2026 OCGS Annual Short Course

Thursday May 28th

8:30am – 5:00pm

Devon Energy Building

Free parking for registered attendees

Deepwater Sedimentary Systems

w/ Dr. Jonathan R. Rotzien

Objective: To teach skilled professionals the state-of-the-art in deepwater systems and how to find new oil and gas resources in deepwater areas of interest, with a special emphasis on analogs to Mid-Con USA exploration opportunities.

$65 for members

$150 for non-members (join OCGS for only $50)

Free for student members (free to join OCGS)

Includes lunch and course manual

***No refunds after May 15th***

Options to purchase Dr. Rotzien’s books:

Textbook: “Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Application”

$145 (subject to change)

Must be purchased by Thursday April 30th otherwise use link below

https://shop.elsevier.com/books/deepwater-sedimentary-systems/rotzien/978-0-323-91918-0

“The Explorer’s Mindset: Lessons in Leadership in Applied Geoscience and the Energy Industry” 2nd Edition

$15 (also available on Amazon)

Must be purchased by Thursday May 14th otherwise use link below

https://www.amazon.com/Explorers-Mindset-Leadership-Geoscience-Industry/dp/B0CK3H51BB

Rotzien’s short course is based on two recently published books used by operators and government agencies around the world to more effectively and efficiently locate, discover and produce oil and natural gas resources: “Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Application” (2022, Elsevier, 806 p.) and second edition of “The Explorer’s Mindset: Lessons in Leadership in Applied Geoscience and the Energy Industry” (2025, Amazon KDP, 447 p.). This course features concepts presented in the new monthly column in AAPG Explorer titled, “The Explorer’s Mindset,” and incorporates global deepwater expertise and best practices relevant to Mid-Con plays.

Description: Deepwater Sedimentary Systems helps professionals identify, understand and interpret deepwater sedimentary systems at various scales – both onshore and offshore, with tailored examples from the Mid-Con USA and relevant analogs. This course describes the best practices in the integration of geology and geophysics used to interpret these diverse environments. It draws on technical results gained from deepwater drilling campaigns, global field analog studies and frontier exploration both foreign and domestic. Covering conceptual approaches and state-of-the-art information on deepwater systems, this course serves as the essential primer for companies, consultancies, universities, governments and deepwater practitioners around the world seeking to understand deepwater systems amid the race to acquire new acreage and replenish reserves out to 2050 and beyond. Based on two books and a decade+ of collaborative experience, this course provides a broad foundation in turbidite, contourite, hybrid and mixed deepwater sedimentary systems using a variety of subsurface, modern seafloor and outcrop examples.

Format:

About the Instructor: Jonathan R. Rotzien is President of Basin Dynamics. He has worked in most of the world’s petroleum producing regions and specializes in leading corporate projects, research programs and professional training courses pertaining to oil and gas exploration and production. In addition to his business, he serves in faculty and research roles at University of Houston, University of Texas at Austin, South Dakota Mines and The Drifters Research Group with the Andalusian Earth Sciences Institute. He currently holds consulting appointments with HOT Energy Group (Leoben, Austria) and Subsurface Consultants & Associates (Houston, USA). With over 100 publications including short courses, his most recent works include Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Application (Elsevier, 2022), written by 62 authors from 20 countries, and the 2nd edition of The Explorer’s Mindset: Lessons in Leadership in Applied Geoscience and the Energy Industry (Amazon, 2025). He holds a B.A. from Colorado College and a Ph.D. from Stanford University.