Geology For Non-Geologists

Type:

Training Course

Length:

4 Days

CEU:

3.2

PDH:

Fee:

$2695 CAD

Upcoming Sessions

Location:

Calgary, Alberta

Date:

Monday, October 6, 2025

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Tuesday, October 7, 2025

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Thursday, October 9, 2025

8:30 AM - 4:30 PM

Register before September 5 and receive $100 off! Use the discount code EarlyBird

Course Description

Click here to see who has attended this course

This popular four-day course will provide non-geologists with a practical understanding of the principles used by petroleum geologists in the search for oil and gas. The sessions will include both the scientific background and the practical applications of geology. The tools, techniques, and vocabulary of the petroleum geologist will be emphasized throughout the course.

A complete set of course materials will be provided to students as a digital download. Please note that you must bring your laptop or tablet to class to access the course materials.

Participants will learn to:

Understand how the nature of geology itself affects the way geologists approach problem solving.
Describe the paradigm of plate tectonics and how modern exploration uses the concepts of the plate tectonic model in the search for oil and gas.
Communicate more effectively in geoscience meetings through an understanding of the terms, tools, and techniques used in the exploration and development of hydrocarbons.
Tell the difference between rock types and know why some are, or are not, suitable reservoirs for oil and gas
Define the concept of the petroleum system and how it aids in the interpretation and evaluation of hydrocarbon generation, maturation, migration, and accumulation.
Understand the information illustrated through the construction and interpretation of cross sections and maps.
Describe the importance and use of analogs in interpreting subsurface data.
Distinguish the difference between stratigraphic and structural traps for oil and gas and how to recognize them from cross sections and maps.
Know how to recognize different depositional environments using facies maps, isopachs, and fence diagrams.
Describe the importance of environments of deposition in predicting the distribution, location, and geometry of reservoir rocks.
Describe the difference between porosity and permeability and discuss the importance of each in conventional and unconventional reservoirs.
Describe the characteristics of shales and the geologic parameters that control "sweet spots" in shale plays
Understand the basics of well-log analysis and formation evaluation, including basic tool types, their measurements, and interpretation of lithology, porosity, and water saturation
Calculate oil-in-place (OIP) reserves using log-derived data.
Appreciate the importance of sample examination and the recognition and interpretation of oil shows at the wellsite.
Understand the basic principles of seismic prospecting and know the difference between 2D, 3D, and 4D seismic.

Who Should Attend

The course is designed for anyone in the oil and gas industry who does not have a geological background. Previous attendees include petroleum engineers, geophysicists, geotechs, finance and personnel officers, managers, administrative assistants, and accounting, IT, land, and public/investor relations personnel.

Course Outline

Day One

Introduction; the practice and profession of petroleum geology
Physical and historical geology; methodology – the principal of uniformity
Earth’s structure; the Big Picture – How the Earth works

Plate tectonics
Basin formation and importance to oil and gas

Rocks and minerals

Rock identification and classification: source rocks, reservoir rocks, and seals
Primary and secondary porosity
Permeability

Sedimentology

Depositional environments and their significance to reservoir rock properties

EXERCISE: rock and mineral identification
Origin, nature, and occurrence of petroleum
The Total Petroleum System concept

Primary and secondary migration of hydrocarbons
Conventional and unconventional resources – shale gas, oil shale, oil sands, gas hydrates

Day Two

Stratigraphy

Utility of fossils in oil and gas
Stratigraphic correlation

Geological time and dating events

Radiometric age dating

The geological time scale
Transgressions and regressions

Facies and prediction of reservoir trends

EXERCISES: working with cross sections and relative dating of events, creating and interpreting fence diagrams, facies mapping
Structural geology; determining the attitude of beds – strike and dip

Brittle vs. ductile deformation – folds, faults and fractures

Block diagrams: formation and description of petroleum traps

Day Three

History of petroleum exploration
Surface and subsurface mapping methods

Field work

Structural and stratigraphic cross-sections
Contouring

Structure maps
Isopach maps

Exploration methods - generating and evaluating prospects
EXERCISES: Geological map interpretation and constructing cross-sections, correlating cross-sections, structure contour mapping

Day Four

Introduction to wireline well logging

Picking tops
Calculating subsea values for structure mapping
Formation evaluation
Logging methods
Interpreting gamma ray
SP
Sonic
Neutron-density and PE curves
Image tools
Logging while drilling – geosteering

Calculating reserves – oil in place (OIP)
Geophysical methods

Seismic data acquisition, processing, and interpretation
Direct hydrocarbon indicators (DHI)
2D, 3D, and 4D seismic
Multi-azimuth, VSP, and Microseismic applications

Geochemical methods

Microseeps
Surface soil sampling

Well-site geology

Sample examination
Oil and gas shows
Mud logs
Formation evaluation
Drill Stem tests
Sources of data

Scout tickets
Land/lease/license maps
Oil and gas field publications
Geological reports

EXERCISES: Log interpretation – picking tops, determining lithology, calculating porosity, water saturation, and calculating reserves

Instructor

Paul H. Pausé, P.Geol

Paul H. Pausé is an independent petroleum geologist in Midland, Texas, centrally located in the prolific and currently booming Permian Basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico.He earned a bachelor's degree in geology at the University of California at Berkeley, and a master's degree in geology at UCLA.

Paul began his career as a petroleum geologist with AtlanticRichfield Company, and moved to Midland, Texas, with ARCO in 1977. After leaving ARCO, he worked for JM Huber, Davis Oil, and HCW Exploration. Paul now consults on exploration and development projects, generates and sells his own drilling prospects, and teaches courses in petroleum geology at the Petroleum Professional Development Center in Midland, and worldwide through public and in-house offerings.
Paul is an active member of several professional societies including the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Geological Society of America, the Geological Society of London, the Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain, the Society of Independent Professional Earth Scientists (SIPES), and the West Texas Geological Society.

Paul has received the Dedicated Service award from the WTGS and the Permian Basin Section SEPM and has been awarded Honorary Life Membership in both organizations, their highest recognition. He is a recipient of the A.I. Levorsen Award for Best Paper Presentation at the Southwest Section meeting of the AAPG.

Paul is currently President of the Southwest Section AAPG

Read More about Paul H. Pausé, P.Geol

Reviews

"I cannot stress enough this was the best-taught course I have taken while apart of (In-house Client) EIT Program. Paul and Terri worked very well together in running the course. Paul was VERY positive and knowledgeable, and clearly was well-versed in the course material."

- EIT

"Excellent course, very well delivered and great information. Instructor was very knowledgeable and clearly explained all topics, excellent assistance with the technology was always available. My favorite part of the course was the group activities and mapping that we did."

- EIT

"Best course I have taken. Instructor showed true passion and it excited me to learn. Printed resources are great, so much to read in the future. Lots of activities. "

- EIT

"Caveat - Non-Technical Finance Background The overview of geology and instructor delivery were very strong. I feel much more confident when being faced with any geological terminology related to my job. Instruction and content were very good."

- New Grad - Corporate Development

"Very informative. Broke concepts into simple sections. Enthusiastic instructor. I really liked working through the examples and how concepts built on each other."

- Integrity Engineer

"Really enjoyed the course. Instructor is very knowledgable with a lot of examples from his own career and work. I appreciate his effort on creating the reference material. "

- Sr. Data Analyst

"This was a great course and provided a great overview for non-geologists. I felt the course was very engaging and Paul incorporated lots of real examples which kept the course interesting. Paul did a great job with this course."

- New Grad - Land

"Lots of information, very applicable to (in-house client) business. Well done. Instruction was excellent. You can tell Paul is very passionate and knowledgable about geology."

- Senior Project Engineer

"I enjoyed this course a lot. There was definitely a lot of information to take in, but I look forward to reading up on more of the articles provided. Great instructor! I liked the interactive examples/colouring too. Helped to keep me engaged."

- EIT

"Comprehensive/ Well structured. Great instructor!"

- Intern - Conventional Development

"Great course. Great instructor and the content was well organized, presented and relevant."

- Anon.

"Structured very well with the perfect balance between theory, application in relatable examples, simple and straight forward explanation without compromising content and engagement. Perfect introductory course on geology without a need for prerequisite knowledge. Paul is an amazing instructor. His delivery is consistently interesting and engaging, despited the long hours. The content flow is not too rushes or slow-paced, every topic has good introductions to ease into more complex concepts."

- CO2 EOR Reservoir Engineering

"Very informative. Lots of content. Practical to industry."

- Corporate Planning

"Really well done! I learned so much and am excited to return to work and apply my new knowldge. I will undoubtedly be a better engineer as a result of having taken this course. Paul is a phenomenal instructor - excellent presentation skills, knowledgeable, engaging, interesting, good pace. "

- Exploitation Engineer

"Technical, lots of information and easy to follow. Paul made this course fun."

- Anon.

"Excellent content and material delivery. Paul is truly passionate about geology and it shows. Very good course organization and material."

- Regulatory Advisor

"Very detailed, well taught, instructor is knowledgeable."

- Operations Engineer in Training

"I really Enjoyed Paul's discussion on Geology. He made it interesting and informative. I really enjoyed how the information was not only very valuable to my job, but also contained things that I could use in my personal life such as when going on hikes through the mountains. I found the course to be well organized and contained lots of relevant real world examples along with the theory to properly understand said examples. Paul presented the information with enthusiasm which helped me to not lose focus during the entire three days of the course. I really enjoyed this course and would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about geology."

- Reservoir Engineer in Training

"The course was interesting and enjoyable, and it covered the content that I was expecting."

- Engineer-in-Training

"Overall a great course. Paul clearly knows the content and I was impressed with how engaging everything was. Learned lots and highly recommend the course."

- EIT

"The course was very well presented with lots of good information. One of the best courses I've taken. Paul was very engaging and was an excellent instructor."

- Enginner in training

"Course material is good, instructor is great, patient and super friendly. The book contents are great. "

- Sr. GIS Analyst

"Excellent introduction to relevant geological topics for operators. Instructor very knowledgable and good at communicating theories/content in a way that's easy to understand. Relevant content, fun exercises, logical teaching sequence. Excellent instruction and interesting material."

- Drilling Engineer

"Very organized and well taught. Course content was appropriate. Instructor is very enthusiastic and organized."

- EIT

"Paul was an incredible instructor. His enthusiasm and energy brought the content to life. He had such a broad knowledge of geology and the industry that gave such insight into the topic for me."

- EIT

"Awesome Instructor. Well spoken and excited about the material."

- Facilities Engineer

"Excellent course, related well to the western Canadian basin."

- Development Engineer

"Paul was very enthusiastic about the material. It was very well presented. He encouraged questions and made sure that the class understood the material."

- Senior Staff Production Technician

"Great overview of geology for oil and gas. Very well laid out and explained really well."

- Drilling Engineer

"Course quality was excellent. Best course I have participated in since university. Paul is also one of the best instructors I have has in a very long time. Very knowledgable and great personality."

- Reservoir Engineer

"My interest in Geology is renewed."

- Project Engineer

"Good references to western Canada examples with some, but not too heavy on, international examples."

- Abandonment Planning Lead

"Paul was a great instructor. Kept the class exciting, and answered all questions."

- Sr. Development Engineer

"Excellent Instructor - Concise and related to local and regional examples. Thanks!"

- Business Performance Improvement Manager

"Mr. Pause was excellent. He took his time explaining every topic and gave relevant exampled to help me understand. Overall an excellent course and instructor."

- Drilling EIT

"Paul is a great instructor for this course. Very well knowledge of many aspects of geology. Material is extremely organized and up-to-date. The course is definitely useful in providing fundamental knowledge of geology."

- Anon.

"Really interesting material and well presented. Enjoyed the more interactive elements, Paul is an excellent instructor and passionate about the material. Kept it interesting through the long days."

- EIT

"Great course overall. Lots of great content and industry related information. Nice to see Geology from across North America and different formations from various areas. Paul did an excellent job relaying the information and explaining the topics with in-class examples. Paul was passionate and excited about the topics which made the class engaging!"

- Reservoir EIT - Thermal

"Excellent course. Seemed almost university level in terms of content preparation and instructor knowledge and presentation skills."

- Process Safety EIT

"The course covered G & G and it was very interactive and interesting. Learnt a lot especially when it comes to having more knowledge on Canadian Geology, depositional environments, log evaluations and many more. Very good course."

- New Grad

COURSE INFORMATION