Petroleum Geology:

North-West Europe and Global Perspectives —

Proceedings of the 6th Petroleum Geology Conference

Volume 1
 Petroleum Geology:
North-West Europe and Global Perspectives —
Proceedings of the 6th Petroleum Geology Conference
Held at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, 6– 9 October 2003

Volume 1

Edited by

A. G. Doré
Statoil UK Limited, London

and

B. A. Vining
ExxonMobil International Limited, London
with
S. D. Burley, BG Exploration & Production India Ltd A. Hurst, University of Aberdeen
J. A. Cartwright, Cardiff University D. Ireson, Nautilus Ltd
P. A. F. Christie, Schlumberger Cambridge Research R. K. Leppard, Leppard Sedimentology Ltd
R. J. Davies, Cardiff University J. W. Munns, UK Department of Trade and Industry
D. Erratt, ExxonMobil International Ltd P. H. Nadeau, Statoil ASA
J. Inge Faleide, University of Oslo C. D. Oakman, Colin Oakman Associates
A. J. Fraser, BP Exploration E. Robein, Total Exploration Production UK plc
S. I. Fraser, Shell Deepwater Services I. C. Scotchman, Statoil UK Ltd
G. Friès, Institut Français du Pétrole P. M. Shannon, University College Dublin
S. W. Garrett, ChevronTexaco Upstream Europe J. R. Smallwood, Amerada Hess Ltd
J. G. Gluyas, Acorn Oil & Gas S. A. Stewart, BP Azerbaijan
R. Gras, Schlumberger Information Solutions S. J. Stoker, British Geological Survey
F. Hadler-Jacobsen, Statoil ASA I. Walker, ConocoPhillips (UK) Ltd

2005
Published by
The Geological Society
London
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 The Technical and Editorial Committee

Bernie Vining
ExxonMobil International Limited,
London, England
Tony Doré Conference Deputy Chairman and
Statoil UK Limited, London, England Joint Editor-in-Chief
Conference Chairman and Convenor, Exploration Histories
Joint Editor-in-Chief and Future Potential

Stuart Burley Jan Inge Faleide

BG Exploration & Production India University of Oslo, Norway
Limited, Mumbai, India Convenor and Sub-Editor, Atlantic
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Margins: New Insights, Regional
Gas Renaissance Synthesis and Large-Scale Tectonics

Al Fraser
Joe Cartwright BP Exploration, Sunbury-on-Thames,
Cardiff University, Wales England
Convenor, Structural Application in Convenor and Sub-Editor, Deep-Water
Exploration & Production Plays and Reservoirs

Phil Christie Scot Fraser

Schlumberger Cambridge Research, Shell Deepwater Services, Houston,
Cambridge, England USA
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Unlocking Convenor of session Deep-Water Plays
the Future with Innovative Geophysics and Reservoirs

Gérard Friès
Richard Davies Institut Français du Pétrole,
Cardiff University, Wales Rueil-Malmaison, France
Convenor and Sub-Editor, 3D Visions, Convenor and Sub-Editor,
and coordinator of Movies for DVD Understanding Petroleum Systems

Steve Garrett
Duncan Erratt ChevronTexaco Upstream Europe,
ExxonMobil International Limited, Aberdeen, Scotland
London, England Convenor and Sub-Editor, Better
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Exploration Recovery Through Better Reservoir
Histories and Future Potential Characterization
xvi THE TECHNICAL AND EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

Jim Munns
Jon Gluyas UK Department of Trade and Industry,
Acorn Oil & Gas, Staines, England London, England; now with Endeavour
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Better Energy UK Ltd
Recovery Through Better Reservoir Convenor and Sub-Editor, Exploration
Characterization Histories and Future Potential

Paul Nadeau
Rutger Gras
Statoil ASA, Stavanger, Norway
Schlumberger Information Solutions,
Convenor and Sub-Editor,
Gatwick, West Sussex, England
Understanding Petroleum Systems
Convenor and Sub-Editor, 3D Visions

Colin Oakman
Colin Oakman Associates, Glasgow,
Frode Hadler-Jacobsen Scotland
Statoil ASA, Trondheim, Norway Convenor for the Core Display and
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Deep-Water Discussion Forum and coordinator of
Plays and Reservoirs Cores and Posters for DVD

Etienne Robein
Andrew Hurst Total Exploration Production UK plc,
University of Aberdeen, Scotland London, England
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Deep-Water Convenor and Sub-Editor, Unlocking
Plays and Reservoirs the Future with Innovative Geophysics

Dick Ireson
Nautilus Limited, Hermitage, Iain Scotchman
Berkshire, England Statoil UK Limited, London, England
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Convenor and Sub-Editor,
Gas Renaissance Understanding Petroleum Systems

Robert Leppard
Leppard Sedimentology Limited, Pat Shannon
Fleet, England University College Dublin, Ireland
Convenor for the Core Display and Convenor and Sub-Editor, Atlantic
Discussion Forum and coordinator of Margins: New Insights, Regional
Cores and Posters for DVD Synthesis and Large-Scale Tectonics
 THE TECHNICAL AND EDITORIAL COMMITTEE xvii

John Smallwood
Amerada Hess Limited, London, Sue Stoker
England British Geological Survey, Edinburgh,
Convenor and Sub-Editor, Atlantic Scotland
Margins: New Insights, Regional Convenor and Sub-Editor, Exploration
Synthesis and Large-Scale Tectonics Histories and Future Potential

Simon Stewart
BP Azerbaijan, Sunbury-on-Thames, Ian Walker
England ConocoPhillips (UK) Limited,
Convenor, Structural Application in Aberdeen, Scotland
Exploration & Production; Sub-Editor Convenor and Sub-Editor, Atlantic
of structural geology papers Margins: New Insights, Regional
incorporated into other sections Synthesis and Large-Scale Tectonics

And with thanks to . . . Grateful thanks are extended to the following companies
Stephen Timms, UK Minister of State for Energy, for their generous sponsorship of the conference:
E-commerce and Postal Services for opening the conference, BG Group
to plenary speakers Karl Manshaus (Permanent Secretary of BP
the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, Norway) Martin Chevron Texaco
Houston (BG) and Bernard Bulkin (BP); to Richard Hardman ConocoPhillips
and Mark Moody-Stuart, who arranged the plenary speakers, EnCana
and to Steve Cooper (ENI) and Sergio Testa (ENI) who ENI
served on the Technical Committee. ExxonMobil
Hess
Iron Mountain
The Petroleum Geology Conferences Board Members Kerr McGee
and Organizing Committee Landmark
Ian Dixon, (Energy Institute), Edmund Nickless (The Norman Broadbent: Energy and Natural Resources
Geological Society of London), Duncan Murchison (The Paladin Resources PLC
Geological Society of London), Gail Williamson (Petroleum PGL
Exploration Society of Great Britain), Chris Bulley Schlumberger
Shell
(Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain), Marta
Statoil
Kozlowska (Energy Insitute), Helen Wilson (The Geological
Total
Society of London) and Marian Scutt (Petroleum Exploration
Venture Production PLC
Society of Great Britain).

Alan Scott and Graham Smith (Iron Mountain), Julie

Callaghan (Petroleum Exploration Society of Great Britain)
and students of Imperial College London for additional
conference logistics and administration.

Jo Mears, Jessica Canfor and Lydia Dumont (Conference

Office, The Geological Society of London).

Sarah Gibbs and Sarah Joomun (The Geological Society

Publishing House).
 Foreword
Over the past thirty years, the Petroleum Geology conferences and associated proceedings have provided an important backdrop to NW
European exploration and production. The sixth conference in the series, Petroleum Geology: North-West Europe and Global Perspectives,
follows the tradition of these previous conferences. The proceedings are in the thematic format of the conference itself, and the majority of
papers presented in the conference appear as scientific contributions in the proceedings volumes. This foreword attempts to provide an
insight into the unifying themes of the conference. We hope and believe that, as in previous conferences, this wide-ranging body of work is a
useful reflection of the state of the science, as well as of the current preoccupations of NW European petroleum geoscientists.
North-West Europe, and the North Sea in particular, was recognized as a maturing petroleum province at the time of the fourth conference
in 1992. It continues to mature, with increasing emphasis on optimization of production. However, the province continues to show a certain
resilience and regenerative capacity, providing new insights into the exploration and production of oil and gas. There have been considerable
advances in our knowledge since the fifth conference in 1997. The latter focused, in a large part, on the “final frontier”, the Atlantic Margin
extending from Norway, through the United Kingdom and Faroes to Ireland. This area is again represented in a section entitled Atlantic
Margin: New Insights, Regional Synthesis and Large Scale Tectonics, which brings the reader up to date with new activity including several
recent discoveries, new datasets and new fundamental research. While it is probably true that this province has not delivered to date the
petroleum potential some expected, the area is vast, the petroleum systems are present and the full story has certainly yet to be told.
On the other hand, many of the advances since the last conference have arisen from optimizing the exploitation of the mature areas. At an
early stage of preparation, it was evident to the convenors that much of the customer base for the conference is now dedicated to creating
value from exploration adjacent to infrastructure areas, through reservoir characterization, smart drilling, enhanced recovery, tail-end
production, field rejuvenation and many other related activities. A large proportion of the conference and proceedings was therefore
dedicated to reflecting this emphasis. The section entitled Exploration Histories and Future Potential illustrates how lessons learnt can
provide new approaches into the prediction and identification of future potential. Similarly, with increasing focus on production activities,
the section on Better Recovery Through Better Reservoir Characterization shows how, through case studies and by integrating new and
existing technologies, there can be longer life expectancy from existing fields. Technology underpins recent advances in geoscience. The
section on Unlocking the Future with Innovative Geophysics shows some excellent examples of our continued attempts to obtain more
information from the geophysical signal, while Understanding Petroleum Systems takes a more generic approach to our search for oil and gas
through geological modelling of a basin’s history.
A new feature of the sixth conference is a broadening of scope to include selected global perspectives. Petroleum geoscience is enriched
from learnings worldwide, not least due to rapid international circulation within the workforce. North-West Europe benefits from importing
ideas and concepts from analogous geological settings. Conversely, a mature North-West Europe, particularly the North Sea with its
extensive, high-quality database, can act as an excellent natural laboratory for the export of ideas and concepts to other parts of the world. We
therefore include papers on global issues, comparative studies between North-West Europe and other provinces, and studies of generic
importance on such areas as the Gulf of Mexico and West Africa. The proceedings begin with a section on the Global Resource Context,
containing two very different perspectives on the quantity and longevity of the world’s petroleum. This sets the scene for the subsequent
sections, in particular that entitled Gas Renaissance. Gas is perceived by many to be the fuel of the future as oil supplies dwindle and as ever
more creative ways are found for exploiting gas previously considered inaccessible or too far from markets. It is therefore appropriate to
dedicate a section solely to gas, with subjects ranging from the global and generic to the local. The section on Deepwater Plays and
Reservoirs, a focus of worldwide exploration and production over the past five years, is similarly wide-ranging and complements the section
on the Atlantic Margin.
Petroleum geoscience is embarking on whole new ways of working. One example of this trend is the interactive DVD of these
proceedings, which provides links from the main text to movies from the 3D Visions section, and to the Core Display and associated posters.
The 3D Visions session was a first for a major geoscience conference. Many of the papers were presented in a truly immersive environment
complete with presenter, “pilot” and 3D spectacles, and the session as a whole demonstrated the power of visualization to nurture creativity
and to unlock new insights across a range of disciplines from field geology to 3D seismic. The Core Display was an outstanding feature at the
two previous conferences, and the sixth conference was no exception. Here, for the first time, the DVD medium allows the core photographs
and explanatory posters to be related immediately to the papers in the main text.
Inter-relationship is, in fact, a further thread running through the proceedings. Most of the sections embrace a spectrum of activities and
scales from frontier exploration to mature production settings, and most incorporate recent technological advances. It will be evident that
many of the papers could have been just as much at home in other sections, so a look through sections outside of the reader’s immediate
interest will be rewarding. We sense a change from a period characterized by the ruthless pursuit of a single concept – such as seismic
amplitudes and other direct hydrocarbon indicators—to a period that will see the re-emergence of holistic understanding of the petroleum
system. In this context, the diversity and history of the petroleum geology of North-West Europe will continue to be a significant benchmark
and reference for the future.
The sixth conference and these proceedings owe their success to the efforts of many dedicated individuals over a considerable period of
time. We take this opportunity to thank each of these for their energy and enthusiasm, for a complex job well done in the shortest of
timeframes, and for maintaining high scientific standards. We recognize that this success has been achieved at the same time as other
competing demands for their skills and expertise. In particular, we thank all members of the Board, Organizing Committee and the Technical
Committee, the latter as convenors for the conference itself, and subsequently as authors, referees and editors for the proceedings volumes.
We also thank all our sponsor companies and universities for their support, whether this has been through direct funding or indirectly through
provision of their staff’s valuable time. Finally, we thank the staff of The Geological Society Publishing House for preparing a reference that
we are confident will continue the tradition of the previous five conference proceedings. We hope and trust that you will enjoy the
proceedings and use them extensively as scientific background for the continued search for oil and gas worldwide.

Tony Doré and Bernie Vining

London, 2005