Exploration applications of geochemistry in the Midland Basin, Texas
- DGSI, Woodlands, TX (USA)
- Mobil Exploration and Producing US, Inc., Midland, TX (USA)
Reservoirs, source rocks, and crude oils were studied at Pegasas field on the eastern flank of the Central Basin platform. The field is a faulted anticlinal structure and produces oil and gas from seven geologically complex reservoirs ranging from the Ordovician Ellenburger to the Permian San Andres formations. A better understanding of the petroleum systems present should lead to improved exploration and development opportunities. Good to excellent-quality, mature oil-prone source rocks occur at numerous horizons between the Permian Spraberry and Ordovician Ellenburger formations. Oil-rock correlations indicate three major petroleum systems: Ordovician sources for oil in Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian reservoirs; Mississippian to Pennsylvanian sources for Pennsylvanian reservoired oils; and Permian sources for oils in Permian reservoirs. The Ordovician to Devonian system experienced peak oil generation, extensive vertical oil migration, and in-reservoir oil maturation in Triassic time; the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian system reached peak oil generation with limited vertical oil migration in Jurassic time; and the Permian system is just reaching peak oil generation and has had little or no vertical oil migration. The total amount of oil available to charge the field is several times the oil in place, and all available traps were filled to capacity. This implies substantial accumulations remain undiscovered in subtle stratigraphic and combination traps in the Pegasus field area. The same is probably true throughout the Midland basin. Integrated studies with geological, geophysical, engineering, and geochemical input can provide valuable exploration information on local as well as regional scales. Pegasus field examples include fault-block isolation reservoir segregation and waterflood or gas cycling efficiency. Such studies may also contribute information leading to lateral and vertical field extension wells.
- OSTI ID:
- 7091764
- 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
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
TEXAS
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
DEVONIAN PERIOD
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC TRAPS
MATURATION
PERMIAN PERIOD
RESERVOIR ROCK
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SOURCE ROCKS
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESOURCES
USA
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
580000 - Geosciences