Course Description

• This 5 day course covers the basics of clastic sedimentology at scales that are appropriate for both regional exploration and detailed reservoir characterisation. The main types of sedimentary basin are briefly reviewed in the context of crustal dynamics and plate tectonics and the production and transport of clastic material in different tectonic, topographic and climatic settings are described.
• The course discusses processes of erosion, transport and deposition of sediments by water and wind. Sedimentary fluid dynamics are related to sedimentary bed forms which, in turn, are related to the lamination and bedding styles that characterise most sandstone. The processes of sediment gravity flows are related to the textures of their products and to the forms of their depositional units. These principles are applied to different depositional settings, focussing on the nature of sediment supply, the distribution of processes in space and time and the resultant organisation of depositional facies. Alluvial, deltaic, coastal, shallow-marine, slope, deep-marine and aeolian settings are all discussed in terms of processes, facies and facies organisation. Particular attention is given to the principles by which depositional settings are interpreted using both outcrop and sub-surface data and to the correlation methods that are appropriate in different settings. Facies organisation at a wide range of scales is reviewed in the context of syn-depositional tectonics, base-level changes and sequence stratigraphy. Discussion of reservoir characterisation includes an appraisal of deterministic and stochastic approaches to model building, the role of analogue data and constraints on sandbody connectivity.
• The course emphasises the practical interpretation of subsurface data for facies analysis and reservoir characterisation, with coursework designed to reinforce lectures and provide access to a variety of data types. Exercises may involve interpretation of seismic, core and wireline log data, with examples drawn from different facies, ages and basinal settings.

Who should attend?

• The course is appropriate for exploration and development geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers who need to have a good overview of sedimentary organisation across a range of scales in different basinal and environmental settings.

Course Schedule

 Day 1

• Types of sedimentary basin in different tectonic contexts.
• The large-scale tectonic setting of the main types of sedimentary basin and the relationship between structural style and patterns of sedimentary fill.
• The effects of base-level changes and syn-depositional tectonics on patterns of sediment distribution.
• The varying approaches to correlation in different sedimentary settings.
• The role of analogues in building reservoir models in different depositional settings.

Day 2

Sediment generation and supply in different settings.  Fluid dynamics and rheology of erosion, transport and deposition.  The basic mechanics of sediment erosion, transport and deposition and resultant bedforms and sedimentary structures. Post-depositional processes and products.

• Alluvial.
• Deltaic.

For each environment:

• Processes.
• Facies and facies distribution.
• Base-level, topographic and tectonic controls on sediment distribution
• Sedimentary geometries, source rocks and reservoir sandbodies.
• Main constraints on correlation and reservoir modelling.

Day 3

Sediment generation and supply in different settings.  Fluid dynamics and rheology of erosion, transport and deposition.  The basic mechanics of sediment erosion, transport and deposition and resultant bedforms and sedimentary structures. Post-depositional processes and products.

• Coastal.
• Shallow marine.

For each environment: 

• Processes.
• Facies and facies distribution.
• Base-level, topographic and tectonic controls on sediment distribution
• Sedimentary geometries, source rocks and reservoir sandbodies.
• Main constraints on correlation and reservoir modelling.

Day 4

Review of sedimentary environments

Sediment generation and supply in different settings.  Fluid dynamics and rheology of erosion, transport and deposition.  The basic mechanics of sediment erosion, transport and deposition and resultant bedforms and sedimentary structures. Post-depositional processes and products.

• Slope.
• Deep-marine.

For each environment:

• Processes.
• Facies and facies distribution.
• Base-level, topographic and tectonic controls on sediment distribution
• Sedimentary geometries, source rocks and reservoir sandbodies.
• Main constraints on correlation and reservoir modelling.

Day 5

Sediment generation and supply in different settings.  Fluid dynamics and rheology of erosion, transport and deposition.  The basic mechanics of sediment erosion, transport and deposition and resultant bedforms and sedimentary structures. Post-depositional processes and products.

• Aeolian.
• Lacustrine.

For each environment:  

• Processes.
• Facies and facies distribution.
• Base-level, topographic and tectonic controls on sediment distribution.
• Sedimentary geometries, source rocks and reservoir sandbodies.
• Main constraints on correlation and reservoir modelling.