This page contains summaries and course outlines of the courses offered through the Petroleum Geophysics Professional Masters Program. Selecting a course title from the list below will jump to the relevant section of the page.

1. 3D Seismic Exploration I
2. Advanced Structural Geology
3. Borehole Geophysics
4. Geophysical Data Processing
5. Petroleum Geology
6. Petroleum Seismology
7. Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation
8. Potential Field Methods
9. Rock and Fluid Physics
10. Seismic Amplitude Interpretation
11. Seismic Wave and Ray Theory
12. Sequence Stratigraphy
13. Capstone Project

3-D Seismic Exploration I

Course Description: This course will focus on the seismic expression of structural and stratigraphic geologic features. Course development leads to skills necessary to interpret and generate petroleum prospects using 3D seismic data and well control.

Course Outline

1. Synthetic seismogram and horizon tracking
2. Time structure, gridding, and fault interpretation
3. Stratigraphy, attributes, horizon contouring, and amplitude anomalies
4. Gulf of Mexico prospect workshop
5. Student prospect presentations

Advanced Structural Geology (3 credit hours)

The primary objective is to explain structural geology concepts and tools that aid in developing an internally consistent 3-D picture of the crustal structure, and evaluating specific reservoir characteristics such as top seal integrity and fault seal. Together, the instructors and students will develop a structural analysis "best practices" workflow. The class is structured according to tectonic setting (e.g. passive margins, transform margins, fold-thrust belts, continental rift systems). Within each tectonic setting, we cover regional geology, fault system geometry, kinematics, trap evolution, and the tools a practicing geologist would use to constrain a 3-D picture of the crustal structure.

Course Outline

1. Geologic map interpretation
2. Fault and fold system classification based on tectonic setting
3. Geometric analysis of faults and folds
4. Visualization techniques. (Geoviz, VoxelGeo)
5. Fault system geometry and evolution with case studies local and regional.
6. Fault system evolution based on case studies
7. Cross-section reconstruction
8. Fault Seal/Stratigraphic Juxtaposition Analysis
9. Rift history analysis
10. Fractured reservoir analysis

Borehole Geophysics (3 credit hours)

When optimizing the recovery factor of hydrocarbon reservoirs, integration between borehole measurements and surface measurements is crucial to understand the scale limitation of the surface data and also the limitations of borehole data, as it is being used for calibration. Borehole geophysics builds that link between rock physics, well logging and surface seismic.

Course Outline

1. Borehole geophysics as critical link - Introduction
2. Fundamentals of rock physics
3. Borehole seismic methods – introduction
4. Borehole seismic methods – Data acquisition
5. Borehole seismic methods – Data processing principles
6. 3D VSP, Introduction to well logging
7. Special focus on several subtopics can be provided (i.e. 3D VSP, borehole imaging, pore pressure prediction)

Geophysical Data Processing (3 credit hours)

This course is designed to provide basic background and training for the processing of digital seismic data, particularly that used by the petroleum industry. The emphasis is placed on the principles and practicality of the major processing methods, including sampling, filtering, deconvolution, seismic modeling and migration imaging.

Course Outline

1. Geophysical Data
2. Discrete Fourier Analysis
3. Statistical Analysis of Geophysical Data
4. Digital Filters
5. Deconvolution
6. Seismic Modeling and Inversion
7. Principles of Migration
8. Special Topics

Petroleum Geology (3 credit hours)

Course Description: Cr. 3 (3-0). Prerequisite: GEOL 3345, and GEOL 3350, or consent of instructor. Credit may not be given for both GEOL 4382, and GEOL 6381. Fundamentals of petroleum geology; source rock, reservoir, and trap studies; well log and seismic interpretation, petroleum geochemistry, and mapping.

Course Objectives

1. Have a basic understanding of the petroleum system, petroleum as a resource, and the value chain.
2. Have a basic understanding of a broad array of tools used in the search for and production of hydrocarbon reserves.
3. Understand how geologists conduct the search for petroleum resources through the value chain or the life cycle of a petroleum resource.  This will include the processes involved and actual examples.
4. Learn details on how to begin evaluating a hydrocarbon play and developing a prospect.
5. Obtain skills in correlating potential reservoir rocks and recognizing normal faults with log data.
6. Learn the principles of mapping a subsurface reservoir and estimating the volumetrics.

Course Content

1. Petroleum as a resource.
2. Terms, concepts, and the value chain.
3. Reservoir Rocks
4. Structures and trap configurations
5. Typical and specialized logging suites
6. Geophysical tools integrated with geology
7. Correlation principles and exercise
8. Sequence stratigraphy primer and applications
9. Frontier exploration and examples
10. Exploration and Exploitation and examples
11. Appraisal Methods and Examples
12. Reservoir mapping and volumetrics
13. Development and examples
14. Unconventional Resources

Petroleum Seismology (3 credit hours)

Principles and methods in petroleum seismology, with emphasis on exploringand characterizing petroleum reservoirs using seismic methods.

Expected Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will gain an essential knowledge in:

• The purposes and principles of common seismic data processing, imaging and analysis methods employed in the petroleum industry.
• The main technical issues in exploring onshore and offshore petroleum reservoirs using seismology, such as in assessing the suitability of using common seismic methods for petroleum targets.
• Using various seismic techniques to enhance signals and suppress noise in reflection seismic data to help detecting hydrocarbon reservoirs.
• Applying borehole geophysics and well logging techniques to tie with seismic and geological data to help achieving the exploration objectives.
• Common issues and techniques of applied seismology for characterizing petroleum reservoirs.
• Current issues in exploring unconventional petroleum reservoirs using seismology.

Petrophysics and Formation Evaluation (3 credit hours)

This course covers the basic methods of open-hole well log analysis, and covers logging suite choices. New logging developments and current research are also covered. Special focus on certain methods is provided (e.g. 3D VSP, borehole imaging, pore pressure prediction).

Course Outline

1. Introduction to petrophysics.
2. Basic petrophysical logging methods (nuclear, electrical, acoustic, imaging.
3. Application and use of basic SP, gamma ray, porosity and resistivity logs.
4. Lithology identification.
5. Identification of pay intervals.
6. Computer analysis.
7. Standard well logging suites.
8. Special logs and interpretation techniques.
9. New logging developments and research.

Potential Field Methods of Geophysical Exploration (3 credit hours)

The course is designed to provide participants with a better overall understanding of when, where and how to use potential field data to the best advantage when exploring both large and small-scale geologic features associated with hydrocarbon systems. The course focuses on methods for interpreting potential field data collected over various types of sedimentary basins (e.g., rifts, passive margins and foreland basins), and examines the gravity and magnetic anomalies that are produced from typical geologic structures and lithologies in these basins. Both qualitative and quantitative methods of analysis are presented. The course includes workshop exercises that provide an opportunity for “hands-on” experience of working with data.

Course Outline

1. Introduction to role of gravity/magnetic data in exploration
2. Anomaly separation and enhancement
3. Forward modeling of gravity and magnetic data
4. Use of gradiometer data and derivative methods
5. Depth to magnetic basement estimation methods
6. Regional studies using gravity and magnetic data
7. Local studies using gravity and magnetic data

Rock and Fluid Physics (3 credit hours)

This course reviews various physical properties of rocks and fluids and the seismic response to materials with those properties with direction applications to exploitation, exploration and geophysical modeling.

Course Outline

1. Introduction
2. Reservoir environment
3. Elasticity of porous media
4. Velocity of sandstone
5. Velocity of poorly consolidated rock
6. Velocity of carbonate
7. Gassmann equation
8. Optimal hydrocarbon indicator
9. Hydrocarbon fluids properties
10. Velocity dispersion and attenuation
11. Seismic Rock Physics: Applications

Seismic Amplitude Interpretation

Course Description: Fundamental concepts and foundations of wave and ray theory necessary for seismic processing, imaging, AVO analysis and structural interpretation.

Course Outline

1. Review of rock properties, wave, and ray theory
2. Reservoir properties and well-log measurements
3. Seismic amplitude variation as a function of offset
4. Principles of fluid substitution
5. Parameterization of the AVO response for fluid product estimation
6. Recognition of hydrocarbon signatures and interpretive "rules-of-thumb"
7. AVO inversion for rock-properties, impedances and reflectivities
8. The information content & complications in long offset and post critical data
9. Fizz gas, anisotropy, and other challenges facing the exploration industry

Seismic Wave and Ray Theory (3 credit hours)

Course Description: Fundamental concepts and foundations of wave and ray theory necessary for seismic processing, imaging, AVO analysis and structural interpretation.

Course Outline

1. Elasticity theory, the wave equation, body waves
2. Partitioning at an interface, reflection at non normal incidence (AVO), reflection geometry and wave path curvature
3. Surface waves, scattering theory, attenuation and velocity, diffraction
4. Head waves, events and noise, resolution, wavelet shape, near surface properties
5. S-waves and C-waves
6. Anisotropy
7. Wave theory concepts in processing, migration and imaging
8. Earthquake waves

Sequence Stratigraphy (3 credit hours)

This course is designed to provide a basic understanding of sequence stratigraphy. Covers the use of seismic reflection data to study lithology, geometry, and depositional history of sedimentary bodies; factors affecting resolution and velocity; and new techniques for identifying lithologies. Integrates current concepts on interaction of tectonics, sea level and sediment supply to generate predictive models for architecture of sedimentary basin fill.

Course Outline

1. Basic Concepts and Terminology of Sequence Stratigraphy
2. The Stratigraphic Building Blocks of Depositional Sequences
3. Recognition Criteria for the Identification of Depositional sequences and their Components in Outcrops, Cores, Well Logs, and Seismic
4. The Application of Sequence Stratigraphy in Non-marine, Shallow Marine, and Submarine Depositional Settings

Capstone Project

Capstone Project - Petroleum Geophysics