Omani students to study origin of Britain’s oil field onshore

A group of MSc students of the department of Petroleum Geoscience at GUtech will participate in a field excursion to the southern coastal region of Devon and Dorset in the UK at the end of June. The group of GUtech MSc students and Prof Wiekert Visser, Head of the Department of Petroleum Geosciences, will study the geology of the coast of Devon and Dorset, which is famous among petroleum geoscientists. "The area hosts the largest oil field onshore Europe, proving the petroleum prospectivity of the area. Based on field observations along the coast and sketches of offshore seismic data, students will learn how to predict the prospectivity of the offshore area, an activity which is called 'Play evaluation' in oil-men's speak," said Professor Wiekert. "The Dorset/Devon area offers excellent exposures of the key elements that make an area prospective for oil and gas: source rocks, reservoir rocks, seals and structure," he added. Oil companies and universities alike from all over Europe and beyond send staff and students to study the rocks in the field, and gain understanding on "how geology works" to create oil and gas fields. Prof. Wiekert has conducted many field courses in the area when he was working as a geologist for Shell. He has many years of international work experience in the oil and gas industry as well as in the academia. In May, he will visit the region to make final preparations for the MSc course with his students. GUtech offers a full-time three years MSc course in Petroleum Geoscience that combines theory and practical field-work. The MSc course designed by RWTH Aachen professors,  is recognised by the Ministry of Higher Education in Oman, and uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to record student's progress. Source: Times of Oman