Petroleum Geology

1
Petroleum Geology

• Chapter 1

2
Petroleum Geology

• What is Geology?
• The science of the origin, history, and physical
  structure of the earth and its life as recorded
  in rocks.
• What is important?
• Age of the earth, composition, where it came
  from.
• Study of events from million of years ago such
  as earthquakes, volcanoes, and drifting
  continents.
• Search for ancient ocean and mountain locations
  and search for the evolution of life in these
  areas.

3
Plate Tectonics and Crustal Plates

• Video
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vlsZq1pNufNg

4
Petroleum Geology

• What is a Petroleum Geologist looking for?
• Rocks that contain Oil and Gas (Hydrocarbon)
• Oil / Gas Reservoirs
• Not a Pool / Cave
• It is actually a rock formation like a sponge
  that contains a hydrocarbon (Oil / Gas) in a
  large quantity.

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Geological Structures
6
Domes
7
Basins
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Basins cont.

• In the Eastern Venezuelan (Venezuela) foreland
  basins known as the Orinoco heavy oil belt the
  largest known petroleum accumulation in the world
  (1,200 billion barrels) is found.
• The second largest foreland basin is found in the
  Athabasca accumulation in Canada at nearly 900
  billion barrels.
• These accumulations dwarf the largest light oil
  fields such as Ghawar (Saudi Arabia) and Burghan
  (Kuwait), which contain a measly 190 billion
  barrels each.

9
Categorizing Rock

• Three Types
• Igneous
• Sedimentary
• Metamorphic
• Igneous Solidified magma, such as granite and
  basalt
• Sedimentary Formed by sediment from surrounding
  rock structures and water. Examples are
  Limestone, Sandstone, and Clay.
• Metamorphic Igneous or Sedimentary rocks that
  have undergone physical and chemical changes that
  greatly alter its composition and appearance.
  Examples are Limestone metamorphosed into marble
  or Sandstone into Quartzite.

10
Rock Cycle
11
Question

• What rock type should have the highest
  concentration of oil and gas accumulations?
• Igneous
• Sedimentary
• Metamorphic
• Answer Sedimentary

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Accumulations of Petroleum

• Origins of Petroleum
• Two Theories
• Organic Theory
• Inorganic Theory
• Video
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vOWysYg_0I-M

13
Porosity and Permeability

• Video
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vf6XWLN6GnGkfeature
  related

14
Migration of Petroleum (Traps)
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Migration of Petroleum (Traps)
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Review Questions

1. What is geology?
2. Describe Plate Tectonics
3. Define what an oil / gas reservoir is.
4. Is an anticline an up fold or down fold
   geological structure?
5. Is a reverse fault in compression (pushed
   together) or tension (pulled apart)?
6. What are the three types of rock found in the
   earths crustal plates?
7. What rock type has the highest petroleum
   concentration?
8. List the two theories of origin for petroleum.
9. What is the difference between porosity and
   permeability of oil bearing rocks?
10. List four basic types of petroleum traps.