Petroleum geology

Petroleum geology studies how oil and natural gas form from organic matter, move through subsurface rocks, and accumulate in reservoirs.

Source rock: Organic-rich rock in which heat and pressure transform buried organic matter into petroleum. Petroleum generation begins when suitable organic matter is buried in this rock.
Sedimentary basin: A region of long-term subsidence where sediment accumulates and may be buried deeply enough to generate petroleum. Basin history sets the burial, heating, and structural conditions behind petroleum systems.
Seismic reflection: A geophysical method that images subsurface structure by recording reflected seismic waves. Seismic images help map buried reservoir geometries, faults, and potential traps.
Petroleum engineering: The engineering discipline concerned with evaluating and producing oil and natural gas from subsurface accumulations. Geology explains how an accumulation formed; engineering designs how to produce it.
Kerogen: Complex solid organic matter in sedimentary rocks that can generate petroleum during burial and heating. Its composition and maturity determine which hydrocarbons a source rock can produce.
Porosity: The fraction of a rock's volume occupied by pores or other openings. Porosity determines how much petroleum a reservoir rock can store.
Well logging: The measurement of physical properties along a borehole using downhole instruments. Logs reveal rock and fluid properties that test interpretations made before drilling.
Geophysics: The study of Earth's physical properties and processes using measurements and physical principles. Geophysics supplies subsurface imaging and measurements, while petroleum geology interprets them geologically.
Thermal maturity: The degree to which burial heating has chemically altered organic matter in a sedimentary rock. It helps establish whether a source rock has generated oil, gas, or little petroleum.
Permeability: A measure of how readily fluid can flow through connected openings in a material. Connected pore pathways govern petroleum movement into and through reservoirs.

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