SOLUTION: GEOL 3200 Geologic History of an Oil Field Area Paper

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Running head: GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF AN OIL FIELD AREA

Geologic History of an Oil Field Area
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GEOLOGIC HISTORY OF AN OIL FIELD AREA

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Geologic History of an Oil Field Area
Oil and gas exploration require experts to assess the geologic history of a potential oil
field area as a way of ensuring that the process of digging a well yields the desired outcomes
(Broadhead, 2012). As such, the oil and natural gas exploited from the various oil and gas fields
reside in porous and permeable rocks or reservoirs where the different liquids, including methane
gas, have collected and accumulated throughout a vast expanse of time or geologic period.
Additionally, the hydrocarbon basin contains specific geologic features, such as the presence of
reservoir rocks, seals, oil and gas source rocks, as well as traps, where the latter contains the
petroleum products accumulated over time (Broadhead, 1997). While geologic history of an oil
field area provides clues regarding the presence of natural gas or oil, the presence of petroleum
source rocks provides explorers with the opportunity to explore gas and oil in that region.
Geologic Structures of an Oil Field Area
To begin with, one should note that oil and gas originate in petroleum source rocks. Over
a long period, liquids collect and accumulate in porous and permeable rocks (reservoirs), which
turn to oil and gas due to pressure exerted by the different layers of rocks (Senger et al., 2017).
Oil and gas rocks provide the platform for the formation of natural gas and crude oil but
reservoir rocks, seals, and traps also play a crucial role in the pr…