An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Source-to-Sink Analysis & Sediment Routing Systems
From Catchment to Reservoir Volume
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,500
Starting From
31 May 2027
Home Geology and Geoscience Source-to-Sink Analysis & Sediment Routing Systems
Source-to-Sink Analysis & Sediment Routing Systems
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Source-to-Sink Analysis & Sediment Routing Systems - GG-S2S-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-S2S-PEA27 | 31 May - 04 Jun 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3500 |
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Source-to-Sink Analysis & Sediment Routing Systems
Description
A sedimentary basin is the downstream end of a system that begins in an eroding catchment. The volume of sediment that arrives, its grain size and its composition are all determined upstream, and they can be estimated from catchment area, relief, lithology, climate and tectonic setting using relationships calibrated against modern and ancient systems. In a frontier basin with no wells, this is one of very few ways of making a quantitative statement about reservoir presence and quality before drilling.
This training develops the method from catchment to sink. Catchment characterisation is established first: drainage area, relief, lithology, climate and tectonic uplift, and the erosion rate relationships that link them. Sediment flux estimation follows, covering measured modern fluxes, scaling relationships between catchment parameters and sediment yield, grain size distribution of supplied sediment, and the uncertainty in each. The transfer zone is then developed, covering sediment storage on floodplains and shelves, buffering and lag times, and the conditions under which a system transmits supply signals to the sink or damps them out. Sink partitioning follows: how the delivered volume is distributed between coastal plain, shelf, slope and basin floor, the controls on that partitioning, and the shelf-edge trajectory relationship. Downsystem grain size fining is covered as a predictive tool for reservoir quality. Provenance and routing evidence is then developed as the means of testing a reconstructed routing system. The training closes with the application of these methods to volumetric prediction, reservoir presence risking and frontier basin screening.
Scaling relationships make the method quantitative. Catchment area correlates with sediment flux, with the length of the depositional system downstream, and with the size of the resulting fan or delta, across several orders of magnitude and across different tectonic and climatic settings. These relationships have real scatter, so they produce ranges rather than numbers, but a range is far more useful than no estimate. Where a palaeo-catchment can be reconstructed from provenance and palaeogeography, the expected sediment volume and the expected system size follow.
The transfer zone determines whether a supply signal reaches the sink. Between catchment and basin, sediment is stored temporarily on floodplains, in valley fills and on the shelf, and the residence time in that storage can be long. A short, steep transfer zone transmits changes in supply quickly and faithfully; a long, low gradient one buffers them, so that a climatic or tectonic event in the catchment may be unrecognisable in the basin or may appear much later. Interpreting basin stratigraphy as a direct record of upstream events requires the transfer zone to be assessed first.
Grain size fines downsystem in a predictable way, and this is the most direct reservoir quality prediction the method offers. Selective deposition of coarser material and abrasion during transport produce systematic downstream fining, often approximately exponential with distance. Where the entry point and the transport distance can be estimated, the expected grain size at a prospect location follows, and with it an expectation for sorting, clay content and reservoir quality. This is particularly useful for assessing whether a distal part of a system is likely to contain reservoir-quality sand.
Finally, the method is a screening tool, not a substitute for local evidence. It produces an expectation for sediment volume, system size and grain size that is useful for ranking basins and for sense-checking prospect volumes, and it identifies where sand should and should not be expected. Where wells and seismic are available they govern. Where they are not, a source-to-sink estimate is better than an assumption.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Characterise sediment source catchments and their controlling parameters
- Estimate erosion rates and sediment flux using scaling relationships
- Assess the grain size distribution of supplied sediment
- Evaluate transfer zone storage, buffering and signal transmission
- Assess sediment partitioning between coastal plain, shelf, slope and basin floor
- Apply downsystem grain size fining relationships to reservoir quality prediction
- Reconstruct palaeodrainage and routing from provenance and palaeogeographic evidence
- Estimate depositional system dimensions from catchment scaling
- Apply source-to-sink reasoning to reservoir presence and volume prediction
- Use the method to screen and rank frontier basins
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Screen frontier basins on quantitative sediment supply grounds
- Predict reservoir presence and grain size before drilling
- Sense-check prospect volumes against supply estimates
- Improve entry point and fairway prediction
- Reduce exploration effort in basins with inadequate sediment supply
- Build a quantitative basin screening capability
Participants will:
- Characterise catchments and estimate sediment supply
- Apply scaling relationships to predict system size
- Predict grain size and reservoir quality downsystem
- Reconstruct routing systems from available evidence
- Screen basins quantitatively rather than by analogy
- Build a capability valuable in frontier exploration
- Exploration geoscientists working in frontier basins
- New ventures and basin screening staff
- Basin analysts and regional geologists
- Sedimentologists working on reservoir prediction
- Geoscientists reconstructing palaeogeography and drainage
- Prospect evaluation staff assessing reservoir risk
- Experienced geoscientists requiring quantitative screening methods
Module 1 - Source-to-Sink Concepts
- Source-to-sink system definition
- Segments: catchment, transfer zone, sink
- Mass balance through a routing system
- Signal propagation and its modification
- Timescales of system response
- Modern system studies and their value
- Applying modern system data to ancient systems
- Quantitative against qualitative approaches
- Uncertainty and the value of ranges
- Where the method helps and where it does not
Module 2 - Catchment Characterisation
- Catchment area and its reconstruction
- Relief and hypsometry
- Catchment lithology and erodibility
- Climate: precipitation, seasonality, temperature
- Vegetation cover and its effect on erosion
- Tectonic uplift and denudation
- Erosion rate measurement methods
- Cosmogenic nuclide and thermochronology constraints
- Palaeo-catchment reconstruction
- Drainage area from provenance evidence
- Catchment evolution and drainage capture
Module 3 - Sediment Flux and Scaling
- Sediment yield and its measurement
- Catchment area against sediment flux relationships
- Relief and climate controls on yield
- Scaling of system length with catchment size
- Fan and delta size scaling relationships
- Grain size distribution of supplied sediment
- Bedload against suspended load proportions
- Flux variability over different timescales
- Scatter in scaling relationships and its treatment
- Estimating flux for an ancient system
- Converting flux to depositional volume
- Compaction and volume reconstruction
Module 4 - The Transfer Zone
- Transfer zone definition and extent
- Sediment storage in valleys and floodplains
- Residence time and sediment age
- Buffering of supply signals
- Short and long transfer zones compared
- Shelf as a storage and transfer element
- Bypass across the transfer zone
- Autogenic processes and their signal
- Distinguishing autogenic from allogenic signals
- Lag times between event and basin record
- Implications for interpreting basin stratigraphy
Module 5 - Sink Partitioning
- Depositional sink segments
- Coastal plain storage and its proportion
- Shelf storage and accommodation
- Shelf edge delivery and bypass
- Slope deposition and storage
- Basin floor accumulation
- Partitioning controls: accommodation, supply, sea level
- Shelf edge trajectory and partitioning
- Volume distribution between segments
- Sand partitioning against total sediment partitioning
- Predicting sand volume in each segment
- Testing partitioning estimates against seismic volumes
Module 6 - Grain Size and Reservoir Quality Trends
- Downsystem fining mechanisms
- Selective deposition and sorting
- Abrasion and grain breakdown
- Fining rate and its controls
- Exponential fining relationships
- Gravel to sand transitions
- Sand to mud transitions
- Predicting grain size at a given position
- Grain size and reservoir quality relationships
- Composition changes downsystem
- Climatic and lithological effects on durability
- Reservoir quality prediction from routing position
Module 7 - Provenance and Routing Evidence
- Provenance as a routing constraint
- Detrital zircon and catchment identification
- Heavy mineral evidence for routing
- Geochemical fingerprinting of sources
- Palaeocurrent data and its integration
- Palaeogeographic reconstruction methods
- Plate reconstruction and its sediment supply implications
- Seismic geomorphology as routing evidence
- Identifying entry points on seismic
- Fairway mapping from combined evidence
- Testing a reconstructed routing system
Module 8 - Application to Exploration
- Basin screening using source-to-sink reasoning
- Predicting reservoir presence in undrilled areas
- Entry point and fairway identification
- Assessing whether supply was adequate for a play
- Estimating reservoir volume independently of seismic
- Sense-checking prospect volumetrics
- Deepwater reservoir prediction from shelf and catchment evidence
- Reservoir quality risking from routing position
- Integrating with trajectory and sequence stratigraphic analysis
- Communicating quantitative predictions with their uncertainty
- Case studies of source-to-sink applied in exploration
- Where the method has succeeded and where it has failed
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.
