Basin development and hydrocarbon occurrence offshore Mid-Norway
The continental shelf offshore Mid-Norway was opened for exploration drilling in 1980. The area extends southward to the North Sea sedimentary basins and northward to the Barents Sea continental shelf. The central part is a proven petroleum province. After peneplanation of the Caldeonides, a large epicontinental basin connected the region between Greenland and Norway during the late Paleozoic and Mesozoic. A change in climate to more humid conditions toward the end of the Triassic led to coastal plain deposition that persisted into the Early Jurassic. These carbonaceous sediments are important source beds for gas and condensate. A major transgression took place during the Early Jurassic, leading to deposition of a sequence of shallow marine sands, tidal-flat sands, and offshore muds of medium to low reservoir quality. A Middle Jurassic regression resulted in deposition of shallow marine sandstones presently representing the main reservoir in the area. Normal and growth faulting during the Triassic to Early Jurassic culminated with the main Kimmerian (pre-Callovian) tectonic phase that resulted in extensive horst and graben development, with subsequent erosion of structural highs. The Upper Jurassic consists of marine shales, of which the upper part is an oil-prone shale of excellent source rock characteristics. The base of the Cretaceous is developed as a regional unconformity (late Kimmerian) onlapped by Cretaceous marine shales, marls, and minor limestone with no reservoir potential.
- Research Organization:
- Saga Petroleum A.S., Stavanger, Norway
- OSTI ID:
- 6279382
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8410143-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Vol. 68:9; Conference: 34. annual meeting of the Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies and Gulf Coast Section of SEPM, Shreveport, LA, USA, 24 Oct 1984
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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