Emerging Jurassic Source Rock Play in the Deepwater off Newfoundland and Labrador, East Coast of Canada

Enachescu, Michael E.¹, John R. Hogg² (1) Memorial University, St John's, NF (2) ConocoPhillips Canada, Calgary, AB

The sedimentary basins located on the Canadian Atlantic Coast off Newfoundland and Labrador, were formed by Mesozoic rifting and ocean opening. A proven petroleum system anchored by the Kimmeridgian Egret Member of the Rankin Formation produces 400,000 bopd from three giant fields - Hibernia, Terra Nova and White Rose - all located within the shallow waters of the Jeanne d'Arc Basin. High quality reservoir rocks are present in the Late Jurassic (Jeanne d'Arc Formation sandstone), Early Cretaceous (Hibernia Formation sandstone) and late Early Cretaceous (Eastern Shoals, Avalon and Ben Nevis Formations sandstones).

Recent drilling in the Flemish Pass Basin encountered marine source rocks and reservoir oil of Jurassic age in the deepwater of the Flemish Pass. By using modern seismic grids, the source rock interval can be extrapolated into the Orphan Basin. The deepwater Chevron et al., Great Barasway F - 66 well was drilled in the fall of 2006 to test a large anticline situated in the eastern portion of the basin, in an area where seismic mapping has predicted the existence of mature source rocks. On the outer shelf and on the slope of the Hopedale Basin, in the Labrador Sea, several deep sedimentary troughs were identified, that may contain a Late Jurassic sedimentary succession capable of generating oil.