ONSHORE ACREAGE RELEASE 2001

2001 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
A.J. Andrejewskis

It is my privilege to present the onshore acreage release for the year 2001 on behalf of the States and Territories.I will be presenting the information as supplied to me by each department of the States and Territories.Before doing so, I would like to make a few remarks. Many of these will be familiar to you, but I believe bear repeating to remind ourselves.While there appears to be a resurgence of onshore interest and activity, last year saw the lowest level of onshore exploration activity in many years.At the risk of being emotive, Australia does not deserve this poor level of exploration activity.Australia has vast sedimentary basins, and these are under-explored by any world standards. Targets range from Palaeogoics (even neo-Proterozoic) to Tertiary.Australia needs:To have innovative concepts.The drive to carry out these concepts.Support of the governments and community.Financial backing of good ideas and good people.Land access.While this list is not exhaustive, it does encapsulate the key issues.The opportunities for onshore oil and gas successes are vast so I urge all in the industry to pursue these opportunities.And now, I turn to each state, starting with Queensland.

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 258
Author(s):  
Alexey S. Egorov ◽  
Oleg M. Prischepa ◽  
Yury V. Nefedov ◽  
Vladimir A. Kontorovich ◽  
Ilya Y. Vinokurov

The evolutionary-genetic method, whereby modern sedimentary basins are interpreted as end-products of a long geological evolution of a system of conjugate palaeo-basins, enables the assessment of the petroleum potential of the Western sector of the Russian Arctic. Modern basins in this region contain relics of palaeo-basins of a certain tectonotype formed in varying geodynamic regimes. Petroleum potential estimates of the Western Arctic vary broadly—from 34.7 to more than 100 billion tons of oil equivalent with the share of liquid hydrocarbons from 5.3 to 13.4 billion tons of oil equivalent. At each stage of the development of palaeo-basins, favourable geological, geochemical and thermobaric conditions have emerged and determined the processes of oil and gas formation, migration, accumulation, and subsequent redistribution between different complexes. The most recent stage of basin formation is of crucial importance for the modern distribution of hydrocarbon accumulations. The primary evolutionary-genetic sequence associated with the oil and gas formation regime of a certain type is crucial for the assessment of petroleum potential. Tectonic schemes of individual crustal layers of the Western sector of the Russian Arctic have been compiled based on the interpretation of several seismic data sets. These schemes are accompanied by cross-sections of the Earth’s crust alongside reference geophysical profiles (geo-traverses). A tectonic scheme of the consolidated basement shows the location and nature of tectonic boundaries of cratons and platform plates with Grenvillian basement as well as Baikalian, Caledonian, Hercynian, and Early Cimmerian fold areas. Four groups of sedimentary basins are distinguished on the tectonic scheme of the platform cover according to the age of its formation: (1) Riphean-Mesozoic on the Early Precambrian basement; (2) Paleozoic-Cenozoic on the Baikalian and Grenvillian basements; (3) Late Paleozoic-Cenozoic on the Caledonian basement; (4) Mesozoic-Cenozoic, overlying a consolidated basement of different ages. Fragments of reference sections along geo-traverses illustrate features of the deep structure of the main geo-structures of the Arctic shelf and continental regions of polar Russia.


Clay Minerals ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. H. Nadeau

AbstractThe impact of diagenetic processes on petroleum entrapment and recovery efficiency has focused the vast majority of the world's conventional oil and gas resources into relatively narrow thermal intervals, which we call Earth's energy “Golden Zone”. Two key mineralogical research breakthroughs, mainly from the North Sea, underpinned this discovery. The first is the fundamental particle theory of clay mineralogy, which showed the importance of dissolution/precipitation mechanisms in the formation of diagenetic illitic clays with increasing depth and temperature. The second is the surface area precipitation-rate-controlled models for the formation of diagenetic cements, primarily quartz, in reservoirs. Understanding the impacts of these geological processes on permeability evolution, porosity loss, overpressure development, and fluid migration in the subsurface, lead to the realization that exploration and production risks are exponential functions of reservoir temperature. Global compilations of oil/gas reserves relative to reservoir temperature, including the US Gulf Coast, have verified the “Golden Zone” concept, as well as stimulated further research to determine in greater detail the geological/mineralogical controls on petroleum migration and entrapment efficiency within the Earth's sedimentary basins.


2021 ◽  
pp. 23-31
Author(s):  
Y. I. Gladysheva

Nadym-Pursk oil and gas region has been one of the main areas for the production of hydrocarbon raw materials since the sixties of the last century. A significant part of hydrocarbon deposits is at the final stage of field development. An increase in gas and oil production is possible subject to the discovery of new fields. The search for new hydrocarbon deposits must be carried out taking into account an integrated research approach, primarily the interpretation of seismic exploration, the creation of geological models of sedimentary basins, the study of geodynamic processes and thermobaric parameters. Statistical analysis of geological parameters of oil and gas bearing complexes revealed that the most promising direction of search are active zones — blocks with the maximum sedimentary section and accumulation rate. In these zones abnormal reservoir pressures and high reservoir temperatures are recorded. The Cretaceous oil and gas megacomplex is one of the main prospecting targets. New discovery of hydrocarbon deposits are associated with both additional exploration of old fields and the search for new prospects on the shelf of the north. An important area of geological exploration is the productive layer of the Lower-Berezovskaya subformation, in which gas deposits were discovered in unconventional reservoirs.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavel Mostovoy ◽  
Ildar Safarov ◽  
Evgeniy Tumanov ◽  
Maria Zaytseva ◽  
Maksim Aksenov ◽  
...  

Abstract Oil and gas companies’ future production profile is shaped by their exploration strategy and resource base development. Gazprom Neft's production profile will include 40% of current exploration projects by 2030. Geological exploration, on the other hand, is a high-risk business because it involves a lot of uncertainty due to the geological complexity of the targets being explored, as well as a lot of risky capital. Taking these factors into account, the Company will need to expand its exploration function as well as its approaches to managing exploration projects in order to meet its lofty aims. To determine the key areas of growth and a strategy for the exploration function development in the coming years, it was decided to first analyze the geological exploration activity in the Company in 2010 – 2020 period. The knowledge of achievements, success stories, and development areas is the fulcrum for future victories. Therefore, retrospective analysis is an important tool for the development of any system of activity - individual, organization, or state.


1995 ◽  
Vol 13 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 245-252
Author(s):  
J M Beggs

New Zealand's scientific institutions have been restructured so as to be more responsive to the needs of the economy. Exploration for and development of oil and gas resources depend heavily on the geological sciences. In New Zealand, these activities are favoured by a comprehensive, open-file database of the results of previous work, and by a historically publicly funded, in-depth knowledge base of the extensive sedimentary basins. This expertise is now only partially funded by government research contracts, and increasingly undertakes contract work in a range of scientific services to the upstream petroleum sector, both in New Zealand and overseas. By aligning government-funded research programmes with the industry's knowledge needs, there is maximum advantage in improving the understanding of the occurrence of oil and gas resources. A Crown Research Institute can serve as an interface between advances in fundamental geological sciences, and the practical needs of the industry. Current publicly funded programmes of the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences include a series of regional basin studies, nearing completion; and multi-disciplinary team studies related to the various elements of the petroleum systems of New Zealand: source rocks and their maturation, migration and entrapment as a function of basin structure and tectonics, and the distribution and configuration of reservoir systems.


The Rock–Eval pyrolysis and LECO analysis for 9 shale and 12 coal samples, as well as, geostatistical analysis have been used to investigate source rock characteristics, correlation between the assessed parameters (QI, BI, S1, S2, S3, HI, S1 + S2, OI, PI, TOC) and the impact of changes in the Tmax on the assessed parameters in the Cretaceous Sokoto, Anambra Basins and Middle Benue Trough of northwestern, southeastern and northcentral Nigeria respectively. The geochemical results point that about 97% of the samples have TOC values greater than the minimum limit value (0.5 wt %) required to induce hydrocarbon generation from source rocks. Meanwhile, the Dukamaje and Taloka shales and Lafia/Obi coal are found to be fair to good source rock for oil generation with slightly higher thermal maturation. The source rocks are generally immature through sub-mature to marginal mature with respect to the oil and gas window, while the potential source rocks from the Anambra Basin are generally sub-mature grading to mature within the oil window. The analyzed data were approached statistically to find some relations such as factors, and clusters concerning the examination of the source rocks. These factors were categorized into type of organic matter and organic richness, thermal maturity and hydrocarbon potency. In addendum, cluster analysis separated the source rocks in the study area into two groups. The source rocks characterized by HI >240 (mg/g), TOC from 58.89 to 66.43 wt %, S1 from 2.01 to 2.54 (mg/g) and S2 from 148.94 to 162.52 (mg/g) indicating good to excellent source rocks with kerogen of type II and type III and are capable of generating oil and gas. Followed by the Source rocks characterized by HI <240 (mg/g), TOC from 0.94 to 36.12 wt%, S1 from 0.14 to 0.72 (mg/g) and S2 from 0.14 to 20.38 (mg/g) indicating poor to good source rocks with kerogen of type III and are capable of generating gas. Howeverr, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and linear regression analysis shows a significant positive correlation between TOC and S1, S2 and HI and no correlation between TOC and Tmax, highly negative correlation between TOC and OI and no correlation between Tmax and HI. Keywords- Cretaceous, Geochemical, Statistical, Cluster; Factor analyses.


Author(s):  
E. A. Lavrenova ◽  
Yu. V. Shcherbina ◽  
R. A. Mamedov

Background. Three prospective sedimentary complexes — Aptian-Upper Cretaceous, Paleogene and Neogene — are predicted in the waters of the Eastern Arctic seas. Here, the search for oil and gas is associated with harsh Arctic conditions at sea, as well as with high geological risks and significant expenditures under the conditions of poor knowledge of the region. In this regard, the localisation of prospecting drilling objects and the assessment of the geological risks of deposit discovery should be carried out.Aim. To assess geological risks and to determine the probability of discovering oil and gas fields, as well as to identify prospective areas for licensing and exploration in the water areas of the Eastern Arctic.Materials and methods. Structural and heat flow maps along with the results of geochemical analysis, as well as typical terrestrial sections were used as initial materials. Using the method of basin analysis, the modelling of generation-accumulation hydrocarbon systems (GAHS) and the quantitative assessment of its hydrocarbon potential in the Eastern Arctic water area was carried out. The assessment of geological risks and the probability of field discovery was performed using the conventional methodology widely applied by oil companies.Results. The GAHS modelling using a variation approach showed that, regardless of the kerogen type, with average values of Сorg in sediments, potential oil-and-gas source strata (OGSS) were capable of saturating the prospective objects with hydrocarbons. The “OGSS assessment” factor was determined as “encouraging” (0.7). Active geodynamic regime and the manifestation of several folding phases within the study area provided favourable conditions for the formation of anticlinaltraps in sedimentary basins. However, the cap rock quality rating was assessed as “neutral” (0.5). The overall risk for the “Trap assessment” factor was estimated based on the minimum criterion of 0.5.Conclusion. The most prospective areas recommended for licensing were selected, and the recommendations for further geological exploration work in these areas were given in order to clarify their hydrocarbon potential and reduce geological risks.


2002 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 259 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.J. Ambrose ◽  
K. Liu ◽  
I. Deighton ◽  
P.J. Eadington ◽  
C.J. Boreham

The northern Pedirka Basin in the Northern Territory is sparsely explored compared with its southern counterpart in South Australia. Only seven wells and 2,500 km of seismic data occur over a prospective area of 73,000 km2 which comprises three stacked sedimentary basins of Palaeozoic to Mesozoic age. In this area three petroleum systems have potential related to important source intervals in the Early Jurassic Eromanga Basin (Poolowanna Formation), the Triassic Simpson Basin (Peera Peera Formation) and Early Permian Pedirka Basin (Purni Formation). They are variably developed in three prospective depocentres, the Eringa Trough, the Madigan Trough and the northern Poolowanna Trough. Basin modelling using modern techniques indicate oil and gas expulsion responded to increasing early Late Cretaceous temperatures in part due to sediment loading (Winton Formation). Using a composite kinetic model, oil and gas expulsion from coal rich source rocks were largely coincident at this time, when source rocks entered the wet gas maturation window.The Purni Formation coals provide the richest source rocks and equate to the lower Patchawarra Formation in the Cooper Basin. Widespread well intersections indicate that glacial outwash sandstones at the base of the Purni Formation, herein referred to as the Tirrawarra Sandstone equivalent, have regional extent and are an important exploration target as well as providing a direct correlation with the prolific Patchawarra/Tirrawarra petroleum system found in the Cooper Basin.An integrated investigation into the hydrocarbon charge and migration history of Colson–1 was carried out using CSIRO Petroleum’s OMI (Oil Migration Intervals), QGF (Quantitative Grain Fluorescence) and GOI (Grains with Oil Inclusions) technologies. In the Early Jurassic Poolowanna Formation between 1984 and 2054 mRT, elevated QGF intensities, evidence of oil inclusions and abundant fluorescing material trapped in quartz grains and low displacement pressure measurements collectively indicate the presence of palaeo-oil and gas accumulation over this 70 m interval. This is consistent with the current oil show indications such as staining, cut fluorescence, mud gas and surface solvent extraction within this reservoir interval. Multiple hydrocarbon migration pathways are also indicated in sandstones of the lower Algebuckina Sandstone, basal Poolowanna Formation and Tirrawarra Sandstone equivalent. This is a significant upgrade in hydrocarbon prospectivity, given previous perceptions of relatively poor quality and largely immature source rocks in the Basin.Conventional structural targets are numerous, but the timing of hydrocarbon expulsion dictates that those with an older drape and compaction component will be more prospective than those dominated by Tertiary reactivation which may have resulted in remigration or leakage. Preference should also apply to those structures adjacent to generative source kitchens on relatively short migration pathways. Early formed stratigraphic traps at the level of the Tirrawarra Sandstone equivalent and Poolowanna Formation are also attractive targets. Cyclic sedimentation in the Poolowanna Formation results in two upward fining cycles which compartmentalise the sequence into two reservoir–seal configurations. Basal fluvial sandstone reservoirs grade upwards into topset shale/coal lithologies which form effective semi-regional seals. Onlap of the basal cycle onto the Late Triassic unconformity offers opportunities for stratigraphic entrapment.


2003 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 117 ◽  
Author(s):  
C.J. Boreham ◽  
J.E. Blevin ◽  
A.P. Radlinski ◽  
K.R. Trigg

Only a few published geochemical studies have demonstrated that coals have sourced significant volumes of oil, while none have clearly implicated coals in the Australian context. As part of a broader collaborative project with Mineral Resources Tasmania on the petroleum prospectivity of the Bass Basin, this geochemical study has yielded strong evidence that Paleocene–Eocene coals have sourced the oil and gas in the Yolla, Pelican and Cormorant accumulations in the Bass Basin.Potential oil-prone source rocks in the Bass Basin have Hydrogen Indices (HIs) greater than 300 mg HC/g TOC. The coals within the Early–Middle Eocene succession commonly have HIs up to 500 mg HC/g TOC, and are associated with disseminated organic matter in claystones that are more gas-prone with HIs generally less than 300 mg HC/g TOC. Maturity of the coals is sufficient for oil and gas generation, with vitrinite reflectance (VR) up to 1.8 % at the base of Pelican–5. Igneous intrusions, mainly within Paleocene, Oligocene and Miocene sediments, produced locally elevated maturity levels with VR up to 5%.The key events in the process of petroleum generation and migration from the effective coaly source rocks in the Bass Basin are:the onset of oil generation at a VR of 0.65% (e.g. 2,450 m in Pelican–5);the onset of oil expulsion (primary migration) at a VR of 0.75% (e.g. 2,700–3,200 m in the Bass Basin; 2,850 m in Pelican–5);the main oil window between VR of 0.75 and 0.95% (e.g. 2,850–3,300 m in Pelican–5); and;the main gas window at VR >1.2% (e.g. >3,650 m in Pelican–5).Oils in the Bass Basin form a single oil population, although biodegradation of the Cormorant oil has resulted in its statistical placement in a separate oil family from that of the Pelican and Yolla crudes. Oil-to-source correlations show that the Paleocene–Early Eocene coals are effective source rocks in the Bass Basin, in contrast to previous work, which favoured disseminated organic matter in claystone as the sole potential source kerogen. This result represents the first demonstrated case of significant oil from coal in the Australian context. Natural gases at White Ibis–1 and Yolla–2 are associated with the liquid hydrocarbons in their respective fields, although the former gas is generated from a more mature source rock.The application of the methodologies used in this study to other Australian sedimentary basins where commercial oil is thought to be sourced from coaly kerogens (e.g. Bowen, Cooper and Gippsland basins) may further implicate coal as an effective source rock for oil.


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