NORTH OF SHETLANDS

Northern North Sea

A non-exclusive study of the thermal and tectonic development and the hydrocarbon generation history using AFTA^® and vitrinite reflectance

The thermal history of the Mesozoic and Tertiary section and its effects on maturity development and oil generation are factors which are critical to the prediction of hydrocarbons on the Atlantic margin north of the Shetland Islands. Geotrack's studies in the West of Shetlands, Rockall Trough and West of Scotland regions have shown that the basins on the Atlantic margin have experienced multiple thermal episodes throughout their histories and have highlighted the importance of knowing which episodes were responsible for causing maturity in order to determine the relation between generation and the timing of trap formation. This work also revealed that contrary to conventional concepts, the Tertiary igneous activity and associated fluid movement has contributed significantly to source rock maturity over wide regions. Investigation of these effects will be a key aim of the North of Shetlands project.

Objectives

• Identify the significant thermal episodes which have influenced maturity development in the region, quantify their effects and delineate their regional extent.
  
• Construct a regional thermal history framework within which the history of potential source maturation and hydrocarbon generation can be understood.
  
• Provide quantitative constraints for basin modelling.
  
• Identify the causes of the major episodes of heating and cooling.
  
• Assess both the regional effects of burial, uplift/erosion, heat flow variation etc and the anticipated effects of heating due to intrusion and hot fluid movement associated with the Tertiary igneous activity.
  

Work Programme - New AFTA and vitrinite reflectance work on samples from approximately 13 wells. The study wells include:

219/20-1 219/27-1 219/28-1 219/28-2 210/4-1 210/5-1 209/3-1 209/4-1 209/6-1 209/12-1 208/15-1 208/17-1 208/19-1

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