Rospo Mare (Adriatic Sea) - An oil-bearing paleokarst in the Mediterranean region
- Elf Aquitaine, Pau (France)
The oil-bearing paleokarst at Rospo Mare is located in the Adriatic Sea, 20 km off the Italian coast. The reservoir lies at a depth of 1,300 m and consists of a paleokarst of Oligocene to Miocene age that developed within Cretaceous limestones, now covered by 1,200 m of Miocene-Pliocene clastics. The oil column is about 140 m. The karstic nature of the reservoir was identified through vertical cored drill holes, which allowed us to analyze the various solution features and the sedimentary infill (speleothems, terra rossa, marine clays), as well as their vertical distribution. Observations concerning the upper part of the reservoir were compared to a paleokarst of the same age, outcropping widely onshore, in quarries located nearby. Erosion morphology at the top of the karst is highly irregular, including especially paleovalleys as well as many pit-shaped sink holes. Detailed knowledge of that morphology through geophysics helped optimizing the development of the field through horizontal drilling.
- OSTI ID:
- 6674984
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-900605-; CODEN: AABUD
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA), Vol. 74:5; Conference: Annual convention and exposition of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, San Francisco, CA (USA), 3-6 Jun 1990; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
58 GEOSCIENCES
ADRIATIC SEA
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
CONGLOMERATES
EROSION
ITALY
SANDSTONES
SILTSTONES
TERTIARY PERIOD
CENOZOIC ERA
EUROPE
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MEDITERRANEAN SEA
MINERAL RESOURCES
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEAS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SURFACE WATERS
WESTERN EUROPE
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
580000 - Geosciences