The exhibit floor at the San Antonio AAPG meeting is usually dominated by seismic, software, and consulting companies. But this week there was a very prominent presence of companies offering services and products in geomechanics - dealing with fault seal analysis, well bore stability, pore pressures, in situ stresses, subsidence, and more. The petroleum industry has finally discovered how critical these factors are in exploration and development
One of the pioneers in this field is GeoMechanics International (GMI), which has just been bought by oil field giant Baker Hughes. GMI has been consulting with Resolution Copper on their deep underground mine being developed near Superior, Arizona.