Petroleum Geology

Submit Abstract Register Now

Petroleum geology is the study of origin, occurrence, movement, accumulation, and exploration of hydrocarbon fuels. It refers to the specific set of geological disciplines that are applied to the search for hydrocarbons (oil exploration). Petroleum geology is principally concerned with the evaluation of seven key elements in sedimentary basins: They are source, Reservoir, seal, Trap, Timing, Maturation Migration. Oil (shown in red) accumulates against the seal, to the depth of the base of the seal. Any further oil migrating in from the source will escape to the surface and seep. A fold in geology is when one or a stack of originally flat and planar surfaces, such as sedimentary strata, are bent or curved as a result of deformation by pressures from faults and other forces of nature. There are many ways the field of Geology contributes to the Petroleum Industry. The varied disciplines of Geology explore the history of the Earth itself in hopes of understanding in greater detail where oil comes from and where more oil might be found, as well as the best ways to retrieve oil and utilize it once it has been retrieved. It is the application of geology (the study of rocks) to the exploration for and production of oil and gas.