Middle and upper Miocene natural gas sands in onshore and offshore Alabama

Conference · Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6177507

Mink, R M; Mancini, E A; Bearden, B L; Smith, C C

Thirty Miocene natural gas fields have been established in onshore and offshore Alabama since the discovery of Miocene gas in this area in 1979. These fields have produced over 16 bcf of natural gas from the middle Miocene Amos sand (24 fields) and upper Miocene Luce (3 fields), Escambia (1 field), and Meyer (3 fields) sands. Production from the Amos transgressive sands represents over 92% of the cumulative shallow Miocene natural gas produced in onshore and offshore Alabama. In addition, over 127 bcf of natural gas has been produced from upper Miocene sands in the Chandeleur area. The productive Miocene section in onshore and coastal Alabama is interpreted to present transgressive marine shelf and regressive shoreface sands. The middle Miocene Amos sand bars are the most productive reservoirs of natural gas in onshore and coastal Alabama, principally due to the porous and permeable nature of these transgressive sands and their stratigraphic relationship to the underlying basinal clays in this area. In offshore Alabama the upper Miocene sands become thicker and are generally more porous and permeable than their onshore equivalents. Because of their deeper burial depth in offshore Alabama, these upper Miocene sands are associated with marine clays that are thermally more mature. The combination of reservoir grade lithologies associated with moderately mature petroleum source rocks enhances the natural gas potential of the upper Miocene sands in offshore Alabama.

• Research Organization: State Oil and Gas Board of Alabama, Tuscaloosa (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6177507
• Report Number(s): CONF-8810362-
• Journal Information: AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States), Vol. 72:9; Conference: Gulf Coast Association of the Geological Society and Gulf Coast Section of SEPM meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA, 19 Oct 1988
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
ALABAMA
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
MATURATION
SANDSTONES
SOURCE ROCKS
TERTIARY PERIOD
CENOZOIC ERA
FEDERAL REGION IV
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration