GEOL 404 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026

GEOL 404 EXAM 1 QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026 Risk analysis components - Answers Source, Seal, Structure, Reservoir and Timing POSg - Answers (Geological possibility of success) risk of occurrence For each prospect on a rig portfolio how many prospects have been discarded - Answers 4 to 5 Magoon and Dow petroleum system concept four schematics: - Answers -Map of hypothetical basin -Cross-section (opposite) -"burial history" chart - "critical moment" or "event" chart Critical Moment - Answers The time of maximum depth of burial of a hydrocarbon source rock Kerogen Type 1 - Answers Mainly algae source material deposited in a lake setting Kerogen Type 2 - Answers Mainly plankton source material deposited in a marine setting Kerogen Type 3 - Answers Mainly plant source material deposited in a terrestrial setting Kerogen Type 4 - Answers Mainly oxidized source material deposited in various settings 3 phases of kerogens in order with increasing depth and temperature - Answers Diagenesis, catagenesis and metagenesis Order of periods from newest to oldest - Answers Quaternary (C) Pliocene (C) Miocene (C) Oligocene (C) Eocene (C) Paleocene (C) Cretaceous (M) Jurassic (M) Triassic (M) Permian (P) Carboniferous (P) Devonian (P) Silurian (P) Ordovician (P) Cambrian (P) U Proterozoic (p) The Wilson Cycle - Answers 1) Continental rifting occurs 2) Spreading continues opening an ocean 3) As spreading continues sediment accumulates due to cooling 4) Convergence begins, an oceanic plate subducts beneath a continent creating a volcanic chain at the active margin 5) Terrane accretion 6) Continents collide forming mountains 7) The continent erodes starting the process over Spreading center - Answers Plate being created Subduction zone - Answers plate is being destroyed Continental Crust - Answers composed of granites and related types as well as sedimentary rocks. Avg SG is 2.7. Often called SIAL b/c of high silica and aluminum content. Because of lighter density they protrude more than the oceanic crust Oceanic Crust - Answers Dominantly fromed of basalt SG roughly 2.8-3. Content similar to the underlying mantle S waves - Answers Transverse, slow moving, travel through solids only P waves - Answers longitudinal, fast moving, travel through liquids and solids S and P waves - Answers speed increases as they travel deeper into the mantle. They travel in curved paths, but change direction when passing between solid and liquid states Surface Waves - Answers Rayleigh- rolling waves Love- horizontal shear waves Stoneley- propagate along surface b/w fluid and solid Mohorovicic Discontinuity - Answers The density break between the oceanic and continental crust and the lithosphere TOC - Answers Total organic components Primary Migration - Answers Movement of hydrocarbons from the source rock maturation area Secondary Migration - Answers Main driving force is buoyancy caused by density difference between oil and formation water Major basins are located in - Answers Passive Margins and continental rifts Compressional components - Answers Reverse faults (high angles) and thrust faults (low angle) Tensional components - Answers Normal faults and grabens Shears - Answers Strike slip faults (left or right lateral) Magnetostratigraphy - Answers The rule that the earth has flipped its polarity roughly every 200,000 to 300,000 years. The magnetic field orientation is preserved in iron rich minerals in the volcanic rocks that cool and acquire their magnetism after they were erupted Mid-ocean ridges - Answers Sites of sea floor spreading. High heat flow along the divergence zone. A valley is present along the center line of the ridge. Volcanoes and earthquakes are present along the ridge. Seismic wave velocity decreases at the ridges due to high temps. Mantle plumes and hot-spots - Answers A single source of magma in the mantle erupts and creates a volcano but the volcano is cut off from its source because of plate movement eventually creating another volcano in its former place (Hawaiian islands) Divergent boundary - Answers New crust is generated, spreading motion, ridge/rift topography, volcanic activity (ex mid-atlantic ridge) Convergent boundary - Answers Crust is destroyed , subduction motion, trench topography, volcanic activity (ex west coast of South America) Transform boundary - Answers Crust is neither created or destryoed, lateral sliding motion, no volcanic activity (ex san andreas fault) Principal axes of stress - Answers three lines on a rock that intersect and represent three mutually perpendicular planes Listric Faults - Answers curved normal faults in which the fault surface is concave upwards Geometrical folds - Answers (descriptive) classified based on the morphologic characteristics of the fold Mechanical folds (g) - Answers (kinematic) classified based on their origin and mechanisms that occur in the rocks when folding takes place Overturned fold (g) - Answers Limbs dip in same direction but not in same amount Recumbent fold (g) - Answers An overturned fold where the axial surface is nearly horizontal Isoclinal fold (g) - Answers Fold where the limbs are parallel Chevron fold (g) - Answers Limbs make sharp, v-shaped juncture at crest and trough of fold