PetroStrat Inc is the only consultancy in the US that has an experienced palynology team as part of its dedicated multidisciplinary staff. Adding palynology nannopalaeontology and micropaleontology provides an additional dimension to your data and results and will show a much higher stratigraphic resolution. We like to refer to this integrated approach as 3-dimensional biostratigraphy. Would you base interpretations on 2D seismic when you could use 3D? Of course not! No-one should settle on incomplete biostratigraphic data sets, either!
PaleoData is now part of the PetroStrat Houston family!
Our acquisition of Paleo-Data bolsters our existing U.S. offering, and is part of our strategy of further supporting the energy transition by expanding our full-service paleontology and geology services across the globe.
PetroStrat Houston 🇺🇸 – Tailored to Serve Your Needs in the Gulf Coast Region
GoM Wellsite Biostratigraphy Service
Read about our work in North America and the Gulf of Mexico on our dedicated Experience page.
PetroStrat has unrivalled experience providing wellsite and post-well biostratigraphic services, with a long track record of successful US and international projects. We have more than 16 years of experience in providing real-time biostratigraphy onshore and offshore the Gulf of Mexico. PetroStrat provides fully integrated multidisciplinary services, always striving to help our clients apply the optimal and cost-effective discipline (micropaleontology, nannopalaeontology, and/or palynology) or combination of disciplines for each geological target. Analyses are always fully quantitative at the wellsite, and post-well data and interpretations are integrated in real-time with MWD logs.
There are many benefits of wellsite biostratigraphy including:
• Calibration of seismic interpretation while drilling. Re-calibration of a well prognosis can result in significant modification of the well plan, saving rig time and enabling more confident subsurface modelling.
• Assists decision making in safety critical situations (e.g. casing points). Deep water wells in particular require rigorous scrutiny and real-time biostratigraphy helps minimize risk.
• Real-time results permit their use for time-critical drilling decisions. Sending samples to an onshore lab runs the risk that the results may arrive too late.
PetroStrat staff conduct more than 2500 man-days of wellsite biostratigraphy per year, with zero incidents or accidents in the last 5 years and no LTI’s ever.
Palynology
PetroStrat has demonstrated that palynology provides excellent resolution in many stratigraphic intervals, and particularly within the Wilcox where a 5-fold increase in stratigraphic resolution has been achieved. We pioneered the use of wellsite palynology in the GoM, applying non-acid (‘green’) palynology processing techniques at the wellsite.
One of the principal advantages of palynology is that it enables correlation from aeolian to proximal marine to distal marine depositional settings. This is achieved through by coupling the stratigraphic application of spores and pollen derived from terrestrial vegetation with that of marine phytoplankton (chiefly dinoflagellate cysts) that inhabit lakes, rivers and the marine realm. In the Wilcox setting this has allowed PetroStrat to piece together a sequence stratigraphic scheme with over 20 lower order sequences now regionally mapped from the onshore Gulf Coast out in to the deep water setting where lowstand fan sand deposits provide the reservoirs for some of the biggest discoveries made in the US GoM in recent years.
Palynology has also proven very powerful in unconventional plays. Our in-house palynofacies workflow can also help with source rock characterization and kerogen typing.
Nannopaleontology
‘Nannos’ are widely regarded as the go to discipline within the Miocene, as they provide excellent stratigraphic resolution. Our Houston staff has provided wellsite services for numerous wells in the GoM. Our stratigraphic experience within the GoM extends from the Quaternary down to the Upper Jurassic; including detailed post-well studies on Cretaceous-Jurassic sections in the eastern GoM.
Micropaleontology (Forams)
Foraminifera are extremely useful in the GoM, as they not only provide stratigraphic control, but also yield valuable paleoenvironmental information. They are traditionally used in combination with nannos in the GoM, and are also a powerful tool in older prolific intervals such as Cretaceous, and Permian. Micropaleontology actually comprises several fossil groups besides foraminifera, like radiolaria and ostracods. Therefore, micropaleontology is not only applicable in marine, but also freshwater sediments.
Sample Preparation and Analysis
At our full-service laboratory, we process and prepare samples for nannopalaeontology, micropaleontology and palynology. Palynological slides can be prepared using standard techniques, including HCL and HF treatment; or proprietary state-of-the-art non-acid applications. In-house staff are available to analyse slides for all three disciplines covering the entire Mesozoic and Cenozoic stratigraphic column. Even if you have a project in older strata, rest assured that one of the 35+ specialists at our head office in Wales UK can accommodate your request.
In-house consultation
Whether you are dealing with vintage biostratigraphic data sets, BSSE derived paleo picks, or paleo-based regional correlations, sometimes the available data just doesn’t seem to fit with your seismic and geologic interpretations.
Our experienced staff can help you with re-interpretation and QC of vintage data, checking for alternative interpretation options, preparing correlations and paleoenvironmental interpretations. We believe integration is key and prerequisite to achieving a realistic and optimal solution to your evaluation problem.
Meet PetroStrat Houston 🇺🇸Team
Our PetroStrat Inc team work out of our Houston office.
View our specific studies
PetroStrat has conducted numerous regional studies globally, and more recently an 11-company Consortium study in the deep-water Wilcox Formation. We have also carried out multi-client studies of the Wilcox onshore US, as well as in the Mexican Perdido area. Our goal is to always deliver an integrated product that is easily understood and applied by non-biostratigraphers.
