GEOL 404 MIDTERM 1 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026

GEOL 404 MIDTERM 1 EXAM QUESTIONS ANSWERED CORRECTLY LATEST UPDATE 2026 The ultimate objective of studying petroleum geology is ______________. -to study basin structures -to study the properties of petroleum reservoirs -to use geology to find petroleum in the subsurface -to use geology to study the geochemistry of the subsurface fluids - Answers To use geology to find petroleum in the subsurface Which of the following resources is the easiest to develop? -sandstone reservoirs -tight gas reservoirs -oil shales -gas hydrates - Answers sandstone reservoirs Which of the following resources is the most difficult to develop? -sandstone reservoirs -tight gas reservoirs -oil shales -gas shales - Answers oil shales A sweet spot means ____________. -one of the most productive areas -a place having the most oil and gas -a place producing sweet oil -a place producing the most gas - Answers one of the most productive areas Petroleum exploration needs huge up-front capital investment and has great risk of drilling dry holes which could lead to business failure. Risk analysis in petroleum geology to reduce such risks has the following five components: -source rock, reservoir rock, seal, overburden rock, and structural trap -source rock, reservoir rock, seal, overburden rock, and timing -source rock, overburden rock, structural trap, seal, and timing -source rock, reservoir rock, structural trap, seal, and timing - Answers source rock, reservoir rock, structural trap, seal, and timing The four levels of petroleum investigation proceed in the following order: -prospect, play, petroleum system, and sedimentary basin -petroleum system, play, prospect, and sedimentary basin -sedimentary basin, petroleum system, play, prospect -petroleum system, sedimentary basin, play, prospect - Answers sedimentary basin, petroleum system, play, prospect Plate tectonics is important in petroleum system analysis, because it helps to determine _______________. -sedimentary basin types, source property, reservoir types, structure types -sedimentary basin types, source property, reservoir types, structure types, seal capacity -sedimentary basin types, source property, reservoir types, structure types, seal capacity, hydrocarbon quality - Answers sedimentary basin types, source property, reservoir types, structure types To know the "Period" names and times of the Phanerozoic is very important because _______________. -the knowledge of the stratigraphic column is needed to calibrate the occurrence of the four petroleum system elements -the knowledge of the stratigraphic column is needed to determine the timing in the system analysis -the knowledge of the stratigraphic column is needed to calibrate the occurrence of the five system elements including the critical "timing" - Answers the knowledge of the stratigraphic column is needed to calibrate the occurrence of the five system elements including the critical "timing" In which Period have the most oil and gas reserves been discovered so far? -Tertiary -Cretaceous -Jurassic -Permian - Answers Cretaceous Rocks tend to be more ductile as depth increases to the lower part of the crust or the upper mantle because _____________. -both temperature and pressure increase -pressure increases -temperature increases -either temperature or pressure increases - Answers both temperature and pressure increase Sandstone usually has more fractures and faults than shale because ___________. -shale is more ductile than sandstone -sandstone is not as strong as shale - Answers shale is more ductile than sandstone Normal faults are produced by ______________. -compressional stress -tensional stress -shear stress - Answers tensional stress For conventional hydrocarbon exploration, oil/gas reserves are trapped in ________________.