Course Overview

The ideas that will be taught in this course are usually utilised as a service in development and petroleum exploration for palaeoenvironment and age determination. However, the actual power is given by critical insight of the information derived from thorough sequence identification and determination notwithstanding unconformities and several factored sequence breaks.

What is stratigraphy in oil and gas?

The determination of usual flooding and well compact and condensed surfaces and their facies utilisation discovery which can be a reservoir to non-reservoir. The condensed surfaces are often not in optimal condition. Consequently, they are neither in the desired range of high-resolution stratigraphical correlations.

Why is sequence stratigraphy important for petroleum?

When the data from the biostratigraphy is used alongside the seismic interpretations, petrographical, and sedimentological data, its actual power is unravelled in a great way. This course intends to illustrate how best this data and combination can be used. However, there are a few shortcomings of using bio stratigraphical data, and such cases shall be discussed in relation to the geological context that enables the formation of deposits. This determination and identification can be utilised to understand better the geology, which will help in unlocking the tools and with it a realisation of the existing possibilities that optimised utilisation of these methods can bring.

The course will give the participants the required knowledge in biostratigraphy and sequence stratigraphy, including the known major fossil groups that are often used in geological operations, processing methods of the collected samples, markers determination, use of bio stratigraphic charts and their use in the geological interpretation of drilling areas.

The course will highlight the following:

• How biostratigraphy is utilised together with bio facies to determine and interpret key seismic markers
• Various laws that are found in stratigraphy and chronostratigraphic determination by the use of biostratigraphy
• Pitfalls that exist and to find and how they can even guide us to a greater understanding of geology
• Discussion on how to integrate bio stratigraphical data to better and efficiently construct a high-resolution and better sequence stratigraphy
• Which microfossil groups are best used for various ages of sediments, and how it relates to palaeoenvironment indicators?
• Case study of applied biostratigraphy and stratigraphy for oil and petroleum exploration and development in Africa, parts of Asia, and parts of Europe
• Introduction to various microfossil groups
• How biostratigraphy can be used and biofacies
• How biostratigraphy can be utilised in play-based exploration
• History associated with sequence stratigraphy
• Controls on basin stratigraphy
• Relative seal level low stands and reservoir development
• The model and principles of seismic and sequence stratigraphy

Course Objectives

The main objectives of this specialised course can be listed as follows:

• To help participants develop a deep understanding of how biostratigraphical data and information achieved from this endeavour can be utilised with other gathered geological data to optimise its use
• Give the participants an understanding of the critical utilisation of stratigraphy in providing a spatial and temporal display of well-known depositional packages
• Equip the professional with the ability to use sequence and seismic stratigraphy together with the data gathered from biostratigraphy towards new play definition and as a tool in play and prospect finding (risking)
• Identification of the main sequence on seismic
• Help the participant to develop enhanced and well-round interpretation skills to recognise key and important seismic triggered markers and how to understand these as a geological and stratigraphical sequence by utilising acquired biostratigraphical data
• Impact awareness with the terms and terminologies used in biostratigraphy and sequence oil and petroleum field
• Give the participants a deep knowledge of identifying and understanding various geological data and sequence identification and parasequence on data
• Impact deep knowledge on sedimentary basins known and identified types and their visible depositional patterns
• Help in the interpretation of palaeoenvironments of deposition by using biostratigraphical assemblages
• Use of biostratigraphy as a predictive tool which is highly utilised in exploration and development

Training Methodology

This course shall be facilitated by industry experts and renowned professionals in their respective fields It will be delivered in PowerPoint presentation, lecture notes, videos and all the participants are encouraged to engage others and the facilitators during classes

This Zoe Biostratigraphy and Sequence Stratigraphy in Oil and Petroleum Exploration will follow the ‘Learn-Apply-Review’ model of delivery to enhance participant engagement and learning.

Organisational Benefits

All the organisations that will let their professionals undergo this course will benefit in the following ways:

• Higher resolution reservoir and stratigraphical and use of well-established correlations from exploration through to development unique cases (flow unit correlations for static models)
• Concepts of wildcat drilling and generation of new exploration plays
• Sequence determination and improved reservoir correct prediction techniques after it has been integrated with seismic
• Optimum use of sequence stratigraphy and biostratigraphical information that is often necessary for any organisation in the oil and petroleum exploration field
• Experience new play identification and definitions and ultimately lead to a new lead and better fields identification
• Planning of stratigraphical analyses programs for optimum cost saving
• Rejuvenation of better and improved exploration places using new techniques to get new oil accumulations

Personal Benefits

• Provision of thorough and practical knowledge of different biostratigraphical methods
• Learn how to use biostratigraphical information and acquired data for new play identification in oil and petroleum exploration places and fields and how it can be utilised for facies identification and interpretation and correlation in appraisal and development cases
• Learn better utilisation of biostratigraphical data in Well correlations
• Get insight into how to plan well and optimise a sequence stratigraphical program from which microfossils are obtained
• Pitfall identification in the use of stratigraphical information and therefore optimise its utilisation in various sediments of different ages
• Get to understand how sequence and their boundaries are identified using stratigraphical data and how they are integrated with other geological and seismic data

Who Should Attend?

• Sedimentologists
• Exploration geologists
• Development geologists
• Petrographers
• Seismic interpreters

Course Outline

Module 1: Biostratigraphy

• Index fossils
• Stratigraphical range charts construction
• Numerical methods, abundance increases, frequency polygons, and maxima
• Microfossils changes through the stratigraphical and their columns
• Type sections
• initial downhole occurrence, fossil assemblages, and finishing downhole occurrence

Module 2: Biostratigraphical correlations and techniques

• Integration of sedimentological and petrographical information
• Construction of biostratigraphical cross section and datum selection
• Conformitites/hiatus in sequences identification
• Biozones definition
• Geochemical information integration
• Creating pitfalls utilising biostratigraphical data, reworking, downhole, and contamination

Module 3: The Models

• Sequence boundary recognition
• The Exxon model
• Genetic stratigraphic sequences
• System tract types
• Sequence boundary types and system tracts
• Variance on the ideal model

Module 4: Play definition using exploration methods

• Early Silurian hot shales of the Arabian plate
• Source rock characterisation
• Hydrocarbon play definition
• Biostratigraphy and play based exploration methods
• Potiguar basin and cretaceous algamar play

 Module 5: Stratigraphy

• Inorganic microfossils, e.g., Ostracoda and Microframinifera
• Laws in stratigraphy
• Stratigraphical column
• Age dating methods used in sediments and igneous rocks
• Chronostratigraphy

Module 6: Sequence stratigraphy of carbonates

• Controls on carbonate production
• Carbonate system overview
• Highstand shedding
• Carbonate sequence stratigraphy
• Relative seal level low stands

Module 7: Seismic sequence stratigraphy, biostratigraphy, and palaeoenvironment

• Biostratigraphical data & seismic sequence stratigraphy – Integration
• Using biostratigraphy data to determine condensed sequences and maximum flooding surfaces
• Understanding resolution related to the geology and the limitations
• The pitfalls
• Identification of sequence boundaries
• Identification of biostratigraphical data

Module 8: Micropalaeontology

• Microfossil groups preservation
• Marine vs Non-marine microfossils
• Definition of water depth from various fossil groups
• Using micropalaeontology for paleoenvironmental understanding
• Using Well log data
• Coastal onlap