Exploration deliberations

Technical Report · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5685069

Stahl, W; Kvenvolden, K

Of the many directions that organic geochemistry could take relative to the solution of problems in petroleum exploration, three appear to have the greatest promise. Basic organic geochemical research in the areas of migration, kerogen, and depositional model systems should yield the most significant results relative to national energy needs. Migration of petroleum is one of the least understood phenomena in petroleum geology. New information in this area should increase the ability of explorationists to predict where petroleum has moved in the subsurface and where it now resides. Kerogen is the dispersed, insoluble organic matter in sedimentary rocks that is a basic substance in petroleum generation. Increased knowledge of its origin, composition, and alteration could be particularly valuable to explorationists. Depositional model systems combine the geologic framework with petroleum geochemistry to yield predictive models for understanding petroleum occurrence.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5685069
• Report Number(s): N-8322762
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBON
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMISTRY
DEPOSITION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPLORATION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGY
KEROGEN
MATERIALS
MIGRATION
MINERAL OILS
NONMETALS
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC MATTER
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
ROCKS
SEDIMENTS
SHALE OIL
STRATIGRAPHY