MSc Petroleum Geoscience / Course details

This course is designed to provide the skills required to identify and assess subsurface resources, such as developing hydrocarbon play types and petroleum systems, assessing storage for carbon capture, or modelling subsurface geothermal resources.  We assess what data is required and how to undertake an evaluation of leads and prospects, evaluate the risk and uncertainty, and processes that aid decision making in companies.  How to rank prospects, calculate reserves (deterministic and Monte Carlo) and estimate the economic worth of the project.

This is linked with a 5-7 day overseas field trip to examine geological systems, data collection and evaluation.  The trip will go to either Morocco, Mallorca or Ireland.

Morocco: The trip examines a continuous succession of Mesozoic fill of the Central Atlantic margin. Starting in Precambrian basement and sediment source areas we investigate Triassic continental syn-rift deposits, overlain by extensive post-rift Jurassic carbonates and Cretaceous shallow marine deposits.  Opportunity to build skills in rock identification, depositional environments and facies analysis, structural geology.  Exercises on reservoir architecture and fluid flow. Examining an analogue for the Central Atlantic margin petroleum system. Examine and integrate subsurface data (seismic, core and wireline log data).

Mallorca: The focus is on carbonate platforms and reefal systems, exquisitely exposed in the Cap Blanc section. Lagoonal facies and reservoir characteristics are studied at the Cala Pi section. The broader facies architecture and high-resolution sequence stratigraphy of Lluc Major Platform Miocene Oolitic Belt facies is examined from a distance by boat, and the relevance to exploration discussed in evening lectures. The field course also examines examples of karstic collapse; Pleistocene eolianites and Permo-Triassic red bed fluvio-aeolian sediments.

Western Ireland: World class sites in County Clare superbly expose a continuous record of the filling of the Clare basin from deep-water basin floor fans, slope deposits and deltaic/ shallow marine siliciclastics. The trip develops an understanding of depositional environments, petroleum systems, reservoir characterisation and source rocks. Undertake a series of exercises in the field to develop fundamental rock description and interpretation skills. Examine subsurface data (core and wireline log data).

Building on the Integrated Subsurface Description and Oil and Gas Reservoir dynamics modules the student will use these principles and techniques to understand the basics of field development and depletion planning. This will include hands on practical expertise in reservoir evaluation and development planning in an oil field at appraisal and during production.

Geological outcrops provide analogues of petroleum systems. Through fieldwork we aim to assess the controls structure, changing sea level and depositional environments have on the stratigraphic record. Evaluation of the link between sedimentary process and stratigraphy allows us to better predict the quality of potential source rocks, reservoirs, seals and geological structures.