An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Applied Subsurface Mapping Techniques
Applied Techniques for Mapping the Subsurface
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,000
Starting From
20 Sep 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Applied Subsurface Mapping Techniques
Applied Subsurface Mapping Techniques
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Applied Subsurface Mapping Techniques - GG-MAP-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-MAP-PEA27 | 20 - 24 Sep 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3000 |
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Applied Subsurface Mapping Techniques
This training covers applied subsurface mapping techniques. It works through map types and their purposes, data preparation and control points, contouring principles, honouring and smoothing data, structural mapping, thickness mapping, property mapping, integrating seismic with well control, map validation and the delivery of maps fit for their purpose.
Description
Subsurface mapping has largely been delegated to gridding algorithms, with the result that many maps in use are machine interpolations rather than geological interpretations. The algorithm has no knowledge of depositional geometry, of fault relationships or of the geological constraints the mapper possesses, so it produces a surface that honours the data and expresses nothing about the geology between the data points, which is where the map is used.
This training covers mapping as an interpretive discipline. Map types and their purposes are established first, covering structure, thickness and property maps and the different rules that apply to each. Data preparation and control points follow, covering the assembly and quality control of the values being mapped. Contouring principles are then developed, covering the rules that govern a legitimate contour pattern. Honouring and smoothing data follow, covering when data should be honoured exactly and when it should not. Structural mapping is then addressed. Thickness mapping follows. Property mapping is then developed. Integrating seismic with well control follows. Map validation is addressed. The training closes with delivery.
Contouring rules exist and they are constantly broken. Contours cannot cross, cannot branch, must close or leave the map, must be numbered consistently and must have an interval maintained throughout. A contour pattern that violates these indicates either a data error or a gridding artefact, and both are common. Checking a map against these rules is a thirty-second exercise that catches a surprising proportion of errors, and it is easier to do on a map that was contoured deliberately than one that was gridded.
The map between the wells is the part that matters and the data says nothing about it. Every well is a point of certainty and the map is used to predict what lies between them: where the structure crests, where the sand thickens, whether the reservoir is continuous. An interpolation algorithm fills that space with a mathematical surface; a geologist fills it with a depositional or structural model. Those give different answers, and the second one carries information the data alone does not.
Not all data should be honoured exactly. A well value that is anomalous relative to its neighbours may be correct, or it may be a bad pick, a depth error or a measurement on an unrepresentative interval. Forcing the map through it creates a local anomaly that is then interpreted as geology. The mapper's job includes deciding which values are reliable, and a map that honours every point without question has delegated that judgement to the data.
Finally, a map should be mapped at the scale at which it will be used. A regional structure map at one to two hundred thousand and a development map at one to five thousand require different levels of detail and different contour intervals, and detail that cannot be supported by the data at the finer scale is spurious. Choosing the scale and the contour interval from the data density and the map's purpose, before contouring, prevents the common outcome of a map that implies far more resolution than the data provides.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Select map types appropriate to the purpose
- Prepare and quality control mapping data and control points
- Apply contouring rules and recognise violations
- Decide when to honour data exactly and when not to
- Produce structural maps that express a structural model
- Produce thickness maps consistent with depositional geometry
- Map reservoir properties appropriately
- Integrate seismic surfaces with well control
- Select scale and contour interval from data density and purpose
- Validate maps and deliver them fit for their purpose
The training is hand and digital mapping practice on real data sets. Participants contour the same data by hand and by algorithm and compare the results, map with and without a geological model and assess the difference, and check maps against contouring rules. Maps are then tested against additional wells withheld from the exercise.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Produce maps that express geological interpretation
- Catch mapping errors through rule checking
- Decide deliberately which data to honour
- Match map detail to data density
- Integrate seismic and well control consistently
- Improve the reliability of maps used in decisions
Participants will:
- Contour data deliberately rather than by default
- Apply and check contouring rules
- Map with a geological model
- Integrate seismic and well data
- Validate their own maps
- Produce maps that others can rely on
- Geoscientists producing subsurface maps
- Development and production geologists
- Exploration geologists mapping prospects
- Petrophysicists mapping properties
- Reservoir modellers using mapped surfaces
- Graduate geoscientists learning mapping
- Technical staff reviewing maps
Module 1 - Map Types and Purposes
- Structure contour maps
- Isopach and isochore maps
- Net pay and property maps
- Facies and lithology maps
- Palaeogeographic maps
- Risk and probability maps
- Map purpose and its effect on construction
- Exploration against development mapping
- Scale selection
- Contour interval selection
- Base map and culture requirements
- Map deliverable specification
Module 2 - Data Preparation
- Control point assembly
- Well header and position data
- Marker picks and their consistency
- Depth reference and datum
- True vertical depth conversion
- Deviated well positions at the mapped horizon
- Seismic control points
- Data quality assessment
- Identifying suspect values
- Data distribution and density assessment
- Areas without control
- Documenting the data set
Module 3 - Contouring Principles
- Contour definition and meaning
- Contours cannot cross
- Contours cannot branch
- Closure and map edge behaviour
- Contour interval consistency
- Numbering and labelling
- Interpolation between control points
- Spacing and gradient expression
- Equal spacing against variable spacing methods
- Parallel and interpretive contouring
- Checking a contour pattern
- Diagnosing rule violations
Module 4 - Honouring and Smoothing
- Honouring data exactly
- When exact honouring is appropriate
- Anomalous values and their assessment
- Bad picks and depth errors
- Unrepresentative measurements
- Smoothing and its justification
- Smoothing artefacts
- Local anomalies created by honouring
- Weighting data by reliability
- Documenting data rejected or down-weighted
- Defending honouring decisions
- Balancing data and model
Module 5 - Structural Mapping
- Structural style and its expression
- Fold geometry in map view
- Dip and strike from contours
- Fault representation on maps
- Fault gaps and overlaps
- Heave and throw on maps
- Contour terminations at faults
- Closure identification
- Spill point determination
- Multiple horizon consistency
- Structural model guided mapping
- Alternative structural interpretations
Module 6 - Thickness Mapping
- Isopach against isochore distinction
- True stratigraphic thickness
- Thickness calculation in deviated wells
- Thickness mapping rules
- Zero lines and their placement
- Erosional truncation
- Depositional edges and pinch-outs
- Thickness trends and depositional geometry
- Growth and syn-depositional thickening
- Thickness consistency with structure maps
- Adding and subtracting thickness maps
- Validating thickness maps
Module 7 - Property and Seismic Integration
- Property mapping approaches
- Porosity and permeability mapping
- Net to gross mapping
- Saturation mapping
- Depositional control on property trends
- Seismic surfaces and their density
- Tying seismic to well control
- Resolving seismic and well disagreement
- Depth conversion before or after mapping
- Seismic attributes as mapping guides
- Combining dense and sparse data
- Documenting the integration
Module 8 - Validation and Delivery
- Map validation checks
- Contour rule checking
- Cross section consistency checks
- Multi-horizon consistency
- Thickness and structure consistency
- Volume checking from the map
- Blind well testing
- Alternative map comparison
- Uncertainty expression on maps
- Map annotation and metadata
- Digital delivery formats
- Map revision and version control
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
