Energy and Mines 10, 20, 30: Curriculum Guidelines

Energy and Mines 10, 20, 30 Curriculum Guide Main Menu

Module 5: Oil and Gas - Formation, Location and Exploration (Optional)

Suggested time: 10-15 hours

Level: Introductory

Prerequisite: None

Module Overview
The first of four Oil and Gas modules, Module 5 focuses on formation of petroleum resources, location and geological history of petroleum producing areas in Saskatchewan and methods used to explore for petroleum deposits. This module is assigned no prerequisites to facilitate its use in survey courses. However, it should be preceded by Modules 1, 2, 3 and 4 in a pure course.

Foundational Objective

To understand some of the scientific principles that underlie Saskatchewan's energy resource industries.
To understand the geological and geophysical principles underlying the process of resource exploration.
To become familiar with the technology of the energy and mining industries.

Common Essential Learnings Foundational Objectives

To become familiar with the nature of scientific theories and their application. (CCT)
To practise accurate terminology in describing the science and technology of petroleum geology. (COM)
To practise interpreting numerical scientific data. (NUM)

Learning Objectives	Notes
5.1 To differentiate between oil and gas.	Oil is a liquid mixture of hydrocarbons and is the source of all liquid fuels including gasoline. Gas is gaseous mixture of the hydrocarbons methane, propane and butane. Students could begin a glossary of terms related to oil and gas and the petroleum industry and continue it through subsequent modules.
5.2 To understand the conventional theory explaining the formation of petroleum deposits.	The conventional theory, believed by most earth scientists, is that the earth’s petroleum formed during the Cretaceous Period of the Mesozoic Era, transformed and reduced from the lipid-rich remains of microscopic marine organisms by heat and pressure. Dr. Thomas Gold of Cornell University has an interesting alternative theory. An Internet search will yield many sites about Gold’s and other theories, including some creationist ones. The hallmark of a valid scientific theory is its falsifiability, i.e., its ability to generate testable hypotheses that can be confirmed or rejected. Does the conventional theory meet that criterion? Do the alternative theories?
5.3 To understand that petroleum and other fluids move within the earth’s crust and describe the manner of this movement in the context of rock porosity and permeability.	The rock formations that contain petroleum and water are mostly solid, yet permeated by fine pores. Students should be given opportunity to examine reservoir rock. Students could conduct a demonstration of the way oil, water and sand separate. Students might also design and carry out an investigation to measure the porosity and permeability of containers of different substances, from sand to marbles. Which has greater porosity, large particles or small?
5.4 To identify oil and gas producing areas in Saskatchewan and Canada.	Students can plot these on a provincial map or model, if they have not already done so in Module 1. This activity could be extended to a comparison of production and estimated reserves for Canada's major producing fields, or by province or region.
5.5 To describe the petroleum-bearing formations for each oil and gas producing area in Saskatchewan.	Details about which information is collected and displayed should include: name and geologic age of the formation the geologic processes that created the formation geography of the surface landscape depth of producing zones types of rock in formations types of oil traps nature of the petroleum product - oil/gas ratio, sulfur content etc. amount of petroleum produced and the amount left (reserves). In-depth study of the local area may be appropriate where schools are near producing fields. A class or group of students could construct a three-dimensional scale model of the local area.
5.6 The student will demonstrate familiarity with the various types of oil traps.	While most Saskatchewan petroleum is in stratigraphic traps, anticlinal traps and fault traps are also prominent in reference books. Reef traps in Alberta and salt dome traps in Texas are also well known. Middle East oil is in a much different environment than Saskatchewan's; students might investigate the differences.
5.7 To recognize the relationship between the large-scale geology of an area and the process of locating oil.	Students should understand that potentially petroleum-bearing rock formations may cover large areas, both above and below surface and that a model of what lies beneath is built up from a combination of outcrop observation and well log and drill hole data.
5.8 To understand the theory and practice of seismic exploration.	Students could perform various activities that demonstrate indirect methods of finding information -- for example, inferring the shape and size of unknown objects in sealed boxes. Students could investigate and make a visual presentation of the work done by a seismic crew. Students could construct and test a model geophone system. Students could use sample seismic data to make predictions regarding the presence of hydrocarbon- bearing rock structures. Students could examine and present the pros and cons of three-dimensional versus two-dimensional seismic data, considering cost, amount of data used, ease of interpretation and clarity of subsurface images.
5.9 The student will explore the theory and practice of geophysical or other exploration techniques useful in locating potential petroleum-bearing sub-surface formations, including: gravity field measurement magnetic field measurement aerial surveys satellite imagery	While these techniques may not merit a lot of class time, students should be aware of their existence and be able to describe them briefly.