Geology and Resource Potential of the Manteo prospect
- Minerals Management Service, Herndon, VA (United States)
The Manteo exploration unit, located approximately 32 mi northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, is a potential East Coast elephant-size field. The unit consists of 21 leases that cost industry $296 million in bonuses since 1981. Mobil has estimated that the unit may contain as much as 5 tcf of natural gas, which would be the largest domestic find since Prudhoe Bay. The Manteo prospect, on the seaward margin of the Carolina Platform, lies between two major basins: the Baltimore Canyon Trough to the north and the Carolina Trough to the south. The prospect is within the western Atlantic carbonate trend, a Jurassic-Early Cretaceous reef and platform limestone complex that stretches from the Gulf of Mexico to Newfoundland. Seismic interpretation is complicated by distortions caused by abrupt changes of water depth map near the top of the Jurassic shows a large eat-northeast-trending structure about 30 mi long and 5 mi wide with structural closure of over 1,000 ft. Source rock analyses suggest that Upper Jurassic carbonate reservoirs would more likely contain gas than oil. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) estimates reservoir parameters from wells drilled on trend (Baltimore Canyon Trough) and recovery parameters from worldwide analogs. The 21-block unit was approved by the MMS in May of 1990. Since 1988, the MMS has worked with North Carolina, Federal and local agencies, and Mobil in preparation for wildcat exploration approval. The MMS has prepared an extensive environmental report for this exploration proposal.
- OSTI ID:
- 5738053
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9109238-; CODEN: AABUD
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:8; Conference: American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) eastern section meeting, Pittsburgh, PA (United States), 8-10 Sep 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGY
NORTH CAROLINA
CONTINENTAL SHELF
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
JURASSIC PERIOD
LEASING
NATURAL GAS
OFFSHORE SITES
REEFS
RESERVES
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
SEISMIC SURVEYS
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCES
SURVEYS
USA
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration