f Introduction to the thematic set: Fault and top seals

The 4th EAGE Conference on Fault and Top Seals was held in Almeria in SE Spain from 20 to 24 September 2015. A total of 118 delegates attended (78 from industry, 21 from academia and 19 students). The conference provided the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in seal evaluation and the increased scientific rigour behind the technologies employed as we begin to understand more about the basin- to pore-scale processes that trap hydrocarbons. The same workflows are also readily adapted to studies for geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) and nuclear waste.