A Comparison of Deepwater Petroleum Systems: Southern and Central Morocco and the Northeastern United States and Nova Scotia

By

Stephen A. Hermeston¹, Jeffrey Lund²

(1) Kerr-McGee Oil &Gas Corporation, Houston, (2) Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corporation, Houston, TX

 Exploration and research studies have been undertaken for 40 years on the deepwater margins around the world. A number of industry and research seismic lines are available for the Northeastern United States, Nova Scotia and Central and Southern Morocco. Stratigraphic control is provided from the DSDP/ODP and oil industry well reports. A paeogeographic reconstruction of the North Atlantic prior to the opening of the Atlantic juxtaposes Nova Scotia to Central Morocco and the Northeast Seaboard of the United States to The Southern Territories of Morocco

Kerr-McGee is currently evaluating 3.3 million acres in deepwater Nova Scotian waters and has recently signed a large reconnaissance permit covering approximately 27 million acres along the shelf and deepwater of the Southern Territories of Morocco.

In progress evaluations of both areas have identified numerous similarities and differences in the structural history, depositional processes and play developments of each area. The presentation will cover these ongoing evaluations and compare and contrast the variability in play type and development resulting from these differences.