The German meteorologist Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift is now the foundation of modern geology. Imagno / Getty Images
The German meteorologist Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift is now the foundation of modern geology. Imagno / Getty Images

The pioneer who moved continents and uncovered oil



He died in 1930. His grave, in a remote part of the central Greenland ice cap, now lies under 100 metres of accumulated snow. His ideas were scorned in his own lifetime. But 2012 marks the centenary of the German meteorologist Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift, now the foundation of modern geology. His insight continues to provide oil explorers with new discoveries even today, and explains the fabulous oil and gas wealth that underlies the Middle East.

Wegener proposed that, instead of being fixed as most geologists of the time thought, the continents gradually move across the Earth's surface, and oceans open and close. He asked why the traces of ancient glaciers are found in what is today the scorching Sahara Desert, and why the Scottish mountains are identical to those of Newfoundland in Canada.

He suggested the near-perfect fit of the coasts of Africa and South America shows they had once been joined. The ancient fern Glossopteris, found not only in Africa and South America, but also in India, Australia and Antarctica, is evidence that they were in ancient times a great southern supercontinent, Gondwana.

His work was met with disbelief from the geological profession. They did not see how these huge masses of rock could plough across the ocean floor. But from the 1950s, a new generation of brilliant scientists, including Harry Hess from Princeton, Toronto's Tuzo Wilson and my old professor Dan McKenzie from Cambridge University, took up Wegener's concept.

They used new magnetic data and ocean floor surveys to develop it into the theory of plate tectonics, with the Earth's crust divided into seven or eight major plates and many minor ones. This comprehensively explains the main features of the Earth's surface: mountain belts, ocean trenches, volcanoes and earthquakes, the distribution of fossils and the location of oil and gasfields.

Even today, plate tectonics continues to offer new clues for oil companies. The UK's Tullow, which struck oil in little-explored Ghana, then thought to look across the Atlantic to South America, from which Africa separated around 100 million years ago. Tullow was at once rewarded by a major find in French Guiana in September last year.

The geography works in reverse too. After the massive "pre-salt" oil discoveries in Brazil, it was natural to wonder if West Africa also had potential beneath two kilometres of sea and five kilometres of rock and shifting salt layers. Denmark's Maersk was the first to succeed, striking oil in pre-salt rocks in Angola in January; the US mid-cap Cobalt followed in February. Now, Total, BP, Statoil, ENI, Repsol and ConocoPhillips are looking in the same place.

And it is plate tectonics that created the Middle East's extraordinary petroleum wealth. For much of geological time, the region was covered by a shallow subtropical sea in which the remains of countless tiny plants and animals piled up. When Arabia and the Zagros region, part of the same plate, ran into central Iran, this organic matter was cooked into oil and gas, which accumulated in the massive geological folds forced up by the collision.

A better understanding of the Middle East's plate tectonics is hampered by regional suspicions and lack of freely available data. In particular, modern work in Iran and Iraq has been difficult because of lack of access. Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain are not even involved in the One Geology initiative, a scheme to unify the world's geological maps.

Nevertheless, in this region as elsewhere, Wegener's century-old insight continues to be the foundation of petroleum geologists' work. Oil is found, first of all, in the mind, and there are many new frontiers yet to discover.

Robin Mills is the head of consulting at Manaar Energy, and author of The Myth of the Oil Crisis and Capturing Carbon

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Karwaan

Producer: Ronnie Screwvala

Director: Akarsh Khurana

Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar

Rating: 4/5

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

UFC Fight Night 2

1am – Early prelims

2am – Prelims

4am-7am – Main card

7:30am-9am – press cons

Company%20Profile
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Your Guide to the Home
  • Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
  • Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
  • Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
     
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Champion%20v%20Champion%20(PFL%20v%20Bellator)
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2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier

Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.

Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar

Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain

GOLF’S RAHMBO

- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)

Despacito's dominance in numbers

Released: 2017

Peak chart position: No.1 in more than 47 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Lebanon

Views: 5.3 billion on YouTube

Sales: With 10 million downloads in the US, Despacito became the first Latin single to receive Diamond sales certification

Streams: 1.3 billion combined audio and video by the end of 2017, making it the biggest digital hit of the year.

Awards: 17, including Record of the Year at last year’s prestigious Latin Grammy Awards, as well as five Billboard Music Awards

ELECTION%20RESULTS
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Company%20Profile
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20Secret%20Kingdom%20
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THE BIO

Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.

Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.

Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.

Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.

 

 

Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
RESULTS

6.30pm: Handicap (rated 100 ) US$175,000 1,200m
Winner: Baccarat, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap (78-94) $60,000 1,800m
Winner: Baroot, Christophe Soumillon, Mike de Kock

7.40pm: Firebreak Stakes Group 3 $200,000 1,600m
Winner: Heavy Metal, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.15pm: Handicap (95-108) $125,000 1,200m
Winner: Yalta, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer

8.50pm: Balanchine Group 2 $200,000 1,800m
Winner: Promising Run, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor

9.25pm: Handicap (95-105) $125,000 1,800m
Winner: Blair House, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby

10pm: Handicap (95-105) $125,000 1,400m
Winner: Oh This Is Us, Tom Marquand, Richard Hannon

Info

What: 11th edition of the Mubadala World Tennis Championship

When: December 27-29, 2018

Confirmed: men: Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Kevin Anderson, Dominic Thiem, Hyeon Chung, Karen Khachanov; women: Venus Williams

Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae, Virgin megastores or call 800 86 823

In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Seven tips from Emirates NBD

1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details

2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet

3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details

4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure

5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs  (one-time passwords) with third parties

6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies

7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately

Titanium Escrow profile

Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue  
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family

New schools in Dubai
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The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

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