Deepwater Tertiary Sedimentation & Hydrocarbon Prospectivity in the Western Black Sea Deep Offshore – A Prolific Hydrocarbon Province of the Future?

Floodpage, Jonathan¹; Morice, Michel; Philippe, Yann; Popa, Christian; and Mateo, Patricia
¹[email protected]

Deepwater exploration of the Black Sea started in the 1990s, culminating in the drilling between 2005 and 2011 of five exploration wells, all within the Turkish sector. Whilst these wells remain tight, no findings of significant hydrocarbons have been announced, raising questions about the quality/presence of Tertiary reservoirs and/or the existence of a functioning petroleum system. However, the 2012 Domino dry gas discovery (reported as up to 3 TCF recoverable resources) in Romanian deep-waters has re-focused attention on the western part of the Black Sea, promising potentially better reservoir quality.

TOTAL with its partners OMV and REPSOL were recently awarded the Bulgarian deepwater Han Asparuh permit covering 14,220 square km of the Black Sea. This area is located immediately to the south of the Domino discovery. 3D and 2D seismic stratigraphic evaluation has revealed the presence of extensive Oligocene-Lower Miocene ‘Maykop’ turbidite fan deposits, probably sourced from the granitic/gneissic Rhodope/Strandja and Balkanide highlands, via canyons located within the Kamchia Depression. These systems have been calibrated by the released Samotino-1 well drilled in 2007, which penetrated the axis of a major feeder canyon, encountering a thick proximal turbidite unit, containing clean siliciclastic sands. Furthermore, proprietary geochemical evaluation of Samotino-1 has demonstrated over 200 m of Type II source rock. Whilst these samples are immature, a mature Maykop kitchen probably may exist in the more deeply buried basinal areas of the Black Sea to the east.

This paper will provide direct well and seismic evidence for the presence of a major Oligocene to Lower Miocene sedimentary entry point into the western part of the Black Sea, together with geochemical proof of a potentially prolific Maykop source rock within this largely un-explored basin.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90166©2013 AAPG International Conference & Exhibition, Cartagena, Colombia, 8-11 September 2013