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Geological Society, London, Special Publications

Classic petroleum provinces

Jim Brooks Geological Society, London, Special Publications 1990, v.50; p1-8. doi: 10.1144/GSL.SP.1990.050.01.01

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Classic petroleum provinces

JIM BROOKS B r o o k s Associates, Glasgow G43 2 E E , U K In recent years there has been a proliferation of international meetings and publications with themes such as 'Frontier Areas for Exploration', 'Future Petroleum Provinces' and 'Future Potential for Exploration in Frontier Basins' in the hope that new exploitable hydrocarbon reserves will be discovered. Many of these geologically interesting areas, usually with limited hydrocarbon potential, have been promoted and often over emphasized in efforts to obtain investment monies into the regions. With the 1986 oil-price crash, there has been and will continue to be only limited funds available to explore in these frontier areas: deep water, jungles, mountain terrain, ice-covered lands and remote continental interiors. The oil industry's present and likely future existence will continue to be focussed in the classic petroleum provinces of the world. Which company would choose not to explore in the mature petroleum provinces (Middle East, North and off-shore West Africa, West and East Texas, Mexico, Venezuela, Siberia, Western Canada, Gulf Coast, Niger Delta, North Sea) if they had the opportunity? The concept of a petroleum province, composed of one or several sedimentary basins having common geological features and a comparable history was first suggested by Perrodon (1980). It generally includes several petroleum zones. The classic petroleum provinces are still the world's major producers of hydrocarbons and will continue to be so well into, and through, the 21st century. The world's hydrocarbon supplies, oil company profits and major exploration and production activities will continue to be principally from these mature provinces. In recent years much new data, new understandings, new interpretations, application of modern concepts, re-evaluation of these mature exploration areas, fields and basins has resulted in the discovery of major new hydrocarbon accumulations. Many of the basins are not only classic petroleum provinces, but also classic geological provinces. Many basins have been major petroleum producing provinces for a great number of years (e.g. The Middle East and Texas Basins), but others have only recently fully revealed their hydrocarbon treasures (e.g. The North Sea and North Slope Alaska). Other regions, such as Venezuela and Siberia, still continue to surprise with new giant discoveries of oil and gas. Nehring (1978) and Perrodon (1978) pointed out that some 20 giant petroleum provinces (each containing more than 10 x 109 bbl or 1.6 x 109 m 3 oil) contain over 85% of the total known world oil (i.e. production plus known recoverable reserves of conventional oil). However, these provinces cover only 20% of the total surface of sedimentary basins (Table 1). Among them, the Middle East (the A r a b i a n - I r a n i a n ) province contains over 500 x 109 bbl (80 x 109 m 3) conventional oil and accounts for more than half of the world's past production plus known reserves. If heavy oil (API < 20 ~ and tar sands are included in the world reserxu calculations, Western Canada and Eastern Venezuela provinces contain a similar amount of oil to the Middle East. Together these three provinces account for over 75% of the world reserves. Currently, there are over 500 known giant oil and gas fields in the world containing a total of some 900 x 109 bbl of oil and 3500 TCF of natural gas. These giant fields, distributed throughout the classic petroleum provinces, contain over 1.5 x 1012 bbl of oil equivalent. A nice portfolio to have! Of these reserves, some 270 x 109 bbl of oil (30% of reserves) and 198 TCF gas (6% of reserves) had been produced by mid-1984 (Carmalt & St John 1986). The remaining reserves, together with recent reported major hydrocarbon discoveries (particularly in Venezuela and Siberia) mean that over 70% of the oil (>600 x 109 bbl) and 95% (>4,000 TCF) of the gas remains to be recovered from giant fields in the major petroleum provinces. Petroleum-rich provinces occur in a variety of geological settings. Various attempts have been made (see Bally & Snelson 1980; Klemme 1971, 1975; Kingston et al. 1983a, b; St John 1980; St John et al. 1984; Demaison 1984, 1989) to classify petroliferous basins. These proposed systems attempt to classify worldwide sedimentary basins into specific, as well as general categories. Hydrocarbon plays/accumulations and basin classification have important relationships in some cases. Basin classification can be useful in that similarities and differences in

From BROOKS,J. (ed.), 1990, Classic Petroleum Provinces, Geological Society Special Publication No 50, pp 1-8.

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CLASSIC PETROLEUM PROVINCES Table 2. Basin classification as defined by Bally & Snelson (Bally & Snelson 1980; St John et aI. 1984) 1. Basins located on the rigid lithosphere, no associated with formation of megasutures 11. Related to formation of oceanic crust 111. Rifts 112. Oceanic transform fault associated basins 113-OC. Oceanic abyssal plains 114. 'Atlantic-type' passive margins (shelf, slope & rise) which straddle continental and oceanic crust 1141. Overlying earlier rift systems 1142. Overlying earlier transform systems 1143. Overlying earlier backarc basins of types 321 and 322 12. Located on pre-Mesozoic continental lithosphere 121. Cratonic basins 1211. Located on earlier rifted grabens 1212. Located on former backarc basins of type 321 2. Perisutural basins on rigid lithosphere associated with formation of compressional megasuture 21-OC. Deep sea trench of moat on oceanic crust adjacent to B-subduction margin 22. Foredeep and underlying platform sediments, or moat on continental crust adjacent to A-subduction margin 221. Ramp with buried grabens, but with little or no block faulting 222. Dominated by block faulting 23. 'Chinese-type' basins associated with distal block faulting related to cornpressional or megasuture and without associated A-subduction margin 3. Episutural basins located and mostly contained in compressional megasuture 31. Associated with B-subduction zone 311. Forearc basin 312. Circum-Pacific backarc basin 3121-OC. Backarc basins floored by oceanic crust and associated with B-subduction (marginal sea sensu stricto ) 3122. Backarc basins floored by continental or intermediate crust, associated with B-subduction 32. Backarc basins, associated with continental collision and on concave side of A-subduction arc 321. On continental crust of 'Pannonian-type' basin 322. On transitional and oceanic crust or 'W Mediterranean-type' basins 33. Basins related to episutural megashear systems 331. 'Great basin-type' basin 332. 'California-type' basin 4. Folded belt 41. Related to A-subduction 42. Related to B-subduction 5. Plateau basalts

hydrocarbon-bearing basins can be compared and contrasted. Basin classifications attempt to catalogue and categorize prolific hydrocarbon plays with specific tectonic and depositional events. The Bally & Snelson (1980) (see also St John et al. 1984) basin classification (Table 2) divides basins into three major categories depending upon their tectonic environment. (i) Basins on rigid lithosphere (Type-1 Basins): basins located on the rigid lithosphere, no association with formation of megasutures. Examples are. rifts, oceanic abyssal plains and 'Atlantic-type' margins. (ii) Perisutural basins on rigid lithosphere (Type-2 Basins): associated with the for-

mation of compressional megasuture. Examples are deep-sea trenches, foredeeps and 'Chinesetype' basins. (iii) Episutural basins (Type-3 Basins): located and mostly contained in compressional megasuture. Examples are forearc and backarc basins and 'Basin and Range' basins. A n o t h e r two basin types have also been proposed: folded-belt (Type-4 Basins) and plateau basalts (Type-5 Basins). The major classification divisions reflect the geological characteristics of the basin associated with megasutures, which are major compressional plate boundaries (Carmalt & St John 1986).

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J. BROOKS exploration in various types of basins. The relationship is normalised to the basin style which is the most successful for discovering hydrocarbons. Also reported is the percentage success of finding oil in each basin style. The most successful exploration is in 'Atlantic-type passive margins -- overlying earlier back arc basins' (Basin Type 1143). In these basins there has been a 85% exploration success in finding some hydrocarbons -- a good striking rate!

A number of interesting and potentially useful grouping and relationships of the major petroleum provinces, giant oil fields and hydrocarbon exploration success/failure with basin classification can be made.

Success in finding hydrocarbons using basin classification

Figure 1 uses the Bally and Snelson Classification to evaluate the most and least successful

There is a > 50% success for finding hydrocarbons in the following types of basins: Basin Type 1143: Basin Type 23: 'Atlantic-type' passive margins overlying backarc basins. 'Chinese-type' basins associated with distal block faulting related to compressional or megasuture and without associated A-subduction zone. Foredeep and underlying platform sediments -- ramp with buried graben, but with little or no block faulting. Folded belt: related to A-subduction. Foredeep and underlying platform sediments: dominated by block faulting. Cratonic basins located on earlier rifted graben.

Basin Type 221: Basin Type 41: Basin Type 222: Basin Type 1211:

Fig. 1. Hydrocarbon exploration success and failure in different types of basin (using Bally & Snelson's basin classification).

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CLASSIC PETROLEUM PROVINCES There is a < 20% success for finding hydrocarbons in the following types of basins: Basin Type 321: Backarc basins on continental crust of 'Pannonian-type' basin. Plateau basalts. Basin Type 5: Basin Type 1212: Basins on Pre-Mesozoic continental lithosphere located on former backarc basins. Basin Type 42: Folded belt related to B-subduction. Basin Type 311: Forearc basins associated with B-subduction. Basin Type 21: Deep sea trench on oceanic crust adjacent to B-subduction margin. Basin Type 113: Basins located on oceanic abyssal plains. Basin Type 331: 'Great basin-type' basins. Basin Type 3121: Backarc basins floored by oceanic crust and associated with B-subduction. Basin Type 33: Basins related to episutural megashear systems.

Distribution of giant oil and gas fields within different basin types
Carmalt & St John (1986) have related the number and distribution of giant fields to the major basin divisions of BaUy's classification. Fig. 2 relates the number of giants fields by Bally's classification.

The largest group of giant fields (211 fields) is found in the 'Foredeep and underlying platform sediments' (see Table 2). This group of fields includes the majority of the Middle East Hydrocarbon Province -- but not the megafields in the Zagros Foldbelt. The group also includes most of the Venezuelan petroleum province; the Permian; North Slope

Fig. 2. Distribution of giant fields in different types of basin (using Bally & Snelson's basin classification - see
Carmalt & St John 1986).

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of Alaska and Alberta provinces of North America; and a number of the megaprovinces of the USSR. Some 115 giant fields been discovered in 'Cratonic basins on the Pre-Mesozoic continental crust'. The major petroleum discoveries of Western Siberia and the North Sea are found in this basin type. 'Atlantic-margin' type basins contain about 78 giant oil fields; and includes the Niger Delta, US Gulf Coast and the Campeche province in Mexico. Forty giant fields in the Zagros foldbelt in Iraq and Iran account for the significant occurrence of giant fields in 'Thrust Belts'. Figure 3 shows the distribution of hydrocarbons in giant oil and gas fields using the Bally and Snelson classification (data taken from Carmalt & St John 1986). The amount of gas in the giant

fields and types of basin is given in oil equivalent. The most prolific petroleum provinces are those on the continental crust, but in a mobile zone associated with collision. There are, however, large differences in 'oil richness' between the giant petroleum provinces. Middle East, Sirte-Libya, Maracaibo, Reforma Campeche, California and North Caucasus petroleum provinces are very rich and have > 50 x 103 bbl per mile 2. If heavy oil is included in the richness classification then Western Canada and East Venezuela are included in this category. All other giant petroleum provinces, including North Sea, Gulf Coast, Western Siberia, Ural-Volga and Niger Delta, show moderate richness from 5 to 50 x 103 barrels per mile 2. The non-giant petroleum provinces usually

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CLASSIC PETROLEUM PROVINCES show only moderate richness often < 5 x 103 barrels per mile 2. The known recoverable conventional oil reserves are very much concentrated in giant fields (Nehring 1978). There are between 20 000 and 30 000 fields smaller than 100 x 106 bbl and all these fields only account for about 10% of known oil reserves. However, the major petroleum provinces contain about 920 fields larger than 100 x 106 barrels, which contain about 90% of known oil reserves. Furthermore, 280 giant fields contain 75% of the known oil reserves, and 50% of the world's reserves are contained in only 35 mega-fields within the classic petroleum provinces. Tissot & Welte (1984) point out that there are some differences in the degree of areal concentration of oil reserves and also in the role of giant fields from one petroleum province to another. A concentrated distribution of oil reserves is defined (Perrodon 1980); "as the occurrence of the major fraction of reserves in a small number of fields". There are large differences in size distribution between fields in major petroleum provinces. In North Slope, Alaska, the Prudhoe Bay giant field contains the bulk of the known oil reserves in that area. The Romashkino field contains > 35% of the known oil reserves in the U r a l - V o l g a province of the USSR. In the Western Siberia petroleum province, the Samotlor field contains 40% of the known oil reserves and the Urengory field has about 30% of the gas reserves in the province. In the Algerian Sahara province, the Hassi Messaoud field contains > 65% of the oil reserves and the Hassi R'Mel field has > 30% of the known gas reserves. Concentrated distribution of oil and gas reserves in a petroleum-rich province is controlled by the basin style and special geological situations. Often a stratigraphic or structural feature will have favoured large drainage areas such as a regional uplift, a regional unconformity with weathered beds or with a basal sandstone acting as major migration pathway. Tissot & Welte (1984) illustrate an extreme case of concentrated distribution with the huge heavy oil accumulations of Eastern Venezuela and Western Canada, where the possible conjunction of a regional unconformity for migration and an in situ degradation is responsible for sealing off and trapping the vast reserves. It is essential that oil and gas exploration in frontier provinces continues and many of these

regions are under-explored or still remain to be fully evaluated and tested. However many explorationists predict that as much as 50% of the undiscovered oil and gas lies in the classic petroleum provinces. Many of the sedimentary basins of the Middle East and Siberia have not been fully evaluated and explored. Recent discoveries of giant oil fields in Venezuela (this volume), support the hypothesis of the vast hydrocarbon potential still remaining in many of the classic petroleum provinces. The exploration potential of the mature North Sea oil and gas province has also been generally underestimated and is substantially greater than most commentaries have suggested (Brooks & Nicholson 1988). There has been a lack of appreciation of the rapid and fundamental improvements taking place in our understanding of sedimentary basins. Recently, new concepts in structural geology, basin development, petroleum geochemistry and reservoir geology have been applied in the evaluation and re-evaluation of North Sea oil and gas fields and discoveries. North Sea sedimentary basins have good potential for further significant discoveries. It is concluded that the UK's known remaining oil and gas reserves should last for up to 30 and 50 years respectively. Exploration drilling is likely to continue to be more selective in the future, with more emphasis on high gain for the risk involved. Such economics and philosophy will tend to concentrate exploration in the mature petroleum provinces. The challenge to companies is to maintain commitment to exploration teams taking imaginative overviews of basins rather than pursuing routine local mapping and remapping exercises. There should be many future hydrocarbon discoveries made in the classical petroleum provinces. A reliable assessment of future discoveries must be based on thorough, sustained and imaginative mapping controlled by basin models which reflect the vast data base and experience gained over the years by the industry. As new wells are drilled and regions reevaluated, new ideas are developing to replace our old hypotheses. In the classic petroleum provinces, there is no fixed number of prospects known whose exhaustion will steadily diminish the chance of a giant field. In many of the mature petroleum provinces, new concepts, interpretation and modelling have barely started towards the highly detailed knowledge of the basins required for successful exploration. Innovation in exploration thinking and introduction of new techniques can maintain the

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J. BROOKS KINGSTON, D. R., DISHROON, C. P. & WILLIAMS, P. A. 1983a. 'Global Basin Classification System' A A P G Bulletin, 67, 2175-2193. - & -1983b. 'Hydrocarbon Plays and Global Basin Classification', A A P G Bulletin, 67, 2194-2198. KLEMME, H. D. 1971. 'The Giants and the Supergiants' Oil and Gas Journal 69(9), 85-90; 69(10), 103-110; 69(11), 96-100. - 1975. 'Giant Oil Fields related to their geological setting -- a possible economic guide to exploration'. Bulletin Canadian Petroleum Geologists, 23, 30-66. NEHRING, R. 1978. Giant Oil Fields and World Oil Resources. Rand Corporation Report R-2284 CIA. PERRODON, A. 1978. 'Coup d'oeil sur les provinces geantes d'hydrocarbures'. Revue del'Institut Francois du Petrole, 33,493-513. ST JOHN, B. 1980. Sedimentary Basins of the world and giant hydrocarbon accumulations A A P G Special Publication. --, BALLY,A. W. & KLEMME,H. D. 1984. Sedimentary Provinces o f the world - hydrocarbon productive and non-productive A A P G Special Publication. TISSOT, B. P. & WELTE, D. H. 1984. Petroleum Formation and Occurrence. Springer, New York.

classical p e t r o l e u m p r o v i n c e s oil a n d gas prod u c t i o n a n d r e s e r v e s well into t h e n e x t c e n t u r y .

R e f e r e n c e s

BALLY, A. W. & SNELSON, S. 1980. 'Facts and principles of world petroleum occurrence: realms of subsidence' In: MIALL, A. D. (ed.) Facts and Principles of World Petroleum Occurrence Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 6, 9 - 9 4 . BROOKS, J. & NICnOLSON, J. 1988. 'Undeveloped Oil and Gas Potential on the UK Continental Shelf and some comments on the future exploration' In OPEC and Future World Oil Supply; Dallas Conference, 1987, ISEM, Southern Methodist University, 1 - 8 . CARMALT, S. W. & ST JOHN, B. 1986. 'Giant Oil and Gas Fields' In: HALBOUTY, M. T. (ed.) Future Petroleum Provinces o f the World A A P G , Tulsa, OK, 11-53. DEMAISON, G. 1984. 'The Generative Basin Concept' In: DEMAISON, G. & MURRIS, R. J. (eds) Petroleum Geochemistry and Basin Evaluation A A P G Memoir 35, 1-14. -1989. 'Genetic Classification o f Petroleum Basins' Geological Society/AAPG Video Basin Development and Petroleum Exploration.