The following are general descriptions of duties and responsibilities of Geoscientists/Geophysicists in the various program offices of the Minerals Management Service Gulf of Mexico OCS Region:

Office of Field Operations (FO)

FO geoscientists review, evaluate, and recommend appropriate action on all exploration and development plans, pipeline applications, and applications for permit to drill.  Geological and geophysical data are reviewed to ensure safe and environmentally sound offshore operations in Federal waters.  Proposed well locations, drilling programs, the type of drilling vessel, and anchor placement must be determined to avoid potential seafloor and subsurface hazards that are identified with high-resolution and 3-D seismic and other data.  Potential oil and gas reservoirs, trapping mechanisms, effects of salt tectonics, pore pressure distribution, geohazards, the probability of encountering hydrogen sulfide, and proposed casing programs are all evaluated by FO geologists and geophysicists.  In the Gulf of Mexico Region, MMS actively supports research and joint industry projects on drilling technology and deepwater geology.  FO geoscientists participate in numerous professional meetings and activities and have helped organize and sponsor three international conferences on deepwater geohazards such as shallow water flow, gas hydrates, and subsalt drilling.

Office of Resource Evaluation (RE)

National and international petroleum companies submit sealed bids for the opportunity to lease the mineral rights for offshore U.S. property.  One of the primary functions of RE geoscientists is to evaluate each block scientifically to ensure fair market value is received.  In order to achieve this, the geoscientists interpret 2-D and 3-D seismic data to create subsurface maps showing geologic structure, reservoir thickness, and amplitude anomalies.  These subsurface maps along with electric logs from our enormous log library and micropaleontology are used to locate target areas of potential hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir rock.  When a hydrocarbon-bearing well is drilled on a lease that has not been assigned to a field, that well is said to qualify that lease, which earns the designation NPL, or New Producible Lease.  A committee of geoscientists and petroleum engineers then determines whether to assign the NPL to an existing field or to designate it as a new field on the basis of stratigraphic and structural criteria.  RE geoscientists also use these techniques to organize related oil and gas reservoirs into fields for the accurate calculation of hydrocarbon reserves.  Field determinations are made based on geological, geophysical, and paleontological interpretations in order to classify the resources in a particular block either as part of a larger field of reserves or as a separate accumulation.

Office of Production and Development (PD)

PD geologists and geophysicists interact with oil industry scientists to ensure logical exploration, proper development, and efficient production of Federal offshore oil and gas resources.  Oil-industry representatives present their exploration and development plans to various unit geoscientists who independently analyze all available data by integrating well logs, 2-D and 3-D seismic, and other data to determine reservoir properties, correlate formations, and map structural and stratigraphic features.  These geoscientists are trained to integrate all available seismic and borehole data on UNIX workstations to determine if the production potential is being maximized.  When oil and gas reservoirs cross Federal lease boundaries, PD geoscientists evaluate unitization proposals that permit consolidation of individual leases into a unit, which then acts as one lease.  PD geoscientists estimate resource limits and distribution to determine the fair and accurate revenue apportionment for all parties involved.  Geoscientists also review, evaluate and recommend appropriate Minerals Management Service action for all drilling, completion, production and abandonment operations.

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