An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Basin Analysis for Petroleum Exploration
Understanding Basins to Find Plays
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,000
Starting From
01 Nov 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Basin Analysis for Petroleum Exploration
Basin Analysis for Petroleum Exploration
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Basin Analysis for Petroleum Exploration - GG-BASIN-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-BASIN-PEA27 | 01 - 05 Nov 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3000 |
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Basin Analysis for Petroleum Exploration
This training covers basin analysis as applied to exploration. It works through basin classification and subsidence mechanisms, subsidence analysis and backstripping, tectonostratigraphic analysis and megasequences, sediment supply and basin fill, thermal history and heat flow, structural evolution, petroleum system assembly within the basin framework, basin modelling and the derivation of play concepts from basin understanding.
Description
Basin analysis is the discipline that assembles stratigraphy, structure, subsidence, thermal history and sediment supply into a coherent account of how a basin formed and filled. From that account the petroleum system follows: when and where source rocks accumulated, when they matured, where reservoirs were deposited, when structures formed and whether the timing worked. It is the level at which exploration questions are actually decided, and the level most often skipped in favour of prospect scale work.
This training develops the analysis systematically. Basin classification is established first, covering the principal types, their subsidence mechanisms and their characteristic fill and thermal histories. Subsidence analysis follows, covering burial curve construction, decompaction, backstripping, the separation of tectonic from total subsidence, and the diagnosis of mechanism from curve shape. Tectonostratigraphic analysis is then developed, covering megasequence definition, the recognition of tectonic phases in the stratigraphic record, and the construction of a basin chronostratigraphy. Sediment supply and basin fill follow, covering provenance, routing, fill geometry and the controls on reservoir distribution. Thermal history is then addressed, covering heat flow by basin type, its evolution, and calibration. Structural evolution is developed, covering the deformation history and trap formation timing. Petroleum system assembly follows, bringing the elements together with their timing. The training closes with basin modelling practice and the derivation of play concepts.
Subsidence curves diagnose the mechanism and the mechanism predicts the heat flow. Backstripping a well removes the sediment load and compaction to reveal tectonic subsidence, and the shape of that curve distinguishes lithospheric stretching, with rapid initial subsidence decaying exponentially, from flexural loading, which is linear or accelerating. That distinction determines whether heat flow was elevated and declining or low and steady, which determines when source rocks matured. A single well with reasonable age control can therefore constrain the basin's thermal history.
Megasequences organise everything else. A basin's fill divides into packages bounded by basin-wide unconformities, each corresponding to a tectonic phase with its own subsidence pattern, sediment supply, facies distribution and structural style. Defining those packages, and establishing what each represents tectonically, provides the framework within which source, reservoir and seal are predicted. Working without that framework means treating formations as independent units and losing the predictive power the tectonic history provides.
Timing is assembled, not assumed. Source deposition has a time, maturation has a time, migration has a time, trap formation has a time, and the play works only if they are in the right order. Each of these comes from a different part of the basin analysis: the stratigraphy, the thermal model, the structural history. Bringing them together on a single events chart is the step that converts a basin description into a petroleum system assessment, and it frequently reveals that a play assumed to work does not.
Finally, basin analysis is the most transferable exploration skill. Prospect scale interpretation is specific to the data set; the ability to take a basin's wells, seismic and regional geology and produce a coherent account of its history and its plays applies everywhere. It is also the capability that distinguishes a geoscientist who can enter a new basin and be useful quickly from one who needs years of local experience first.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Classify basins and identify their subsidence mechanisms
- Construct burial curves with decompaction and backstripping
- Separate tectonic from total subsidence and diagnose mechanism
- Define megasequences and relate them to tectonic phases
- Construct a basin chronostratigraphic framework
- Assess sediment supply, routing and its control on reservoir distribution
- Build and calibrate basin thermal histories
- Reconstruct structural evolution and trap formation timing
- Assemble the petroleum system with its timing on an events chart
- Derive play concepts from basin understanding
The training works through a full basin analysis on a real data set. Participants construct burial and subsidence curves from well data, diagnose the subsidence mechanism, define megasequences from seismic and well evidence, and build a thermal history calibrated against maturity data. Structural evolution is reconstructed and trap timing established. The analysis concludes with an events chart and a derived play inventory, compared against the basin's actual discoveries.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Evaluate new basins coherently rather than piecemeal
- Derive play concepts from basin understanding
- Assess petroleum system timing systematically
- Apply appropriate thermal assumptions by basin type
- Improve the regional foundation of prospect work
- Build transferable capability across basins
Participants will:
- Analyse a basin from well and seismic data
- Diagnose subsidence mechanism and thermal history
- Build a tectonostratigraphic framework
- Assemble petroleum system timing
- Derive plays from basin understanding
- Enter a new basin and be useful quickly
- Exploration geoscientists and basin analysts
- New ventures and frontier evaluation staff
- Basin modellers and geochemists
- Regional geologists
- Portfolio and acreage evaluation staff
- Geoscientists entering unfamiliar basins
- Technical staff reviewing regional assessments
Module 1 - Basin Classification and Mechanisms
- Basin classification schemes
- Plate setting and basin type
- Lithospheric stretching basins
- Flexural and foreland basins
- Strike-slip and pull-apart basins
- Intracratonic and sag basins
- Forearc and backarc basins
- Composite and superposed basins
- Subsidence mechanisms by type
- Characteristic fill by basin type
- Characteristic thermal regime by type
Module 2 - Subsidence Analysis
- Burial history construction from wells
- Age control and its sources
- Compaction and porosity depth relationships
- Decompaction methods and parameters
- Lithology specific compaction curves
- Backstripping procedure
- Sediment load removal
- Isostatic correction
- Palaeobathymetry estimation
- Sea level correction
- Tectonic subsidence curve construction
- Diagnosing mechanism from curve shape
Module 3 - Tectonostratigraphic Analysis
- Megasequence concept and definition
- Basin-wide unconformity identification
- Tectonic phases in the stratigraphic record
- Syn-rift and post-rift megasequences
- Foreland basin megasequences
- Seismic expression of megasequence boundaries
- Chronostratigraphic framework construction
- Age calibration and biostratigraphy
- Correlating megasequences across a basin
- Lateral variation in megasequence character
- Megasequence maps and their use
Module 4 - Sediment Supply and Basin Fill
- Sediment supply controls
- Provenance and its reconstruction
- Sediment routing into the basin
- Entry point identification
- Fill geometry and its controls
- Underfilled and overfilled basins
- Accommodation and supply balance
- Depositional systems by basin phase
- Reservoir distribution prediction
- Source rock distribution prediction
- Seal distribution prediction
- Mapping fill through time
Module 5 - Thermal History
- Heat flow components and sources
- Heat flow by basin type and phase
- Rift heat flow evolution
- Foreland basin thermal regime
- Radiogenic heat production
- Thermal conductivity of basin fill
- Transient thermal effects
- Igneous and hydrothermal events
- Maturity data for calibration
- Model calibration procedure
- Non-uniqueness in thermal modelling
- Thermal history uncertainty
Module 6 - Structural Evolution
- Structural history from stratigraphic evidence
- Growth strata and fault timing
- Unconformities and deformation events
- Restoration through basin history
- Trap formation timing
- Inversion and reactivation events
- Exhumation and its timing
- Fault activity through time
- Structural control on fill and facies
- Deformation chronology construction
- Linking structure to the petroleum system
Module 7 - Petroleum System Assembly
- Source rock deposition timing
- Reservoir deposition timing
- Seal deposition timing
- Trap formation timing
- Generation and expulsion timing
- Migration and accumulation timing
- Preservation and critical moment
- Events chart construction
- Identifying timing failures
- Multiple petroleum systems in one basin
- Mapping the system geographically
- Assessing the system as a whole
Module 8 - Modelling and Play Derivation
- Basin modelling scope and software concepts
- One, two and three dimensional modelling
- Model construction and inputs
- Calibration strategy
- Interpreting model outputs critically
- Sensitivity and scenario analysis
- Deriving plays from basin understanding
- Play element prediction by area
- Ranking plays from the basin analysis
- Identifying under-explored plays
- Communicating a basin analysis
- Updating the analysis with new data
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.
