--> ABSTRACT: Hydrocarbon Source Rocks Evaluation and Basin Modeling in South East Onshore Nile Delta Basin, Egypt, by Mahmoud G. Hassaan, Raafat Rezk, Abdel Hakim Hashem, Mohamed Darwish, Abdel-Moneim El Aaraby, Ahmed El Barkooky; #90141 (2012)

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Hydrocarbon Source Rocks Evaluation and Basin Modeling in South East Onshore Nile Delta Basin, Egypt

Mahmoud G. Hassaan1, Raafat Rezk2, Abdel Hakim Hashem2, Mohamed Darwish3, Abdel-Moneim El Aaraby3, Ahmed El Barkooky3
(1) BP Egypt (2) Exploration, Melrose Resources Plc, Cairo, Egypt. (3) Geology, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt.

The South East Onshore Nile Delta basin includes the South East El Mansoura Concession. It has a complicated structural and stratigraphic framework, being affected by the Nile Delta Hinge Zone which separates the area into northern and southern mini basins. The northern one is a part of the main Nile Delta province and is characterized by thick Neogene sediments while the southern one is a reflection of interaction between the Nile Delta, Eastern Desert and Western Desert tectono-stratigraphic framework. The hydrocarbon source rocks evaluations have been focused on the Mesozoic and Tertiary successions.

The aim of the present study is to define and fully understand the distribution of hydrocarbon source rocks intervals in SE El Mansoura Concession as a part of the onshore Nile Delta. Geochemical data including the total organic carbon (TOC %), pyrolysis results, vitrinite reflectance (Ro %) of the analysed rock samples from Sindy-1, Mit Ghamr NE-1ST, Monaga-1, Abu Hammad-1 and East Delta-8 deep wells. These data are interpreted and integrated to define the potential source rocks interval and areas. The results of interpretation have implemented into Basin modeling software to predict the time of generation and expulsion for each potential source interval. Few pseudo wells are modeled in the basinal area in addition to the used wells in order to produce maturity and generation maps.

Three hydrocarbon source rock intervals are identified: Oligocene (Tineh Formation), Lower Cretaceous (Alam El Bueib Formation) and Middle Jurassic (Khatatba Formation). All of these intervals are fair to good source rocks, with average TOC (%) values rarely exceeding 2%. Kerogen type is predominantly terrigenous type III for the Oligocene succession while it is a mixed type II/III for both Lower Cretaceous and Middle Jurassic source rocks intervals. Oligocene Tineh Formation is restricted only to the northern mini basin. It is considered as potential mature source rocks with average level (~ 0.7 to 1.3 Ro %) and reaching the stage of oil/gas generation and expulsion. The Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib Formation source is predicted to have generated and expelled commercial volumes of hydrocarbon south of the Hinge Zone (southern mini basin). The Middle Jurassic Khatatba Formation source is modeled and it is found to reach the maturation stage (pseudo well extrapolation).

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90141©2012, GEO-2012, 10th Middle East Geosciences Conference and Exhibition, 4-7 March 2012, Manama, Bahrain