WHO SHOULD ATTEND

The material of this course should be of interest to exploration and development geologists, reservoir geologists, reservoir engineers, petrophysicists, log analysts, geophysicists and managers of all these disciplines.

COURSE OVERVIEW

The course provides attendees with detailed knowledge and a thorough coverage of the basic and advanced principles, practices and applications of Clastic Sequence Stratigraphy. The lectures and practicals covered in this course should help earth scientists of all branches develop their own sound models for the stratigraphic correlation and prediction of reservoir distribution. You will be able to interpret the architecture, continuity and trend of the reservoir, and help managers make educated decisions when faced with proposals from their development and exploration geologists concerning such reservoir aspects. Similar knowledge is gained concerning source and seal rocks through principles discussed in the class. By the conclusion of the course it is expected that all participants should:

• At least have acquired a working knowledge of basic principles and practices of clastic sequence stratigraphy.
• With the aid of regional high resolution seismic and application of sound sequence stratigraphic principles arrive at a general picture of the type and style of basin sedimentary fill and tectonic history.
• Using wireline logs, and with help from detailed sedimentological core descriptions be able to recognize facies tracts, parasequences and their stacking patterns.
• Construct detailed stratigraphic cross sections, using log and core facies descriptions with the aid of sound sequence stratigraphic practices. With the aid of sedimentological core descriptions, you should be able to recognize sequence boundaries, flooding surfaces and the various systems tracts. When correlating these entities from well to well a clear and logical picture should emerge concerning the depositional history of the area concerned.
• Be able to breakdown a complex stratigraphy into its genetically packaged units; the sequences.
• Map the spatial distribution of the genetic units and understand their temporal succession.
• Predict distribution of source, seal and reservoir rocks in frontier and mature basins.
• Understand the architecture and plumbing of the reservoir rocks by following sound concepts of sequence stratigraphy.

COURSE OUTLINE

PART I: PRINCIPLES & CONCEPTS

• What is Sequence Stratigraphy?
• Introduction & Historical Perspective
• Stratigraphies
• Major Controls on Depositional Sequences
  • Sediment Accommodation
  • Sediment Supply
  • Effects of Basin Type & Physiography
• Role of Major Controls on Depositional Sequences
• Effects of Other Controls on Depositional Sequences
  • Influence of Climate & Tectonics
  • Sediment Compaction
• Reading the Major Controls in the Rock Record
• Base-Level Transit Cycle
• Sediment Volumetric Partitioning
• Concept of Base Level
• Allogenic Controls on Sedimentation
• Lithostratigraphy vs Sequence Stratigraphy
• Relative Sea level Change
• Transgression & Regression
• Parasequences
  • Definition & Parasequence Development
  • Stacking Patterns
  • Parasequence Sets & Boundaries
• Normal & Forced Regression
  • Normal Regressive Sequences
  • Forced Regressive Sequences
• Concept of Shoreline Trajectory
• Stratal Terminations
  
• Stratigraphic Contacts & Surfaces
  • Unconformities & Conformities
  • Sequence Boundaries (SBs)
    • Recognition
    • Type I Sequence Boundary
    • Type II Sequence Boundary
  • Maximum Flooding Surface (MFS)
    • Recognition
  • Regressive & Transgressive Surfaces
    • Transgressive Ravinement
    • Regressive Surface of Marine Erosion (RSME)
• Sequences
  • Definitions
  • Type I Sequence
  • Type II Sequence
• Systems Tracts
  • Highstand Systems Tract (HST)
  • Falling Stage Systems Tract-Forced Regression (FSST)
  • Lowstand Systems Tract (LST)
  • Transgressive Systems Tract (TST)
• Sequence Models
  • Exxon Model
  • Posamentier Model
  • Hunt & Tucker Model
  • Genetic Sequence Model (Galloway)
  • T-R Sequence Model (Embry)
• Sequence Hierarchy
• Sequence Stratigraphic Tools
  • Seismic Stratigraphy
  • Biostratigraphy
  • Outcrop & Well data
• High Resolution Sequence Stratigraphy
• Well Logs Used in High Resolution Sequence Stratigraphy
  • GR Logs, SP Logs, Density- Neutron, Sonic, Resistivity
  • Interpreting Parasequence Stacking Patterns from Well Logs
  • Recognizing Significant Stratigraphic Surfaces from Logs
  • Systems Tracts Recognition from Well Log Patterns
• Sequence Stratigraphic Correlation Techniques
• Pitfalls & Ambiguities in Sequence Analysis of Log Data
• Checklist for Sequence Stratigraphic Interpretation of Well Logs

• Walther's Law
• Fluvial Systems
  • Key parameters of Channel Types
  • Allogenic Control on Fluvial Processes
  • Fluvial Response to Base Level Fluctuation
  • Vertical Changes in Fluvial Architecture in Response to Base Level Fluctuation
  • Fluvial vs Shoreface Architecture in Response to Base Level Fluctuation
  • Vertical Changes in Fluvial Channel Architecture through a Full Sea Level Cycle
  • Defining Features of Low & High Accommodation Fluvial Systems Tracts
• Coastal & Shallow Marine Systems
  • Deltas & Strandplains Depositional Systems
  • Estuaries, Incised Valley Fills & Transgressive Barriers
  • Tidal Depositional Systems
  • Wave-Storm Dominated Coastal & Shallow Marine Systems
• Deep Marine Systems

Principles and applications discussed above will be reviewed using worked-out case studies conducted by the instructor and from published literature.

Sets of basic exercises will be handed out to course participants after each major topic to be worked out (solved) by groups of twos or threes, depending on the size of the class. These practical exercises range from using seismic sections to interpret general stratigraphic trends of a basin to performing detailed reservoir correlation using wireline logs and facies data from rock/core information.

LOCATION

First day will be held at the Sofitel Hotel, in Cairo. The participants will fly the next day to Hurghada to continue the course.

COURSE FEES

FIVE DAYS    U.S.$ 1850
Inclusive of refreshment and lunch at the Sofitel Hotel. Air Ticket Cairo/Hurghada return and accommodation in Hurghada.

INSTRUCTOR PROFILE

Riyadh (Ray) A. Rahmaniis a consulting petroleum geologist and President of RRC Stratigraphic Consulting in Victoria, Canada. He holds a PhD in Geology (1973) from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. Ray has 38 years of worldwide experience with the petroleum industry (Canada, USA, North & East Africa, and the Middle East) and government geological surveys. Rahmani has previously worked with RAK Gas (Ras Alkhaimah, UAE), Crescent Petroleum (Sharjah, UAE), Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia), Sirte Oil (Libya), Canadian Hunter Exploration, Alberta Geological Survey, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Geological Survey of Canada, and Shell Canada. He is a member of the AAPG, IAS and SEPM.

During his working career Rahmani conducted numerous field and regional scale sequence stratigraphic and facies studies of clastic reservoirs in petroleum basins of a variety of tectono-stratigraphic settings that span the entire Phanerozoic. Rahmani's fields of interests are clastic reservoir characterization, sedimentology, sequence stratigraphy and basin analysis.

While actively employed, from 1973 to 2004, Rahmani has taught these subjects in the classroom and in field seminars to his employers' staff and society conferences and meetings, in Canada and worldwide. Since retirement he has taught these courses in Indonesia, Egypt and Canada.