Oil and Gas
Oil and Gas | Stratigraphy
The aim is to supply participants with an international spread of real-world examples, which can serve as an analogue database for future work. This course includes multiple class exercises and case history examples, integrated with lectures on sequence stratigraphic concepts. The lectures will present common pitfalls and case studies demonstrating things that went wrong, as well as where facies mapping worked. Participants will have the opportunity to construct seismic facies maps during the course.
Business Impact: An understanding and application of the principles of sequence stratigraphy is essential for the successful prediction and analysis of seismic and well log facies in the subsurface. This course provides the relevant knowledge and skills for participants to successfully use sequence stratigraphy in exploration and prospect identification.
Feedback
It's really great. One of the best courses I've ever attended.
Schedule
Duration and Training Method
This is a classroom or virtual classroom workshop comprising practical exercises interspersed with lectures and discussion.
Course Overview
Learning Outcomes
Participants will learn to:
- Formulate the observational techniques used to interpret both well and seismic facies (clastic and carbonate) within a simple stratigraphic framework.
- Evaluate the use and integration of the Exxon model, system tracts, chronostratigraphy and seismic stratigraphy.
- Assess the principles of facies mapping methods to sequence stratigraphy and describe the possible pitfalls in interpretation; mispicking, scale, depositional environment, mounds and (HRDZ's) Hydrocarbon Related Diagenetic Zones.
- Appraise and locate Lowstand facies; slope fans, prograding complexes, incise valleys, sediment waves and contourites, basin floor fans and debrites.
- Appraise and recognise Transgressive facies; basal transgressive sands and source rocks.
- Appraise and pin point Highstand facies; prograding slope and shelves, fluvial and alluvial sediments.
Course Content
1. Introduction
- Format, content, aims and objectives
2. Sequence Stratigraphy
- The Exxon model
- Other models
- System tracts
- Chronostratigraphy
- Seismic stratigraphy
- Well facies
3. Seismic Facies Mapping
- Introduction
- Scales, phase, datumming
- ABC method
- Other methods
- Automated methods
- Exercise: ABC mapping
4. Lowstand Seismic Facies
- Basin floor fans and debrites
- Slope fans
- Sediment waves and contourites
- Prograding complexes
- Incised valleys
- Exercises: Deepwater sediments in the Gulf of Mexico, Carnarvon and Canning Basins
- The Carnarvon exercise will include a relative sea level change curve calculation and prediction of basinal facies
5. Transgressive Seismic Facies
- Basal transgressive sands
- Source rocks
- Exercises: Source rocks in China and North Slope; basal transgressive sands in Pakistan and Carnarvon Basin
6. Highstand Seismic Facies
- Prograding slopes and shelves
- Fluvial
- Alluvial
- Exercises: Prograding deltas and carbonates in Morocco, Vietnam, and the Great Australian Bight
7. Stratimagic Examples
8. Pitfalls and “Oddball” Facies
- Scale
- Misspicking
- Mounds
- HRDZ’s
- Other problems
9. Seismic Facies Mapping Exercise
- Exercise: The Pearl River Mouth Basin, China
Who Should Attend and Prerequisites
This workshop is hands-on and is suitable for both geologists and geophysicist, or anyone interested in deducing geology from seismic and well data.
Instructors
Rob Kirk
Background
Rob joined the oil industry as an exploration geophysicist in Adelaide, South Australia with SA Oil and Gas Corp working on acquiring, processing and interpreting land seismic in the Cooper Basin. After 3 years he joined Occidental Oil and Gas Corp and was responsible for the seismic exploration in the Polda Graben, South Australia, after which he worked in Perth in the Barrow Sub-basin which led to the discovery of the Harriet oil field, along with oil in the Canning Basin. In 1985 he went to California and worked for Occidental on seistrat projects in South America, including the giant Cano Limon field in Colombia.
Rob joined BHP Petroleum in 1987 in Melbourne and spent the next 10 years here in charge of seismic and sequence stratigraphy work in all areas of BHP interest including the Gulf of Mexico. In 1998 he was transferred to London with BHP where he worked the seismic stratigraphy of the Gabon, Angola and Algerian acreage.
In 2001 Rob went to Perth to work for Woodside and was responsible for all sequence and seismic stratigraphy work (including field trips and training) in Mauretania, Kenya, and various Australian basins.
Rob is currently consulting to industry from Tasmania, where he works on Kingdom software, and has done seistrat projects in Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, New Zealand, South America and India, as well as Nautilus training in Romania, Milan, Malaysia, Australia and India.
Rob was a joint winner of the 1991 AAPG Best Paper Award.
Affiliations and Accreditation
MSc University of Western Australia
PESA Australian Distinguished lecturer
Gulf Coast Section Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Foundation
Courses Taught
N137: Seismic Facies Mapping in a Sequence Stratigraphic Framework
N248: Well Facies Mapping in a Sequence Stratigraphic Framework
N357: Seismic and Well Facies Mapping in a Sequence Stratigraphic Framework
Accreditation and Certification
CEU: 3.5 Continuing Education Units
PDH: 35 Professional Development Hours
Certificate: Certificate Issued Upon Completion
RPS is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. We comply with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognised internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices.
We issue a Certificate of Attendance which verifies the number of training hours attended. Our courses are generally accepted by most professional licensing boards/associations towards continuing education credits. Please check with your licensing board to determine if the courses and certificate of attendance meet their specific criteria.