Geology Field School exclusive
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.
- Apr 15–18 2027 · short course
- $5,800
- Included: Inverness-area single lodging on course nights, ground transport, hotel breakfasts and field lunches, and course materials. Not included: airfare to/from Aberdeen (ABZ) or Inverness (INV) and dinners (no group dinners are hosted).
Course fees are billed in USD. GBP and EUR amounts are approximate conversions. Flight averages are a rough guide, not a quote. Flights and other travel to and from the course start are not included.
Technical
Play, prospect, and field assessment on outcrop
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
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.
Apr 15–18 · four field days on the Moray Firth margin
- Thu 15Arrive ABZ or INV · safety · southern Moray coast basin frame
- Fri 16Paralic / coastal clastic systems · stacking and risking
- Sat 17Faulted margin coast · reservoir, seal, and structure
- Sun 18Injectites / remobilized sands · integration and wrap
Sample week. Weather and tides may reorder themes; specific stop details are on your participant website.
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.
- Geophysicists Linking foreshore geometries to seismic-scale play elements.
- Managers sending a team Want a shared North Sea-margin analog and risking language that transfers globally.
Not for
- Leisure or sightseeing trips — the Moray coast is worked as a play problem: paralic reservoirs, faulted-margin seals and injectite risk, framed for prospect and field decisions.
- Anyone who can’t walk up to about 1 mile (1.6 km) at a stop, often off-trail, on wet rock, slick boulders, cobble, and mud, including steep paths down to the shore, in cold, wet, and windy weather.
Discipline mix
Field staff
Rene Jonk · Lead 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 course for hydrocarbons and geologic carbon storage applications.
Christopher Oswalt · Founder · EMT
Geology Field School founder
Founder of Geology Field School, an EMT-led company. WFR-qualified field staff are on every GFS course at minimum; Christopher often attends when schedule allows — not guaranteed on every course. Company founded on wilderness risk management. Nationally Registered EMT. Former Global Field Safety Director for Nautilus/RPS across 100+ field courses worldwide.
Why this week
North Sea margin, walkable
Coastal outcrops along the Moray Firth margin 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 course (Staff); Geology Field School runs safety, logistics, and equipment. Offered exclusively with ACT-GEO.
Exclusive 3D models
Drone models you can explore before, during, and after the course (see models).
Why the field is worth the time
Hands-on beats passive. In 95 studies of worker safety and health training (20,991 people), more hands-on methods went with more learning and fewer accidents and injuries than lectures or videos.
Checking pays off. Of 184 experts reading one synthetic seismic section, the 18 who checked that their answer was geometrically possible and could have formed that way were almost three times as likely to be right. That checking is the daily work on the outcrop.
Skills carry over to the job more when people are motivated and their workplace supports using them (89 studies).
These studies looked at other workers and expert test-takers, not this course. We don't publish an ROI figure.
Sources: Burke et al., 2006, American Journal of Public Health · Bond et al., 2012, Geology · Blume et al., 2010, Journal of Management
Safety
Field safety and readiness
How we run the week
- WFR-qualified field staff on every GFS course (field staff)
- Founded on the science of wilderness risk management and outdoor experience-based education
- Cutting-edge technology and the best safety equipment we can find that fits the purpose
- Coastal and weather-aware operating procedures for NE Scotland field days
- Tide, surge, and wave run-up awareness on foreshore stops
- Waterproofs expected every day; vests / helmets where directed
- Hiking footwear mandatory
Fitness / readiness
Medium physical demand. Stops run from the foreshore up to low cliff tops of about 100 ft (30 m), and walks are up to about 1 mile (1.6 km), often off-trail. The footing is wet rock ledges with large steps, slick boulders, cobble beaches, soft mud, and steep established paths down to the shore. Some stops cross a railway line. Low tide decides the order, so some starts are early.
Field conditions
Sea level to low cliff tops of about 100 ft (30 m). Mid-April in NE Scotland: highs about 51–54°F (11–12°C), lows about 38–40°F (3–5°C), rain on about 1 day in 3–4, gusty wind, and UV about 2–4. Tide windows set the foreshore order. Waterproof layers, boots, and water every day.
- Base: Inverness, about 50 ft (15 m)
- Cold morning: about 31–35°F (−1 to 2°C)
- Wind: typical daily gusts about 25–30 mph (40–47 km/h); strong days about 35–43 mph (57–69 km/h)
- UV: daily peak about 2–4 (low to moderate)
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, and rain in shoulder season
- Loose rock below cliffs where helmets are directed
Logistics
Travel, bases, and the package
Required travel
Participants book their own flights into Aberdeen (ABZ) or Inverness (INV).
- Arrive before the Day 1 group meet on Thursday Apr 15 2027 (time on your participant site).
- Do not book departure before the field wrap on Sunday Apr 18 2027.
Most non-British / Irish visitors need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation before travel.
Gateway
Fly into Aberdeen (ABZ) or Inverness (INV); we confirm the meeting point with your dates. Short course: Apr 15–18 2027. Fall dates coming soon. Common European routing: Paris (CDG) to ABZ or INV.
Ground transport between the Inverness base and Moray Firth stops is provided in-course. Apr 11–14 2027 is held as a private company week.
One base for the short course — single occupancy in Inverness, staging for Moray Firth foreshore stops. Exact hotels are on the participant site after registration.
Core bonuses
- Drone model evening sessions — when weather closes the shore, conference time with models and slides.
- Core brought to outcrop — well-log and seismic ties at the rock.
When schedule allows
Occasional extras — not every course includes these.
- Local coastal heritage stops near overnight bases
- Evening discussion with Aberdeen academic contributors when scheduled
Bring
- Hiking footwear (mandatory)
- Waterproof jacket and trousers
- Warm layers, hat, and gloves
- Sun protection and water
- Travel insurance (recommended)
We provide
- Course-specific field safety equipment (vests and helmets where directed)
Full list in Included & payment.
Course website, 3D models, technical materials, and field tools open 1 month before the course start date (about Mar 15 2027 for this Apr 15 start), with 3 months of website access.
Included
- Instruction with Rene Jonk (ACT-GEO)
- Field safety & logistics · WFR-qualified field staff · Geology Field School
- In-course ground transport (airport meet and return)
- Single occupancy lodging for course nights
- Hotel breakfasts and field lunches
- Course-specific field safety equipment
- Access to exclusive 3D drone models
- Core brought to outcrop; well-log and seismic subsurface ties
- Participant course website and digital field kit (timing in access note above)
Not included
- Airfare to / from Aberdeen (ABZ) or Inverness (INV)
- UK Electronic Travel Authorisation fees
- Dinners (none are hosted)
- Personal field clothing and hiking boots
- Travel insurance (recommended)
AP / procurement
- Non-refundable $500 deposit holds a seat once registration opens
- 50% of the course fee due at sign-up (deposit included); remaining 50% due no later than the first day of the course, or pay in full (preferred)
- Company card and PO accepted
- Colleague substitution up to 5 days before start ($100 per swap)
- Cancellation terms
- Vendor pack on request (W-9, COI, sample invoice)
What you get
Your digital field kit
Course website, 3D models, technical materials, and field tools open 1 month before the course start date (about Mar 15 2027), with 3 months of website access.
- Course app
- Participant course website
- Field Course Atlas — map with 3D models
- Field Guide Book — PDF guidebook
- Exclusive 3D / drone models
- Deepwater TV-style walkthroughs
01Course app & course website
02Exclusive drone outcrop models
Drone models we flew in NE Scotland: Wick Castle, Moray Star Dunes, and Crakaig Beach. Drag to spin; full models open with your participant kit (see Package).
Scotland — Wick Castle
Moray Star Dunes
Crakaig Beach Scotland
Drag to spin
03Course videos
Drone flyovers and short outcrop talks from Geology Field School and ACT-GEO. Pick a channel.
04Certificate of attendance
You receive a Geology Field School certificate of attendance listing 32 instructional contact hours: 8 hours a day for 4 days. You can log them as 32 PDH. For most professional geoscientists, in almost all states, those hours count toward professional-development (PDH) requirements. Use the listed instructional hours with your state board or employer PDH process.
Reviews
Reviews
Scotland courses — 13 reviews, combined overall 4.880 / 5.
Reviews from this course will appear here after the first run.
Show all comments
FAQ
Common questions
Who should not register — fit and fitness
Not for anyone who can’t walk up to about 1 mile (1.6 km), often off-trail, on wet rock, boulders, cobble, and mud with steep shore paths, in cold (about 38–54°F / 3–12°C), wet, and windy April weather — see Who it’s for. Full readiness and hazards are in Safety.
Flights — Aberdeen or Inverness
Book your own flights into Aberdeen (ABZ) or Inverness (INV). Arrive before the Thu Apr 15 group meet; do not depart before the Sun Apr 18 wrap. UK ETA rules and routing notes in Logistics.
Lodging — single occupancy
Inverness single occupancy is in the package — see Bases & towns and Package.
Short course vs full week
The Apr 15–18 2027 public offering is a four-day short course at $5,800. For a company-only week on your dates, use In-house inquiry.
Payment / AP
$500 non-refundable deposit once registration opens, counted toward 50% of the fee due at sign-up; remaining 50% due no later than the first day of the course, or pay in full; company card / PO accepted. Full AP notes in Package.
Certificate / continuing-education hours
Your certificate of attendance lists 32 instructional contact hours (8 hours a day for 4 days) — see Certificate for how those hours count toward PDH requirements.
After Register interest — next step
We reply in writing with registration and payment details. Participant credentials follow when the kit opens about one month before the start (around Mar 15 2027).
Fall dates
Fall dates coming soon. Ask about fall timing or a private week for your team with Fall interest above, and we’ll reply in writing. The registration window on this page is the Apr 15–18 2027 short course.
Cancellation
See geologyfieldschool.com/cancellation for current terms.
Scotland · Short course seat
$5,800
Apr 15–18 2027 · Registration opening soon
In-house
Private company week
Same safety standards and logistics. Your dates. 4–12 people. Your asset questions. Typical lead time 4–8 weeks. Apr 11–14 2027 is already held private.
Other industry field schools
Same safety standards and logistics across every course — Inyan Kara, San Diego, West Texas, Rock Springs, Aínsa, Ireland, and more.