Organic Matter Maturity and Clay Mineral Transformations in Overpressured Formations: Comparison Histories from Two Zones of the South Caspian Basin

Abstract

The role of excess pressures in catagenic processes of the South-Caspian basin (SCB) is investigated. The results allow one to conclude that the SCB (mainly its deep-water part) is characterized by retardation of the transformations from kerogen to oil and of oil to gas, and also by a delay in the transformation of smectite to illite in clay minerals. Periodic intensification of these processes can enhance the development of mud diapirs and mud volcanoes, which act as focal centers for impulsive unloading of hydrocarbon products. The conclusion is that there are increased chances of large hydrocarbon accumulations in the deeply buried overpressured formations.

Keywords

Overpressures Cracking Kerogen Oil Smectite Illite Retardation South Caspian Basin

References

Abrams

M.A.

and Narimanov

A.A.

, 1997. Geochemical evaluation of hydrocarbons and their potential sources in the western South Caspian depression, Republic of Azerbaijan. Marine and Petroleum Geology 14(4), 451–468.

Allen

E. B.

and Allen

M.F.

, 1990. The mediation of competition by mycorrhizae in successional and patchy environments. In: Grace

J. B.

and Tilman

(Eds.), Perspectives on Plant Competition. Academic Press, New York, USA, pp. 367–389.

Arnott

, 2009. BP discovers ‘giant’ oil field deep beneath waters of the Mexican Gulf. The Independent 3.

Barker

, 1990. Calculated volume and pressure changes during the thermal cracking of oil to gas in reservoirs. AAPG Bulletin 74, 1254–1261.

Bredehoeft

J.D.

Wesley

J.B.

and Fouch

T.D.

, 1994. Simulation of the origin of fluid pressure, fracture generation, and the movement of fluids in the Uinta Basin, Utah. AAPG Bulletin 78, 1729–1747.

Bruce

C.H.

, 1984. Smectite dehydration its relationship to structural development and hydrocarbon accumulation in the northern Gulf of Mexico basin. AAPG Bulletin 68, 673–683.

Buryakovsky

L.A.

Dzhevanshir

R.D.

and Aliyarov

Yu R.

, 1986. Geophysical Methods of Studying Geofluid Pressures. Baku, Elm, pp. 147 (in Russian).

Burrus

Osadetz

Gaullier

J.M.

Brosse

Doligez

de Janvry

Choppin G.

Barlier

and Viser

, 1993. Source rock permeability and petroleum expulsion efficiency: Modelling examples from the Mahakam delta, the Williston Basin and the Paris Basin. In: Parker

J.R.

(Ed.), Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe, Proceedings of the 4th Conference, The Geological Society of London, pp. 1317–1332.

Carcione

J.M.

Helle

H.B.

and Hydro

, 2002. The rock physics of geopressure and prediction of abnormal pore fluid pressures using seismic data. CSEG Recorder, 8–32.

10.

Carr

A.D.

Snape

C.E.

Meredith

Uguna

Scotchman

I.C.

and Davis

R.C.

, 2009. The effect of water pressure on hydrocarbon generation reactions: Some inferences from laboratory experiments. Petroleum Geoscience 15(1), 17–26.

11.

Chaney

P.E.

, 1950. Abnormal pressure and lost circulation. World Oil 130, 122–126.

12.

Hansom

and Lee

M.K.

, 2005. Effects of hydrocarbon generation, basal heat flow and sediment compaction on overpressure development: A numerical study. Petroleum Geoscience 11(4), 353–360.

13.

Hao

Sun

and Zhang

, 1996. Organic-matter maturation and petroleum generation model in the Yinggehai and Qiongdongnan basins. Science in China (Series D) 39(6), 650–658.

14.

Hao

Zou

Gong

Yang

and Zeng

, 2007. Hierarchies of overpressure retardation of organic matter maturation: Case studies from petroleum basins in China. AAPG Bulletin 91(10), 1467–1498.

15.

Hao

Dong

and Huang

, 2007. Abnormal organic-matter maturation in the Yinggehai basin, South China Sea: Implications for hydrocarbon expulsion and fluid migration from overpressured systems. Journal of Petroleum Geology 21(4), 427–444.

16.

Middleton

Kaiko

Jiang

and Li

, 2002. Two case studies of thermal maturity and thermal modelling within the overpressured Jurassic rocks of the Barrow sub-basin, North West shelf of Australia. Marine and Petroleum Geology 19, 143–159.

17.

Helgeson

H.C.

, 1985. Adjective – diffusive/dispersive transport of chemically reacting species in hydrothermal system. Grant U.S. Department of Energy, DE-FG03–85ER13419.

18.

Hillier

, 1991. Origins of abnormal pressure. Baker Hughes INTEQ lecture for training clients and field service engineers, 14.

19.

Holm

G.M.

, 1998. Distribution and origin of overpressure in the Central Graben of the North Sea. In: Law

B.E.

Ulmishek

G.F.

and Slavin

Q.I.

(Eds.), Abnormal Pressures in Hydrocarbon Environments. AAPG Memoir 70, 123–144.

20.

Huijun

Tairan

Zongjin

and Wencai

, 2004. Pressure retardation of organic maturation in clastic reservoirs: A case study from the Banqiao Sag, Eastern China. Marine and Petroleum Geology 21(9), 1083–1093.

21.

Hunt

J.M.

, 1990. Generation and migration of petroleum from abnormally pressured fluid compartments. AAPG Bulletin 74, 1–12.

22.

Fertl

W.H.

, 1976. Abnormal Formation Pressures, in Developments in Petroleum Science, No. 2. Amsterdam, Elsevier, pp. 382.

23.

Feyzullayev

A.A.

Guliyev

I.S.

and Tagiyev

M.F.

, 2001. Source potential of the Mesozoic-Cenozoic rocks in the South Caspian Basin and their role in forming the oil accumulations in the Lower Pliocene reservoirs. Petroleum Geoscience 7(4), 409–417.

24.

Feyzullayev

A.A.

Tagiyev

M.F.

and Lerche

, 2008. Tectonic control on fluid dynamics and efficiency of gas surveys in different tectonic settings. Energy Exploration & Exploitation 26(6), 363–374.

25.

Forbes

P.L.

Ungerer

and Mudford

B.S.

, 1992. A two-dimensional model of overpressure development and gas accumulation in Venture field, eastern Canada. AAPG Bulletin 76, 318–338.

26.

Francu

Guliev

Feyzullayev

and Abrams

, 2004. Fluid overpressure in respect to sedimentation rate and hydrocarbon generation under high and low heat flow conditions: A comparative modeling study in the South Caspian, Transcarpathian and Vienna Basins. AAPG European Region Conference with GSA 10, 10–13.

27.

Guliyev

I.S.

and Feyzullayev

A.A.

, 1996. Geochemistry of hydrocarbon seepages in Azerbaijan. In Shumacher

Abrams

, eds., “Hydrocarbon migration and its near-surface expression”. AAPG Memoir 66, 63–70.

28.

Gurgey

, 2003. Correlation, alteration, and origin of hydrocarbons in the GCA, Bahar, and Gum Adasi fields, western South Caspian Basin: Geochemical and multivariate statistical assessments. Marine and Petroleum Geology 20(10), 1119–1139.

29.

Katz

K.J.

Richards

Long

and Lawrence

, 2000. A new look at the components of the petroleum system of the South Caspian Basin. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering 28, 161–182.

30.

Kheirov

M.B.

, 1979. The effect of sediment deposition depth on the transformation of shale minerals. Transactions of the Academy of Sciences of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. Geoscience Series 8, 144–151 (in Russian).

31.

Khorasani

G.K.

and Michelsen

J.K.

, 1994. Four-dimensional fluorescence imaging of oil generation: Development of a new fluorescence imaging technique. Organic Geochemistry 22, 211–223.

32.

Lopatin

N.V.

, 1971. Temperature and time as factors of coalification. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Seriya gelogicheskaya 3, 95–106 (in Russian).

33.

Luo

and Vasseur

, 1996., Geopressuring mechanism of organic matter cracking: Numerical modeling. AAPG Bulletin 80, 856–874.

34.

McTavish

R. A.

, 1998. The role of overpressure in the retardation of organic matter maturation. Journal of Petroleum Geology 21(2), 153–186.

35.

Mello

U.T.

and Karner

G.D.

, 1996. Development of sediment overpressuring and its effect on thermal maturation: Application to the gulf of Mexico basin. AAPG Bulletin 80(9), 1367–1396.

36.

Momper

J.A.

, 1980. Generation of abnormal pressure through organic matter transformation. AAPG Bulletin 64, 753–761.

37.

Osborne

M.J.

and Swarbrick

R.E.

, 1997. Mechanisms for generating overpressure in sedimentary basins: A reevaluation. AAPG Bulletin 81(6), 1023–1041.

38.

Qin

S.J.

Sun

Y.Z.

and Tang

Y.G.

, 2010a. Long-term, low temperature simulation of early diagenetic alterations of organic matter from conifers: Aliphatic hydrocarbons. Geochemical Journal 44(4), 247–259.

39.

Qin

S.J.

Wang

J.X.

Zhao

C.L.

and Zhang

S.X.

, 2010b. Long-term, low temperature simulation of early diagenetic alterations of organic matter: A FTIR study. Energy Exploration & Exploitation 28(5), 365–376.

40.

Qiu

N.S.

Zuo

Y.H.

Zhou

Xinhuai

and Li

Cuicui

, 2010. Geothermal regime of the Bohai Offshore Area, Bohai Bay Basin, North China. Energy Exploration & Exploitation 28(5), 327–350.

41.

Spencer

C.W.

, 1987. Hydrocarbon generation as a mechanism for overpressuring in Rocky Mountain region. AAPG Bulletin 71 (abstract).

42.

Swarbrick

R.E.

and Osborne

M.J.

, 1998. Mechanisms that generate abnormal pressures: An overview. In: Law

B.E.

Ulmishek

G.F.

and Slavin

Q.I.

(Eds.), Abnormal Pressures in Hydrocarbon Environments. AAPG Memoir 70, 13–34.

43.

Sun

Y.Z.

, 1998. Influences of secondary oxidation and sulfide formation on several maturity parameters in Kupferschiefer. Organic Geochenistry 29, 1419–1429.

44.

Sun

Y.Z.

Wang

J.X.

Liu

L.F.

and Chen

J.P.

, 2005. Maturity parameters of source rocks from the Baise basin, South China. Energy Exploration & Exploitation 23(4), 257–266.

45.

Sun

Y.Z.

J.L.

Chen

J.P.

Jin

K.K.

and Wang

, 2006. Experimental study of decay conditions of organic matter and its significant for immature oil generation. Energy Exploration & Exploitation 24(3), 161–170.

46.

Sun

Y.Z.

Qin

S.J.

Zhao

C.L.

and Kalkreuth

, 2010. Experimental study of early formation processes of macerals and sulfides. Energy & Fuels 24, 1124–1128.

47.

Tagiyev

M.F.

Nadirov

R.S.

Bagirov

E.B.

and Lerche

, 1996. AAPG/ASPG Research Symposium. “Oil and gas petroleum systems in rapidly subsiding basins”. October 6–9. Baku, Azerbaijan (abstract).

48.

Tissot

B.P.

and Welte

D.H.

, 1984. Petroleum formation and occurrence. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg, pp. 699.

49.

Uguna

Meredith

Snape

C.E.

Carr

A.D.

Scotchman

I.C.

and Davis

R.C.

, 2007. High pressure liquid water pyrolysis of source rocks to investigate hydrocarbon generation in geological basins. IMOG-2007, pp.143-TU.

50.

Vandenbroucke

Durand

and Oudin

J.L.

, 1983. Detecting migration phenomena in a geological series by means of C₁-C₃₅ hydrocarbon amounts and distributions, In Bjoroy

(Ed.). Advances in Organic Geochemistry, pp. 147–155.

51.

Vassoevich

N.B.

, 1974. Principal scheme of a vertical zoning and oil and gas generation – Proceedings of the Academy of Sciences of USSR. Geological Series 5, 17–29 (in Russian).

52.

Wang

and Du

, 2007. Experimental study on existence of hydrocarbon under high pressure and temperature in deep lithosphere. IMOG-2007, pp.144-TU.

53.

Waples

D.W.

, 1980. Time and temperature in petroleum formation: Application of Lopatin's method to petroleum exploration. AAPG Bulletin 64, 916–926.

54.

Xie

Bethke

C.M.

Lii

Liu

and Zheng

, 2001. Overpressure and petroleum generation and accumulation in the Dongying Depression of the Bohaiwan Basin, China. Geofluids 1, 257–271.

55.

Zou

Y.R.

and Peng

, 2001. Overpressure retardation of organic-matter maturation: A kinetic model and its application. Marine and Petroleum Geology 18(6), 707–713.