Roberts
method; Bickel, Nair, and Wang’s nonparametric fi nite population
method; Kaufman’s anchored method; and the geo-anchored method
of Chen and Sinding–Larson.
Information required for petroleum resource evaluation includes all
available reservoir data and data derived from the drilling of exploratory and development wells. Other essential geological information
comes from regional geological, geophysical, and geochemical studies,
1
Introduction
In order to reach the Truth, it is necessary, once in one’s life, to put
everything in doubt—so far as possible.
—Descartes
Background
Petroleum resource evaluations have been performed by geologists,
geophysicists, geochemists, engineers, and statisticians for many
decades in an attempt to estimate resource potential in a given region.
Because of differences in the geological and statistical methods used
for assessment, and the amount and type of data available, resource
evaluations often vary. Accounts of various methods have been compiled by Haun (1975), Grenon (1979), Masters (1985), Rice (1986), and
Mast et al. (1989). In addition, Lee and Gill (1999) used the Michigan
reef play data to evaluate the merits of the log-geometric method of
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); the PETRIMES method developed by the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC); the Arps and Roberts
method; Bickel, Nair, and Wang’s nonparametric fi nite population
method; Kaufman’s anchored method; and the geo-anchored method
of Chen and Sinding–Larson.
Information required for petroleum resource evaluation includes all
available reservoir data and data derived from the drilling of exploratory and development wells. Other essential geological information
comes from regional geological, geophysical, and geochemical studies,