The History of Petroleum Geology Committee of AAPG will hold its annual forum in conjunction with ACE in Calgary. The session will begin with a few introductory remarks and will be followed by a slate of presentations describing various aspects of petroleum history is a roughly chronological order.

• We begin with “A Perfect Play of Salt, Bamboo and Gas: The First Petroleum Well (Breakthrough) in the World” presented by Suihong Song. Knowledge of natural gas has existed for more than three thousand years in China and early exploitation of this resource in association with salt production has been documented back as early as 347 A.D.
• Next, an early aspect of Canadian petroleum history is presented by Andrew Fox with “Petro-Tourism: Canada’s First Commercial use of Natural Gas” that examines the phenomenon of “burning springs” near Niagara Falls, Ontario in the 1820–1880 period.
• Co-Chair George Pemberton describes ”John Joyce Carter (1842-1917): Civil War Hero and Petroleum Entrepreneur”. This accomplished military man went on to found the well-respected Carter Oil Company that eventually became part of the Exxon Production Research Laboratory.
• Returning to Canada, Grant Wach will entertain us with “The History of the Petroleum Industry in Eastern Canada” that examines the roots of the Canadian industry in the 1800’s including the role of Abraham Gesner and the invention of drilling technologies that soon spread around the world.
• Willem Langenberg will discuss some of the early roots of the industry in Western Canada with “The Application of Geology in the Founding of Alberta’s Petroleum Industry”. His talk will feature profiles of prominent geologists and engineers including John Allan, Karl Clark and Barry Mellon with a particular focus on the involvement of the University of Alberta based in Edmonton.
• George Pemberton completes his doubleheader with “The Canol Project: Antecedent for Leduc?”. The Canol pipeline was anchored in oil production from Devonian strata in the Norman Wells Field in the Northwest Territories which enjoyed a short lived prominence during the Second World War in support of northern operations. The main Leduc Pool, also an Imperial Oil discovery, was likewise a Devonian feature with a number of parallels to Norman Wells.
• We close the session with an overview by Fran Hein of the very topical subject “Oil Sands Pioneers: How Scientists and Entrepreneurs Made the Unconventional More "Conventional". Fran will talk about the evolution of technologies that have been key to unlocking the promise of the oil sands including hot water separation for surface-mined ore and steam-assisted gravity drainage (SAGD) for deeper deposits.

The "Discovery Thinking" Forum will be the 15th presentation of the AAPG 100th Anniversary Committee's program recognizing "100 Who Made a Difference."" This Forum, co-sponsored by AAPG’s Division of Professional Affairs (DPA), will feature four invited speakers who will describe major discoveries in both global and North American exploration settings. The forum will celebrate: Innovative Success in Canada and Colombia.

Each speaker and their colleagues overcame significant business, technical and professional challenges. Topics to be discussed will include philosophy of exploration, stories from remarkable careers, professional insights, colorful anecdotes and lessons learned on the path to success. As technology advances and young geoscientists enter our profession, the organizers see continued interest in forums such as these. These forums provide a venue for explorers to discuss the personal side of success and what has been called the "art of exploration." As always, the audience is fortunate to hear the speakers share abundant technical data and insights derived from costly and hard won experience.

AAPG offers many technical sessions. "Discovery Thinking" forums fill an important gap in how technical and professional skills combine to turn prospects into discoveries. Speakers are encouraged to share personal stories about discoveries they know well, to bring forward appropriate technical data and to address questions from the audience and fellow explorers.

Calgary is a great venue to celebrate significant game changing discoveries in Canada and Colombia.

• Glen Nevekshonoff, Vice President of Development Seven Generations, "Discovery to Recovery: Alberta's Liquids Rich Montney Play — Continued Innovation and Optimization"
• Roy Stadlwieser, Stephane Labonte, Mike Hrudy and Chandler Wilhelm, Shell, "De-Risking the Duvernay"
• John Hogg, President of Skybattle Resources Ltd. "Shale Exploration at the Arctic Circle, the Devonian Canol Formation Canada: Exploration Concept to a Drilled Reality"
• Brian Russel Frost, Distinguished Geophysical Advisor, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, "Planning for Success in Colombia"