POST-RIFT TECTONIC SUBSIDENCE AND PALAEO-WATER DEPTHS IN THE NORTHERN CARNARVON BASIN, WESTERN AUSTRALIA

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 367 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.R. Kaiko ◽  
A.M. Tait
Keyword(s):  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Tectonic Subsidence ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Basin Inversion ◽  
Sedimentary Architecture ◽  
History Of ◽  
Northern Carnarvon Basin ◽  
Migration Pathways ◽  
Water Depths ◽  
Carnarvon Basin

The subsidence history of the Northern Carnarvon Basin has been dominated by simple thermal sag following the creation of the Exmouth, Barrow and Dampier Sub-basins by Early to Middle Jurassic rifting. This conclusion follows from the recognition of vitrinite reflectance suppression, which removes the need for recent heating events, and from the use of seismic stratigraphy, rather than only palynology and micro-palaeontology, to determine palaeo-water depths.The simple thermal-sag model, related to Jurassic rifting, accounts for the post-rift sedimentary architecture of the Northern Carnarvon Basin, especially in areas of sediment starvation. It also has implications for the timing of hydrocarbon generation and the reconstruction of migration pathways. This work has re-emphasised the theoretical possibility of determining palaeo-water depths by adjusting one-dimensional basin models to fit simple thermal sag tectonic subsidence curves.Miocene uplift, in the order of several hundred metres, has caused local basin inversion, accentuated some preexisting structures and re-activated some faults causing hydrocarbon remigration, but has otherwise not affected the thermal history of the sediments.

GEOLOGY, SOURCE ROCKS AND HYDROCARBON GENERATION IN THE CLARENCE-MORETON BASIN

1982 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
A. R. Martin ◽  
J. D. Saxby
Keyword(s):  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Geochemical Data ◽  
Hydrocarbon Potential ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Tectonic Events ◽  
History Of ◽  
Rock Eval ◽  
Coal Measures ◽  
Migration Pathways

The geology and exploration history of the Triassic-Cretaceous Clarence-Moreton Basin are reviewed. Consideration of new geochemical data ('Rock-Eval', vitrinite reflectance, gas chromatography of extracts, organic carbon and elemental analysis of coals and kerogens) gives further insights into the hydrocarbon potential of the basin. Although organic-rich rocks are relatively abundant, most source rocks that have achieved the levels of maturation necessary for hydrocarbon generation are gas-prone. The exinite-rich oil-prone Walloon Coal Measures are in most parts relatively immature. Some restraints on migration pathways are evident and igneous and tectonic events may have disturbed potentially well-sealed traps. Further exploration is warranted, even though the basin appears gas-prone and the overall prospects for hydrocarbons are only fair. The most promising areas seem to be west of Toowoomba for oil and the Clarence Syncline for gas.

PETROLEUM PLAY ELEMENT PREDICTION FOR THE CRETACEOUS-TERTIARY BASIN PHASE, NORTHERN CARNARVON BASIN

1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 315 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. K. Romine ◽  
J. M. Durrant ◽  
D. L. Cathro ◽  
G. Bernardel
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Predictive Tool ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Carnarvon Basin ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Play Elements ◽  
Migration Pathways ◽  
Carnarvon Basin

A regional tectono-stratigraphic framework has been developed for the Cretaceous and Tertiary section in the Northern Carnarvon Basin. This framework places traditional observations in a new context and provides a predictive tool for determining the temporal occurrence and spatial distribution of the lithofacies play elements, that iss reservoir, source and seal.Two new, potential petroleum systems have been identified within the Barremian Muderong Shale and Albian Gearle Siltstone. These potential source rocks could be mature or maturing along a trend that parallels the Alpha Arch and Rankin Platform, and within the Exinouth Sub-basin.A favourable combination of reservoir and seal can be predicted for the early regressive part of the Creta- ceous-Tertiary basin phase (Campanian-Palaeocene). Lowstand and transgressive (within incised valleys) reservoirs are more likely to be isolated and encased in sealing shales, similar to lowstand reservoir facies deposited during the transgressive part of the basin phase, for example, the M. australis sand play.The basin analysis revealed the important role played by pre-existing Proterozoic-Palaeozoic lineaments during extension, and the subsequent impact on play elements, in particular, the distribution of reservoir, fluid migration, and trap development. During extension, the north-trending lineaments influenced the compart mentalisation of the Northern Carnarvon Basin into discrete depocentres. Relay ramp-style accommodation zones developed, linking the sub-basins, and acting as pathways for sediment input into the depocentres and, later in the basin's history, as probable hydrocarbon migration pathways. The relay accommodation zones are a dynamic part of the basin architecture, acting as a focal point for response to intraplate stresses and the creation, modification and destruction of traps and migration pathways.

CARNARVON BASIN ARCHITECTURE AND STRUCTURE DEFINED BY THE INTEGRATION OF MINERAL AND PETROLEUM EXPLORATION TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 287 ◽  
Author(s):  
L.L. Pryer ◽  
K.K. Romine ◽  
T.S. Loutit ◽  
R.G. Barnes
Keyword(s):  
Seismic Data ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
Mineral Exploration ◽  
Petroleum Exploration ◽  
Block Rotation ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Northern Carnarvon Basin ◽  
Migration Pathways ◽  
Carnarvon Basin

The Barrow and Dampier Sub-basins of the Northern Carnarvon Basin developed by repeated reactivation of long-lived basement structures during Palaeozoic and Mesozoic tectonism. Inherited basement fabric specific to the terranes and mobile belts in the region comprise northwest, northeast, and north–south-trending Archaean and Proterozoic structures. Reactivation of these structures controlled the shape of the sub-basin depocentres and basement topography, and determined the orientation and style of structures in the sediments.The Lewis Trough is localised over a reactivated NEtrending former strike-slip zone, the North West Shelf (NWS) Megashear. The inboard Dampier Sub-basin reflects the influence of the fabric of the underlying Pilbara Craton. Proterozoic mobile belts underlie the Barrow Sub-basin where basement fabric is dominated by two structural trends, NE-trending Megashear structures offset sinistrally by NS-trending Pinjarra structures.The present-day geometry and basement topography of the basins is the result of accumulated deformation produced by three main tectonic phases. Regional NESW extension in the Devonian produced sinistral strikeslip on NE-trending Megashear structures. Large Devonian-Carboniferous pull-apart basins were introduced in the Barrow Sub-basin where Megashear structures stepped to the left and are responsible for the major structural differences between the Barrow and Dampier Sub-basins. Northwest extension in the Late Carboniferous to Early Permian marks the main extensional phase with extreme crustal attenuation. The majority of the Northern Carnarvon basin sediments were deposited during this extensional basin phase and the subsequent Triassic sag phase. Jurassic extension reactivated Permian faults during renewed NW extension. A change in extension direction occurred prior to Cretaceous sea floor spreading, manifest in basement block rotation concentrated in the Tithonian. This event changed the shape and size of basin compartments and altered fluid migration pathways.The currently mapped structural trends, compartment size and shape of the Barrow and Dampier Sub-basins of the Northern Carnarvon Basin reflect the “character” of the basement beneath and surrounding each of the subbasins.Basement character is defined by the composition, lithology, structure, grain, fabric, rheology and regolith of each basement terrane beneath or surrounding the target basins. Basement character can be discriminated and mapped with mineral exploration methods that use non-seismic data such as gravity, magnetics and bathymetry, and then calibrated with available seismic and well datasets. A range of remote sensing and geophysical datasets were systematically calibrated, integrated and interpreted starting at a scale of about 1:1.5 million (covering much of Western Australia) and progressing to scales of about 1:250,000 in the sub-basins. The interpretation produced a new view of the basement geology of the region and its influence on basin architecture and fill history. The bottom-up or basement-first interpretation process complements the more traditional top-down seismic and well-driven exploration methods, providing a consistent map-based regional structural model that constrains structural interpretation of seismic data.The combination of non-seismic and seismic data provides a powerful tool for mapping basement architecture (SEEBASE™: Structurally Enhanced view of Economic Basement); basement-involved faults (trap type and size); intra-sedimentary geology (igneous bodies, basement-detached faults, basin floor fans); primary fluid focussing and migration pathways and paleo-river drainage patterns, sediment composition and lithology.

Thermal History and Hydrocarbon Maturity Study in the Norton Basin, Alaska

1992 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 402-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Z. Yu ◽  
Y. Li ◽  
I. Lerche
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Late Miocene ◽  
Thermal Gradient ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
One Dimensional ◽  
Thermal Peak ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
History Of ◽  
Reflectance Data

Two COST wells in the Norton Basin of Alaska were examined using a one-dimensional quantitative dynamic model (1-D). By inversion of vitrinite reflectance data with the present day thermal gradient in the basin, the paleothermal history of the basin was reconstructed and showed two high thermal peaks, one during the initial stage of basin development (60–50 MaBP) and the other at late Miocene (15–5 MaBP). The early thermal peak corresponded to thinning of the lithosphere and subsidence with upwelling of the hot asthenosphere, and the more recent thermal high was caused by the subsidence and volcanic activity during late Miocene. The Norton Basin is thermally mature with hydrocarbon generation occurring in 15–2 MaBP. Modeling the fluid flow and geopressure development using a two-dimensional fluid flow/compaction model in the basin shows that the directions of fluid movement are both vertical and towards the Yukon Horst, a main horst structure in the basin, suggesting that the hydrocarbons might accumulate in structures around the Yukon Horst and in stratigraphic traps within the basin, which are expected to be common because of the depositional variation of the various facies.

scholarly journals Paleotemperature modeling of hydrocarbon generation centers and their role in the formation of «Paleozoic» oil deposits (Ostaninskoe field, Tomsk region)

Georesursy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-16
Author(s):  
Valery I. Isaev ◽  
Margarita F. Galieva ◽  
Anna O. Aleeva ◽  
Galina A. Lobova ◽  
Vitaly I. Starostenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Weathering Crust ◽  
Tomsk Region ◽  
History Of ◽  
Oil Deposits ◽  
Reflectance Measurements

Study and exploration of the pre-Jurassic oil and gas complex in Western Siberia is one of the aspects of hydrocarbon raw-material base development. The main scope of this study is to locate the source of Paleozoic hydrocarbons. The problem of modeling and assessing the role of Paleozoic-Mesozoic hydrocarbon generation centers in the formation of «Paleozoic» oil deposits in the section of the Ostaninskoe oil and gas condensate field (Tomsk region) is solved. In the formation of the oil and gas content of the pre-Jurassic basement two reservoirs are involved: the weathering crust and the roof of the bed-rock Paleozoic. The first was formed during the period of 213–208 Ma, and the second is genetically determined by epigenetic processes in the weathering crust. Potential hydrocarbon sources for the weathering crust and bed-rock Paleozoic reservoirs are Domanic type rocks in the crystalline basement: Larinskaya S1lr, Mirnaya D1mr, Chuzikskaya D2cz, Chaginskaya D3cg Formations, as well as Tyumenskaya J1-2tm and Bazhenovskaya J3bg Formations in sedimentary cover. To perform joint paleotemperature modeling of sedimentary basins of the «modern» Jurassic-Cretaceous and Paleozoic «paleobasins», the Ostaninskaya 438P well was selected, which is due to the presence of measured temperatures both in the Jurassic sections and in the pre-Jurassic formations, as well as fluid inflows from the pre-Jurassic horizons into the well. At the first step, the solution of the inverse problem of geothermics was obtained using reservoir temperatures and vitrinite reflectance measurements from the Mesozoic deposits: density of deep heat flow from the base of sedimentary section was determined, which is characterized by a quasi-constant value from the Jurassic to the present. The second step was to solve the inverse problem using vitrinite reflectance measurements from Paleozoic sediments. As a result, the heat flow value was obtained for the key moments of geodynamic history of the stratigraphic section, starting from the Silurian. By solving direct problems of geothermics with the given values of heat flow, the structural-tectonic and thermal history of four Paleozoic potential oil source formations (as well as Jurassic – Bazhenov and Tyumen Formations) has been retraced. The controversial aspects of the heat transfer model in the section of the Ostaninskoe field are considered. It has been established that the Tyumen and Bazhenov oil sources (most likely Bazhenov) are syngenetic (in terms of generation, accumulation and preservation time) for the weathering crust and the Paleozoic reservoirs. The role of the Chaginskaya Formation as gas source is insignificant.

TIMING CONSTRAINTS ON THE STRUCTURAL HISTORY OF THE WESTERN OTWAY BASIN AND IMPLICATIONS FOR HYDROCARBON PROSPECTIVITY AROUND THE MORUM HIGH, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.R. Duddy ◽  
B. Erout ◽  
P.F. Green ◽  
P.V. Crowhurst ◽  
P.J. Boult
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Seismic Line ◽  
Late Paleocene ◽  
History Of ◽  
And Migration ◽  
Uplift And Erosion

Reconstructed thermal and structural histories derived from new AFTA Apatite Fission Track Analysis, vitrinite reflectance and (U-Th)/He apatite dating results from the Morum–1 well, Otway Basin, reveal that the Morum High is a mid-Tertiary inversion structure. Uplift and erosion commencing in the Late Paleocene to mid-Eocene (57–40 Ma) removed around 1,500 m of sedimentary section. The eroded section is attributed to the Paleocene- Eocene Wangerrip Group which is considered to have been deposited in a major depocentre in the vicinity of the present Morum High. This depocentre is interpreted to have been one of a number of transtensional basins developed at the margin of the Morum Sub-basin and adjacent to the Tartwaup Hinge Zone and Mussel Fault during the Early Tertiary. The Portland Trough in Victoria represents a similar depocentre in which over 1,500 m of Wangerrip Group section, mostly represented by deltaic sediments of the Early Eocene Dilwyn Formation, is still preserved.Quantification of the maximum paleotemperature profile in Morum–1 immediately prior to Late Paleocene to mid-Eocene inversion shows that the paleo-geothemal gradient at the time was between 21 and 31°C/km, similar to the present-day level of 29°C/km, demonstrating that there has been little change in basal heat flow since the Early Tertiary.Reconstruction of the thermal history at the Trumpet–1 location reveals no evidence for any periods of significant uplift and erosion, demonstrating the relative stability of this part of the Crayfish Platform since the Late Cretaceous.The thermal and burial histories at Morum–1 and Trumpet–1 have been used to calibrate a Temis2D hydrocarbon generation and migration model along seismic line 85-13, encompassing the Crayfish Platform, Morum High and Morum Sub-basin. The model shows the cessation of active hydrocarbon generation from Eumeralla Formation source rocks around the Morum High due to cooling at 45 Ma (within the range 57–40 Ma) resulting from uplift and erosion of a Wangerrip Group basin. There has been almost no hydrocarbon generation from the Eumeralla Formation beneath the Crayfish Platform.Migration of hydrocarbons generated from the Eumeralla Formation began in the Late Cretaceous in the Morum Sub-basin and is predicted to continue to the present day, with the potential for accumulations in suitably placed reservoirs within the Late Cretaceous package both within the Morum Sub-basin and at the southern margin of the Crayfish Platform.

GEOLOGICAL CONTROLS ON OVERPRESSURE IN THE NORTHERN CARNARVON BASIN

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 573 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.R. Tingate ◽  
A. Khaksar ◽  
P. van Ruth ◽  
D. Dewhurst ◽  
M. Raven ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pore Pressure ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Well Completion ◽  
Pore Pressure Prediction ◽  
Northern Carnarvon Basin ◽  
Carnarvon Basin

A small, but significant fraction of wells drilled in the Northern Carnarvon Basin have encountered problems with overpressure: better pore pressure prediction would improve safety and economy for drilling operations. In the Northern Carnarvon Basin the occurrence of overpressure and likely mechanisms are under investigation as part of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre (APCRC) Research Program on Pore Pressure Prediction. Previous workers have proposed a number of mechanisms as the main cause of overpressure including undercompaction, hydrocarbon generation, horizontal stress and clay reactions.A preliminary regional study was undertaken incorporating over 400 well completion reports which identified approximately 60 wells with mud weights greater than 1.25 S.G. A subset of these wells was investigated and more reliable but much scarcer pressure indicators such as kicks or direct pressure measurements were examined. Depth-pressure profiles of wells across the region are variable and commonly show pressure compartmentalisation. Using a range of indicators, it was observed that overpressured strata in the Barrow Subbasin:occur over a wide depth range (2,500 to 4,000+ mbsl);occur over a wide stratigraphic range (Late Triassic to Late Cretaceous);are not regionally limited by major structural boundaries;are associated with sequences dominated by finegrained sediments with variable clay mineralogy; and in depositionally, or structurally, isolated sandstones; andmainly to the west of the Barrow and Dampier Subbasins around the Alpha Arch and Rankin Trend, coinciding with thickest Tertiary deposition.Previous published work in the study area has tended to support hydrocarbon generation as the primary cause of overpressure, though more recent publications have emphasised compaction disequilibrium. The log response (DT, RHOB and NPHI) of overpressured clay-rich strata has been investigated to constrain the type of overpressure mechanism. A normal compaction trend has been derived for four stratigraphic groupings; Muderong Shale, Barrow Group, Jurassic and Triassic. All overpressure occurrences were accompanied by an increase in sonic transit time. Not all wells have suitable log data for evaluation, but all stratigraphic groups show some evidence of elevated porosity associated with overpressure consistent with disequillibrium compaction as a dominant mechanism. Overpressures in the Barrow Group in Minden-1 and the Jurassic section within Zeepaard–1 do not have accompanying porosity anomalies suggesting a different overpressure mechanism model is needed.

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