Hydrocarbon leakage driven by Quaternary glaciations in the Barents Sea based on 2D basin and petroleum system modeling

Kishankov, Aleksei; Serov, Pavel; Bünz, Stefan; Patton, Henry; Hubbard, Alun; Mattingsdal, Rune; Vadakkepuliyambatta, Sunil; Andreassen, Karin

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2022.105557

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…For example, in the Barents Sea, loading and unloading of the Pliocene‐Pleistocene ice sheets resulted in the tilting and rerouting of hydrocarbon stores and pathways causing hydrocarbon leakages into marine sediments (Fjeldskaar & Amantov, 2018; Fjeldskaar & Kjemperud, 1992; Løtveit, Fjeldskaar, & Sydnes, 2019). Glacial erosion during this period contributed to releasing oil from shallow depths of the hydrocarbon reserves and also resulted in release of gas hydrates (Kishankov et al, 2022). Erosion and uncapping of these hydrocarbon reservoirs by glacial action have resulted in persistent gas release and oil slick spots (Serov et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oil sands in glacial till as a driver of fast flow and instability in the former Laurentide Ice Sheet: Alberta, Canada

McCerery,

Woodward,

Winter

et al. 2023

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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Reconstructions of the southwestern Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) from geomorphology have revealed complex cross‐cutting ice streams, indicative of surging and flow switching. This flow pattern and behaviour is distinct from the rest of the ice sheet where ice streams flowed radially to the ice sheet margin. Many ice streams in the southwestern sector originate around the Alberta Oil Sands (AOS). Previous reports have detected oil sands material in surficial and glacial sediments south of the AOS, demonstrating potential glacial mobilisation of the oil sands. In this study, we use geochemical fingerprinting to systematically investigate surficial sediments from the former Central Alberta Ice Stream (CAIS) flow track. We compare the geochemical signatures of 82 sediments from within and outside the CAIS limits with those of the AOS (from mines and natural exposures), using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry oil–oil correlation techniques. Our results provide geochemical evidence of glacial erosion and long‐distance mobilisation of AOS producing contamination signatures in sediments throughout the CAIS flow track. The strength of the AOS signature is particularly strong in sediments along the terminating margins, to the east of Calgary and in the Cooking Lake area to the southeast of Edmonton. These results inform theoretical models of enhanced slipperiness, inspired by slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS), whereby oil lubrication of the basal sediment influences the degree of sliding and basal deformation in the ice stream. We hypothesise that naturally occurring hydrocarbons at the basal interface exerted control on the location of the onset zone of the CAIS and surrounding ice streams in Alberta. The enhanced slipperiness caused by oil contamination may also explain ice streaming and surging in other ice sheets, such as the Barents Sea Ice Sheet, where hydrocarbons are known to have been driven to the sedimentary interface during glaciation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Oil sands in glacial till as a driver of fast flow and instability in the former Laurentide Ice Sheet: Alberta, Canada

McCerery,

Woodward,

Winter

et al. 2023

Earth Surf Processes Landf

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“…The order is as follows: The effects of faults on fluids vary as connected, permeable, closed, or impermeable faults. This property may vary with geological history (Kishankov et al, 2022). Controlled by multistage tectonic movement along with oblique subduction of the Proto-Tethys Ocean, NW-trending strike-slip faults formed on the weak basement of the basin (Figure 1b) (Jiao et al, 2022).…”

Section: Genesis Of Natural Gas and Solid Bitumenmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Basin and petroleum system modelling (BPSM) is an important and advanced research method for oil and gas reservoir simulations and evaluations. It is widely used for hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from source rocks (Albriki et al, 2021; Alipour et al, 2022; Lutz et al, 2021; Wang et al, 2023; Zeinalzadeh et al, 2015), pressure and temperature (P–T) evolution (Mohamed et al, 2016; Nguyen et al, 2016), fluid property simulation and formation process prediction (Ahmed et al, 2022; Baur & Katz, 2018; D'Ambrosio et al, 2021; Evenick, 2022; Feng et al, 2020; Kishankov et al, 2022; Kroeger et al, 2021, 2022), and exploration risk assessment in low‐medium maturity and low‐exploration target regions (Badejo et al, 2021; Lawson et al, 2018; Liu & Liu, 2023). Its simulation path from the source rock to the traps has the ability to avoid relying on bitumen observations from massive but limited borehole data, making it possible to reconstruct the PORs distribution in the historical period of present‐day high to over‐mature regions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reconstruction of palaeo‐oil reservoirs in the ultra‐deep and over‐mature Sinian Dengying Formation of the Central Sichuan Basin: Insights from basin and petroleum system modelling

Li,

Liu,

Song

et al. 2024

Geological Journal

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Ultra‐deep Sinian carbonate rocks are rich in natural gas, and the Deng‐4 Member of the Central Sichuan Basin has been shown to have an extremely high degree of thermal evolution. They are characterized by dry gas produced due to the thermal cracking of palaeo‐oil reservoirs (PORs). The distribution of PORs as materials for the formation of cracked gas reservoirs remains unclear. The complex multistage evolution process and limited drilling data make it challenging to precisely and systematically recover a range of PORs. Based on basin and petroleum system modelling (BPSM), the bottom‐up migration and accumulation method was used to investigate the distribution of PORs. Research shows that the PORs in the Sinian Deng‐4 Member were mainly formed in the Early–Middle Triassic under the mixed contribution of Cambrian and Sinian source rocks, and the coupling of palaeostructural and trap settings controlled its accumulation. Generally, the distribution of PORs can be divided into two categories: one is located at the core of the uplift zone and is controlled by structural‐stratigraphic composite traps, whereas the other is controlled by a series of lithologic traps formed in the slope area. Sensitivity analysis showed that the distribution patterns of the PORs were mostly related to the facies conditions (physical characteristics) of the reservoirs. The widely distributed PORs provide necessary and sufficient material conditions for the formation of cracked Sinian gas reservoirs in the Central Sichuan Basin, and the North Slope area has great potential for natural gas exploration in the future.

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“…To approximate the duration of ice sheet coverage, an approach from Kishankov et al (2022) was used, where a threshold of 3.75 ‰ δ 18 O in the isotope data separates glacial and interglacial stages. Marine stable oxygen isotope data (Figure S3) from Lisiecki and Raymo (2005) show increasing δ 18 O values throughout the Pleistocene as glacial stages became more pronounced and the ice volume increased.…”

Section: Implementation Of Glacial Stagesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Effects on petroleum systems include lowered reservoir temperatures (Grassmann et al, 2010) and the redistribution of hydrocarbons (Ohm et al, 2008). More recently however, the effects of Pleistocene glaciations have been incorporated into petroleum systems models in areas including the SW Barents Sea (Cavanagh et al, 2006;Rodrigues Duran et al, 2013;Ostanin et al, 2017;Kishankov et al, 2022), Central Europe (Grassmann et al, 2010;Sachse and Littke, 2018;Amberg et al, 2022), and Greenland (Cox, 2021).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Pleistocene Glaciation on Petroleum Systems and Gas Hydrate Stability in the Olga Basin Region, Barents Sea

Amberg,

Littke,

Lutz

et al. 2024

Journal of Petroleum Geology

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This study presents the results of a 2D numerical basin and petroleum systems model of the Olga Basin in the NW Barents Sea offshore northern Norway, a frontier exploration area in which there are abundant seafloor oil and gas seepages. The effects of Pleistocene ice sheet advances on rock properties and subsurface fluid migration in this area, and on seafloor hydrocarbon seepage, are not well understood. The 2D numerical model takes account of recurrent ice advances and retreats, together with related erosional and temperature effects, and investigates the influence of these parameters on fluid migration. Model results show that Pleistocene glaciations reduced the temperature in the sedimentary succession in the Olga Basin by up to 20 °C, for example in the uppermost Cretaceous and Jurassic sediments which underlie the seafloor down to a depth of 0.5 to 1 km. The decrease in temperature was in general predominantly related to the intensity of glacial erosion, which was set in this study to a depth of 600 m based on previous studies. Hydrocarbon fluids expelled from potential thermogenic source rocks of Carboniferous to Triassic ages on the SW margin of the Olga Basin migrated to the seafloor through permeable carrier beds. However, fluid migration to the surface in the NE of the study area took place along fault conduits. In a closed fault model scenario, only 0.3 Mt of hydrocarbons are modelled to have migrated along the 0.5 km wide model section; in a second scenario with partially open faults, about 22 Mt of hydrocarbons, representing about 11% of the total hydrocarbons generated by potential thermogenic source rocks in the study area, were lost to the surface during the Pleistocene. The potential for microbial methane generation in the Olga Basin was limited both during the Pleistocene and at the present day due to the significant reduction in temperature during glacial episodes, and due to the intense glacial‐related erosion of the Mesozoic to Cenozoic stratigraphy. During glacial stages, the gas hydrate stability zone beneath the ice sheet is modelled to have extended to a depth of up to 900 m for a pure methane composition, and to a depth of up to 1100 m for a possible thermogenic‐sourced mixed gas composition of 90% methane, 7% propane and 3% ethane. Gas hydrates with this mixed composition are modelled to have been stable in the Olga Basin during the last three glacial advances and into the present. These modelling results provide an insight into the key factors controlling the migration and surface leakage of hydrocarbon fluids in the Olga Basin region, and into the effects of glaciations on rock properties in a glaciated basin.

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Hydrocarbon leakage driven by Quaternary glaciations in the Barents Sea based on 2D basin and petroleum system modeling

Cited by 6 publications

References 57 publications

Oil sands in glacial till as a driver of fast flow and instability in the former Laurentide Ice Sheet: Alberta, Canada

Oil sands in glacial till as a driver of fast flow and instability in the former Laurentide Ice Sheet: Alberta, Canada

Reconstruction of palaeo‐oil reservoirs in the ultra‐deep and over‐mature Sinian Dengying Formation of the Central Sichuan Basin: Insights from basin and petroleum system modelling

Influence of Pleistocene Glaciation on Petroleum Systems and Gas Hydrate Stability in the Olga Basin Region, Barents Sea

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