Applied Depositional Geosystems Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Applied Depositional Geosystems (ADG) trains both traditional (those with BS degrees in geosciences) and non‐traditional students (those with Bachelors degrees in other science and engineering fields) for career opportunities in the energy industry, in government agencies, and in academia. Providing students with training in this field enhances their skills in geology, mathematics, and the physical sciences, forming a basis for work in petroleum and water exploration, as well as environmental geology and engineering.

The Graduate Certificate in Applied Depositional Geosystems will be awarded to students successfully completing the five courses (15 hours) from the following options. No substitution of courses or transfer credit is permitted.  

Two from the list below:
GEOL 4012 Introduction to Micropaleontology - Morphology, classification, stratigraphy, paleoecology and evolutionary patterns of common marine microfossils.

GEOL 4023 Coastal and Shallow-Marine Depositional Systems - Dynamics of sediment transport in coastal zones and on continental shelves; sea- level changes; morphological, sedimentary and stratigraphic attributes of coastal and shallow-marine lithosomes.

GEOL 4035 Advanced Sedimentology -  Physical sedimentary processes in non-marine and marine depositional systems, including fluvial, alluvial fan, lacustrine eolian, and carbonate and clastic marine environments; influence of tectonics, climate, and sea level on sedimentary architecture and sequences. 

GEOL 4044 Petroleum Geology - Modern concepts of the origin, migration, entrapment and production of hydrocarbons from sedimentary basin.

GEOL 4060 Solid Earth Geophysics - Principles and methods of geophysics applied to investigate the structures and dynamic processes of the solid earth system. Emphasis on tectonic plate motions, geomagnetism, global seismology, gravity, and isostasy.

GEOL 4062 Exploration and Environmental Geophysics - Principles and methods of acquisition, processing and interpretation of geophysical data used to investigate the shallow subsurface; seismic refraction, seismic reflection, gravity, magnetics, electrical resistivity, well logs and ground penetrating radar.

GEOL 4068 Reflection Seismology - Seismic reflection techniques used to investigate shallow earth structure; waves in layered media, correlation, convolution, deconvolution and spectral analysis; interpretation of seismic record sections.

GEOL 4107 Introduction to Seismology - Introduction and overview of seismology, seismological concepts, intellectual frameworks, and investigation techniques; Studying seismic sources and earth structures using seismograms; Characterization and interpretation of seismograms.

GEOL 4131 Basin Analysis - Basic environment of sediment deposition; sedimentological models and their relationships within depositional basins; analysis of theoretical basin models and comparison with modern and ancient sedimentary basins.

GEOL 4164 Deltaic Geology - Processes of deltaic sedimentation and the nature of deltaic sediments; Mississippi River delta compared to other modern and ancient deltas.

GEOL 4165 Subsurface Geology - Principles and methods of exploration, analysis and interpretation using borehole data, electric logs and samples of rocks and fluids; construction of geological maps and sections showing sediment facies, geological structure, geotemperature, fluid pressure and water salinity; analysis of fluid migration, oil and gas accumulation and geothermal resources.

GEOL 4182 Physical Hydrogeology - Subsurface fluid flow in geological materials; emphasis on geological controls of the origin and migration of pore water, including saline brines, in sedimentary basins; topics including crustal scale flow, petroleum migration, ore formation and subsurface flow regimes in Louisiana.

 

And three from the list below:
GEOL 7061 Sequence Stratigraphy - Principles of physical stratigraphy with emphasis on contemporary concepts about the interaction of tectonics, sea level and sediment supply in generating a predictable architecture of sedimentary basin fills.

GEOL 7062 Seismic Stratigraphy - Interpretation of seismic reflection data in terms of sedimentary facies, stratigraphic sequences and implications for local and eustatic sea-level fluctuations.

GEOL 7107 Petroleum Seismology - Fundamentals of mathematical physics, seismology, and signal theory used to understand geological processes and structure in the earth.

GEOL 7130 Permian Basin - An in-depth study of the Permian Basin including biostratigraphy, sequence stratigraphy, oil and gas production, and includes a required four-day field trip.

GEOL 7132 Dynamics of Sedimentation - Fluid mechanics as applied to sedimentation, fluid-particle interactions, erosion, mechanics of sediment transport including fluid and sediment flows, deposition and the origin of primary structures, and hydrodynamic instability and soft-sediment deformation.

GEOL 7133 Sedimentary Petrography of Carbonates - Principles governing formation, deposition and diagenesis of carbonate sediments and sedimentary rocks; lab stresses textural, fabric and mineral relationship and interpretation of depositional environments and mineral paragenesis of ancient carbonate sequences.

GEOL 7194 Oil and Gas Exploration - This course focuses on oil and gas exploration techniques, such as paleogeographic reconstructions, understanding of the regional geologic setting, interpretation of seismic data and well-log data, basin modeling incorporating thermal history, determining critical moments, and an assessment of exploration risks. This course is also used by participants in the Imperial Barrel Award Competition.

GEOL 7195 Reservoir Characterization - Also offered as PETE 7195. Origin, description, exploration and development of oil and gas reservoirs; topics include accommodation space, reservoir occurrence, origin of petroleum, oil and gas properties, rock properties, drilling, exploration and appraisal, reservoir flow modeling and production engineering; emphasis on integration of geology, geophysics and petroleum engineering.

GEOL 7200 Scientific Communication and Visualization - Methods for written, oral and visual communication with an emphasis on scientific approaches, analysis and presentation of scientific quantitative information.

GEOL 7900 (Depending on topic, e.g., Subsurface Reservoir Modeling, requires departmental approval)

 

*** Admission to the LSU Graduate School and to the Department of Geology & Geophysics is required. For specific information on graduate school admission, please see the Graduate Admission Procedure page.