Major New Foreign Exploration Plays During 1983-1987

P. A. Emmet, J. D. Hedberg, N. L. McIver, W. W. Tyrrell Jr.

About 30 billion bbl of recoverable oil have been found in new foreign plays during the last 5 years; significant gas reserves also were found. Most of the foreign oil discoveries are in Mesozoic sandstone reservoirs onshore, but Marlim, the largest single field with estimated reserves of 2.5 billion bbl, is located offshore in the deep-water part of the Campos basin, Brazil. Approximately 8-10 billion bbl of oil were found in South America, 6 billion in the Near East, 5 billion in western Europe, 5 billion in Africa, 2 billion in Asia (outside the USSR), and 0.5-0.7 billion in Australasia.

Some of the giant discoveries include: Cano Limo, Colombia (1983); Alif, North Yemen, and Draugen, Norway (1984); Marlim, Brazil, and Heidrun, Norway (1985); El Furrial, Venezuela (1986); and Musipan-1, Venezuela (1987). Most of these and several smaller discoveries are in new plays or trends.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.