The middle of the Gulf of Mexico is a busier place than you might think. Its deep, blue waters are dotted with passing boats and energy platforms. Last summer, the Q4000 was one of them. Most of the time, the Q4000 is an industry rig. It has two remotely operated vehicles for inspecting and servicing […]
<p>Jackson School of Geosciences Professor Peter Flemings is the recipient of the 2024 Robert R. Berg Outstanding Research Award, a top honor bestowed by the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a worldwide professional association.</p>
<p>Over the course of his career, Flemings has worked to apply his academic research to effect real-world breakthroughs. His work analyzing how pressure within Earth’s crust is controlled by geology and fluid flow, for example, shaped how oil companies now safely search for hydrocarbons.</p>
<p>Flemings and his students explored how the evolution of rock layers controls the flow of fluids within them and the distribution of pressure underground, which allowed them to develop systematic approaches to predicting that pressure.</p>
<p>“I’m very proud of that — it’s probably my best idea,” Flemings said. “The phenomenon is global.&