Analysis of Structural Traps in Extensional Settings - ESS

Discipline: Geology
Level: Intermediate
Instructors who teach this course:
  • Dr. James W. Granath
    Dr. James W. Granath
    DR. JAMES W. GRANATH is a consulting structural geologist based in Denver, Colorado, who has worked in academia as well as the minerals and petroleum industries.  Since 1976 he has taught at SUNY Stony Brook and spent 18 years in Conoco in research, international exploration, and new ventures. In 1999 he opened a consulting practice focused on structural geology and tectonics as applied to exploration problems, interrupted only by brief periods of work with Forest Oil and Midland Valley Exploration in Denver.  He is a member of AAPG, AGU, GSA, and RMAG, and is a certified petroleum geologist (#5512) and a Texas Professional Geologist (#733).  He is the author of numerous research papers and co-edited several multi-author compendia.  His expertise lies in seismic interpretation and integration with structural analysis, fracture analysis, regional synthesis, and prospect and play evaluation. He holds his PhD from Monash University in Australia, and a BS and MS from of University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

    Courses:



Related courses
View the Progression Map
Compressional and Transpressional Structural Styles - CPST
Mapping Subsurface Structures - MSS
Structural Styles in Petroleum Exploration - ST
About the course Designed For You will learn Course Content
About the course
Extensional structures provide some of the world's largest known oil reservoirs and remain one of the major frontier plays of the immediate future, both onshore and, particularly, in deep water offshore. 3D seismic has revolutionized structural mapping. However, the most realistic geologic interpretation of these structures is only as good as our ability to recognize and exploit the fundamental characteristics of the forms that are possible. This course presents outcrop, subsurface, seismic sections, and model analogs that will provide the starting point for structural interpretation in a wide range of extensional environments. Interpretations are validated by restoration and comparison to balanced models. This course covers the latest restoration techniques and the use of predictive kinematic models appropriate for rifted and other extensional and transtensional areas. The instructors of this course are happy to accept examples from your company for analysis in the class as one of the demonstration exercises. Please contact PetroSkills for a list of the information and support data required, as well as the necessary lead-time.


"Good examples used that mostly fit what we see in the field." - Geologist II, United States


"Liked fault geometrics and the structural restoration. I also appreciated fault linkages and traps in relay ramps and accomodation zones." - Participant, Nigeria


Designed For
Exploration and development geologists, geophysicists, engineers, and managers responsible for the interpretation and drilling of extensional structures.
You will learn
How To:
  • Distinguish the characteristics of extensional and transtensional deformation for both basement-involved and thin-skinned styles
  • Apply mechanical-stratigraphic principles governing the formation and evolution of extensional structures and apply restoration and balancing techniques
  • Predict structural geometry from sparse or inconsistent data using kinematic models
  • Recognize typical extensional and transtensional petroleum-trapping geometries
Course Content
  • Extensional structural styles and their plate tectonic habitats
  • Models for rifting and passive continental margin evolution
  • Transtensive structures
  • Detached and basement-involved styles
  • Map patterns
  • Half grabens and full grabens
  • Footwall uplift
  • Pre-inversion normal faults
  • Ramp-flat and listric-fault related structures
  • Rotated block with keystone graben style
  • Structural validation criteria
  • Selecting the best balancing and restoration technique
  • Flexural-slip restoration and predication
  • Vertical and oblique simple shear
  • Rigid-block restoration
  • Area-depth technique for section validation, depth to detachment, bed-length changes and fault prediction
  • Effect of detachment-zone thickness
  • Transition from horizontal to vertical displacement
  • Extensional drape folds
  • Trishear models of drape folds
  • Sequential restoration of growth structures
  • Fracturing in extensional structures
Analysis of Structural Traps in Extensional Settings - ESS
Discipline: Geology
Level: Intermediate
Duration: 5 days
Instructor(s): James Granath
Extensional structures provide some of the world's largest known oil reservoirs and remain one of the major frontier plays of the immediate future, both onshore and, particularly, in deep water offshore. 3D seismic has revolutionized structural mapping. However, the most realistic geologic interpretation of these structures is only as good as our ability to recognize and exploit the fundamental characteristics of the forms that are possible. This course presents outcrop, subsurface, seismic sections, and model analogs that will provide the starting point for structural interpretation in a wide range of extensional environments. Interpretations are validated by restoration and comparison to balanced models. This course covers the latest restoration techniques and the use of predictive kinematic models appropriate for rifted and other extensional and transtensional areas. The instructors of this course are happy to accept examples from your company for analysis in the class as one of the demonstration exercises. Please contact PetroSkills for a list of the information and support data required, as well as the necessary lead-time.


"Good examples used that mostly fit what we see in the field." - Geologist II, United States


"Liked fault geometrics and the structural restoration. I also appreciated fault linkages and traps in relay ramps and accomodation zones." - Participant, Nigeria
Designed For:
Exploration and development geologists, geophysicists, engineers, and managers responsible for the interpretation and drilling of extensional structures.
You Will Learn:
How To:
  • Distinguish the characteristics of extensional and transtensional deformation for both basement-involved and thin-skinned styles
  • Apply mechanical-stratigraphic principles governing the formation and evolution of extensional structures and apply restoration and balancing techniques
  • Predict structural geometry from sparse or inconsistent data using kinematic models
  • Recognize typical extensional and transtensional petroleum-trapping geometries
Course Content:
  • Extensional structural styles and their plate tectonic habitats
  • Models for rifting and passive continental margin evolution
  • Transtensive structures
  • Detached and basement-involved styles
  • Map patterns
  • Half grabens and full grabens
  • Footwall uplift
  • Pre-inversion normal faults
  • Ramp-flat and listric-fault related structures
  • Rotated block with keystone graben style
  • Structural validation criteria
  • Selecting the best balancing and restoration technique
  • Flexural-slip restoration and predication
  • Vertical and oblique simple shear
  • Rigid-block restoration
  • Area-depth technique for section validation, depth to detachment, bed-length changes and fault prediction
  • Effect of detachment-zone thickness
  • Transition from horizontal to vertical displacement
  • Extensional drape folds
  • Trishear models of drape folds
  • Sequential restoration of growth structures
  • Fracturing in extensional structures
Instructors:

DR. JAMES W. GRANATH is a consulting structural geologist based in Denver, Colorado, who has worked in academia as well as the minerals and petroleum industries.  Since 1976 he has taught at SUNY Stony Brook and spent 18 years in Conoco in research, international exploration, and new ventures. In 1999 he opened a consulting practice focused on structural geology and tectonics as applied to exploration problems, interrupted only by brief periods of work with Forest Oil and Midland Valley Exploration in Denver.  He is a member of AAPG, AGU, GSA, and RMAG, and is a certified petroleum geologist (#5512) and a Texas Professional Geologist (#733).  He is the author of numerous research papers and co-edited several multi-author compendia.  His expertise lies in seismic interpretation and integration with structural analysis, fracture analysis, regional synthesis, and prospect and play evaluation. He holds his PhD from Monash University in Australia, and a BS and MS from of University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.


In-House Course Presentations
All courses are available for in-house presentation to individual organizations. In-house courses may be structured the same as the public versions or tailored to meet your requirements. Special courses on virtually any petroleum-related subject can be arranged specifically for in-house presentation. For further information, contact our In-House Training Coordinator at one of the numbers listed below.
Telephone 1- 832 426 1234
Facsimile 1- 832 426 1244
E-Mail inhouse@petroskills.com

Public Course Presentations
How to contact PetroSkills:
1-800-821-5933 toll-free in North America or
Telephone 1-918-828-2500
Facsimile 1-918-828-2580
E-Mail registrations@petroskills.com
Internet www.petroskills.com
Address P.O. Box 35448, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74153-0448, U.S.A