GEOLOGY 404: GEOLOGY OF PETROLEUM

Lab Project – Fall 2018

Purpose
This project is designed to tie together concepts you have learned in both lab and lecture.
You will work in small teams to research a given reservoir field in a petroleum basin.
You will deliver a presentation on the last day of lab; thus, you will not only gain
background on your basin but you will also benefit from other groups. You will most
likely work in one or more of these areas sometime during you career.

Guidelines
Research your area as thoroughly as possible. If information is not available for a
particular topic, you may have to use concepts learned in class to draw your own maps,
cross section, charts and conclusions. You will deliver a ​15 minute (Powerpoint)
presentation. This presentation should be well rehearsed such that it is plus or minus one
minute of the 15 minute time limit. ​Each person in the group should present​ part of the
project. The organization, formatting, and design of the presentation are also group effort.
You should include relevant and well-cited figures (maps, stratigraphic sections, cross
sections, etc.). You also provide a written summary of your report at the beginning of the
lab during which the presentation is made. The summary should be 4 to 6 pages
double-spaced text, plus copies of all presentation illustrations. Be sure to include
references. THE PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY SHOULD BE WELL CITED.

Grading
Your presentations and summaries will be evaluated by Dr Laya and me and will be
given a grade of 0-40 points using the ‘group evaluation form’. Your individual
contributions will also be peer-reviewed by your teammates using ‘personal evaluation
form’ adding 10 points to your personal grade. This is not a competition; however, a poor
effort relative to other groups will show in your presentation and grade. Remember: this
comprises 40% of your final lab average.

Scope
You will be assigned a field. In your field, you will focus on the petroleum geology of the
major producing reservoir(s) in that field. You should try to find information for all the
bullet points in the outline below, but keep it clear and concise. The presentation should
include at least one slide for each of these points.

1. General information:
- Location: show a satellite image
- Field history: year of discovery, discovery method, E&P companies in this field,
cumulative production to date, estimated remaining reserves, total value of
reserves at the present price of oil/gas
2. Regional tectonic setting
- Basin type and age: Name the type of basin (i.e, Passive Margin, Back-Arc,
etc…) and how and when the basin was formed
 - Basin sedimentary fill: age of the rocks deposited in the basin and total thickness.
Show a stratigraphic column
3. Petroleum system elements
- Source rock: age, depositional environment. Show pictures of this rock in cores
or outcrops
- Reservoir rock: age, rock type, and depositional environment, properties such as
porosity and permeability, thickness, depth. Show pictures, maps (isopach,
porosity etc.) and stratigraphic cross sections
- Seal rock: age, depositional environment. Show any available pictures
- Overburden rocks: age, depositional environment, and thickness.
Show regional cross sections and maps showing the location of these petroleum
system elements.
4. Petroleum system processes
- Trap formation: time of the trap formation and how the traps are formed. Show
cross sections (well correlations or seismic sections) and structure contour maps
- Generation/migration/accumulation: time of oil generation and its relationship
with the time of deposition of the overburden rocks. Display cross sections
showing the migration pathways.
- Preservation time and critical moment: are there any major tectonic events after
the critical moment?
Combine all this information in an events chart and burial history chart.
5. Conclusions
You are encouraged to add your own interpretation and draw your own
conclusions where necessary ​(you may think how production could be improved,
and if there are any potential perspectives in the basin or field)

Resources
You should utilize as many resources as possible. A good place to start is GEOREF (an
earth science search engine) and AAPG online. All AAPG/SEG/SEPM journals,
memoirs, etc. are available online. You must have at least 5 peer-reviewed references
(articles, not abstracts).
Xerox as much material as possible; other groups may need it. Do not hide or purposely
keep material from other people. Format your references using the style of the AAPG
Bulletin. You are allowed to use any and all available resources, including literature and
the internet.

Timeline ​Week after Midterms: Outline and Reference list due (you must have at least 5
references that are articles, not abstracts)​ ​Week before Thanksgiving: Final Presentations
during your assigned lab time.