Gulf Basin study examines active hydrocarbon migration. (Global Basins Research Network conducts research)

Improved oil and gas recovery takes on a whole new meaning when folks start talking about tapping directly into migrating hydrocarbons before they even make it to the reservoir.

And that's not a pipe dream.

Producers have long known that oil moves along geological faults, and scientists are now investigating how, under certain conditions, deeper source hydrocarbons are constantly replenishing shallower reservoirs.

Locating and tapping into active, or dynamic, subsair hydrocarbon migration pathways, and identifying the mechanisms that cause the hydrocarbons to migrate, is the goal of an ongoing study by the Global Basins Research Network (GBRN), an Intemet-connected research consortium of nine geographically distant and separate academic institutions.

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