A magnitude 8.2 earthquake and strong aftershocks occurred Wednesday off Alaska's Aleutian Islands, prompting a tsunami warning that was lifted about an hour later, officials said. No damage or injuries were reported from the quake, which was the largest in Alaska since 1965 and originated about 80 kilometers from Perryville.

ExxonMobil says it has discovered oil in two wells at the Stabroek Block off Guyana's coast. The company says it will continue drilling and testing the Whiptail wells, which are about 6 kilometers southeast of the Uaru-1 discovery announced early last year.

A return to pre-pandemic US oil production levels could be more than four years away as shale operators continue to rein in spending and production growth, despite a more than 50% rise in oil prices so far this year, said oil producer Hess. "Shale will not be growing at the level that it was growing at in the last five years ... it's going to be hard to get to pre-COVID levels of 13 million barrels a day probably for the next three or four years," said Hess CEO John Hess.

EQT's natural gas production will remain relatively unchanged over the next three to four years as it sharpens its focusing on value creation by producing greener gas, EQT CEO Toby Rice told analysts. The company is doubling down on emissions reduction technology and responsibly sourced gas to prepare for a lower-carbon future.

A study published in Nature suggests oil and natural gas producers can prevent human-caused earthquakes by reducing underground wastewater injection rates after hydraulic fracturing. Researchers, who created geological models, reviewed field studies and examined wastewater injections at the Val d'Agri oilfield in southern Italy, say lower injection rates have little effect on fault systems.

Fossilized sponge remains that date back about 890 million years suggest that animals may have originated about 350 million years sooner than once believed, a study in Nature suggests. Researchers discovered the fiber network made by the sponges inside the remains of a stromatolite in Canada.

The SEG Gravity and Magnetics Committee is inviting undergraduate and graduate students to attend a virtual career panel featuring professionals in the gravity, electromagnetics, and magnetics (GEM) sector of the geophysics profession. The panel will take place Aug. 18 from 1-3 p.m. (CDT). Students who attend the free virtual event will be able to explore the variety of career options within the GEM methods and ask questions of the panel. Register for free here.

Editors of the journal Interpretation invite manuscript submissions related to understanding and modeling the architecture of conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs for an upcoming special section. Submissions are due Nov. 1. Learn more.