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Glossary

This glossary more specifically relates to oil and gas exploration and production terms.

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Sample:

Small quantity of rock removed, often by coring, for analysis.

Secondary era:

A geological era spanning the Triassic, the Liassic (Lower Jurassic in Europe), the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous. The Secondary era lasted from 230 to 135 million years ago.

Sedimentary basin:

Terrain consisting of superposed layers of rock formed from the deposition of sediment over vast tracts of ocean or lake beds, over the course of geological eras.

Sedimentary rock:

Rock made up of aggregated sediments.

Sediments:

Deposits of particles of variable sizes, coming either from the erosion of old rocks or from activities (shellfish shells or other). With time, the sediments become sedimentary rock.

Seismic (analysis):

The seismic principle is to generate elastic waves methodically and study their propagation through the subsoil. The seismic waves are refracted and reflected as they travel through the various rock strata, and are detected at the ground or sea surface by appropriately placed geophones. The seismic records are interpreted to generate information concerning the shape of the underground strata in the explored region.

Self-raising platform:

An offshore drilling platform fitted with large buoyancy tanks which are filled with seawater to keep the rig stable in the sea swell.

Separation:

The first stage in refining, consisting in separating the different hydrocarbons present in the crude oil depending on their respective boiling ranges. This process takes place in a distillation column.

Separator:

Apparatus that separates oil, gases, and water contained in the effluent at the exit from a production well, by making use of their relative densities.

Slot:

Element of a drill shirttail for guiding the drill tube.

Sounding well:

Hole for obtaining data concerning the characteristics of a field.

Storage:

Set of facilities for storing oil.

Strata:

Layers of rock making up a terrain.

Stratum (of terrain):

Mineral deposits in superposed layers.

Stripping:

A separation process that consists in injecting water steam into the distillation residue in order to recover the lightest molecules.

Subsoil:

Part of the earth's crust located below the surface.

Surface:

Outer part of the earth's crust.