Thirsty: Adventures and Lessons in Remote Geochemical Oil Exploration 1997-2005

What does the world's most energy-thirsty nation want? More oil. But the last of the planet's untapped fossil fuel lingers in some very remote and treacherous places. Whether in the Rub'al Khali desert, the Congo Basin, or the frozen Northwest Territories, frontier exploration is fraught with physical and political peril. In some cases, the best way to begin looking is with a light and fast team and the sort of hydrocarbon-sensing tools that can be carried in a backpack. Join Tom Brown and his band of brothers as they explore the backcountry, the bars and the dilemmas of people around the world whose lives are changed not just by the search for energy, but by the "business as usual" oligarchies in democracy's clothes so common in nations with oil. Thomas C. Brown has worked on the front lines of oil exploration for over a decade in ten countries. He continues to perform exploration geochemistry in North America. Tom is a graduate of the University of Colorado.