Petroleum GeosciencePetroleum Systems and Hydrocarbon Exploration
Most dry holes fail on a single element: a source rock that never matured, a seal that leaked or a trap that formed after the oil had already moved on. Explorers who assess each element on its own merits drill fewer of them. Delegates work through source rock geochemistry, kerogen types and maturity indicators such as vitrinite reflectance and Tmax, then through expulsion, migration pathways and the timing of charge relative to trap formation. Reservoir and seal effectiveness are assessed next, followed by play fairway mapping and common risk segment maps. The final sessions cover prospect generation, chance of success estimation and volumetric ranges, using worked examples from African rift, passive margin and delta settings. Delegates leave able to build a petroleum system event chart, risk a prospect element by element and defend a ranked portfolio.
Course objectives
- Evaluate source rock richness, kerogen type and thermal maturity from geochemical data
- Construct a petroleum system event chart linking generation, migration and trap timing
- Assess reservoir and seal effectiveness at play and prospect scale
- Map play fairways and common risk segments across a basin
- Estimate geological chance of success for each risk element
- Calculate probabilistic in place and recoverable volume ranges for a prospect
- Rank prospects and leads into a defensible exploration portfolio
- Identify play types characteristic of African rift and passive margin basins
Who should attend
- Exploration geologists and geophysicists
- Prospect and play evaluation specialists
- New venture and portfolio analysts
- Petroleum agency technical staff assessing licence rounds
- Geochemists moving into integrated exploration roles
Course outline
- 01Elements and processes of a petroleum system
- 02Source rock geochemistry and maturity
- 03Expulsion, migration and charge timing
- 04Reservoir and seal effectiveness
- 05Play fairway and common risk segment mapping
- 06Prospect generation and lead inventories
- 07Chance of success and risk dependencies
- 08Probabilistic volumetrics
- 09Portfolio ranking and exploration strategy
Scheduled sessions
| Dates | Venue | Format | Price | Register |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 to 13 November 2026 | Maseru, Lesotho | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 7 to 11 December 2026 | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Classroom | USD 1,325 per delegate | |
| 14 to 18 December 2026 | Gaborone, Botswana | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 4 to 8 January 2027 | Online | Online | R8,500 per delegate | |
| 1 to 5 February 2027 | Pretoria, South Africa | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate | |
| 22 to 26 March 2027 | Windhoek, Namibia | Classroom | R19,950 per delegate |
Petroleum Systems and Hydrocarbon Exploration
From R8,500