All known oil/gas reserves, basins been explored, says expert

Lucknow, Nov 19 (UNI) Oil/gas explorations, which require huge capital investment, are getting increasingly difficult since all known fossil fuel reserves have already been explored in India, a top palynologist has claimed.

''All known fuel reserves and easily accessible basins have been successfully explored,'' Dr B S Venkatachala, Former Director, Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany (BSIP), Lucknow, told UNI here.

However, the scientist suggested the integration of industrial (economic) palynology with seismic and electrolog data in basin modelling for future hydrocarbon explorations.

Palynology is a highly specialised field involving the study of live and fossil spores.

Since late seventies, source rock palynology has played key role in recognising hydrocarbon generative rocks in almost all sedimentary basins of the country, he informed.

''A vast amount of fossil palynological data has generated from India during the last six decades, which provide a rich source of information for hydrocarbon exploration and palynological research,'' Dr Venkatachala underlined.

The earliest centres of such study have been laboratories of the BSIP, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) at Dehra Dun, Sibsagar (Assam), Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Baroda (Gujarat) and Geological Survey of India (GSI), Kolkata.

The former ONGC Superintendent Palynologist was here to deliver the Diamond Jubilee lecture on 'Economic Palynology: Industrial Applications' as part of BSIP Founders' Day function last week.

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