Petroleum Geology & Geophysics University of Alabama

Faculty

• D. Joe Benson (Ph.D., Cincinnati, 1976), Associate Professor Carbonate Petrology, Diagenesis, Depositional Environments
• Richard H. Groshong, Jr. (Ph.D., Brown, 1971), Professor Quantitative Structural Geology
• Ernest A. Mancini ((Ph.D., Texas A&M, 1974), Professor Petroleum Geology, Lithostratigraphy, Paleoecology
• Antonio Rodriquez (Ph.D., Rice University, 1999), Assistant Professor Seismic Stratigraphy, Sequence Stratigraphy
• Carl Stock (Ph.D., North Carolina, 1977), Professor Invertebrate Paleontology, Paleobiogeography, Paleoecology, Biostratigraphy
• Chunmiao Zheng (Ph.D., Wisconsin, 1988), Associate Professor Hydrology, Basin Modeling

The University of Alabama has a vigorous program in Petroleum Geology and Geophysics, focusing on the sedimentation, stratigraphy, structure, and tectonic evolution of sedimentary basins. Research topics include hydrocarbon reservoir and source characterization, structural and stratigraphic analyses of hydrocarbon traps at field and outcrop scales, and evaluation of the tectonic history, structural style, and stratigraphic architecture at the basin scale. The Department of Geology is home to the Southeast Region Petroleum Technology Transfer Center and the newly established Center for Basin Studies. Faculty and students maintain close ties with the Petroleum Industry, with many research projects involving collaborative efforts with industry, state, and federal partners. Petroleum related research currently underway in the Department of Geology focuses on the following topics:

• Passive continental margins, including the Ross Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Grand Banks, and Iberia continental shelves.

• Foreland Sedimentary basins, including the Black Warrior, Arkoma, Kerr, Val Verde, and Fort Worth basins.

• Coastal Interior basins, including the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Alabama and Mississippi Salt basins

Petroleum related research at the University of Alabama is facilitated by state of the art computing facilities that support a variety of geological and geophysical data processing, interpretation, and visualization tools. Software supports seismic data interpretation and processing, quantitative structural imaging and stratigraphic analysis, well log processing and interpretation, petrologic modeling, and geodynamic/tectonic modeling. Additional computing facilities are available in the Petroleum Technology Transfer Center, which is housed in the department. Information resources include online global geophysical and geological databases, access to the well log holdings of the nearby Geological Survey of Alabama (located on campus), and access to a variety of core, well log, and seismic data provided by collaborating industry partners. Excellent analytical and rock and sample preparation laboratories are available within the department. See our Research Facilities and Resources page for further information.

Relevant Courses

GEO 420 - Petroleum Geology. 3 hrs, Mancini.

GEO 453 - Micropaleontology. 3 hrs, Mancini.

GEO 512 - Sedimentary Petrology - Carbonates. 4 hrs, Benson.

GEO 513 - Sedimentary Petrology - Clastic. 3 hrs.

GEO 522 - Sedimentary Basin Analysis. 3 hrs., Mancini.

GEO 525 - Seismic Exploration. 3 hrs, Harry The intent of the course is to familiarize students with the application of seismic exploration techniques to solve geologic problems. Students should complete the course with a basic understanding of seismic wave propagation and how seismic methods are used to determine subsurface structure and stratigraphy. Emphasis is placed on the practical aspects of seismic exploration, including both the seismic reflection and seismic refraction methods. Students will learn the arts of seismic data processing and interpretation through the use of hands-on interpretation and data processing projects that utilize commercial seismic datasets or, if they choose, datasets that are part of their own research.

GEO 541 - Applied Geophysics. 3 hrs, Harry. An introduction to geophysical methods and their application to the exploration of the Earth. Geophysical methods covered in detail include gravity and magnetic methods, seismic reflection and refraction methods, and electromagnetic methods.

GEO 542 - Tectonophysics. 3 hrs, Harry. An introduction to the structure of the Earth's interior and the Theory of Plate Tectonics. Topics include plate motions, isostasy, paleomagnetism, heat flow, and seismicity. The course examines the paleogeographic evolution of the continents and ocean basins, the origin and evolution of the Earth's major tectonic features, and changes in tectonic and magmatic styles on the Earth since the Archean. Emphasis is placed on understanding the processes which govern the evolution of cratons, orogenic belts, volcanic arcs, ocean islands, rifts, and sedimentary basins.

GEO 555 - Advanced Paleontology. 3 hrs., Stock. Detailed examination of selected fossil groups.

GEO 559 - Paleoecology. 3 hrs., Mancini, Stock. Examination of the relationships between fossil organisms and their depositional environments.

GEO 561 - Sequence and Seismic Stratigraphy. 3 hrs. A review of lithostratigraphic principles and an examination of the sequence stratigraphic paradigm. Students also study methods of using lateral and vertical changes in seismic facies to interpret the lithology and depositional history of subsurface stratigraphic units.

GEO 564 - Quantitative Interpretation of Structural Geometry. 3 hrs., Groshong.

GEO 565 - Comparative Structural Geology. 3 hrs., Groshong.

GEO 567 - Clastic Depositional Systems - Processes and Products. 3 hrs.

GEO 582 - Advanced Stratigraphy. 3 hrs., Mancini.

GEO 663 - Structural Geology Seminar. 3 hrs., Groshong.

GEO 669 - Carbonate Depositional Environments. 3 hrs., Benson.

GEO 674 - Organic Geochemistry. 3 hrs.

GEO 681 - Paleozoic Biostratigraphy and Paleobiogeography. 3 hrs., Stock.