Petroleum geology is a specific field of geosciences that addresses the origin, distribution, exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas resources. Petroleum geoscientists include many types of specialties such as petroleum geologists, exploration geophysicists, geochemists, sedimentary geologists, structural geologists, and paleontologists.
Petroleum Geoscience From Sedimentary Environments To Rock Physics Pdf Download
Petroleum geology is exciting because one uses many different types of data such as rock cores from wells, well logs that provide information about the rock and fluid properties, and 3D seismic images, all of which are used to develop 2D and 3D maps and models of the subsurface and the distribution of petroleum resources, and to calculate volumes of oil and natural gas that exist in different areas (petroleum reserves estimates).
If you earn a M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Geology or Geophysics, there are more opportunities available to you in the petroleum industry, government, and academia in the following petroleum-geoscience roles:
Covers fundamental geoscience concepts such as stratigraphy, mineral and soil identification, seismology, and geochemistry within the context of forensic investigation. GEOSC 111 Forensic Geoscience (3) (GN)In this course, we will look at the fundamental principles of geoscience and how they can be applied in the context of criminal or liability investigation. Students will learn how to use a stratigraphic column to determine a sequence of events, either in the geologic record or as physical evidence, for example the layers of mud on the bottom of a car suspected of involvement in criminal activity. We will discuss the many types of physical evidence, focusing in particular on those that involve earth materials (soils, sand, mineral dust) or that can be analyzed using techniques commonly applied to geologic problems (for example, analyzing shards of glass from a hit and run accident using a scanning electron microscope). Basic mineralogy, sedimentology, and petrology will be introduced in the context of trace evidence. Common techniques used by both geoscientists and crime scene investigators, including fluorescence, microscopy, ground-penetrating radar, magnetometry, and seismology will be covered, including hands-on demonstrations when possible. We will learn how isotope geochemistry is used to date natural materials, and how it can be used to determine the geographic origin of rocks, minerals, or sediments. Students will learn how and when it is possible to make a statistically meaningful comparison of naturally variable samples present only in trace amounts. The proper handling of earth materials as trace evidence will be explained. Students will be expected to use the knowledge they have acquired to come up with original solutions to both real and invented crime cases. Finally, students will use the material they have learned in class to write an original mystery story in which geological evidence plays a key role in solving a crime.
An in-depth examination of various physical processes that operate within and at the surface of the earth. GEOSC 203 Physical Processes in Geology applies basic principles from physics and mathematics to explore and understand the Earth and the processes that operate within the Earth and at the Earth's surface. The course includes the study of Earth's gravity and magnetic fields, focusing on how they reveal the internal structures and dynamics related to plate tectonics. The basic physics and mathematics of plate motions are also explored in some detail. We will also examine the elastic properties and behaviors of rocks, which form the basis for understanding seismic waves, rock fracture, and fault slip. The next major topic of the class is the flow of heat through the solid Earth system, involving the study of conduction, convection, and advection. The study of heat will provide the basis for understanding the application of simple differential equations with boundary conditions to geological processes; this will also introduce the mathematics of diffusion, which will permeate much of the course. This study of diffusion will enable us to move from steady state conditions to non-steady state conditions that typify most geological settings. We will examine the fluid dynamics relevant to the flow of the mantle and less viscous fluids at the surface such as lava flows and glaciers. The fluid dynamics will also lead us into an exploration of the basic physics of ocean circulation, stream flow, and erosion on land. Throughout the course, students will learn how to use calculus and very simple computer programming in MATLAB to provide a quantitative framework for understanding the physical processes that shape the Earth. The class involves a weekly lab that involves several field trips to make measurements using a variety of geophysical instruments to solve problems related to gravity, stream flow, and heat flow. Other lab activities involve studies of rock friction and fracture, ocean currents, glacial flow, seismology, and plate motions.
An introduction to the description and genesis of sedimentary rock bodies, the determination of their stratal geometries, and their correlation. (This course includes from one to several field trips for which an additional charge will be made to cover transportation.)
An introduction to Matlab: m-file development, descriptive statistics, bootstrapping, Fourier transforms, regression, interpolation, least-squares, differentiation, integration, differential equations, signal analysis, graphics. GEOSC 444 Matlab Application for Geoscience (2)The goal of this class is that students become familiar with Matlab so that they can conduct scientific research without needing to manipulate spreadsheets or other non-mathematically based software. The course is geared towards, beginning graduate and advanced undergraduate students with little or no previous Matlab experience, and examples are focused on applications in the science and engineering with a focus on the geosciences, including problems from groundwater hydrology, tectonics, geochemistry, rock physics, and climate change. Some basic concepts about vectors and matrices will be helpful, but are not required.
Geologic, economic and environmental issues related to exploitation of non-renewable natural resources (metals, minerals, rocks, and fossil fuels). GEOSC 451GEOSC 451 Natural Resources: Origins, Economics and Environmental Impact (3) All the materials needed for health and prosperity in our complex society come from the earth, such as water, iron and other metals to make steel, silica to make glass, limestone to make concrete, potash and phosphate to make fertilizers, and oil, natural gas, coal and uranium to generate heat and electricity. Most of these natural resources are non-renewable, and easily recoverable quantities are limited. The main purpose of this course is to increase understanding and appreciation of geological, economical and environmental aspects of exploitation of mineral and energy resources. Approximately two-thirds of the lectures/discussions will focus on geological, geochemical and biological processes that have governed the concentration and dispersion of economically important elements and natural materials on Earth, including water, heavy metals (aluminum, iron, copper, zinc, lead, etc.), precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, etc.), industrial minerals and rocks (clays, limestone, gypsum, salts, etc.), nuclear-energy sources (uranium and thorium) and fossil fuels (petroleum, natural gas and coal). The remaining one-third of the lectures/discussions will focus on: (i) exploration methods to discover new mineral (and fossil fuel) deposits; (ii) economic aspect of mineral commodities (usages, production statistics, economic of mining and concentration); and (iii) environmental issues related to mining, nuclear waste disposal, and constructions. There will be two half-day field trips to study the nature of sulfide mineralization and acid-water pollution.
Geologists have constructed a detailed history of sediment deposition that links particular bodies of rock in the crust of Earth to particular environments and processes. If petroleum geologists could find more oil and gas by interpreting the record of sedimentary rocks as having resulted from a single flood, they would certainly favor the idea of such a flood, but they do not. Instead, these practical workers agree with academic geologists about the nature of depositional environments and geological time. Petroleum geologists have been pioneers in the recognition of fossil deposits that were formed over millions of years in such environments as meandering rivers, deltas, sandy barrier beaches, and coral reefs. 2ff7e9595c
Comments