Geochemical advances in Arctic Alaska oil typing – North Slope oil correlation and charge history

Botterell, Palma J.; Houseknecht, David W.; Lillis, Paul G.; Barbanti, Silvana M.; Dahl, Jeremy E.; Moldowan, J. Michael

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104878

Geochemical advances in Arctic Alaska oil typing – North Slope oil correlation and charge history

Journal Article · Wed Feb 24 00:00:00 EST 2021 · Marine and Petroleum Geology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104878· OSTI ID:1774068

Botterell, Palma J. ^[1]; ^[1]; Lillis, Paul G. ^[2]; ^[3]; Dahl, Jeremy E. ^[4]; Moldowan, J. Michael ^[3]

US Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States)
US Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
Biomarker Technologies, Inc., Rohnert Park, CA (United States)
SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Science (SIMES)

The Arctic Alaska petroleum province is geologically and geochemically complex. Mixed hydrocarbon charge from multiple source rocks and/or levels of thermal maturity is common within an individual oil pool. Biomarker and chemometric statistical analyses were used to correlate twenty-nine oils to five oil families derived from: (1) Triassic Shublik Formation (calcareous organofacies), (2) Triassic Shublik Formation (shaly organofacies), (3) Jurassic Kingak Shale, (4) Cretaceous shale (pebble shale unit and Hue Shale), and (5) Paleogene shale (Canning Formation). Age-diagnostic and source-related oil biomarker parameters establish clear genetic relationships between the normal oil-window components and their putative source designations. However, application of diamondoid analyses reveals mixed-oil accumulations with postmature charge contributions (diamondoid-rich and biomarker-poor) in many oils. Most sampled reservoirs contain a predominant charge derived from a single oil-window source plus a minor contribution from one or more higher maturity source(s). Variations in source organofacies also are recognized in the Shublik, Kingak, and Cretaceous oil families. In some cases, oils from multiple pools within a single field display relatively homogeneous geochemical profiles, suggesting a common source and migration pathway. For example, oil from the significant Pikka discovery is inferred to originate mainly from the calcareous Shublik Formation. In other cases, variability among oils from multiple pools within a single field (e.g., Milne Point, Colville River, and Northstar) likely indicates a more complex source, migration, and charge history. The results of this study may be useful for anticipating the composition of oil charge in stratigraphic traps with low-permeability sandstone reservoirs, where oil gravity and other chemical parameters may influence economic viability.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515

OSTI ID:: 1774068

Journal Information:: Marine and Petroleum Geology, Journal Name: Marine and Petroleum Geology Vol. 127; ISSN 0264-8172

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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