LATERAL AND VERTICAL RANK VARIATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION

1978 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J Kantsler ◽  
G. C. Smith ◽  
A. C. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Marked Rise ◽  
Canning Basin ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
Late Tertiary ◽  
Uplift And Erosion ◽  
Gas Fields

Vitrinite reflectance measurements are used to determine the vertical and lateral patterns of rank variation within four Australian sedimentary basins. They are also used to estimate palaeotemperatures which, in conjunction with present well temperatures, allow an appraisal of the timing of coalification and of hydrocarbon generation and distribution.The Canning Basin has a pattern of significant pre-Jurassic coalification which was interrupted by widespread uplift and erosion in the Triassic. Mesozoic and Tertiary coalification is generally weak, resulting in a pattern of rank distribution unfavourable to oil occurrence but indicating some potential for gas. The Cooper Basin also has a depositional break in the Triassic, but the post-Triassic coalification is much more significant than in the Canning Basin. The major gas fields are in, or peripheral to, areas which underwent strong, early, telemagmatic coalification whereas the oil-prone Tirrawarra area is characterized by a marked rise in temperature in the late Tertiary. The deeper parts of the Bass Basin underwent early coalification and are in the zone of oil generation, while most of the remaining area is immature. Inshore areas of the Gippsland Basin are also characterized by early coalification. Areas which are further offshore are less affected by this phase of early maturation, but underwent rapid burial and a sharp rise in temperature in the late Tertiary.

ELEVATED MID-CRETACEOUS PALAEOTEMPERATURES IN THE WESTERN OTWAY BASIN: CONSEQUENCES FOR HYDROCARBON GENERATION MODELS

1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 505 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.M. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Upper Cretaceous ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
Maximum Temperatures ◽  
Hydrocarbon Preservation ◽  
Uplift And Erosion

The Otway Basin formed during the Mesozoic separation of Antarctica and Australia. A study of apatite fission track (FT) analysis and vitrinite reflectance (VR) data from borehole samples in the western Otway Basin was initiated to elucidate some of the thermal and structural complexities of this region.Interpretation of results suggest that some areas experienced regionally elevated palaeotemperatures, however, much of the region is at present-day maximum temperatures. Where cooling from maximum palaeotemperatures is observed, the timing may be grouped over three main intervals as follows; mid-Cretaceous, Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary, and Tertiary. Cooling was facilitated by a decline in geothermal gradient, uplift and erosion, or both. Evidence for a decline in geothermal gradient from values >55°C/km in the mid- Cretaceous is recognised in several wells. Elevated mid- Cretaceous palaeogeothermal gradients (50−60°C/km) have been reported for the eastern Otway Basin, suggesting that these high temperatures were a regional phenomena. Cooling by uplift and erosion at this time was minimal throughout the western Otway Basin in contrast to the kilometre scale uplift and erosion reported for the eastern Otway Basin and adjacent basement inland of this section of the rift.The relative early maturation of the Otway Supergroup during mid-Cretaceous regionally elevated geothermal gradients, and subsequent basin restructuring, are key factors affecting hydrocarbon preservation in the western Otway Basin. Strategies for identification of prospective areas include identification of regions that have remained at moderate temperatures during the Early Cretaceous, and have not undergone burial under a thick Upper Cretaceous to Tertiary section.

Fault-seal potential of the Palaeozoic in the northwest Canning Basin

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 427
Author(s):  
Julian Strand ◽  
Antoine Vaslin ◽  
Laurent Langhi
Keyword(s):  
Injection Site ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Co2 Sequestration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Early Permian ◽  
North West ◽  
Canning Basin ◽  
Price Point ◽  
Exploration Drilling ◽  
Gas Fields

As part of a Geological Survey of Western Australia organised review of the Canning Basin involving UWA and CSIRO, the fault-seal potential for the northwest Canning Basin has been analysed. This study has two foci: firstly identifying potential for fault-bound hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Early Permian (Poole Sandstone and Upper Grant Group). Secondly, James Price Point, 55 km north of Broome, is the chosen location for an LNG facility to service the northern North West Shelf gas fields. As such, the study aims to highlight potential CO2 sequestration reservoir sequences occurring inside 200 km of James Price Point, the economically feasible distance for CO2 delivery to an injection site. Historically, hydrocarbon exploration drilling in the Fitzroy Trough targeted anticlinal structures, which proved unsuccessful due to localised, but significant, erosion of the Permian sequence including the Noonkanbah Formation top-seal on anticlinal crests. Given there is potential for untested, fault-bound traps to exist, which might provide an alternative to the anticlinal traps, it will be useful to identify the distribution of shale-rich, top-seal and fault-seal prone sequences, and where these occur at suitable reservoir depths. The study shows the Early Permian sequences on the flanking terraces of the Fitzroy Trough commonly have suitable top-seal and fault-seal prone sediments. In wells analysed in the Fitzroy Trough itself, the Early Permian sequence is poorly represented, but Permo-Carboniferous sediments observed indicate some sealing potential might exist there. Moving south onto the Broome Platform and into the Wiluna Sub-basin, the Early Permian sequences still display some sealing potential, but Ordovician units might provide more suitable targets for sequestration in these areas.

Thermo-tectonic development of the Wandel Sea Basin, North Greenland

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Japsen ◽  
Paul F. Green ◽  
James A. Chalmers
Keyword(s):  
Fault Zone ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
High Arctic ◽  
Fault Zones ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Ne Atlantic ◽  
Uplift And Erosion ◽  
North Greenland

<p>The Carboniferous to Palaeogene Wandel Sea Basin of North Greenland is an important piece in the puzzle of Arctic geology, particularly for understanding how the Paleocene–Eocene movement of the Greenland Plate relates to the compressional tectonics in the High Arctic; e.g. Eurekan Orogeny (arctic Canada), West Spitzbergen Orogeny (Svalbard) and Kronprins Christian Land Orogeny (North Greenland). We will refer collectively to these manifestations related to the movement of the Greenland Plate as the Eurekan Orogeny. Here, we present apatite fission-track analysis (AFTA) and vitrinite reflectance (VR) data combined with observations from the stratigraphic record to place constraints on the timing of key tectonic events.</p><p>Our study reveals a long history of episodic burial and exhumation since the collapse of the Palaeozoic fold belts along the east and north coasts of Greenland. Our results provide evidence for pre-Cenozoic phases of uplift and erosion in Early Permian, Late Triassic, Late Jurassic and mid-Cretaceous times, all of which involved removal of sedimentary covers that were 2 km thick or more.</p><p>Paleocene cooling and exhumation affected the major fault zones of the Wandel Sea Basin. The Paleocene episode thus defines the timing of the compressional event that caused folding and thrusting of Upper Cretaceous and older sediments along these fault zones. We conclude that the Paleocene inversion of the fault zones took place in the initial phase of the Eurekan Orogeny after the onset of seafloor spreading west of Greenland</p><p>Regional cooling, reflecting exhumation of the Wandel Sea Basin and surrounding regions, began at the end of the Eocene. Prior to the onset of exhumation, a cover of about 2.5 km of Paleocene–Eocene sediments had accumulated across a wide area. Northern Peary Land, north of the Harder Fjord Fault Zone, was uplifted about 1 km more than the area south of the fault zone during this episode. Regional denudation and reverse faulting that began at the end of the Eocene took place after the end of sea-floor spreading in the Labrador Sea and thus represent a post-Eurekan tectonic phase. A major plate reorganisation in the NE Atlantic and regional exhumation of West and East Greenland and adjacent Arctic regions took place at the same time, coinciding with a minimum of spreading rates in the NE Atlantic followed by expansion of the Iceland Plume.</p><p>Cooling from mid-late Miocene palaeotemperatures at sea level correspond to burial below a rock column about 1.8 km thick.</p><p>The preserved sedimentary sequences of the Wandel Sea Basin represent remnants of thicker strata, much of which was subsequently removed during multiple episodes of uplift and erosion. The thickness of these sedimentary covers implies that they must have extended substantially beyond the present-day outline of the basin, and thus that it at times was coherent with the sedimentary basins in the Arctic, as has been suggested from stratigraphic correlations.</p>

scholarly journals Geofluid dynamic concept of prospecting for hudrocarbon accumulations in the earth crust

2019 ◽  
pp. 79-91
Author(s):  
L. A. Abukova ◽  
Yu. A. Volozh ◽  
A. N. Dmitrievsky ◽  
M. P. Antipov
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Fluid Dynamic ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Oil And Gas Fields ◽  
Migration Theory ◽  
Drainage Layers ◽  
Drive Systems ◽  
Lateral Drainage ◽  
Gas Fields

In our paper we produce new evidence of the tectonosphere and hydrosphere structure of oil and gas sedimentary basins and confirm significant influence of geofluid-dynamic processes on formation of hydrocarbon accumulations in the crust at the great depths. In our opinion the theory based on obsolete views on the tectonosphere structure lessen the importance the sedimentary migration theory of hydrocarbon generation. We prognosticate a particular stagnant type of post-elysionic water-drive systems in the crust at the great depths in conditions of increased hydrodynamic isolation. Absence of regionally sustained vertical and lateral drainage layers characterizes geological environment where stagnant type developed, and, corollary, fluids outflow into external environment is practically unfeasible. The subsalt filling complexes of the epicontinental deepwater basins are included into the post-elysionic water-drive systems. These complexes occur at the great depths and possibility of striking unique and large oil and gas fields there is inherent. We propose a system of fluid-dynamic conditions for preserving hydrocarbon accumulations in the lower crust as a result of developing sedimentary-migration theory for oil and gas formation. We consider the refinement of methods for prospecting and exploration large deposits at the great depths will pave the way for expanded reproduction of hydrocarbon reserves in the “old” oil and gas producing regions in our country.

SOURCE, MATURITY AND GAS COMPOSITION RELATIONSHIPS IN THE SOUTHERN COOPER BASIN

1980 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
D.A. Schwebel ◽  
S.B. Devine ◽  
M. Riley
Keyword(s):  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Temperature Gradients ◽  
Land Plants ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Gas Composition ◽  
Wet Gas ◽  
Structural Zones ◽  
Cooper Basin

In the Permian sedimentary sequence of the Cooper Basin, land plants contributed the bulk of the organic matter to the sediments. Inertinite, vitrinite and exinite are common kerogen types present in the organic-rich shales. Coal thickness varies areally.The geothermal gradient, though varying (from area to area), is everywhere higher than normal for sedimentary basins. The whole of the Permian sequence is mature for hydrocarbon generation. The highest temperature gradients of up to 3.19°F/100’ are measured in the Nappamerrie Trough and are associated with areas of granitic basement. Vitrinite reflectance profiles confirm that the sediments are thermally mature.Trends of gas composition indicate three distinct regions with gases trapped in:the Patchawarra Trough tend to be high in CO2 and wet gas;the Nappamerri Trough tend to be high in CO2 and low in wet gas; andthe Tennapera Trough tend to be low in CO2 and moderately high in wet gas.These differences in gas composition are accounted for by differences in thermal history within structural zones.

scholarly journals Post-rift landscape development of north-east Brazil

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 81-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan M. Bonow ◽  
Peter Japsen ◽  
Paul F. Green ◽  
Peter R. Cobbold ◽  
Augusto J. Pedreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Sedimentary Cover ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
North East ◽  
Geological Past ◽  
Regional Tectonic ◽  
High Level ◽  
Uplift And Erosion

The evolution of the landscape of north-east Brazil in relation to the burial and exhumation history of both onshore and offshore areas is the focus of a research project carried out for StatoilHydro do Brasil and Petrobras from 2007 to 2009 by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland in collaboration with Geotrack International. In hydrocarbon exploration it is important to understand the regional tectonic framework and thus also to consider the volumes of rocks that may have been present and then removed during the geological past. For example, the timing of hydrocarbon generation and changes in migration routes can be assessed when the timing and magnitude of uplift and erosion is known. Studies in West Greenland have demonstrated the usefulness of large-scale, low-relief, high-level landscapes as markers of uplift events, and in particular the strength of combining the denudation history from landscape analysis with the cooling history from apatite fission-track analysis (AFTA) data and the stratigraphic record (Bonow et al. 2006, 2007; Japsen et al. 2006, 2009). In the study area, there are two plateaux with elevations up to c. 1300 m above sea level (a.s.l.). The plateaux are currently being dissected by deeply incised fluvial valleys, and escarpments separate the two plateaux. The lowlands cut across Early Cretaceous rift systems along the Atlantic margin, including the intracontinental Recôncavo–Tucano–Jatobá (RTJ) Rift and also the Camamu Basin, of which the western margin is exposed onshore (Fig. 1). The RTJ Rift is a mature hydrocarbon province, whereas the deep-water parts of the Camamu Basin are the target of frontier exploration (e.g. Magnavita et al. 1994; Davison 1999; Cobbold et al. 2008). The post-rift sequence in the RTJ Rift and the inshore Camamu Basin is thin or absent. However, it has been estimated that up to 2000 m of sedimentary cover once was present, but has now been removed (Magnavita et al. 1994).

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.

THE GEOLOGICAL EVOLUTION OF THE CONTINENTAL MARGIN OFF NORTHWEST AUSTRALIA

1976 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.E. Powell
Keyword(s):  
Continental Margin ◽  
Middle Jurassic ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Carbonate Sediments ◽  
Intracratonic Basin ◽  
Uplift And Erosion ◽  
Depth Of Burial

The area comprising the Northwest Shelf of Australia is a good example of an 'Atlantic-type' continental margin. It is characterised by a series of major sedimentary basins of Mesozoic age, which generally parallel the present coastline. In each of these depocentres distinct lithotectonic units can be recognised which are related to phases of rifting and subsequent continental breakup. The pre-breakup rift valley and intracratonic basin stages are represented by a very thick Permian to Middle Jurassic series of mainly fluviodeltaic sediments. Breakup took place near the end of the Middle Jurassic and was accompanied by large-scale block faulting with associated uplift and erosion. As a result the ensuing Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous marine transgression took place over a highly irregular palaeotopographic surface. With continuing post-breakup subsidence, open marine conditions became widespread by Upper Cretaceous time. Since the mid-Eocene the deposition of a thick prograding wedge of mainly carbonate sediments has given a general northwesterly regional tilt to the shelf. Such progradation is characteristic of a fully-evolved Atlantic-type continental margin.Hydrocarbon occurrences on the Northwest Shelf can be related to the tectonic evolution. Major gas/condensate discoveries have been encountered in fluviodeltaic reservoirs within the block-faulted pre-breakup sequence, sealed by post-breakup transgressive marine shales which also provide important source intervals. In addition, some sandstone units of the transgressive series are hydrocarbon-bearing. The prolonged post-breakup subsidence and accompanying thick sedimentation has ensured that source intervals have locally attained the necessary depth of burial for hydrocarbon generation.

FOCUSSING EXPLORATION IN THE OTWAY BASIN: UNDERSTANDING TIMING OF SOURCE ROCK MATURATION

1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 178 ◽  
Author(s):  
I.R. Duddy
Keyword(s):  
Late Cretaceous ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
High Heat ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
Hydrocarbon Preservation

Quantitative reconstruction of the thermal and structural histories at key locations in the Otway Basin using an integrated approach based on AFTA® and vitrinite reflectance data reveals a regional pattern of elevated geothermal gradient prior to mid-Cretaceous cooling. Paleogeothermal gradients declined from −50 to 70°C/ km at −95 Ma to present day levels in the range −30 to 40°C/km by around 80 Ma. As a result, significant hydrocarbon generation must have occurred from the thick Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous Otway Group section during the rapid rift-burial phase that preceded major mid-Cretaceous cooling.Regional decline in geothermal gradient in the Late Cretaceous leads to a 'two-stage' generation history for Otway Group source rocks because subsequent hydrocarbon generation did not recommence until the early maturation effects were overcome by greater Late Cretaceous and Tertiary burial. Such early, high heat flow is regarded as a feature of rift basins, and this results in an inverted pattern of hydrocarbon generation from rift source rocks that is here referred to as 'top-down generation', and which has a key influence on hydrocarbon prospectivity.Analysis of key hydrocarbon discoveries in the basin leads to the conclusion that all significant accumulations can reasonably be inferred to be sourced from the Otway Group, due to 'top-down generation5 delayed until the mid-Tertiary to present-day burial phase. This situation clearly favours hydrocarbon preservation in traps of a range of ages and has the added advantage of limiting the time available for traps to be breached in subsequent structuring episodes.This understanding of the decoupled relationship between the burial and thermal histories provides a sharp focus for further exploration of Otway Group-sourced accumulations, by defining areas with suitable thicknesses of the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary depositional packages which maximise the amount of re-generation since the mid-Tertiary.

scholarly journals Thermal and maturation history for Carboniferous source rocks in the Junggar Basin, Northwest China: implications for hydrocarbon exploration

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Di Hu ◽  
Song Rao ◽  
Zhu-Ting Wang ◽  
Sheng-Biao Hu
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Thermal History ◽  
Thermal State ◽  
Junggar Basin ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Early Maturation ◽  
Hydrocarbon Maturation ◽  
History Of

AbstractThe reconstruction of thermal history is an important component of basin evolution and hydrocarbon exploration. Based on vitrinite reflectance data, we integrate the paleo-temperature gradient and paleo-heat flow methods to reconstruct the thermal history of Junggar Basin. Compared with present thermal state, the Junggar Basin experienced much a higher heat flow of ca. 80–120 mW/m2 during the Carboniferous. This feature can be attributed to large-scale volcanic events and related thermal effects. The hydrocarbon maturation history of Carboniferous source rocks indicates that the temperature rapidly reached the threshold of hydrocarbon generation during the Late Carboniferous and has never achieved such a high level since then. This characteristic resulted in the early maturation of hydrocarbons in Carboniferous source rocks. Meanwhile, the results reveal that hydrocarbon maturities are different among various tectonic units in Junggar Basin. The kerogen either rapidly broke through the dry gas period so that cracking of gas occurred or remained in the oil maturation window forming oil reservoirs, which depended on the tectonic background and depositional environment. In this study, we present the thermal and hydrocarbon maturation history since the Carboniferous, which has important implications for further hydrocarbon exploration in Junggar Basin.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document