Play types of the deep-water Labrador margin - Canada

Abstract

The Labrador Sea, offshore the east coast of Canada has been covered in 2011-2012 by the largest 2D seismic data set ever acquired on this passive margin which encompasses an area of approximately 540, 000 sq. km. The new multi-client 2D seismic survey acquired by TGS in partnership with PGS was designed to assess the hydrocarbon potential over the slope and deep water area. So far most of the wells were drilled on the shelf of the Saglek and Hopedale Basins with a high rate success for a frontier margin (6 discoveries in 31 wells).

This paper will focus on describing the structural and stratigraphic plays seen on the high quality long offset seismic survey. The Bjarni Formation contains the proven source rock and the result of the recent thermal model shows that the Late Cretaceous and Tertiary section also contain potential mature source rocks. The common syn-rift plays include drape sandstone of the Bjarni Formation over basement highs (tested play in North Bjarni F-06 discovery) and the up-dip pinch-outs of Bjarni sandstones against tilted fault blocks. The Late Cretaceous post-rift plays are related to sands draped over basement horsts and up-dip pinch-out against basin marginal faults. The Paleogene drift deep water plays offer potential for structural and stratigraphic traps such as: the detachments and toe-thrust structures with sands encased in shales, large listric growth faults developed with roll-over anticlines, channel systems with up-dip pinch-outs and slope fans. These plays represent a new concept for hydrocarbon accumulations in the deep water of the Labrador margin. Most of these plays include a stratigraphic component with some amplitude anomalies associated.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90226 © 2015 European Regional Conference and Exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal, May 18-19, 2015