STRUCTURAL INTERPRETATION OF SEISMIC SECTIONS

This course is designed to learn to interpret seismic reflection profiles in complex areas, with high or low angle normal faults, strike-slip or compressional faults, areas of passive margins with over pressured shale or salt or fold and thrust belt regions. The course will help seismic interpreters for exploration or development projects to increase their skills and feel more comfortable interpreting in complex areas.

The main objective of this course is to learn how to interpret seismic reflection profiles in complex areas.
Recognize the type of basin we are dealing with and identify the main units and their related deformation patterns.
Learn the structure and type of passive margins from rifting stage to post rift units as seen in seismic sections. 
Be able to identify seaward dipping reflectors, rifted to hyperextended domains in passive margins.
Learn how to interpret shale and salt tectonic structures from simple diapirs to complex salt canopies.
Learn how to interpret compressional areas like fold and thrust belts and accretionary wedges and their related basins.

This course consists of class room lectures followed by practical seismic interpretation exercises. Exercises will follow each topic lecture so attendees can retain what they have learned each day.
Initially a worldwide overview on plate tectonics, folded belts and basins, including basin classification will take place.
After each lecture on a specific structural setting or structural style will be followed by a practical seismic exercise’s session.
Attendees will actively participate showing their seismic interpretation and those will be discussed in the class with all the group.

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

Four days is the ideal duration of this course even though if requested can de compressed in three days doing less seismic exercises.

• Seismic method and main interpretation pitfalls. 
• Tectonic maps of the world and Basin Classification. 
• Structural settings around the world.
• Passive margin, rifting to hyper-extended margins

• Passive margin, volcanic margins with SDRs 
• Gravitational passive margin systems 
• Salt and shale in passive margins, salt tectonics.

• Compression and Inversion
• Fold and thrust belts
• Accretionary Wedges
• Inversion tectonics.

• Back-arc basins
• Strike-slip systems
• Conclusions and wrap up.

• J. F. Flinch 1996. Accretion and Extensional Collapse of the External Western Rif (Northern Morocco). In:  P. A. Ziegler and F. Horvath (Eds.) Peri-Tethys Memoir 2, "Structure and Prospects of Alpine Basins and Forelands". Mémoires du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle v. 170. p. 61-85, 2 enclosures.
• J. F. Flinch, Rambaran, V., Ali, W., De Lisa, E., Hernández, G., Rodrigues, K. and Sams, R. 1999. Structure of the Gulf of Paria pull-apart basin (Eastern Venezuela-Trinidad). In P. Mann (Ed.): Caribbean Basins. Sedimentary Basins of the world 4. Elsevier. Pp. 477-494.
• J. F. Flinch, 2003. Structural evolution of the Sinu-Lower Magdalena area (Northern Colombia). in C. Bartolini, R. T. Buffler, and J. Blickwede, eds., The Circum-Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean: Hydrocarbon habitats, basin formation and plate tectonics, American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 79, p.776-796.
• J. F.  Flinch, J. L. Huedo, H., Verzi, H., González, R. Gerster, A. K., Mansaray, P., Painuly, L., Rodriguez-Blanco, A., Herra. I., Brisson and J. Gerard, 2009, The Sierra Leone-Liberia Emerging Deepwater Province: AAPG Search and Discovery Article #10224. 28 pages. *Adapted from oral presentation at AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado, June 7-10, 2009 
• J. F. Flinch, 2012. Context, Challenges and Future of Deep-water plays: An Overview. In: N. Rosen, P. Weimer, S. M. Coutes dos Anjos, S. Henrickson, E. Marques, M. Mayall, R. Fillon, T. d’Agostino, A. Saller, K. Campion, T. Huang, R. Sarg and F. Schroeder (Eds.) New Understanding of the Petroleum Systems of Continental Margins of the World. 32nd Annual Bob F. Perkins Research Conference. Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies SEPM, December 2-5 2012, Houston, Texas. p. 181-220.
• J. F. Flinch, and Castillo, M. V. 2015, Record and Constraints of the Eastward Advance of the Caribbean Plate in Northern South America, Chapter 1, in C. Bartolini and P. Mann, Petroleum Geology and Potential of the Colombian Caribbean Margin. AAPG Memoir 108, 1-38. 38 pages and 21 figures.