Abstract: Oriented Hydrocarbon Migration--Result of Geologic-Event Timing

G. A. Moore

Oriented hydrocarbon migration and the prediction of the direction in which this migration takes place have become more important as exploration for domestic oil and natural gas has turned to the search for stratigraphic traps.

To direct a search for a stratigraphic trap, an exploration procedure must deal with an anisotropic, oriented form of hydrocarbon movement. Migration theories and the physical forces responsible for the movement of hydrocarbons have been discussed and researched for years. The physical forces responsible for producing the movement of hydrocarbons produce, in general, an isotropic, nonoriented pattern of movement. Therefore, to determine the direction of movement, the controlling parameters which orient the movement of hydrocarbons resulting from the physical forces must be identified, their effects quantified, and the source of the parameters must be defined before adequate exploration proceeds.

Temperature, pressure, and solution concentrations are three parameters which directly affect the migration of hydrocarbons. The effects of these parameters and the effects of changes in these parameters result in the orientation of hydrocarbon migration. One of the sources for these three parameters and their changes is the occurrence and timing of geologic events.

Geologic-event timing is an integral part of the predicted hydrocarbon migration and must be an active part of any exploration procedure involving the prediction and eventual discovery of hydrocarbon reservoirs using hydrocarbon migration.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90972©1976 AAPG-SEPM Annual Convention and Exhibition, New Orleans, LA