--> New 1D basin modelling from the eastern part of the Faroese Continental Shelf reveals areas still within the thermal maturity window

AAPG Europe Regional Conference, Global Analogues of the Atlantic Margin

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New 1D basin modelling from the eastern part of the Faroese Continental Shelf reveals areas still within the thermal maturity window

Abstract

New 1D basin modelling from the eastern part of the Faroese Continental Shelf (FoCS) indicates that there may be areas where the Upper and the Middle Jurassic source rocks, the Kimmeridge clay formation (KCF) and the Heather formation, respectively, may still be within the thermal maturity window for hydrocarbon generation. 1D basin modelling was carried out at three well- and three pseudo well locations on the eastern flank of the FoCS. Standard kinetic model of Burnham (1989_TII and TIII) was applied assuming the Upper Jurassic KCF organic matter to be a marine type II, and the source rock organic matter from the Heather formation to be terrestrial type III for all six areas. One well and one pseudo well were modelled within the Judd Basin. The modelled well, well 6004/16-1z (the Marjun well), was drilled in 2001, while a pseudo well (the Judd pseudo well) was located on a deeper lying tilted fault block, approximately 10 kilometres to the northwest of well 6004/16-1z. From the Judd Basin, the results from the Marjun well indicate that the main phase of hydrocarbon generation happened during Palaeocene for both Jurassic source rocks in the area. The results from the adjacent Judd pseudo well indicate that both Jurassic source rocks are still within the thermal maturity window for hydrocarbon generation, although most of the hydrocarbon generation took place during the Palaeocene and Eocene. Late oil generation and subsequent migration from these shallow Upper and Middle Jurassic source rocks in the Judd Basin may be an explanation for oil being present in e.g. the Paleocene aged Marjun reservoir, as a proposition to the “motel” model, the “whoopee cusion effect” model and the maturity retardation due to overpressure model presented by Holmes et al. 1999, Iliffe et al 1999 and Carr and Scotchman 2003, respectively.