PESA NSW December 2026 Christmas Reunion Meeting

Guest Speaker(s): Andrew Nelson

Andrew Nelson began his geophysical career in the Geophysics Section of GSQ in 1975, and helped perform seismic refraction foundation surveys for the planning of the Wivenhoe and Burdekin Dams, as well as working on BMR seismic surveys in the Galilee and Georgina Basins and Denison Trough.

He then joined Shell in Perth, working on various Australian basins, and later worked a short stint with Delhi in Adelaide, going on to join Ampolex in Sydney where he worked mainly on the Ampolex interests in the BHP operated Timor Sea blocks, and on Papua New Guinea. Those were heady days when BHP contracted offshore rigs for multi-well programs for exploration, and for appraisal and development wells on discoveries such as Jabiru and Challis. Oil was discovered in PNG at what was then called Iagifu, by the Chevron operated Joint Venture, which included Ampolex, BP and Oil Search,. Oil Search in those days consisted of no more than a Board and Company Secretary, and drafting of figures for their Annual Report was provided by Ampolex. It was at this time that Andrew expanded an interest in strike-slip structures and received the title Strike-Slip-Nelson.

On leaving Ampolex Andrew consulted to companies such as Oil Search, InterOil, and Horizon, with a focus on PNG exploration and appraisal, and some time spent on Yemen. As Geophysicist for InterOil he managed PNG seismic and gravity surveys in areas many thought to be “moose pasture”, but which eventually yielded up the Elk/Antelope gas-condensate discovery. Under his geophysical management, InterOil was one of the first users of airborne gravity for petroleum exploration in this region, eventually surveying nearly all their acreage. At Horizon he contributed to the mapping and appraisal drilling of the PNG Elevala and Stanley gas/condensate fields, and interpretation of aeromag and gravity surveys. He retired in 2015 to enjoy sailing, golf, gardening, and grandchildren