Exploration Concepts in Carbonate Systems

On completion of this three day course participants will have attained understanding of the main play types in carbonates within both a stratigraphic and tectonic context, enabling them to delimit appropriate models and analogues to develop play models.

Participants completing this course will be able to:

1. Understand how and why different carbonate platforms develop, how they produce their seismic expression, and be able to identify possible play types associated with each.
2. Describe the primary controls on carbonate deposition temporally and spatially, discuss the contrasts between the controls on siliciclastic deposition especially as regards sequence startigraphic behaviors.
3. Appreciate the importance of age-specific facies and why some models only apply to certain geological intervals
4. Be able to assess isolated seismic structures to provide objective numerical criteria to assess the likelihood of a carbonate buidldup and its likely reservoir potential
5. Appreciate the range of reservoirs and risks associated with platform margin plays
6. Appreciate the differences between ice-house and greenhouse platform interiors exploration strategies for each
7. Evaluate the likelihood of dolomitization being a factor in any carbonate play.
8. Understand the diverse origins of palaeokarstic macroporosity, its subsurface recognition, and how to design different exploration strategies for palaeokarstic reservoirs.

This course is designed for all geoscientists involved in exploration in carbonate systems. The course is designed as a practical class, with lecturing interspersed with practical examples to allow participants to check their understanding of the taught material, and ask questions.

Prerequisites
No previous knowledge of carbonate sedimentology required, however the course will also present advanced concepts and thus is suitable for people with previous carbonate experience.

The basics – why and where do carbonates form and what are the basic components
Platform types, factories and seismic expression
Plays, traps and reservoirs – generalities
Carbonates through time and why this matters
Source rocks and intra-platformal basins
Isolated carbonate buildups – de-risking targeting carbonate “bumps”
Platform margin play models:
Platform interiors: ice-house, greenhouse
Carbonate sands
Slope and basinal carbonate plays
Hydro-thermal processes including HTD’s
Palaeokarst – recognition, identifying the appropriate models and behaviours

Options –

Lacustrine carbonates

Carbonates in extensional systems

Continuing Professional Development

21 HOURS CPD