Well drilling is the engineered process of creating a borehole in the subsurface to access fluids such as groundwater, hydrocarbons, or geothermal resources, using mechanical, rotary, or percussion methods. In research and industrial practice, it involves drill bit selection, drilling fluid (mud) formulation for cuttings transport and borehole stability, and real-time monitoring of downhole parameters such as pressure, temperature, and rate of penetration. Advanced well drilling topics include directional and horizontal drilling, measurement-while-drilling (MWD) and logging-while-drilling (LWD) technologies, managed pressure drilling, and methods to minimize formation damage, wellbore instability, and environmental impact.
Pennsylvania's roughly 100,000 oil and gas wells produce wastewater that's many times saltier than seawater and contains radium, a known carcinogen. For decades, that saltwater, called brine, was spread on dirt and gravel ...
Environment
Jul 27, 2026
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South Africa is the 30th driest country in the world. Over 400 towns, especially in the western and central parts of the country, rely on water from aquifers that they pump out of the ground (groundwater).
Environment
Mar 19, 2026
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As the United States continues to lead global oil and gas production—accounting for roughly 20% of worldwide output in 2024—understanding how different extraction methods affect ecosystems has never been more urgent. A new ...
Environment
Mar 10, 2026
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Lush green fields of alfalfa spread across thousands of acres in a desert valley in western Arizona, where a dairy company from Saudi Arabia grows the thirsty crop by pulling up groundwater from dozens of wells.
Environment
Jan 6, 2026
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In the North Sea where Denmark once drilled for oil, imported European carbon dioxide will soon be buried under the seabed in a carbon capture and storage (CCS) project nearing completion.
Environment
Dec 22, 2025
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Deep in Earth's past, an icy landscape became a seascape as the ice melted and the oceans rose off what is now the northeastern United States. Nearly 50 years ago, a U.S. government ship searching for minerals and hydrocarbons ...
Environment
Sep 5, 2025
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Farmer Hadi Saheb cannot wait to see his wheat fields flourish in the heart of the desert after he tapped into groundwater reserves in water-starved Iraq.
Environment
Apr 25, 2025
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