Ideally, Petro-Find surveys should be conducted before any seismic because our method: is far less expensive; is a direct indicator of the existence of hydrocarbons at depth; and can reduce seismic costs (i.e. fewer and shorter transects with less line-cutting) by focussing only on anomalous trends. For optimum reduction of risks, Petro-Find recommends both soil gas surveys and seismic before drilling.

Petro-Find also conducts both Subscription and Non-Exclusive multiclient surveys. The pricing for an Exclusive or Subscription Multiclient survey is established before a project begins while the pricing for Non-Exclusive (Speculative) Multiclient survey data is set after a project is completed.

Planning to drill? You may have seismic structures but do they contain hydrocarbons? A new, remarkable, low-cost mini-survey program can reduce risk substantially by predicting the outcome of a well before drilling in terms of whether it will be dry, marginal or productive and whether gas, condensate or oil. A company may wish to evaluate and rank its inventory of drill prospects by mini-surveys. Although soil gas surveys when combined with seismic do not remove all exploration risk, they improve success rates and productive wells will more often be in optimal locations.

The mini-survey is conducted at the exact well location and the immediate surrounding area before spudding, preferably before the surface soil is removed. The well could be an offset, infill or wildcat. A mini-survey is more cost-effective if it is conducted before the drilling contract is let and even prior to the permitting process and legal survey. This is mainly because the company may not want to drill if the mini-survey predicts unfavourable results. Also, a prediction that the well will find gas instead of oil, given the current market conditions, may provide an additional reason not to drill.

The cost for a mini-survey is minimal, CAD$6,250 for 25 sample points, plus applicable taxes. There are no hidden costs. An advance of CAD$1,500 is required. Petro-Find will cover its travel expenses. The well location should be within one day's travel time by truck from Saskatoon and be reasonably accessible. Expected turnaround on each project is 5-7 days.

The deliverables include:

• A base map.

• Contoured overlays showing anomalies for methane, ethane+ (total ethane, propane, butane and associated alkenes) and CO2 as well as any relevant ratios.

• An interpretive report of findings will include a prediction whether the well will be dry, marginal or productive and whether gas, condensate or oil.

The price for an Exclusive Multiclient Survey is set on the basis of the size of a project and the number of companies participating. Exploration companies will be solicited either by advertising in the Petroleum Explorer or directly for their participation. A project will commence once it is fully subscribed. Also, Petro-Find is open to proposals by groups of exploration companies to conduct this type of survey.

The surveys can be either reconnaissance or high-density, depending on the needs of the client. Normally, for gridded areas sample spacing is every half mile (169 samples per Township of 36 square miles). The number of sampling points per Township is less for a block of contiguous townships because of shared sampling lines. For forested areas where forestry roads/paths or seismic lines are available, samples are usually taken every 400 meters.

The data includes:

• A report of findings including identification of anomalies where the probability of drilling success for oil or gas is high, moderate or low.

• A base map showing sampling locations, topography, culture, location of previous drilling locations,etc.

• Contoured maps showing methane and ethane+ values.