Field Trip

Outer Carpathians – Cradle of Petroleum Geology and Oil Industry

Thursday, 30 May – Friday, 31 May 2024, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.  |  Krakow, Poland

Course Content

Surface seeps of oil and exhalations of methane have been known in the Northern Outer Carpathians for centuries. In mid-19th century, following discovery of effective process of distillation of kerosene, oil industry rapidly developed, and in early 20th century this part of the Carpathians became the third largest oil producing region in the world. Fast industrial development resulted also in rapid development of various exploration geological and geophysical techniques, including micropaleontology, sedimentology of deep water flysch deposits, or reflection seismic surveying. Recent decades of exploration brought about new high-quality subsurface (seismic, MT) data, calibrated be deep wells, that provided wealth of new information on structure and evolution of this segment of the Carpathian FTB and its Miocene foreland basin. During the field trip, key localities will be visited, including frontal deformed part of the thrust belt accessible in the world-famous Wieliczka salt mine, and outcrops located within more internal thrust sheets (nappes). Source and reservoir rocks will be examined; attention will be also paid to structural control on trapping mechanisms, both in local as well as in regional scale. Surface geology will be backed up by relevant subsurface data. We will also visit Museum of Petroleum Industry in Bóbrka, where first modern commercial oil mine was established in mid-19th century by Ignacy Łukasiewicz.

Field Trip Coordinators

More info coming soon.

Venue

Holiday Inn, Krakow City Center

Wielopole 4, 31-072

Krakow, Małopolskie

Poland

+48 12 619 00 00

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