Deltaic provinces a major focus of worldwide exploration efforts

Journal Article · Mon Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 1992 · Oil and Gas Journal; (United States)

OSTI ID:5056388

Wescott, W A ^[1]

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1. Amoco Production Co., Houston, TX (US)

Deltas have proven to be important worldwide oil and gas provinces for two main reasons. First, they are point sources from which sediment is introduced onto continental shelves and into marginal basins, where the interaction of fluvial and basinal processes frequently results in favorable associations of reservoir, source, and seal facies. Second, the progradation of deltas forms a geomorphic bulge that projects seaward and allows land and shallow offshore drilling rigs to reach deep targets that could only be reached by more expensive rigs in deeper water areas adjacent to the delta. This paper reports that significant hydrocarbons have been discovered in at least 17 deltaic provinces worldwide. Almost 30 billion bbl of oil and more than 100 tcf of gas have been produced from these deltaic provinces, which contain estimated ultimate reserves of more than 50 billion bbl of oil and 320 tcf of gas. Fields with reserves greater than 500 million bbl of oil occur in five deltaic basins, and fields with more than 100 million bbl of oil have been found in 13 deltas. Future exploration will focus on deepwater delta-front environments and smaller deltas in more remote areas with hostile drilling environments, such as those in the circum-arctic region.

• OSTI ID: 5056388
• Journal Information: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States), Journal Name: Oil and Gas Journal; (United States) Vol. 90:24; ISSN OIGJA; ISSN 0030-1388
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
COASTAL REGIONS
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
RIVER DELTAS
SEDIMENTS