Print this pageABSTRACT: Petroleum Potential of the Southern Apennines (Italy)
R. Vially, P. Casero, F. Roure
In overthrust belts, source rock maturation results from the balance between deformation velocities and thermal readjustments.
The petroleum potential of the southern Apennines overthrust belt is evaluated by simulating source rock maturation and hydrocarbon generation through time with a one-dimensional simulation program (Matoil), taking into account both the burial history and the thermal evolution of the sediments. This analysis incorporates the source rock distribution in the sedimentary pile and balanced geological cross sections that constrain the burial history of each tectonostratigraphic unit. These cross sections have been drawn along regional seismic reflection lines, with additional constraints given by exploration wells, field studies, and paleontological data.
The thermal history of each tectonostratigraphic unit has been deduced from heat flow and burial data from the beginning of sedimentation (Triassic) to present times. This study also incorporates the low temperatures in the foredeep, due to the rapid migration of the deformation and the very high sedimentation rate, and the thermal disturbance due to overthrusting that results from the contact between the relatively hot sole of the allochthon (depending on the thickness of the thrust pile) and the autochthon.
In the southern Apennines, the great velocity of the deformation prevents the Mesozoic source rocks from an overmaturation during their thrust transport across the foredeep. The uppermost thrust sheets and duplexes of the platform show the best oil and gas potential with source rock maturation and well-defined tectonic traps. The foredeep slope can also offer good prospects like pop-up structures or inverted normal faults. The burial and thermal history is not adequately constrained for the innermost units of the allochthon to allow simulation with our methods.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990