[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eric_b', 'I')t's really kind of irrelevant weather or not there's oil
in antarctica - it's the most remote and harsh environment
on Earth. Drilling for oil along it's coast would be nearly
impossible due to huge amount of sea ice which builds
around the continent every winter (just beginning there now).
It's impassable half the year. When it's clear the weather
is so savage that any drilling rigs would have a very hard
time - the winds circling the continent are extreme.

The continent itself has far and away the coldest climate on
the planet, with an average winter temperature of less then
-80 (F) - cold enough to freeze oil. Plus most of the continent
is covered with a mile or two of ice which would have to be
drilled through just to reach rock.

And this doesn't even take into account the political situation
regarding the continent.

I think it's safe to safe that unless a lunker field bigger than
Ghawar ever was is found, you can forget about oil from
the South pole.

-Eric B

[spot5050]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', 'Y')ou totally ignore what I am saying.

[eric_b]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eric_b', 'I')t's really kind of irrelevant weather or not there's oil
in antarctica - it's the most remote and harsh environment
on Earth. Drilling for oil along it's coast would be nearly
impossible due to huge amount of sea ice which builds
around the continent every winter (just beginning there now).
It's impassable half the year. When it's clear the weather
is so savage that any drilling rigs would have a very hard
time - the winds circling the continent are extreme.

The continent itself has far and away the coldest climate on
the planet, with an average winter temperature of less then
-80 (F) - cold enough to freeze oil. Plus most of the continent
is covered with a mile or two of ice which would have to be
drilled through just to reach rock.

And this doesn't even take into account the political situation
regarding the continent.

I think it's safe to safe that unless a lunker field bigger than
Ghawar ever was is found, you can forget about oil from
the South pole.

-Eric B

[marko]

I don't have numbers for this, but extracting and shipping oil from Antarctica would be extremely energy intensive. Just think of the heating required, and the energy required for construction of wells and pipelines. Then there is the energy required to transport the stuff. Antarctica is much farther from major oil markets than any other current oil-producing region. Possibly, the low temperatures would require the drilling equipment or even the pipelines to be heated.

I suspect that the EROEI would be less than 1. That is, I think that extracting and exporting oil from Antarctica would probably take more energy than it would produce.

Even if it did not, I think that the expense of obtaining oil from Antarctica would be too great to be economical. By the time oil reaches that price, the industrial economy will have nearly collapsed, and oil will be used in relatively small quantities for warfare and other elite pursuits. Without an industrial economy, there will not be the kind of infrastructure needed to extract oil from Antarctica.

Basically, I feel fairly certain that this ain't gonna happen on any significant scale.

[lotrfan55345]

Read "Big Picture" thread by Monte.

[0mar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', 'D')rilling in Antartica will take a revolution. The ice itself is about a mile thick and then you have to hit the rocks to get the oil

[Rincewind]

I may have missed this point while skimming through the discussion, but I was of the understanding that Campbell et al are of the view that Antarctica was not that prospective!

I think the argument is that during the wonderful period 200-100 million odd years ago when the environment and biology were right for the large scale oil formation in places like the Middle East, Texas etc, Antarctica was in the wrong place. So if there is oil there it is unlikely to be of the Ghawar type scale that we require to keep the global train going for a little longer.

Can anyone confirm this?

Rincewind

[0mar]

anartica was probably tropical many millions of years. no one is really in a position to say antarctica has oil or not because there has been almost no seismic survery for the purpose of finding oil done there.

[TrueKaiser]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', 'a')nartica was probably tropical many millions of years. no one is really in a position to say antarctica has oil or not because there has been almost no seismic survery for the purpose of finding oil done there.

[0mar]

Well I guess I was wrong! lol

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('spot5050', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', 'Y')ou totally ignore what I am saying.

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('eric_b', '
')Easy, easy.

I'm not saying it's impossible, just very difficult. You're underestimating
the difficulty I think. Northern tundra's a walk in the park compared
to climate and accessibility of Antarctica

There are just a few bases (McMurdo?) on the continent, which
are kept staffed at extreme exspense. The continent is not accessible
for half the year, period. At least by boat. Because of the
very harsh climate and weather, it would be very difficult for
large tankers to approach close enough to the coast to tankup,
while following a regular schedule. I can see a seasonal effort
to get oil off the continent, but a large scale effort would not
be trivial.

Like I said in my original post, it would take a lunker field of
oil to justify the effort, and in that case there would likely be
international fighting over who gets dibs. I'm not holding my breath.

Do some googling yourself on the continents accessibility.

-Eric B

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('marko', 'I') don't have numbers for this, but extracting and shipping oil from Antarctica would be extremely energy intensive. Just think of the heating required, and the energy required for construction of wells and pipelines. Then there is the energy required to transport the stuff. Antarctica is much farther from major oil markets than any other current oil-producing region. Possibly, the low temperatures would require the drilling equipment or even the pipelines to be heated.

I suspect that the EROEI would be less than 1. That is, I think that extracting and exporting oil from Antarctica would probably take more energy than it would produce.

Even if it did not, I think that the expense of obtaining oil from Antarctica would be too great to be economical. By the time oil reaches that price, the industrial economy will have nearly collapsed, and oil will be used in relatively small quantities for warfare and other elite pursuits. Without an industrial economy, there will not be the kind of infrastructure needed to extract oil from Antarctica.

Basically, I feel fairly certain that this ain't gonna happen on any significant scale.

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', 'D')rilling in Antartica will take a revolution. The ice itself is about a mile thick and then you have to hit the rocks to get the oil

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', 'W')ell I guess I was wrong! lol

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Rincewind', 'I') may have missed this point while skimming through the discussion, but I was of the understanding that Campbell et al are of the view that Antarctica was not that prospective!

I think the argument is that during the wonderful period 200-100 million odd years ago when the environment and biology were right for the large scale oil formation in places like the Middle East, Texas etc, Antarctica was in the wrong place. So if there is oil there it is unlikely to be of the Ghawar type scale that we require to keep the global train going for a little longer.

Can anyone confirm this?

Rincewind

[0mar]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('0mar', 'D')rilling in Antartica will take a revolution. The ice itself is about a mile thick and then you have to hit the rocks to get the oil

[Bandidoz]

I wonder when Al-Quida are going to set up camp there?

[marko]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('marko', 'I') suspect that the EROEI would be less than 1. That is, I think that extracting and exporting oil from Antarctica would probably take more energy than it would produce..

[nth]

http://www.peakoil.com/article3049.html

As I said, this will be the basis for Antartica and Deep Sea floor oil exploration.
Next up is permit and profit sharing...