GEOL483-06S2 (U) Semester Two 2006 (University Campus)

Petroleum and Coal Geology

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 10 July 2006
End Date: Sunday, 12 November 2006
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Sunday, 23 July 2006
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Sunday, 8 October 2006

Description

Petroleum and Coal Geology

The majority of the world's energy comes from fossil fuels. In New Zealand, Australasia and Asia, oil and gas are derived ultimately from coal and coal-bearing strata. Therefore, any exploration of oil and gas must be well founded in a basic understanding of coal geology.
The use of coal and other carbon-based energy sources presents many challenges, not only in exploration but also in the downstream environmental effects. Today's geologists need to understand those consequences and risks.
Course Content
This course will cover many aspects of hydrocarbon geology, including the formation of hydrocarbons (e.g. oil, gas, coal and coalbed methane), coal as a source for hydrocarbons, and defining a finite resource and its effects on the world economy. The course will be tailored to the interests of the participants. The major points of discussion can be:
• Determining the geological aspects of exploring and exploiting solid coal and hydrocarbons sourced from coal (including coalbed methane and petroleum).
• Modern analogue studies of hydrocarbon-accumulating settings will be discussed and possibly visited!
• Reserve estimation
• Geophysical (emphasis on wireline logging), geochemical and micropalaeontological exploration techniques in relation to sedimentology and structure in New Zealand coal-bearing basins.
• The role of basin setting in non-marine sediments will be discussed and placed within the context of basin subsidence, maturation of organic material and geochemical changes that take place with increasing temperatures and pressures.
• Field trip to the West Coast on the 7th and 8th of October 2006.

Learning Outcomes

  • This course will cover many aspects of hydrocarbon geology, including the formation and utilisation of hydrocarbons (e.g. oil, gas, coal and coalbed methane), coal as a source for hydrocarbons, and environmental concerns. The course will be tailored to the interests of the participants. The major points of discussion can be:

  • Determining the geological aspects of exploring and exploiting solid coal and hydrocarbons sourced from coal (including coalbed methane and petroleum).
  • Modern analogue studies of hydrocarbon-accumulating settings will be discussed and possibly visited!
  • Reserve estimation and risk analysis
  • Petroleum system and its application to coal-bearing rocks in the Taranaki and Powder River Basin.
  • Geophysical (emphasis on wireline logging), geochemical and micropalaeontological exploration techniques in relation to sedimentology and structure in New Zealand coal-bearing basins.
  • The role of basin setting in non-marine sediments will be discussed and placed within the context of basin subsidence, maturation of organic material and geochemical changes that take place with increasing temperatures and pressures.
  • Field trip to the West Coast on the 7th and 8th of October 2006.

Prerequisites

Subject to approval of the Head of Department.

Course Coordinator

Timothy Moore

Guest Lecturer

Tim Moore (Solid Energy NZ)

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage 
Report 05 Sep 2006 50%
Fieldguide 07 Oct 2006 50%

Course links

Library portal

Notes

There is a field trip levy of $26.67 per student, payable at enrolment.

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $575.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Geological Sciences .

All GEOL483 Occurrences

  • GEOL483-06S2 (U) Semester Two 2006 (University Campus)
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