Energy Glossary

The glossary includes common energy industry terms and definitions.

Term	Definition
AFE	An Authorization for Expenditure: a detailed breakdown of estimated costs for drilling a well.
Area	An oil or gas producing location. For example, the Gulf of Oman.
Block	A numbered geographic area with latitude and longitude coordinates.
Bulk Box	A large container used for storing and transporting bulk materials such as drilling mud, cement, and other chemicals used in drilling operations.
Bulk Box Contents	The contents kept in a bulk box, such as drilling mud, cement, and other chemicals used in drilling operations.
Business Associate Alias	A business associate's previous or alternate names.
Business Associates	Your organization's partners: Companies, people, and organizations.
Container	A large, reusable, and often standardized storage unit for raw materials, finished goods, equipment and machinery, and inventory.
Country	A part of the world with the authority to control and regulate the importation, exploration, production, and distribution of oil and gas resources within its borders.
County	A geographic and administrative division within a state or country.
Drawing/Map	A representation of various aspects of oil and gas operations, For example, architectural and construction drawings.
Field	An oil or gas producing location sharing the same or related infrastructure.
Fluid Sample	A sample of fluids from an oil or gas well.
OCS Lease	An OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) lease is a legal agreement with the US government to explore, develop and produce oil and natural gas from federal offshore waters.
Prospect	An area with the potential for oil and gas exploration.
Sample	A sample of liquids or sediments.
Seismic Bin Grid	A grid of seismic data, used to create images of the subsurface of the earth for oil and gas exploration.
Seismic Dataset	A collection of seismic data, used to create images of the subsurface of the earth for oil and gas exploration.
Seismic Design	The planning and parameters for a seismic survey for oil and gas exploration.
Seismic Line	A line where seismic data is collected for oil and gas exploration.
Seismic Line Shot Points	Locations along a seismic line where seismic waves collect seismic data for oil and gas exploration.
Seismic Processing	The process of analyzing seismic data for oil and gas exploration.
Seismic Section	A two-dimensional image of the subsurface of the earth created from seismic data.
Seismic Survey	An offshore oil and gas exploration technique that employs seismic waves.
Seismic Survey Alias	A seismic survey's previous or alternate names.
Slide	A thin polished section of a rock or core sample examined under a microscope.
State/Province	A geographic and administrative division within a county or country.
Well	A hole in the earth for extracting oil or gas.
Well Alias	A well's previous or alternate names.
Well Core	A cylindrical sample of geologic formation, usually reservoir rock, taken during or after drilling a well.
Well Log	A measurement of one or more physical quantities in or around a well.