Abstract: Petroleum Systems in the Northern Black Sea - Fore Caucasus

SNYDER, MIKE and KEN PETERS

Geochemical relationships were determined among 127 crude oils and source-rocks from a large area between the northwestern Black Sea and the western Caspian Sea. Five petroleum systems were established using chemometrics of source-related geochemical parameters:

Group 1: Gas-prone type III kerogen deposited under oxic conditions in Tertiary marine delta. Main locations Indol-Kuban, Jrklievskaya and NW Black Sea.

Group 2: Similar to Group 1, but even more terrigenous input. Main locations West Stavropol, East Kubanskaya and Adegeyskiy.

Group 3: Terrigenous kerogen deposited under oxic conditions. Main locations Manich, Karpinskiy and Prekumskaya.

Group 4: Marine, algal-rich carbonate-evaporite(s) deposited under suboxic to anoxic conditions. Main locations Tersko-Sunzhenskiy and East Kubanskaya.

Group. 5: Marine, sulfur-rich type IIs kerogen with little higher-plant input. Main locations Tersko-Sunzhenskiy, Dagestan Anticlinal Zone and Prekumskaya.

Geochemical and geologic data indicate that these hydrocarbons originated from Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene source rocks. The results help to assess the risk for exploration plays. For example, the study does not support a pre-Upper Cretaceous source rock in the NW Black Sea, which adds significant risk to a tilted, Mesozoic fault block play in this area.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90942©1997 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Vienna, Austria