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2018/19 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

SOEE1600 Geology for Petroleum Engineers

30 creditsClass Size: 65

Module manager: Dr Nigel Mountney
Email: n.p.mountney@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

Pre-requisite qualifications

Appropriate A-Levels or equivalent

This module is mutually exclusive with

SOEE1570Geology 1

Module replaces

SOEE1490 Understanding the Earth 1SOEE1530 Sedimentology and Stratigraphic Principles and MapsSOEE1510 Practical Geology (part thereof)

This module is not approved as a discovery module

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to:
- Explain the origin of the Earth as a planetary body and understand its place in the solar system, its age and the concept of geological time.
- Explain the internal structure of the Earth.
- Identify a range of common rock-forming minerals and demonstrate how these collectively make up the composition of a variety of rocks.
- Identify common types of rocks in hand specimen and thin section and understand their modes of formation, with particular emphasis on sedimentary rocks, which form the most significant hydrocarbon reservoirs units.
- Identify, describe and have an understanding of the formation of different types of geological structures, how these relate to the principal stresses and their implications for the deformation history of a region.
- Understand the three-dimensional nature of deformed rocks and some stratigraphic rules that govern the understanding of rock strata on Earth.
- Know how to read a geological map and understand how different lithological units and geological structures are represented on maps and how their subsurface 3D geometry and relationships can be determined from outcrop study.
- Integrate data from a variety of sources to establish the geological history of an area.
- Understand the main types of sedimentary rocks and explain their origin in terms of common processes of formation.
- Describe and interpret the main types of sedimentary structures present in such rocks and know how to interpret these to be able to make an elementary reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental setting and to understand their significance to hydrocarbon prospectivity.

Syllabus

Introduction to Earth Sciences:
The Earth as a planetary body and its origin and age.

Dynamic Earth:
An introduction to the internal structure of the Earth and the concept of plate tectonics as a mechanism for plate motion, mountain building, subduction, basin formation and long-term geological evolution on a continental scale.

Geological Materials:
- Processes of formation of igneous and metamorphic rocks;
- The description of hand specimens and thin sections, and recording observations coherently.

Structural geology, stratigraphic principles and maps:
- The mechanics of deformation and the formation and description of geological structures;
- Understanding 3D geological relationships between rock bodies and establishing basic stratigraphic rules from first principles;
- Geological mapwork, construction of cross-sections, geological histories and map relationships.
- Applications of subsurface mapping in sedimentary basins and petroleum reservoirs.

Sedimentology:
- The formation of sedimentary rocks, including siliciclastic and carbonate lithologies, the environments in which they are formed and the significance of their internal structures;
- A basic introduction to sedimentary facies analysis.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Fieldwork18.008.00
Lecture351.0035.00
Practical83.0024.00
Practical152.0030.00
Independent online learning hours103.00
Private study hours100.00
Total Contact hours97.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)300.00

Private study

100 hours of self-directed study, background reading and revision.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

- Assessed in-class practical work
- VLE MCQs with formative feedback provided in-class.
- Verbal feedback from staff and demonstrators in practical classes and in field.

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
PracticalMapwork in-course assessment (S2(30.00
PracticalSedimentology practical test (S2)20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Unseen exam 1 hr 00 mins30.00
Unseen Practical exam (S1)1 hr 30 mins20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)50.00

Formal Unseen Exam and Unseen Practical Exam will take place in the Semester 1 examination period. The theory exam will consist of a single paper to include MCQs, graphical problem solving exercises and a short map exercise. The Rocks and Minerals practical examination is also held in the S1 examination period, and under normal examination conditions.

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 27/07/2018

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