Characterization and Re-evaluating Deepwater Systems: Examples and Case Studies from the Permian Basin Region

Register for ABILENE course HERE

COST: The SWS provides the course free of charge for AAPG Members or members of a SWS Geological Society (NTGS, DGS, FWGS, AGS, SAGS, WTGS, RGS & EPGS), however, there is a lunch/refreshment and materials fee of $35 for members or $100 for non-members. STUDENTS: The short course if free for students within the AAPG Southwest Section region majoring in Geoscience.  Once registered, please email rwiksveen@blackbeardoperating.com or brittnee.brannan@gmail.com. Student volunteer opportunities are available and encouraged.

SUMMARY: Deepwater systems host some of the world’s most prolific oil and gas accumulations in both
conventional and unconventional reservoirs. Sedimentation in these environments reflects the
interaction of gravitational flows, suspension fallout, and bottom currents. Coarse-grained reservoirs are
commonly attributed to gravitational processes, while mud-rich systems are typically explained by a
combination of gravity-driven transport and suspension settling. In contrast, the influence of bottom
currents, or “contour currents” remains comparatively underdescribed, despite their widespread
presence in modern oceans and their likely significance in the ancient rock record.

This course will review the spectrum of basinal sedimentation processes, with a particular focus on
bottom currents—examining their driving mechanisms and the sedimentary profiles and depositional
patterns they generate. Emphasis will be placed on examples from the Permian Basin, supplemented by
global analogs. Participants will be introduced to core- and regional-scale features diagnostic of bottomcurrent influence in slope and basinal settings, along with discussion of their potential impacts on
reservoir distribution and quality. Using Permian Basin case studies, the course will also highlight the
importance of paleogeographic reconstructions and sequence-stratigraphic context in controlling deepwater circulation patterns, helping to explain subsurface anomalies and identify possible exploration
opportunities.