2009: The Year of Hydrocarbons

2009 was a banner year for the discovery of precious oil and gas resources. Here is your handy dandy guide to the year that was in hydrocarbon exploration. For these bounteous glories the world can thank:
1) human ingenuity which developed the remarkable technology that made these finds possible;
2) private enterprise - it is well-known that the big private oil companies are technology leaders, state-owned companies hardly ever innovate and have to pay for the best tech;
3) high oil prices which propel companies to explore for more oil,
4) the fact that a Texas oil man was President of the United States for eight years beginning in 2000, as the die was cast on these discoveries years ago.