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Letter From Korla, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China
Richard Nehring Clarifies U.S. Production Data
Arthur E. Bermanbermanae@gmail.comThe opinions in GeoBLOG! are mine, and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Houston Geological Society.
Letter From Korla, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, People’s Republic of China
I’m writing from a part of China that is closer geographically and ethnically to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan than it is to what most of us think of as China. I’m here doing geology in the Tarim Basin, a key area in China’s effort to become more energy independent. The Tarim Basin is obviously quite remote but a recently completed gas pipeline now connects over 30 TCF of natural gas with markets in Shanghai, nearly 3000 km away from here. The basin is also an important producer of liquid petroleum. A recent Paleozoic discovery near the Tazhong Field has estimated reserves of between 2-3 BBOE!
Tarim Basin Map Showing Korla
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I’m staying in Korla which is the oil center of the Tarim Basin. It is a city of about 350,000 people. To get here I took a 3.5 hour, 2400 km flight from Beijing to Urumqi, the regional capital of the province of Xinjiang. Then I took a 45 minute flight across the Tianshan, or Heavenly Mountains, which rise 6400m above Urumqi and have peaks 25,000 feet above sea level. The Tarim Basin is about the size of Texas without the Panhandle and other of its extremities and produces oil and gas from everything from the Cambrian to the Tertiary.
Tianshan (Heavenly Mountains) rise to 25,000 ft above sea level
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I’ve spent most of the past 10 days interpreting core of the Carboniferous and Ordovician sections and discussing plays and prospects with PetroChina geologists and geophysicists.
PetroChina geologists and geophysicists discussing plays
(note the ping pong table as a map display surface!)
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This work followed a 2 week field excursion in September where I was taken to outcrops of Cambrian through Carboniferous exposures. As a result of these last two visits, we have developed new exploration and production models for several of their exploration and production projects.
PetroChina Core Facility in Korla
Mr. Wang demonstrating how he brings core boxes down to the core display area
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It hasn’t been all work here in Korla. I have been invited to several banquets hosted by PetroChina and GCC Group Corp, the company that brought me to China. I’ve had a chance to try several local restaurants that specialize mostly in lamb dishes reminiscent of the Middle East and Mediterranean.
Downtown Korla in snow, January 24, 2006.
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The city of Korla is thriving with construction projects everywhere. Most signs here are in Chinese, Arabic and English. This area is the center of the ancient Silk Routes and much of the local tradition focuses on that mythical past. Korla is a modern city with all the conveniences found in the western world. As of this trip, I now have a DSL intenet connection in my hotel room!
Next week, Spring Festival begins in China. Tonight I hear fireworks all over the city. Spring Festival is a time when most Chinese return to their home towns to be with family and celebrate the coming end of winter. This winter has been among the coldest in recent history in northwestern China. Before leaving Texas, I had to search for the down jacket I brought to Houston from Denver many years ago but I’m sure glad I have it now.