Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia

ABSTRACT: North Carnarvon Basin is a gas province with minor oily sweet spots in deepwater area with water depth more than 500 m, which is one of the hot spots of global petroleum exploration for its series of giant hydrocarbon discoveries in recent years. However, the degree of oil and gas explorat...

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Main Authors: Yang-wei Feng, Yan Ren, Gong-cheng Zhang, Hong-jun Qu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. 2020-12-01
Series:China Geology
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519220302068
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author Yang-wei Feng
Yan Ren
Gong-cheng Zhang
Hong-jun Qu
author_facet Yang-wei Feng
Yan Ren
Gong-cheng Zhang
Hong-jun Qu
author_sort Yang-wei Feng
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT: North Carnarvon Basin is a gas province with minor oily sweet spots in deepwater area with water depth more than 500 m, which is one of the hot spots of global petroleum exploration for its series of giant hydrocarbon discoveries in recent years. However, the degree of oil and gas exploration in deepwater area is still low, and the conditions for oil and gas accumulation are not clear. Based on the current exploration situation and latest database of fields, applying multidisciplinary analysis of hydrocarbon geology, hydrocarbon accumulation elements and its exploration direction of North Carnarvon Basin in deepwater area are analyzed. The results show that there are three sets of main source rocks in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, which are Triassic marine shale in Locker Formation and delta coal-bearing mudstone with thin carbonaceous mudstone in Mungaroo Formation, Lower –Middle Jurassic paralic carbargilite and coal measure strata in Athol Formation and Murat Formation, Cretaceous delta mudstone in Barrow Group and marine shale in Muderong Formation. Most source rock samples show gas-prone capability. The coarse sandstone of delta facies in Middle–Upper Triassic Mungaroo Formation is the most important reservoir in deepwater area, Lower Cretaceous Barrow Group deep-water gravity flow or underwater fan turbidite sandstone is the secondly main reservoir. Lower Cretaceous marine shale in Muderong Formation is most important regional caprock. Triassic mudstone in Mungaroo Formation is an important interlayer caprock in deepwater area. There are two main reservoir accumulation assemblages in deepwater area, one is Triassic structural-unconformity plane reservoir accumulation assemblage of Locker Formation to Mungaroo Formation, and the other is Lower–Middle Jurassic Athol Formation and Murat Formation–Lower Cretaceous stratigraphic lithology-structural reservoir accumulation assemblage of Barrow Group to Muderong Formation. There are three main control factors of hydrocarbon Accumulation: One is coupling of source and seal control hydrocarbon distribution area, the second is multi-stage large wave dominated deltas dominate accumulation zone, the third is direction of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in hydrocarbon-rich generation depression was controlled by overpressure. The south of Exmouth platform in deepwater area is adjacent to hydrocarbon rich depression zone, reservoir assemblage is characterized by “near source rocks, excellent reservoir facies, high position and excellent caprocks ”, which is the main battlefield of deepwater oil and gas exploration in North Carnarvon Basin at present. There are a lot of fault block traps in the northern structural belt of Exmouth platform, and the favorable sedimentary facies belt at the far end of delta plain in Mungaroo Formation is widely distributed, which is the next favorable exploration zone. The Lower Cretaceous, which is located at the concave edge uplift adjacent to the investigator depression and the Exmouth platform, also has a certain exploration prospect in northwest of deepwater area.
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spelling doaj.art-81b62c16271642b588fe7cd6aeae5b2b2023-02-07T04:22:25ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.China Geology2096-51922020-12-0134623632Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, AustraliaYang-wei Feng0Yan Ren1Gong-cheng Zhang2Hong-jun Qu3School of Geographical Science and Tourism, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, China; Department of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China; PetroJindian (Beijing) Sci-Tech Co., Ltd., Beijing 100000, China; Corresponding author: E-mail address: 2005130009@163.com (Yang-wei Feng).School of Geographical Science and Tourism, Nanyang Normal University, Nanyang 473061, ChinaCNOOC Research Institute Co., Ltd., Beijing 100028, ChinaDepartment of Geology, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, ChinaABSTRACT: North Carnarvon Basin is a gas province with minor oily sweet spots in deepwater area with water depth more than 500 m, which is one of the hot spots of global petroleum exploration for its series of giant hydrocarbon discoveries in recent years. However, the degree of oil and gas exploration in deepwater area is still low, and the conditions for oil and gas accumulation are not clear. Based on the current exploration situation and latest database of fields, applying multidisciplinary analysis of hydrocarbon geology, hydrocarbon accumulation elements and its exploration direction of North Carnarvon Basin in deepwater area are analyzed. The results show that there are three sets of main source rocks in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, which are Triassic marine shale in Locker Formation and delta coal-bearing mudstone with thin carbonaceous mudstone in Mungaroo Formation, Lower –Middle Jurassic paralic carbargilite and coal measure strata in Athol Formation and Murat Formation, Cretaceous delta mudstone in Barrow Group and marine shale in Muderong Formation. Most source rock samples show gas-prone capability. The coarse sandstone of delta facies in Middle–Upper Triassic Mungaroo Formation is the most important reservoir in deepwater area, Lower Cretaceous Barrow Group deep-water gravity flow or underwater fan turbidite sandstone is the secondly main reservoir. Lower Cretaceous marine shale in Muderong Formation is most important regional caprock. Triassic mudstone in Mungaroo Formation is an important interlayer caprock in deepwater area. There are two main reservoir accumulation assemblages in deepwater area, one is Triassic structural-unconformity plane reservoir accumulation assemblage of Locker Formation to Mungaroo Formation, and the other is Lower–Middle Jurassic Athol Formation and Murat Formation–Lower Cretaceous stratigraphic lithology-structural reservoir accumulation assemblage of Barrow Group to Muderong Formation. There are three main control factors of hydrocarbon Accumulation: One is coupling of source and seal control hydrocarbon distribution area, the second is multi-stage large wave dominated deltas dominate accumulation zone, the third is direction of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation in hydrocarbon-rich generation depression was controlled by overpressure. The south of Exmouth platform in deepwater area is adjacent to hydrocarbon rich depression zone, reservoir assemblage is characterized by “near source rocks, excellent reservoir facies, high position and excellent caprocks ”, which is the main battlefield of deepwater oil and gas exploration in North Carnarvon Basin at present. There are a lot of fault block traps in the northern structural belt of Exmouth platform, and the favorable sedimentary facies belt at the far end of delta plain in Mungaroo Formation is widely distributed, which is the next favorable exploration zone. The Lower Cretaceous, which is located at the concave edge uplift adjacent to the investigator depression and the Exmouth platform, also has a certain exploration prospect in northwest of deepwater area.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519220302068Mungaroo FormationBarrow GroupOil and gas exploration engineeringExmouth plateauNorth Carnarvon BasinAustralia
spellingShingle Yang-wei Feng
Yan Ren
Gong-cheng Zhang
Hong-jun Qu
Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
China Geology
Mungaroo Formation
Barrow Group
Oil and gas exploration engineering
Exmouth plateau
North Carnarvon Basin
Australia
title Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
title_full Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
title_fullStr Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
title_full_unstemmed Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
title_short Petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of North Carnarvon Basin, Australia
title_sort petroleum geology and exploration direction of gas province in deepwater area of north carnarvon basin australia
topic Mungaroo Formation
Barrow Group
Oil and gas exploration engineering
Exmouth plateau
North Carnarvon Basin
Australia
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096519220302068
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AT gongchengzhang petroleumgeologyandexplorationdirectionofgasprovinceindeepwaterareaofnorthcarnarvonbasinaustralia
AT hongjunqu petroleumgeologyandexplorationdirectionofgasprovinceindeepwaterareaofnorthcarnarvonbasinaustralia