PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCES PROGRAM

Course Descriptions

See Undergraduate Curriculum and Course Flow Chart for additional information. The following list includes some courses in other programs required by Petroleum Geoscience students. Course descriptions include laboratories where these occur. Click on the picture or course code to see description.

PGEG210 Earth Materials
This course introduces the fundamentals of mineralogy, including systematic chemistry and crystallography and physical and optical properties of minerals, emphasizing the carbonate group and silicate minerals. Students learn to use the petrographic microscope and to describe and identify a variety of rock-forming minerals in hand samples and petrographic thin-sections.
Prerequisites: GEOS 121 or PGEG 221
Co-requisites: PGEG 210L
Restrictions: None
3:3:3

PGEG220 Geology of the Middle East
This course covers application of the principles of stratigraphy and age-dating methods, first introduced in Overview of Petroleum Industry and introduces biologic evolutionary theory to interpret and understand evolution of Earth’s lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. Emphasis of the course is on tectonic, stratigraphic, geographic, and biologic evolution of the Middle East, and particularly on paleo-environments, facies, paleontology, and the tectonic setting of UAE reservoirs intervals. The course includes at least one all-day field trip.
Prerequisites: GEOS 121 or PGEG 221
Co-requisites: PGEG 220L
Restrictions: None
3:3:3

 

PGEG221 Introduction to Geology and Geophysics
This course provides an introduction to geology and geophysics, emphasizing the process that form and shape Earth, petroleum geology, and geophysics, and the geology of the UAE and the Middle East.  Course topics include:  origin of minerals and rocks; seismology; Earth’s gravity; geomagnetism; geologic time; plate tectonics; structural geology; sedimentary transport and the depositional environments of reservoirs; geohazards; hydrology; economic geology.  The course includes at least one all-day field trip.
Prerequisites: PEEG 151
Co-requisites: PGEG 221L
Restrictions: None
3:3:3

 

PGEG311 Sedimentary Petrology
Sedimentary Petrology is concerned with the origin of sediment and sedimentary rock. The course covers sedimentary processes, facies, and diagenesis. Emphasis is on petrographic analysis of microfacies and diagenesis and on carbonate reservoirs and source rocks. Students learn how to characterize reservoirs using limited subsurface information from petrographic thin sections and cores. The course includes a five-day field trip.
Prerequisites: PGEG 220
Co-requisites: PGEG 311L
Restrictions: None
3:3:4

PGEG321 Structural Interpretation
Structural geology is the study of deformed rock. The course deals with the range of structures produced in rock by deformation; with the role of structures in trapping petroleum and their effect on production with application of structural methods in exploration and production. Course topics include stress and strain; rheological behavior of rock; effects of time, temperature, and pressure on deformation; kinematic and dynamic analysis of deformed rock; the origin of fractures, faults, and folds; structural interpretation from seismic reflection, well, and other exploration and production data; mapping of subsurface structures from industry data; regional structural geology of the UAE. The course includes one three-day field trip.
Prerequisites: PGEG 221, PHYS 191
Co-requisites: PGEG 321L
Restrictions: None
3:3:4

PGEG323 GIS Remote Sensing for Earth Sciences Applications (Introduction to Remote Sensing)
The course covers the basic principles and essential skills of remote sensing using image visualization, processing and GIS (Geographical Information System) for geological mapping. (GIS is a collection of computer hardware, software, and geographic data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.)
After completing the course, students should understand the physical principles of remote sensing and be familiar with the major remote sensing satellites and datasets. Students will learn the basic skills of image visualization, processing, interpretation and data manipulation for mapping.
The course emphasizes the use of satellite images as essential tools for fieldwork. It consists of lectures followed by computer exercises using software like ER mapper and ENVI. This course introduces the students to an important part of modern technology application in geosciences
2 credit hour: 15 hours lectures, 15 hours lab, 30 hours project work
Prerequisites: PEEG151, MATH212, PHYS 241

 

PGEG331 Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology
This course provides an overview of igneous and metamorphic rocks as a background for discussing their origin and distribution in relation to plate tectonics. Course topics include rocks and Earth structure, structures, textures, chemistry, and mineralogy of igneous rocks; phase rule and phase diagrams; origin and movement of magmas; metamorphism and metamorphic rock texture, structures and mineralogy, metamorphic facies and metamorphic phase diagrams.
Prerequisites: PGEG 210
Co-requisites: PGEG 331L
Restrictions: None
1:3:2

 

PGEG341 Paleontology
Paleontology is the study of past life. The course covers the application of taxonomic procedures to the identification of fossils and the application of paleontology in paleoenvironmental and biostratigraphic analysis. Students learn about the fundamental morphology, modes of life, evolutionary trends, and time ranges of major macrofossil and microfossil groups. Emphasis is on fossil types that are important in the analysis and interpretation of petroleum reservoirs of the Middle East. The course includes one all-day field trip.
Prerequisites: PGEG 220
Co-requisites: PGEG 341L
Restrictions: None
2:3:3

 

PGEG351 Petroleum Geophysics
The course introduces the principles and methods involved in modern geophysical petroleum exploration. The course concentrates on physical principles and interpretation of seismic surveying and its application to petroleum exploration. Gravity, magnetics, electrical, and electromagnetic principles and survey techniques are covered, but in less detail. Students will learn about the equipment used, typical fieldwork design, numerical data corrections, and data processing for each survey method. The course includes at least three all-day field trips.
Prerequisites: PGEG 221, PHYS 241
Co-requisites: PGEG 351L
Restrictions: None
3:3:4

PGEG361 Sedimentology and Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy instructs in the sedimentological and stratigraphic methods used to analyze and interpret sedimentary sequences. Students will learn to interpret physical processes and depositional environments from sedimentary structures and textures, and to apply sequence stratigraphic methods to interpret and model facies and sedimentary basin evolution. The course incorporates modern and ancient examples from the Middle East, particularly from the UAE. The course includes five days of fieldwork.
Prerequisites: PGEG 311
Co-requisites: PGEG 361L
Restrictions: None
2:3:3

 

PGEG371 Data Analysis and Geostatistics
This course introduces the conceptual basics of statistical analysis of geoscience data, and instructs students in how to apply statistical methods including geostatistics to interpret geoscience data and solve petroleum geoscience problems. Course topics include graphical representations, univariate statistics, probability, normal distributions, statistical inference, analysis of variance, bivariate correlation and regression analysis, directional data, circular statistics, Markov analysis, event series and time series analysis, analysis of spatially distributed data, trend surface analysis, kriging, and multivariate methods.
Prerequisites: PGEG 221
Co-requisites: PGEG 371L
Restrictions: None
3:3:4

 

PGEG381 Rock Mechanics and Reservoirs
This course builds on material introduced in PGEG 321 and is concerned with the prediction and identification of structures produced during deformation, particularly faults and fractures, and the effect of structures on subsurface flow and reservoir behavior. Course topics include stress, strain, and rock failure; rock anisotropy; testing methods; fractures, faults, and fluid flow; detection, mapping, and modeling of faults and fractures. The course includes a one-day field trip.
Prerequisites: PGEG 321
Co-requisites: PGEG 381L
Restrictions: None
2:3:3

PGEG391 Field Petroleum Geology
Field Petroleum Geology is concerned with the study of lithologies and structures in the field. The course addresses vertical and horizontal variability in depositional facies and physical characteristics in reservoirs in three dimensions, and shows how physical variability affects petroleum capacity, flow, and production. Attention is paid to post-depositional diagenetic processes and their effect on reservoir evolution. Students make geological and petrophysical measurement of time- and facies-equivalents to UAE carbonate reservoirs. The course includes four weeks of fieldwork followed by one week of data integration and report writing at the Petroleum Institute.
Prerequisites: PGEG 361
Co-requisites: None
Restrictions: None
0:0:4

PGEG401 Petrophysics and Logging
This course presents the physical principles of well logging. PGEG 401 introduces students to geophysical measurements made under borehole and lab conditions. The course also demonstrates methods to correlate geophysical measurements and rock properties and prepares students to perform basic well log and core data interpretation. The course covers concepts of rock properties and their application in the oil industry; lab measurements of rock properties (porosity, permeability, density, resistivity, fluid saturation lithology logs, porosity logs, fluid saturation and permeability estimation from well logs; full well log interpretation. The course refers to rock mechanics from core and well log data.
Prerequisite: PEEG 216, PGEG 217, PGEG 361
Co-requisites: PGEG 401L, PGEG 411
Restrictions: None
3:3:4

PGEG411 Reflection Seismology
The most important method for finding and investigating reservoirs on a large scale is reflection seismology. This course covers the fundamental wave theory that is the basis for the method, and the seismic data acquisition, processing, and display techniques in such a way that one can map the underground and describe its characteristics. The course has a significant theoretical component, and includes class exercises using seismic software and display systems on real-world seismic data. A major component of the course is to design, acquire data, and interpret a seismic reflection survey. The course requires fieldwork.
Prerequisite: PGEG 351
Co-requisites: PGEG 411L
Restrictions: None
3:3:4

 

PGEG421 Computing Project
Petroleum Geoscience Engineering Computing introduces the concepts, methods, workflow, and computer software applications used to analyze petroleum exploration and production data. The course consists of a number of problems that are best solved using modern industry software. Problems include reservoir mapping and characterization integrating 2D and 3D seismic and well data, upscaling of reservoir models, processing and analysis of regional magnetic and gravity data, and use of remote imagery and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to support environmental studies.
Prerequisite: STPS251, PGEG351, PGEG371, PGEG391
Co-requisite: PGEG 411, PGEG 421L
Restrictions: None
2:6:4

 

PGEG451 Environmental Geology
This course deals with how people interact with Earth’s natural systems. Environment profoundly controls social and economic systems but, simultaneously, humans are major agents of geologic change. The course covers natural hazards, landscape and soil characteristics, groundwater, surface water, and climate change, emphasizing the environment and environmental issues of the UAE.
Prerequisites: PGEG 221, CHEM 181
Co-requisites: PGEG 451L
Restrictions: junior year standing
3:0:3

 

PGEG461 Reservoir Characterization Project
The course introduces and applies the principals and practices used to characterize petroleum reservoirs using core, structural, seismic, petrographic, and petrophysical data. Emphasis is on depositional geometries, petrophysical properties, and compartmentalization of carbonate reservoirs. Much of the coursework involves characterizing and designing a model of a UAE reservoir integrating multiple datasets.
Prerequisites: PGEG 361, PGEG 421
Co-requisites: PGEG 461L
Restrictions: None
2:6:4

 

PGEG471 Petroleum Systems Project
This course involves completion of a project in the student’s area of interest in some area of petroleum geology or geophysics. Students must arrange for supervision from an instructor and the project must be approved by the Petroleum Geosciences Program. The course consists mostly of independent project work.
Prerequisites: PGEG 401, PGEG 411, PGEG 421
Co-requisites: None
Restrictions: None
0:0:3