Field seminar to examine depositional facies and sequence stratigraphy of a mixed carbonate and evaporite systems of the Permian Zechstein Basin.

Objectives

The aim of this seminar is to examine some of the classic Zechstein localities of northern England, which illustrate the principles of carbonate sequence stratigraphy and provide good analogues for offshore North Sea sequences, and for other mixed carbonate-evaporite settings such as the Upper Jurassic Gotnia Basin of northern Arabia.

Who Should Attend

This course will be of interest to geoscientists directly involved with Zechstein play fairways in the Southern North Sea Basin, but will also be of more general interest to those wishing to gain a better understanding of carbonate-evaporite depositional systems and the major concepts of carbonate-evaporite sequence stratigraphy.

Geology

The Zechstein exposures visited during this seminar represent a platform-to-basin transition, and provide good examples of subaerial and submarine sequence boundaries, maximum flooding surfaces, incised valley-fills, lowstand-wedge megabreccias, clinoformed turbidite aprons (the result of highstand shedding), lowstand gypsum wedges, aggradational-progradational barrier reef systems, late highstand marginal sabkhas and lowstand basinal evaporites. Emphasis will be placed on:

• criteria for identifying bounding surfaces and systems tracts

• hydrocarbon prospectivity of the various facies tracts

• the critical importance of offlap break successions in carbonate sequence stratigraphic analysis

Course Format

Participants are encouraged to make their own field observations and to develop their own sequence stratigraphic models, with evening lectures and group discussions leading to an overall sequence stratigraphic model for carbonate-evaporite systems.

Course Details

• Duration: 3 days

• Cost: By quotation, includes instruction, course manual, field transportation and 3 days half-board double-occupancy accommodation. The seminar starts and finishes in Durham

• Clothing: Participants should be equipped with stout walking boots and waterproofs. Safety helmets are mandatory at quarry localities

• Insurance: Participants should ensure that their employers liability insurance cover (including medical insurance) is in order, particularly for personal accident and loss or damage of equipment, as Oolithica Geoscience Ltd cannot accept responsibility for claims arising from this or any other field seminar.

• Attendance Limit: minimum 7, maximum 15 participants