Geology Field School exclusive
Partner ACT-GEO · Geology Field School exclusive delivery.
Play, Prospect & Field Characterization
Outcrops in NE Scotland tied to Mesozoic and Cenozoic systems of the North Sea — play, prospect, and field assessment with global analogs for hydrocarbons and geologic carbon storage.
4.88★
·
Sep 2026
·
8 reviews
- Public open week · Apr 25–30 2027 · Europe/London
- $9,905 · Ammonite (default) · Crinoid from $7,905
- Included: lodging, ground transport, most meals (tier-dependent), and course materials. Not included: airfare to/from Aberdeen (ABZ) and a few unhosted dinners.
Course fees are billed in USD. GBP/EUR figures are live mid-market references, not a guaranteed charge currency.
Field staff
Field staff
Rene Jonk · Instructor
Director, ACT-GEO
More than 25 years in geoscience characterization for exploration, development, and research. Technical advisor and leadership roles with ExxonMobil and Apache. Honorary professor, University of Aberdeen. Designs and teaches this Moray Firth margin delivery for hydrocarbons and geologic carbon storage applications.
Christopher Oswalt · Field lead · EMT
Geology Field School founder
Founder of Geology Field School and field lead on this course. Company founded on wilderness risk management. Nationally Registered EMT. Former Global Field Safety Director for Nautilus/RPS across 100+ field courses worldwide.
Additional Aberdeen-based technical contributions (when scheduled) follow the live course field guide — not invented here.
Who this is for
Built for play–prospect–field practitioners
- Exploration & appraisal geoscientists Stewarding risked portfolios across plays, prospects, and fields — need outcrop-calibrated workflows.
- Development geoscientists Tying coastal architecture to core, well-log, and seismic recognition criteria.
- Reservoir / petroleum engineers Framing retention, seal, and reservoir quality on rock, not maps alone.
- CCS / hydrogen storage specialists Seal risking for structural and stratigraphic traps plus geologic carbon storage.
- Managers sending a team Want a shared North Sea-margin analog and risking language that transfers globally.
- Geophysicists Linking foreshore geometries to seismic-scale play elements.
Not for
- Tourists / scenic geology trips — industry subsurface week, not a coastal tour.
- Undergrad field camp — pitched to working geoscientists and engineers with a portfolio mandate.
- Anyone unable to walk ~1–2 miles on uneven coastal ground — wet rock, gravel, grass, and tide-aware days.
Discipline mix locked to homepage v7 Scotland bars (sum 100; Geotherm/SWD honest 0).
Geol 50% · Eng 20% · Compl 5% · GeoPhys 20% · Geotherm 0% · CCS 5% · SWD 0%
Participant reviews
What participants scored
Shell / Aberdeen cohort · 8 reviews, overall 4.88 / 5 (Sep 2026). 5-star display only.
Show more reviews
Outcomes
Five problems this week solves
- Play-to-field risking stays abstract when teams only see maps and seismic. Characterize coastal outcrop architectures that base-rate risk factors from observed success and failure mechanisms.
- Terrestrial vs paralic vs deep-water play elements blur when facies are inferred only from logs. Discriminate source, seal, and reservoir controls across terrestrial, paralic, and deep-water clastic systems on rock.
- Seal risk for structural and stratigraphic traps (and CCS) is hard to defend without outcrop analogs. Integrate seal-risking workflows for structural traps, stratigraphic traps, and geologic carbon storage from foreshore relationships.
- Sand injectites and remobilized sands scramble connectivity models built on depositional-only assumptions. Predict fluidization / injection impacts on reservoir continuity and seal breach at cliff and seismic scale.
- Outcrop intuition rarely survives the jump to core, well-log, and seismic criteria. Correlate outcrop, core, well log, and seismic into charge, retention, and reservoir risking you take back to the office.
Why this trip
Why this week
NE Scotland / Moray Firth North Sea analog seminar (play–prospect–field). Partner ACT-GEO + Geology Field School — Geology Field School exclusive delivery.
North Sea margin, walkable
Coastal outcrops along the Moray Firth margin let you tie basin evolution, structure, and clastic play elements to Mesozoic and Cenozoic North Sea systems — then carry the same workflows to global analogs.
Instructor owns the science
Rene Jonk designed and teaches this delivery — see Staff. Geology Field School runs safety, logistics, and equipment so teaching stays on the rock.
Exclusive 3D · Geology Field School exclusive
Drone photogrammetry models available before, during, and after the course — exclusive partnership delivery. See live Sketchfab previews.
Vs classroom / catalog field schools
Office courses and photo catalogs cannot argue seal and injectite risk on the rock. Here ACT-GEO owns the science, Geology Field School owns safety and ops, and the course is a Geology Field School exclusive partnership delivery.
Overview
Play, prospect, and field assessment on outcrop
Outcrop frame
This field seminar is for geoscientists who steward and upgrade a portfolio of assessed and risked opportunities across plays, prospects, fields, and injection sites.
Focus: a genetic tie from play to prospect to field, integrating coastal outcrop observations with subsurface data (cores, logs, seismic) from the Moray Firth Basin and North Sea analogs.
Coverage includes basin evolution, tectonic domains, structural styles, and reservoir, seal, and source aspects across terrestrial, paralic, and deep-water clastic systems — plus sand mobilization and injection relevant to North Sea and global play types.
What you work
- Play evaluation workflows and tectonostratigraphic framing
- Source, seal, and reservoir in terrestrial clastic systems
- Source, seal, and reservoir in paralic clastic systems
- Source, seal, and reservoir in deep-water clastic systems
- Faulting / fracturing impacts on fluid flow and seal
- Seal risking for structural traps, stratigraphic traps, and CCS
- Sand injectites / remobilized sands and fluidization
- Outcrop–core–log–seismic integration for charge and retention
Sample week
Apr 25–30 2027 · theme-level public week
Theme-level outline from the partnership Scotland delivery. Specific stop details stay on the participant website. Weather and tides may reorder themes.
- Sun 25Arrive ABZ · safety · southern Moray coast basin frame
- Mon 26Paralic / coastal clastic systems · stacking and risking
- Tue 27Faulted margin coast · reservoir, seal, and structure
- Wed 28Injectites / remobilized sands · fluidization
- Thu 29Terrestrial or deep-water module · North Sea analogs
- Fri 30Integration / wrap · return ABZ
Specific stop details are on your participant website.
Exclusive 3D models
Exclusive drone outcrop models
Three exclusive transect previews from the week. Preview only — during the course you work the full models.
Course website, 3D models, technical materials, and field tools open 3 months before the course start date.
Transect preview 1
Transect preview 2
Transect preview 3
From the field
Scotland field videos
Drone flyovers and short outcrop talks from Geology Field School and ACT-GEO.
Safety
Field safety and readiness
How we run the week
- EMT and wilderness risk management on the trip (Christopher Oswalt)
- Founded on the science of wilderness risk management and outdoor experience-based education
- Coastal and weather-aware operating procedures for NE Scotland field days
- Cutting-edge technology and purpose-fit safety equipment
- Hiking footwear mandatory; waterproofs expected every day
- Tide, surge, and wave run-up awareness on foreshore stops
- Vests / helmets where directed (roadside pull-offs, steep approaches)
Fitness
About 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) on uneven coastal ground with the group in variable weather. Medium physical demand — wet rock, gravel, grass, and cliff-approach walking.
Main hazards
- Driving on highways and narrow coastal roads
- Slips and falls on wet / uneven rock and steep approaches
- Tide, surge, and wave run-up on foreshore stops
- Cold, wind, rain, and limited daylight in shoulder seasons
Logistics
Travel and overnight bases
Gateway
Aberdeen (ABZ) — Scotland / Aberdeen corridor. Participants book their own flights. Common European routing example: CDG→ABZ (reference only, not a quote).
Arrive / depart
Arrive before the published Day 0 / Day 1 group meet (times on your participant site). Do not book departure before the published field wrap on Fri Apr 30.
Overnight bases
NE Scotland coastal towns (tier-dependent lodging). Single occupancy on the public package. Exact hotels on the participant site after purchase.
UK ETA
Most non-British / Irish visitors need a UK Electronic Travel Authorization before travel — apply on the official UK ETA site.
Photos
Moray Firth field days
Enrichment
NE Scotland towns and side stops
Towns
Aberdeen corridor
Gateway city for ABZ arrivals — North Sea energy hub framing before the coastal transect opens.
Coastal overnight bases
Small NE Scotland coastal towns near the Moray Firth foreshore stops — evening bases after field days (exact hotels on the participant site).
Core bonuses
- Geology-related museums / tours — where available on Ammonite tier and schedule.
- Drone model evening sessions — when weather closes the shore, conference time with models and slides.
When schedule allows
Occasional extras — not every run guarantees these.
- Local coastal heritage stops near overnight bases
- Optional evening discussion with Aberdeen academic contributors when scheduled
Field school package
Investment and next step
Hosted dinners, premium hotels, top-tier transport, geology-related tours where available, printed manual.
$9,905
Public open week · single occupancy · Apr 25–30 2027 · Ammonite default / Crinoid $7,905
Course website, 3D models, technical materials, and field tools open 3 months before the course start date (about Jan 25 2027 for this Apr 25 start).
Included
- Instruction with Rene Jonk (ACT-GEO)
- In-course ground transport (ABZ meet and return)
- Single occupancy lodging for course nights (tier-dependent property class)
- Hotel breakfasts and field lunches; hosted dinners on Ammonite when arranged
- Course-specific field safety equipment
- Access to drone photogrammetry outcrop models (before, during, and after)
- Core brought to outcrop; well-log and seismic subsurface ties
- Course notes / materials (printed manual on Ammonite)
- Participant course website and digital field kit (3-month unlock)
Not included
- Airfare to / from Aberdeen (ABZ)
- UK Electronic Travel Authorization fees
- A few unhosted dinners
- Personal field clothing and hiking boots
- Travel insurance (recommended)
AP / procurement
- Non-refundable $500 deposit holds a seat (when registration is open)
- Then either 50% of balance due 1 day before start and 50% after the trip ends, or pay in full (preferred)
- Company card and PO accepted
- Colleague substitution until 14 days before start
- Cancellation terms
- Vendor pack on request (W-9, COI, sample invoice)
FAQ
Common questions
Who should not register (fit)
Not for tourists, undergrad field camp, or anyone unable to walk ~1–2 miles on uneven coastal ground — see Who for. Fitness details in Safety.
Fitness requirement
About 1–2 miles (1.6–3.2 km) on uneven coastal ground with the group. Full readiness and hazards are in Safety.
Flights — gateway ABZ
Book your own flights into Aberdeen (ABZ). Arrive before the published Day 0 / Day 1 meet; do not depart before Fri Apr 30 wrap. CDG→ABZ is a common European routing note only. Full travel rules in Logistics.
Ammonite vs Crinoid
Ammonite ($9,905, default) includes hosted dinners, premium hotels, top-tier transport, geology tours where available, and printed manual. Crinoid ($7,905) is essential lodging/vans without dinners or print manual. Use the tier slider and i for In/Out. Core logistics, safety, and instruction are in both.
Private company week Apr 11–14
Listed as private — no public Register interest on that offering. Use In-house inquiry for company-held weeks.
Payment / AP
$500 non-refundable deposit (when registration is open), then split balance or pay in full; company card / PO accepted. Full AP notes in Package.
CEU / attendance letter
About 40 hours of instruction on a full public week. We issue an attendance letter for your continuing-education path. We are not a board-accredited CEU provider.
After Register interest — materials unlock
When checkout goes live you get a receipt, then participant credentials when the kit opens. Course website, 3D models, technical materials, and field tools open 3 months before start — see Package.
Cancellation
See geologyfieldschool.com/cancellation for current terms.
In-house
Private company week
Same operating system. Your dates. Your asset questions. Typical lead time 4–8 weeks. Apr 11–14 2027 is already held private.
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