Conferences & Seminars
Short Course:
Applied Ichnology
The Use of Trace Fossils in Sequence Stratigraphy, Exploration and Production Geology
S. George Pemberton University of Alberta - Canada
Ichnology is the interdisciplinary subject that brings together sedimentologists, paleontologists, stratigraphers, and geochemists to unravel the post-depositional history of sedimentary rocks with respect to the lasting effects that the activities of small animals and plants have on sediment properties and stratification. The subject focuses on trace fossils (sedimentary structures that directly reflect organism activity such as burrows, borings, trails, tracks and fecal pellets), bioturbation (sedimentmixing and disruption of original stratification by burrowers) and bioerosion (excavation and breakdown of hard substrates by boring animals and plants). Modern sedimentary geologists should be able to recognize biologically produced fabrics, textures and sedimentary structures, because they are extremely prominent in the sedimentary record. Interpretation of such post depositional biogenic features can aid the geologists immensely in solving major problems of paleoecology, paleoenvironmental reconstruction, basin analysis, diagenesis, and so on.
This short course focuses on the sedimentologic implications of ichnology, especially as they apply to paleoenvironmental analysis in the broad sense. The theme of the course will be geologic problem-solving in the realm of ichnology, and practical applications and conceptual models will be emphasized. Included will be a thorough introduction to the fundamentals of the science, such as recognition, classification and preservation of biogenic structures. The major portion of the course, however, will cover the application of basic principles and new advances in ichnology to solving geologic problems in the areas of sedimentology.
Included will be such topics as general models of bioturbation, animalsediment relationships, paleoenvironmental interpretations based on trace fossil associations, sedimentologic implications of biogenic textures and fabrics, and the influence of bioturbation on early diagenic processes, such as differential cementation and selective mineralization, and the implications of burrowing on fluid flow pathways in hydrocarbon bearing reservoirs.
The course will also include selected case histories to illustrate the significance of trace fossils in paleoenvironmental analysis. Special attention will be focused on the recognition of trace fossils in core and their implications in subsurface geology.
Audience: This course is designed for the professional geologist, geophysicist or engineer interested in learning how to apply fundamental concepts of clastic sedimentology, ichnology and sequence stratigraphy to successful hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir characterization.
- AAPG European Region – Professional Short Course
- Applied Ichnology: The Use of Trace Fossils in Sequence Stratigraphy, Exploration and Production Geology.
- Instructor:
- Dr. George Pemberton, University of Alberta, Canada.
- Dates:
- September 22, 23, & 24, 2008 (Three days)
- Tuition:
- AAPG Members 750 GBP ($1,500.00), non-members 850 GBP ($1,700.00).
- Location:
- The Rembrandt Hotel - London, 11 Thurloe Place, London, UK, SW7 2RS
- Limit:
- Attendence is limited to 25 attendees.
- Cancellation fee:
- 250 GBP ($500).
- Times:
- Starts 9am ends 6pm with coffee/tea breaks and lunches included.
More information and registration at: www.aapg.org/education or www.aapg.org/europe/office.cfm