Applied Biostratigraphy and Sequence Stratigraphy

Practical information: 

The course takes 6 weeks to complete and consists of 6 modules. The course start on the first monday of every month, and students are grouped together according to location, experience and demand. An application must be completed to access the exclusive mastermind group and is processed within two working days whereafter access is obtained.

Personal Impact:

Concerning the personal impact of this course the non specialist geoscientist is often at a loss with how to best use biostratigraphical data from company reports. This course will provide the necessary technical knowhow for the individual to feel comfortable with the utilization and the integration of this data into their everyday work flows. This will aid their efforts in both the exploration for new hydrocarbons and in the development of existing fields.

• The individual will gain a practical working knowledge of different biostratigraphical techniques.
• An understanding of how to plan and optimize a biostratigraphical program from which microfossils to process for, to optimum sample spacing.
• How to use best use biostratigraphical data in well to well correlations.
• How to identify the pitfalls in the use of biostratigraphical data and therefore to optimize its use in sediments of different ages and in different palaeoenvironments.
• How to use biostratigraphical data to identify sequences and sequence boundaries and how to integrate it with other geological and seismic data.
• How to use biostratigraphical data for new play definitions in exploration areas and how also it can be used for facies interpretations and reservoir correlations in appraisal and development situations.

The overall aim is for the individual to gain the competence and confidence to plan and to execute an optimized biostratigraphical study whose results can be fully integrated into active exploration, appraisal and development projects to provide that extra chronostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental information that is critical in de-risking leads and prospects and also for understanding and then predicting reservoir development and distribution in basinal through to field and flow unit investigations.

The 4 key course learning goals are around:-

1. Understanding the principles of stratigraphy, biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy.
2. Developing skills in the practical applications of biostratigraphy and how to optimally plan and then execute a cost effective analytical program that provides maximum resolution for minimum cost.
3. Getting the most out of biostratigraphical data through full data integration.
4. And how to determine age, palaeoenvironment and thermal maturity information and how to use biostratigraphical data in sequence determination.

The course is designed to be highly interactive with regular opportunities to interact with Paul by phone or e mail to aid in the optimum learning experience. Upon successful completion of the course and the exercises then certificates of accomplishment will be provided.

The Course

Biostratigraphy is often run as service by oil companies as part of the exploration and appraisal process but due to a lack of understanding the results are often not fully utilized and at the worst they can be dismissed as contradictory. This course provides the key to optimizing the use and the integration of this data with real working examples from Africa and SE Asia.

For the company the benefits will include:-

• Optimum use of biostratigraphical data that is often acquired by a company but not fully utilized.
• Planning of biostratigraphical analyses and programs for best results at a minimum cost.
• Higher resolution reservoir correlations from exploration through to development situations (flow unit correlations for static models).
• Sequence and then facies interpretations and better reservoir prediction capabilities after integration with the seismic.
• This leads to new play definitions and ultimately to new lead and prospect determination.
• Rejuvenation of mature exploration areas with new ideas to find missed oil accumulations.
• Generation of new exploration plays and concepts for wildcat drilling.

This course has been split into six modules with each module having a focus for key competency and behavioural developments and also a number of headline topics to be covered that leads to a full appreciation of how biostratigraphical data can be optimally used in exploration through to appraisal and development situations.

After every module there is an exercise.  At Avada Oil and Gas we design our exercises accordingly to Bloom’s Taxonomy. The Module exercises are therefore divided into 6 (six) parts, and each part requires the student to use a particular skill. This is part of our high impact learning design to ensure the most holistic learning experience possible. With every module also there is provision of a further reading material that includes both mandatory and optional references.

The development of training skills in Applied Biostratigraphy can be summarized for each Module:-

Module 1 – Stratigraphy and an Introduction to Micropaleontology

The competency development for Module 1 is regards understanding the fundamental laws and principles of stratigraphy and biostratigraphy including preparation techniques and an appreciation of all the fossil groups and their stratigraphical ranges.

 The topics to be covered in Module 1 will be:

• The laws of stratigraphy.
• Age dating methods for sediments and igneous rocks.
• The stratigraphical column and chronostratigraphy.
• The different microfossil groups and preparation techniques.
• Organic microfossils (Palynomorphs) including Acritarchs, Chitinozoans, Dinoflagellates, Pollen and Spores.
• Inorganic microfossils including Microforaminifera and Ostracoda.

Module 2 – Biostratigraphy

The competency development for Module 2 is regards how to present and how to interpret biostratigraphical data and understanding the relationship between biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy.

The topics to be covered in Module 2 will be:

• Microfossil evolution through the stratigraphical column.
• An introduction to stratigraphical range charts.
• First downhole occurrence, last downhole occurrence, fossil assemblages.
• Numerical methods, frequency polygons, abundance increases and maxima.
• Index fossils and assessment of the quality of biostratigraphical data.
• Stratigraphical type sections and the relation between biostratigraphy and chronostratigraphy.
• The benefits of chronostratigraphy in exploration and development.

Module 3 – Biostratigraphical correlations and correlation techniques    

 The competency development for Module 3 is how to prepare well to well correlations using biostratigraphical data and how to integrate it with other geological data. How to identify and discount spurious or misleading information to optimize the interpretation method.

 The topics to be covered in Module 3 will be:

• Building a biostratigraphical cross section, datum selection.
• Pitfalls using biostratigraphical data, downhole caving, reworking, contamination.
• Definition of biozones.
• Integrating sedimentological data
• Palynofacies and integrating geochemical information
• Identifying unconformities / hiatus and sequence breaks using biostratigraphical data.

 Module 4 – Biostratigraphy, Paleoenvironment’s and Seismic Sequence Stratigraphy

 The competency development for Module 4 is using microfossils to identify the palaeoenvironment of deposition and the use of biostratigraphical and palaeoenvironmental information to identify sequences and sequence boundaries and its integration into a seismic sequence stratigraphy. The use of biostratigraphy in appraisal and development situations is also covered.

 The topics to be covered in Module 4 will be:

• Using micropalaeontology for palaeoenvironmental interpretation.
• Marine microfossils versus non-marine microfossils.
• Definition of water depth from the different fossil groups.
• Palaeoecology and microfossil distribution.
• The identification of sequence boundaries using biostratigraphical data.
• Using biostratigraphical data to identify condensed sequences and maximum flooding surfaces.
• Using biostratigraphical data to identify lowstand system and high stand system tracts.
• Integration of biostratigraphical data and seismic sequence stratigraphy.
• The pitfalls, understanding the resolution related to the geology and the limitations.

Module 5 – The use of Chronostratigraphy and other Correlative Techniques

The competency development for Module 5 will be to understand how a chronostratigraphy is determined and then how this can be applied in seismic and sequence stratigraphy as a key to interpretation. It is also to discover other relative age dating and correlative techniques. 

The topics to be covered in Module 5 will be:

• An outline and overview.
• The history of sequence stratigraphy and stratigraphic models.
• Chronostratigraphy and seismic models.
• Integration of other relative age dating techniques including Chemostratigraphy and Magnetostratigraphy.
• Graphic correlation techniques.
• Condensation surfaces.
• Coastal onlap and eustatics.
• Other key sequence stratigraphy definitions.

Module 6 – Biostratigraphy in Play Based Exploration and Development

The competency development for Module 6 will be learning and applying play based exploration techniques and the integration of biostratigraphy using real working examples from Libya, Egypt and Thailand. It will also concern how to use these techniques optimally in active exploration, appraisal and in development situations.     

The topics to be covered in Module 6 are

• Hydrocarbon play definition – what is a play.
• Play Based Exploration – Basin Focus.
• Integrated biostratigraphy and its use in Play Based Exploration techniques.
• Play Based Exploration – Prospect Focus.
• The Kalash Formation a Late Cretaceous shelfal carbonate play NW Sirt Basin, Libya.
• The Kareem Formation a sub marine Miocene fan play, Gulf of Suez, Egypt.
• A Middle Miocene lacustrine fan/delta play, Kra Basin, Gulf of Thailand, Thailand.

Payment details:

The course can be purchased using any type of credit- or debit card.

Contact us for other types of payment by sending an email to payment@avadaog.com

Prerequisites:

• Good english communication skills
• Willingness and openness to participate in group work
• Internet access
• 3-6 hours per week