The course presents the characteristics of clastic modern sedimentary environments and their fossil counterparts, and the depositional potential, both as a host rock, migration routes, as well as reservoir rock.
Special emphasis is paid on alluvial, fluvial, shore, shelf, shallow-water, deep-water, lacustrine, glacial and aeolian depositional systems.
The course is designed for:
- Petroleum geoscientists.
- Petroleum engineers and members of integrated asset teams, who are responsible for defining and evaluating subsurface geological risks and uncertainties.
- EP professionals in the initial phase of their career.
DAY 1
The definition of depositional systems:
- the factors controlling the development of depositional systems:
- climate,
- tectonics,
- relative sea-level changes,
- the supply of sediment,
- biological activity,
- water chemistry.
Classification of clastic depositional systems;
- Alluvial fans:
- sedimentary processes,
- sediment characteristics,
- morphology,
- facies distribution models,
- the relationship of climate and tectonics,
- alluvial fans in fossil sedimentary sequences
- the architecture and the reservoir potential
DAY 2
Fluvial depositional systems:
- depositional processes,
- types of systems and their relationship to the nature of the basement,
- climate and tectonics.
Modern examples:
- gravel- and sand-braided rivers,
- meandering rivers,
- anastomosing rivers.
Ancient examples of fluvial depositional systems,
- models of sequences,
- facies architecture,
- the reservoir potential;
Deltaic environments
- depositional processes,
- facies associations,
- deposits,
- deltaic systems classifications:
- fluvial-dominated deltas,
- wave-dominated deltas,
- tide-dominate deltas.
Models for deltaic sequences,
- Recognition and ancient deltaic systems architecture
- Architecture, origin and deposition potential for reservoir rocks based on fossil examples of deltaic sequences.
DAY 3
Clastic shore zone:
- processes, deposits, facies.
- modern beaches and sandy bars,
- tidal flats.
- facies characteristic of ancient clastic shore zones;
Shallow-water clastic-shelf sedimentary environments.
- Physical processes controlling shelf-sedimentation: tides, tidal currents, waves, wave-currents, density-currents.
- Facies distribution on different shelf zones.
- The role of shelf depositional systems in the architecture and evolution of the sedimentary basins fill.
- Diagnostic criteria for the recognition of ancient shelf systems
DAY 4
Deep-water clastic sedimentary environments.
- Mechanisms of deposit transport:
- underwater gravitational mass movements,
- density currents,
- pelagic sedimentation
- Slope and abyssal plane facies characteristics.
- Modern and ancient models of turbiditic fans.
- Turbiditic facies classification.
- Flysch.
- The depositional potential of the deep-water deposits, both as a host rock, migration routes, as well as reservoir rock;
Lacustrine depositional system
- modern and ancient examples
- Facies and depositional mechanisms.
- Factors controlling geometry and hydrology of lakes, water stratification and fertility of lake water.
- The depositional potential of the lacustrine deposits, both as a host rock and reservoir rock
DAY 5
Aeolian environment:
- transport mechanisms and depositional processes
- Aeolian accumulation forms, their textures and structures.
- Modern deserts, climatic and tectonic controls.
- Models for aeolian sequences, facies interfingering with other terrestrial and shore facies.
- The depositional potential of the aeolian deposits, both as a host rock, migration routes, as well as reservoir rock;
- Transport mechanisms in glacial environments.
- Glacial sub-environments: glacial, glacilimnic, glacimarine and glacifuvial. Distribution of modern and ancient glacial environments.
- Glacial deposits, the biggest glaciations in the Earth history;
Phytogenic deposits vs. clastic depositional systems.
- Coal-hosted deposits.
- Climatic and tectonic control on the phytogenic sedimentation. geometry and evolution of the coal-hosted basins
Depositional systems vs. fossil fuels reservoirs.
- The depositional potential of the different depositional systems, both as a host rock, migration routes, as well as reservoir rocks.