Petroleum geochemistry of Alaskan North Slope - an update

Conference · Mon Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1985 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5924424

Magoon, L B; Claypool, G E

Consideration of the basic requirements for oil occurrence (source, migration pathway, reservoir, trap, and seal) suggests that source rock adequacy may be a limiting factor in National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA). Two geochemically distinct types of North Slope oil have been recognized: the Simpson-Umiat type (associated with a pebble-shale unit/Torok Formation source) and the Barrow-Prudhoe type (associated with a Shublik Formation/Kingak Shale source). Except for the oil from the Fish Creek 1 well and the reservoirs of Cretaceous age in the Prudhoe area, the Barrow-Prudhoe oil reservoirs are in Ellesmerian sequence rocks on the Barrow arch. The source-reservoir thermal-maturity patterns, the inferred timing of oil generation, and the structural configuration of the Ellesmerian rocks all suggest that the oil should have migrated to the Barrow area as well as to the Prudhoe area. The presence of subcommercial Barrow-Prudhoe-type oil in NPRA also suggests that deficiencies in the oil plumbing system do not explain the lack of oil accumulations along the Barrow arch. The large volumes of oil in the Prudhoe area, as compared to only oil shows in the Barrow area, are best explained by the greater amount and better quality or organic matter in the Shublik Formation and the Kingak Shale to the east of NPRA.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA
• OSTI ID: 5924424
• Report Number(s): CONF-8505215-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 69:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ALASKA
ALASKAN NORTH SLOPE
CHEMISTRY
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
FEDERAL REGION X
GEOCHEMISTRY
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
MATURATION
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
ORIGIN
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SHALES
SOURCE ROCKS
USA