SYLLABUS FALL 2018

Instructors: Dr. Juan Carlos Laya

Office: Halbouty Building, Room 263
Phone: (979) 845-7279
Email: layajc@geos.tamu.edu

Office Hours: M 2pm – 5pm

Lecture Schedule: MW 11:30am – 12:20pm
Lecture Location: Halbouty Room 101

Labs (A separate lab syllabus will be provided)

Lab Schedule
and Location: Halbouty Building, Room 66 (Computer Labs)

GEOL 404 501 M 03:00 pm-05:50 pm Adewale Amosu

GEOL 404 502 W 04:10 pm- 07:00 pm Chia Pei (James) Teoh
GEOL 404 503 T 08:00 am-10:50 am Chia Pei (James) Teoh
GEOL 404 504 T 11:10 am-02:00 pm Kieron Prince
GEOL 404 505 R 11:10 am-02:00 pm Kieron Prince
GEOL 404 506 M 06:30 pm-09:20 pm Adewale Amosu

COURSE DESCRIPTION AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Geology of Petroleum (GEOL404) is a course for geoscience and engineering students.
Course objectives are to provide you with a basic understanding of the concepts and methods
in petroleum geology in use in today’s exploration and development programs. Among the
topics we will cover are sedimentary basins, origin, and migration of hydrocarbons,
reservoirs, traps, and seals, and geological methods used in exploration and development.
Laboratory exercises will supplement lectures and offer practical experience with methods
and concepts.

PREREQUISITE
GEOL 104 (required) and GEOL 312 (or CVEN 305), or approval of instructor.

RESERVED REFERENCES AND OTHER COURSE MATERIALS

iClicker is required to be used during lectures.

No textbooks required for purchase. The following textbooks are put on reserve for the
course, in addition to online lecture notes and other reading materials:
Bjørlykke, K., 2010. Petroleum Geoscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Selley, R. C., 1998, Elements of Petroleum Geology: Academic Press, New York,
2nd Ed., 470 p., (not ideal but recommended if individual student prefers a purchase).
Magoon and Dow (eds.), The Petroleum System – From Source to Trap,
AAPG Memoir 60, 1994.
Hunt, Petroleum Geochemistry and Geology, 2nd. ed., 1996.
Chilingar et al., Geology and Geochemistry of Oil and Gas, 2007.
 GEOL 404 – Geology of Petroleum 2

Additional reading assignments and lecture notes will be posted via ecampus

Although reading the text assignments is sufficient for basic understanding of the material,
students are expected to take notes in all classes, ask questions in class, and to be prepared
to offer expanded answers to questions posed by the professor. These activities will form
the basis for your participation grade – 10% of your total grade.

How Your Grades Are Determined

Midterm Examination ................................................................................. 25 %
Final Examination ...................................................................................... 35 %
Lab Grade ................................................................................................... 30 %
Participation (Lecture) and Lecture homework ....................................... 10 %
TOTAL = 100 %
Examination ‘Style’
Because of the large class size, exams will be a combination of multiple choice (computer-
graded) and questions/answers. Each student will need a # 2 or HB pencil and a scantron for
the mid-term and final exams.
Letter Grade – Percent Score Equivalents (may be changed without notice)
A > 90; B = 89.99 to 80; C = 79.99 to 70; D = 69.99 to 60; F < 60

Important dates to remember:

October 10, Wednesday: Midterm Exam, (11:30am - 12:20pm) HALB 101

Thanksgiving break November 13-17: Spring break
December 12, Wednesday: Final Exam (10:30am – 12:30pm); HALB 101

Course Rules and University Requirements (Marked with asterisk)

1. Students are expected to attend every class.

2. iClicker will be used for attendance.
3. Cell phone use is not permitted during the lecture.
4. Laptop use is allowed during the lecture only for notes on class slides.
5. Bring 2H Pencils with erasers, pencil sharpening “cone”, colored pencils, ruler, and
calculator for labs.
6. Incomplete homework & laboratory exercises will not receive full grades.
7. Policy on Grading
a) Homework and exams will be graded by the instructor +/- help from the TA’s.
Full credit will be given only for complete and valid answers; partial credit, if
given, is given at the discretion of the instructor.
8. Policy on Re-grading
a) Exams may be re-graded only if an error by the professor or his assistants is
detected. Partial credit is not subject to appeal.
b) Illegible writing and illogical-but-correct answers will not receive credit unless
the student can provide clarification immediately following class when his/her
 GEOL 404 – Geology of Petroleum 3
graded papers were received. No-shows for same day conferences forfeit the
chance to clarify.
9. Late Assignments
a) No credit will be given for assignments turned in past the required date and time.
b) Assignments are “late” if not turned in at the start of class on the due date.
b) Persistent late or missed work constitutes a basis for assigning a course grade of
incomplete.

10. See Lab syllabus for more class rules.

11. Each student should review the University Regulations (see below marked with *)
concerning attendance, grades, and scholastic dishonesty. In particular, anyone seen
(by professor or TA’s) cheating on an examination or collaborating on an assignment
where collaboration is not specifically allowed will receive written warning copied to
the appropriate department head or faculty adviser. Second offense cheating on an
exam will result in a failing grade for the course and a report to the Scholastic
Dishonesty office of the University.

Score and Grade Posting

By agreement from all students in the class, score and grade may be confidentially posted online
where the lecture notes are available, by using the last 4-digits of the UIN.
1. Midterm exam score will be posted after the exam.
2. Final letter grade together with individual scores on attendance, lab, midterm exam, and
final exam will be posted after the final exam.

Your lab score will be posted with the final exam score and please don’t ask your TA for your
lab grade before it’s ready.

Score and Grade Review

Attendance record, exam papers, lab work and quiz scores may be available for review with
special request. Team project individual evaluation is however confidential.

Note

The cutoffs for letter grades are based on curving and overall consideration of the class
performance.
Many students want to get an A and even one point can change the percentile dramatically.
Attendance is not only important for a better performance on exams, but also important by itself,
10% of the total score! The team project is important and everyone in the team has to contribute.
Please see Lab syllabus for details.
Historical example: A - cutoff: 90, 6%; cutoff: 89, 13%; cutoff: 88, 22%
It is discouraged to come back after the final exam for a grade change to get an A, B or C, just
because of one point or so.
 GEOL 404 – Geology of Petroleum 4

Scholastic Dishonesty Statement*** (Aggie Code of Honor)

The Honor Code, based on the long-standing affirmation that An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or
steal or tolerate those who do, is fundamental to the value of the A&M experience. Know the
Code. Aggie Code of Honor: "An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who
do." http://www.tamu.edu/aggiehonor/

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Policy Statement***

The following ADA Policy Statement (part of the Policy on Individual Disabling
Conditions) was submitted to the UCC by the Department of Student Life. The policy
Statement was forwarded to the Faculty Senate for information.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal antidiscrimination statute

that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities.
Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be
guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of
their disabilities. If you believe that you have a disability requiring an
accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life, Services for
Students with Disabilities in Room 126 of the Koldus Building, or call 845-1637.

Coursework Copyright Statement***

The handouts used in this course are copyrighted. By "handouts," this means all
materials generated for this class, which includes quizzes, exams, lab problems, in-
class materials, review sheets, and additional problem sets. Because these
materials are copyrighted, you do not have the right to copy them, unless you are
expressly granted permission.

As commonly defined, plagiarism consists of passing off as one’s own the ideas,
words, writings, etc., that belong to another. In accordance with this definition, you
are committing plagiarism if you copy the work of another person and turn it in as
your own, even if you should have the permission of that person.

If you have any questions about plagiarism and/or copying, please consult the latest
issue of the Texas A&M University Student Rules, under the section "Scholastic
Dishonesty."
 GEOL 404 – Geology of Petroleum 5

Lecture Topics (Lecture 1-26) Reading Assignments

(Tentative/subject to change) (Online reading materials, e-Campus)
1. Introduction to petroleum geology e-materials
2. Petroleum system overview e-materials
3. Plate tectonics e-materials
4. Structural geology e-materials
5-6. Depositional environments e-materials
7-9. Geophysical methods
10. Subsurface fluids & environments e-materials
11. Petroleum system e-materials
12. Sedimentary basin types e-materials
13-15. Source rock and petroleum genesis
Origin, maturation and migration of hydrocarbons e-materials
Kinetic modeling of thermal maturation e-materials
16. Source rock properties e-materials
17-18. Primary and secondary migration e-materials
Unconventional Energy resources e-materials

19. Traps and seals e-materials

20. Petrophysics of shale e-materials
21-22. Clastic Reservoirs e-materials
23. Risk analysis e-materials
24. Frontier Exploration Ideas e-materials
25-26. Carbonate Reservoirs e-materials