APPLIED BIOSTRATIGRAPHY

The non-specialist geoscientist often struggles to best use biostratigraphical data from service providers. This Applied Biostratigraphy course will provide the necessary technical know-how for the individual to feel comfortable with the utilization and the integration of this data into their everyday work flows. This will aid their efforts in both the exploration for new hydrocarbons and in the development of existing fields:

• Provision of a practical working knowledge of different biostratigraphical techniques
• Understanding of how to plan and optimize a biostratigraphical program, from which microfossils to look for to optimum sample spacing
• Learn how to use best use biostratigraphical data in well correlations
• Learn how to identify the pitfalls in the use of biostratigraphical data and therefore to optimize its use in sediments of different ages and in different paleoenvironments
• Learn how to use biostratigraphical data to identify sequences and sequence boundaries and how to integrate it with other geological and seismic data
• Learn how to use biostratigraphical data for new play definitions in exploration areas and how also it can be used for facies interpretations and reservoir correlations in appraisal and development situations
   

1. To gain knowledge of the different microfossil groups and in which ages and palaeoenvironments they can be utilized
2. To explore the concepts and applications of chrono-, litho-, biostratigraphy and geochronology.
3. To develop an understanding of how biostratigraphical data can be integrated with other geological data to optimize its use as an interpretative tool
4. To interpret palaeoenvironment of deposition by using biostratigraphical assemblages
5. To use biostratigraphy as a predictive tool in exploration and development
    

This training course will utilize a variety of learning techniques to ensure maximum understanding, comprehension, retention of the information presented. The training course includes lectures, videos, case studies, exercises. There will also be workshop sessions based around real exploration and development examples to get participants to actively become aware of the predictive capabilities of applied biostratigraphy. Course participants are also encouraged to bring biostratigraphic data, so that real working examples can be interpreted.

No specific requirement for this course that can take place in any meeting room with validated HSE characteristics, in your company premises or elsewhere. 

One week is the ideal time. The case can be shortened or lengthened according to the request. 

• The Laws of Stratigraphy
• Age Dating Methods for Sediments and Igneous Rocks
• The Stratigraphical Column and Chronostratigraphy
• The Different Microfossil Groups and Preparation Techniques
• Organic Microfossils (Palynomorphs) including Acritarchs, Chitinozoans, Dinoflagellates, Pollen and Spores
• Inorganic Microfossils including Foraminifers and Ostracods
   

• Microfossil evolution through the Stratigraphical Column
• Building stratigraphical range charts
• First downhole occurrence, last downhole occurrence, fossil assemblages
• Numerical methods, abundance increases and maxima
• Index fossils
• Stratigraphical type sections and the relation between Biostratigraphy and Chronostratigraphy
   

• Pitfalls using biostratigraphical data, downhole caving, reworking, contamination
• Definition of biozones
• Integration of sedimentological and petrographical data
• The integration of geochemical information
• Identification of unconformities / hiatus in the sequences
   

• Using Micropaleontology for paleoenvironmental interpretation
• Marine microfossils vs. non-marine microfossils
• Preservation of microfossil groups and different lithologies
• Definition of water depth from the different fossil groups
• The identification of sequence boundaries using biostratigraphical Data
• Using biostratigraphical data to identify condensed sequences and maximum flooding surfaces
• Using biostratigraphical data to identify low stand System and high stand system tracts
   

• Hydrocarbon Play definition
• Integrated Biostratigraphy and its use in Play based exploration techniques
• The deltaic to marine Cretaceous Alagamar Play in Potiguar Basin, Equatorial Marginal of Brazil
• The Cenozoic deep-water turbidites and associated salt play, Lower Congo Basin, Angola
• The Early Silurian Hot shales of the Arabian plate, source rock characterization