Workshop 13

Description

Biostratigraphy is the use of fossils to characterise rock units in terms of (broadly speaking) relative age and environment of deposition. A combination of knowledge of these two aspects provides a remarkable set of tools and applications that improve our understanding of the subsurface and our ability to predict what may be present in areas of low or poor data control. This includes development of play concepts, play mapping, correlation at regional and at asset scale, and operational (real-time) decision making (i.e., at wellsite). The transformation of biostratigraphical data and its interpretation in the age of AI and machine learning forms part of the course. 

Note: This workshop does not teach you how to recognise and identify fossils. It focuses on the applications of biostratigraphical data to the understanding of the subsurface.

The workshop follows a pathway involving a brief explanation of the theory of each component, followed by a practical exercise that demonstrates the principle using mostly “real-world” examples, e.g., from Middle East carbonates and Gulf of Mexico clastics.

For operational demonstrations, delegates will “role-play” the duties of a wellsite biostratigrapher and biosteer a horizontal well in “real time”.

The workshop is based around real-world examples where actual biostratigraphical data is used in various ways to enhance our understanding of the subsurface, in particular the stratigraphic arrangement of rocks and facies in time and space. This understanding, together with the knowledge of how ancient life was distributed and affected by environmental factors, builds into a remarkable predictive tool under the umbrella of sequence (bio)stratigraphy.

The inherent flexibility of biostratigraphical techniques is demonstrated at all scales, from the exploration of major basins down to a detailed understanding of individual assets, and also at an operational level where exploration work requires months of study, down to local drilling situations where stratigraphic decisions are required in a matter of just a few hours.

Biostratigraphical techniques learned during the “hydrocarbons era” are equally applicable (and necessary) to the Energy Transition. Although in its early phase with limited examples, we will demonstrate uses in windfarm development, geothermal, CCUS, and aquifer studies.

Our approach is emphatically not about the fossils themselves. It is about what biostratigraphical data looks like to the non-specialist, and – more importantly – how that data is productively used. We aim to highlight the importance of being “informed users/buyers of applied biostratigraphical services/reports” rather than being able to be an applied biostratigrapher. No previous paleontological or biostratigraphical knowledge is required.

Upon completion of the workshop, participants will know:

• How biostratigraphy “works” from first principles
• How these principles are applied, at various scales, to better understand the subsurface
• How these techniques can be used in a predictive sense through the application of sequence (bio)stratigraphy
• How the techniques are used at an operational level to enhance outcomes economically, technically, and safely
• Upon completion of the workshop, participants will be able to recommend biostratigraphy as appropriate as part of subsurface studies and engage with expert biostratigraphers to ensure successful outcomes.

Sub-Topics that will be covered in the workshop:

• Applied biostratigraphy: correlation and palaeoenvironment (including practical exercise)
• Organising the subsurface: sequence biostratigraphy and prediction (including practical exercise)
• Digital biostratigraphy
• Operational uses: biosteering (including practical exercise)
• The energy transition: where does biostratigraphy go from here?