Print this pageAbstract: Practical Application of Geochemical Data to Petroleum Exploration
At a time when the search for petroleum is becoming an increasingly more difficult and expensive task, geochemistry has emerged as a practical exploration tool. Generally, it now is recognized that the identification of source facies is an essential factor in defining the petroleum potential of a stratigraphic sequence or sedimentary basin. This may be accomplished by the geochemical evaluation of surface outcrops or subsurface cores and cuttings.
The organic geochemistry of sedimentary rocks, particularly in deltaic basins, is discussed in terms of the organic richness and thermal history necessary to bring about the generation and accumulation of commercial quantities of gas and/or oil. The deltaic environment is a particularly favorable one for geochemical study because the entire diagenetic process from early to late is represented. Currently subsiding basins enable one to define confidently the progressive effect of depth of burial on the maturation of organic matter and to identify the stage at which petroleum generation takes place. These findings are extrapolated readily to older and more complex systems.
Present findings suggest that major accumulations of dry gas can be generated in very early stages of diagenesis. However, it seems likely that major oil accumulations are more critically time-temperature dependent.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90978©1975 GCAGS-GC Section SEPM Annual Meeting, Jackson, Mississippi