Beneath the Surface

Course Contents
Course Home
Earth’s Story
Earth’s Interior Layers
Plate Tectonics
Types of Boundaries and Geologic Processes
Rocks and Minerals
Rocks vs Minerals
Types of Igneous Rocks
Types of Metamorphic Rocks
Types of Sedimentary Rocks
The Rock Cycle
Geologic Time
Divisions of Geologic Time
Major Events in Earth’s History
Paleozoic Era
Mesozoic Era
Cenozoic Era
Relative Dating vs Absolute Dating
Relative Dating and Stratigraphy
Relative Dating Principles
Relative Dating Practice Problems
Absolute Dating and Radioactive Decay
Absolute Dating Practice Problems
Understanding Earth’s History to Locate Oil and Gas
Fossils and Fossilization
Types of Fossils
Fossilization Processes
Trace Fossils and Their Importance
Application of Fossil Record to Petroleum Geology
Petroleum Systems
What is a petroleum system?
Elements of a petroleum system
Processes of a petroleum system
Types of hydrocarbons: oil, dry gas, wet gas
Oil and Gas Window
Conventional vs. Unconventional
EOD’s
What is an EOD?
External Processes – Weathering, Erosion, Deposition, Lithification
EOD Role in Sedimentary Rock Formation
Types of EODs
Hydrocarbon Exploration
History of HC Exploration and Production
Rocks, Geologic Time, and Fossil Fuels – Putting it all together
Tectonics and Stratigraphy
How rock characteristics discussed in first lesson relates to characteristics of source rock, reservoir rock, seals/cap rock, migration pathways.
Porosity and Permeability, Well Logs?
Using Microfossils to Locate Oil and Gas?
Why Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, Pennsylvania? Using Geologic Time and Fossils to Understand Ancient Environments
Use of Technology for Exploration – Landsat Data, LiDAR, etc?