HGS-EAGE Sponsored First-Time, Regional Exploration Conference
Sean Romito, a University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Ph.D. geology student, placed second at the Latin America Conference organized jointly by the Houston Geological Society and EAGE (European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers).
The conference, titled “First HGS-EAGE Conference on Latin America: South American Petroleum Plays for Future Decades of the Third Millenium,” was held at the Norris Conference Center in Houston, November 19-20. It focused on the geology and petroleum exploration of Latin America.
Romito, at UH EAS since 2018, was awarded second place for his poster entitled “Caribbean basement terranes: Boundaries, sedimentary thickness, subsidence histories, and regional controls on hydrocarbon source rocks, oil seeps, and shows.” He received a M.S. in subsurface geology from Rice University in 2017.
For his presentation, Romito integrated vintage and recent seismic reflection and refraction data, academic and industry wells, and gravity modeling to illustrate the basement types and geophysical signature of seven, tectonic terranes that underlie the largely submarine Caribbean plate. The poster addressed academic questions concerning the tectonic origins of the seven terranes in addition to how their overlying stratigraphy contributes to their petroleum potential.
First through third place awards were given to the top posters out of 13 entries from both graduate amd undergraduate students. Posters were scored by conference participants who filled out evaluation forms provided in the technical program.
The two-day meeting was attended by over 300 industry and academic professionals along with graduate and undergraduate students from various universities. The plan is for this meeting to alternate each year with the Africa and Production Conference that is jointly sponsored by HGS and the PESGB (Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain).