Publications
Selected reports papers, publications, brochures, presentations technical notes and posters:
Hidden Hydrogen - Does Earth hold vast stores of a renewable, carbon-free fuel? - Science Magazine February 2023
Natural hydrogen in the Monzon-1 well, Ebro basin, northern Spain - Article by Christopher Atkinson, Christopher Matchette-Downes and Sandra Garcia-Curiel
Natural Hydrogen in the Monzón-1 well, Ebro Basin, Northern Spain - A Webinar Presentation to the European Federation of Geologists February 2, 2023
The hydrogen system of Europe’s first natural hydrogen project - Helios Aragon - AAPG - December 2022
Un inversor proyecta extraer del subsuelo de Huesca hidrógeno puro - elperiodico de Aragon newspaper article December 2022
Natural hydrogen: a new source of carbon-free and renewable energy that can compete with hydrocarbons - Firstbreak publication October 2022
Interest in white hydrogen grows - Von Linda Osusky, Energie & Klima
What Pulsating H2 Emissions Suggest about the H2 Resource in the Sao Francisco Basin of Brazil - Lawrence Cathles and Alain Prinzhofer, Geosciences, April 2020
Natural H2 in Kansas: Deep or shallow origin? - Geochem Geophys Geosyst - 2017
Natural hydrogen in the Monzon-1 well, Ebro basin, northern Spain - Christopher Atkinson, Christopher Matchette-Downes and Sandra Garcia-Curiel
In March 1963 the Monzon-1 well was drilled in the Ebro basin (Spain), in the foreland of the southern slope of the Pyrenean chain. It reached the depth of 3,715 m without commercial success but encountered gas indices in the bunter (Triassic) sandstone series. The end-of-survey report mentions two intervals with TG indices up to 25% and indicates pure hydrogen. The investigations into the measuring devices of the time show that it can be said with good confidence that the gas measured was indeed pure hydrogen. Starting from this hypothesis the source of this hydrogen must be sought along the major crustal accidents of the chain as demonstrated on the north-Pyrenean front. This rediscovery of hydrogen data on an old well revives hopes for the prospection of a gold hydrogen... More...Revista Maya: Revista Geociencias, September 2021 The oils and source rocks of the Patuca, Niobe and Mosquia Basins, Hondursa
Houston, Houston Geological Society, November 19-20 2019 1st HGS/EAGE Conference on Latin America: South American Petroleum Play for Future Decades of the Third Millennium: The Petroleum Geology of Offshore Honduras
London, Geological Society: May 14-16 2019. The source rock provinces of the Caribbean by recourse to biomarker and stable isotope data assemblages from produced oils, shows and seeps. Key note
London, Geological Society: May 14-16 2019. The Oil and Source rocks of the Patuca and Mosquita Basins, Honduras
London, AAPG: October 2017, Permo-Triassic Petroleum Systems of the East African Coastal Basins, DRD Boote, CJ Matchette-Downes & R Sorkhabi
Using oil geochemistry to better understand the source rocks of East Africa oil June 25, 2018, London
East Africa Petroleum Geology - A presentation on behalf of the East Africa Oil Group: Finding Petroleum Geological Society, 26th June 2018
Petroleum Geology of Mexico and the Northern Caribbean Palaeozoic to Cainozoic reconstructions London, 28 – 29 November 2017
East Africa Petroleum Geology - A presentation on behalf of the East Africa Oil Group
Finding Petroleum, 26th June 2018, Geological Society
Finding Hydrocarbons in East Africa & the Western Indian Ocean PDF 11 MegEAPC 09 The East African Petroleum Systems - CJ Matchette-Downes
APPEX LONDON 08 The East African Tease: Discovering the Jewels Click here for the presentation
EPAC 07 (abstract) Hydrocarbon Systems of the East African Continental Margins. Click here for the presentation
Seychelles and the Western Indian Ocean Palaeo-Reconstruction by Recourse to Biomarker Assemblages from Significant Oil Accumulations and Shows in the Present Day Indian Ocean Margin
Click here for the poster
London: HGS PESGB, Seychelles and their place in the greater western Indian Ocean Petroleum System. August 12 and 13th August 2006. Click here (3.4 Meg)
London & Houston: Petroleum potential of the Morondava Basin . Click here (1.3 Meg)
Houston: NAPE International Prospect Promotion Forum. February 1st 2006. Click here
Maputo: UNCTAD, 9th African Oil & Gas, Trade and Finance Conference, 31st May to 3rd June 2005: ‘Why Mozambique and the surrounding region will lead Africa in exploration success’. Click here (4,2 Meg)
Entebbe: Invited by the Tanzanian, Kenyan and Ugandan governments to speak at the 2nd East Africa conference, 4th March 2005:;East Africa ; an exploration hotspot’. Click here (2 Meg)
Jamaica available Date brochure 500k
Jamaica - petroleum geology review brochure 1.4Meg
Petroleum Prospectivity of Jamaica brochure 2.9 Meg
Morant Digitally Reconstructed Seismic Data 2.7 Meg
Saba Bank, Dutch Antilles, petroleum potential brochure 6.1M
An introduction to the petroleum geology of offshore Sri Lanka brochure950k
The continental margin of East Africa - exploration potential brochure 476k
North-Eastern Tanzania, Tanga block, seismic reprocessing brochure 466k
Tanzania Petroleum Development Corporation Exploration Activity Map
Tanga block seismic program poster (1 meg)
Now is the time for East Africa - article (3,740k)
Is East Africa the next big thing? (66k) reprint from Africa Energy
Kenya's search for oil - article from the East African Standard (Nairobi)
Poster of Multiple oil-prone source horizons in coastal Tanzania - please note this is a 5 Meg file and will take time to download, during this time your screen may look largely blank!
Guide to Optical Microscopy in petroleum geology PDF 1.2 Meg
Assessment of Maturity in Condensates & light crudes – a brief guide PDF 1.3 Meg
The Hague Global Pacific 4th annual national oil companies & governments 1-2 September: Jamaica licensing round and future developments
Maputo:UNCTAD 9th African Oil & Gas, Trade and Finance Conference, 31 May to 3 June 2005: Why Mozambique and the surrounding region will lead Africa in exploration success.
Entebbe: 2nd East Africa conference, 4th March 2005: presented East Africa – an exploration hotspot.
Houston: IHS NAPE presentations. Jamaica & Tanzania opportunities, January 2005.
Houston: Jamaica 1st round presentation. Jamaica geology & petroleum geochemistry, December 2004
London: Tanzania 3rd round presentation. Tanzania petroleum geochemistry, November 2004
London: East Africa comes of age. A joint paper to be presented at PETEX, November 2004.
Cancun: Jamaican oil biomarkers require a re-examination of the petroleum geology of the northern Caribbean. A joint poster presented at AAPG International, 24 – 27th October 2004.
Houston: Jamaica found to have play types analogous to Sumatra & NW Java. A joint paper published in the Oil & Gas Journal 13th September 2004.
London: The greater East Africa oil prone system: Results from recent wells a joint presented at PESGB Houston Geological Society’s 3rd conference on African E&P, 7 – 8th September 2004.
London: Tanzania oil story: New data new insights, a talk given at Global Pacific’s African Forum, 2-3rd March 2004.
Offshore Magazine: East Africa’s potential unmarred by limited drilling. A joint paper in the geosciences section pp 123 & 126 October 2003.
Houston: Evidence for multiple oil prone source horizons in coastal Tanzania, poster presented at the PESGB Houston Geological Society’s 2nd conference on African E&P, 3 – 4th September 2003 & updated for presentation at Global Pacific’s Africa Upstream Cape Town conference, October 2003.
London: A new play: The Tugela Cone of the Durban Basin, East Coast South Africa, and poster presented at PESGB Houston Geological Society’s 1st conference on African E&P September 2002.
Cape Town: A new Play, the Durban basin, east coast South Africa, poster presented at Global Pacific’s Africa Upstream conference, October 2002.
PGS Exploration, Perth
NW Shelf,Australia, and Makassar Straights, Indonesia, seismic programs.
ERC (became PGS Reservoir), Marlow
Created, marketed and sold the Outer Hebrides Study with inputs from geology, well data seismic, biostratigraphy, geochemistry and structural geology.
Created, marketed and sold the White Zone Study with inputs from geology, well data seismic, biostratigraphy, geochemistry and structural geology.
Geochem Group, Chester, UK
Guide to Microscopy in Petroleum Geochemistry. Booklet and course text & illustrations, 22 pages.
Geochemical projects:
Turkmenistan oil analysis
Angola core analysis
Yemen geochemistry study
Porcupine basin study
Southern Gas basin study
West of Shetland basin study
Black Sea, Ukraine oils study
Cambodia oils study
Norway oils study
Tunisia core analysis
Celtic Sea study
Nigerian oils study
Libyan oils study
Chinese Paleozoic oils
Cuban oils
Myanmar oils
Israeli oils
Tioman Perchora oils
Syria oils
Laos’s geology
UKCS
Azeri Oils Atlas
Caspian source rock study
Pakistan oils study
Algerian source rock study
Thailand Tertiary study
Korat study
West of Shetlands basin studies
Two geochemistry schools
Vietnam oils
Geokimia, Geoservices, Jakarta
Reviewed & edited numerous geochemical reports, including
Tarakan basin, South Sumatra. Source rock maturity, source potential and timing of oil generation.
Southern Moluccus, Seram. Oil characterization study.
West Timor, Source rock & oil seep study with reference to the NW Shelf
NW Java, Parigi & pre Parigi carbonate shallow gas and its origin study
Jatibarang Volcanics, north west Java, an oil study
Irian Jaya: Study of the origin of oils from the Salawati basin
British Gas
Thistleton Biomarkers. R&T and E&P report.
Biomarker Analysis and interpretation. R&T report.
Headspace analysis of canned wellbore samples. R&T report.
Geochemistry of the Wessex Basin Part III. R&T report.
Geochemistry; stable isotope characterization. R&T report.
Dorset coast oil seep samples. External report.
an extended study of the source rocks and the oils of the Wessex and North Channel Basins. Volume 1: Wells and surface sample data. E&P report.
Geochemical analysis of DST oil from Combed Keynes, Dorset E&P and R&T report.
Immunology and geochemistry. R&T report.
Immunology and geochemistry. Case award proposal.
The organic geochemistry of the CN well Lancashire. E&P report.
The organic geochemistry of the CF well Lancashire. E&P report.
Inshore Dorset coast gas. R&T and E&P report.
43/17 2 gases. E&P report.
43/17 2 gases E&P report.
Second British Organic Geochemistry Society Conference, Liverpool. R&T and
E&P report.
Msc Project. External report. Studentship proposal.
Isotope geochemistry. R&T report.
Measurement of atmospheric methane. R&T report.
Rotliegend gas. External report.
Stable isotope data bank. R&T report.
Geochemistry and immunology. External report.
Methane in air. R&T report.
Oil/Oil Correlation Exercise E&P report.
Geochemistry of heavy oil samples from Iraq. Preliminary results. E&P report.
Geochemistry of Ordovician Black Shale from Anglesey, North Wales. E&P report.
Geochemical Survey, East China Sea. E&P report.
Gajah Hitam 1, Sabah, Geochemical data. E&P report.
Thai Basin, Quick look see Model. E&P report.
Gulf of Thailand, Volumetrics. E&P report.
Msc. Projects 1990. External. Studentship.
Analytical Techniques and interpretation. (An Update) R&T report.
The organic Geochemistry of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation from Selected Northern North Sea Wells. E&P report.
Hayfield Farm Molecular Geochemistry. E&P report.
Qaiyarah Heavy Oil project. R&T report.
29/5B 6 North Sea "Pyrobitumen" E&P report.
Geological Society of SE Asia course photo 1990 (Singapore)
British Geological Survey (BGS)
Geochemical Analytical techniques and interpretation
North Sumatra Basin, Volumetrics. 4pp text.
Geochemical Sampling and methodology parts I & II. 15pp text and 54 figures.
The North Sumatra Basin Project. 4pp text & 22 figures.
What determines API gravity in crude oils. 4pp text.
Biomarkers, Other Related Compounds, Geochemistry & Exploration. 13pp text and 58 Figures.
Humphreys B., Matchette-Downes CJ., & Morley RJ. March 1991. Reconnaissance geological study of the Ombilin Basin, Central Sumatra, Indonesia. 36 pp text plus 30 Figures & 21 Photographic plates.
Maturity assessment of condensates and crudes. 12pp text & 10 figures.
Geochemistry of the North Sumatra Basin. 232pp text, 166 figures, 1.4mb database. (Part of a larger basin analyses study)
Source rock constraints based on molecular geochemistry. Presented at Petronas, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The fossil oil seep in Mupe Bay, Dorset: a myth investigated Cook S., (Matchette-)Downes, CJ. Miles J. Marine & Petroleum Geology 1993 Vol 10, pp 58 – 7) & Marine & Petroleum Geology 1994 Volume 11 No 1, pp 125 to 126
A maturity and palaeoenvironmental assessment of condensates and oils from the North Sumatra Basin, Indonesia: CJ Matchette-Downes, AE Fallick, Karmajaya and S Rowland. Geological society special publication No 77; Coal and Coal-bearing Strata as Oil Prone Source Rocks? 1994, pp 139-148.
Source potential of Eocene coals from South West Sulawesi. A report for ARCO IPA field trip
British Petroleum. Sunbury
Kerogen isolation. Internal report. BP Sunbury.
Newcastle University
A petrological and geochemical investigation of the Upper Kimmeridge Clay of the Dorset Type area and Marton North Yorkshire. Msc. Thesis. 191pp text and diagrams. Link to abstract
Leicester University
A comparison of recent and ancient volcanics. A University travel scholarship based on one month on Mt. Etna and the Aeolian Islands. The finished project was the best of 10 such travel scholarships and won a further award. 50%.
The geology of the Malvern Hills area. Map Thesis. 12 weeks mapping 25Km3.