Petroleum geology of the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous, Baltimore Canyon trough, western North Atlantic Ocean
- Shell Offshore Inc., New Orleans, LA (United States)
Numerous hydrocarbon shows, including a noncommercial gas and gas-condensate accumulation, occur in the Baltimore Canyon Trough within sandstone units deposited in prograding coastal-plain and transitional-marine environments located updip of an Oxfordian/Kimmeridgian carbonate shelf edge. The coastal-plain and transitional-marine facies are overlain by a fine-grained deltaic complex dominated by delta-plain shales which collectively form a regionally extensive top seal unit. Wells drilled seaward of the continental shelf edge ( > 1,500 m water depth) tested large structural/stratigraphic closures along the downdip termination of the Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous carbonate shelf edge but encountered no significant hydrocarbon shows. Reservoir rocks in these wells consist of (1) oolite grain-stone, which was deposited within a shoal-water complex located at the Aptian shelf edge, and (2) coral-stromatoporoid grainstone and boundstone. Structural closures having reservoir and top seals are present in both updip and downdip trends. hydrocarbon shows in wells along the shelf interior trend indicate the presence of mature source beds, at least locally. The absence of hydrocarbon shows in downdip carbonate reservoirs and around the Schlee Dome, however, suggests charge/migration mechanisms within the fetch areas of these objectives have failed. Continued development of play concepts in the Baltimore Canyon Trough, therefore, requires identification and mapping of potential source-rock intervals and construction of hydrocarbon expulsion models to time hydrocarbon generation relative to trap formation.
- OSTI ID:
- 5254672
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Vol. 75:2; ISSN AABUD; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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ATLANTIC OCEAN
BALTIMORE CANYON
CARBONATE ROCKS
CONDENSATES
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
ENERGY SOURCES
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
EXPLORATION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS CONDENSATES
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
JURASSIC PERIOD
LIQUIDS
MASS TRANSFER
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS LIQUIDS
OFFSHORE SITES
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEAS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SOURCE ROCKS
STRATIGRAPHY
SURFACE WATERS