Dickson, William G.1, Craig F. Schiefelbein2, Mark Odegard3
(1) DIGs, Stafford, TX
(2) Geochemical Solutions International, Inc, Woodlands, TX
(3) GETECH, Stafford, TX
ABSTRACT: Hydrocarbon Neighbourhoods and Migration Limits: Results from Co-interpreting Geochemical and Geophysical Data in Brazilian Basins
Abstract The continental margin basins of Brazil and West Africa contain prolific oil
habitats. Most historic production has been generated from lacustrine sediments deposited
during Neocomian rifting (Brice, et al. 1980, Mello et al. 1988a and b; Burwood 1997; and
references therein). Increasingly important are Late Cretaceous post-evaporite sediments
with liquid hydrocarbon source potential laid down in shallow marine and fluvial-deltaic
environments as spreading continued (Mello et al. 1988a and b; Sofer 1993; Burwood 1997;
Katz et al. 1997; and references therein).
This investigation began as an analysis of South Atlantic Margin basins using both
geophysical and geochemical data with software to generate paleo-reconstructions of all
the data sets. The initial rough set of correlations between conjugate basins based on a
large set of crude oil data suggested missing source rock plays by highlighting a series
of oil family matches and gaps along the margins. Unexpectedly, the oil families seemed in
each basin or sub-basin to relate closely to structural elements imaged from regional
gravity data.
The recent availability of higher resolution gravity and magnetics grids allowed detailed
correlations in four Brazilian basins (Campos, Espirito Santo, Reconcavo and
Sergipe-Alagoas), dramatically reinforcing the definition of source kitchens and transfer
faults or zones of weakness that separate oil types. By combining data sets, we have
imaged basins and even individual paleo-lakes, defined migration pathways and mapped the
limits of different petroleum systems. Our talk illustrates the interpretation process
with examples of clear and unclear correlations and explores some remaining questions.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90026©2004 AAPG Annual Meeting, Dallas, Texas, April 18-21, 2004.