Hydrocarbon Habitat in Rift Basins

Geological Society Special Publications

Series Editor A. J. Fleet
G E O L O G I C A L S O C I E T Y S P E C I A L P U B L I C A T I O N NO. 80

Hydrocarbon Habitat in Rift Basins

EDITED BY

J. J. L A M B I A S E
University of Brunei, Darussalam

1995
Published by
The Geological Society
London
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 Contents
Preface vii

Rift structure: models and observations

MORLEY, C. K. Developments in the structural geology of rifts over the last decade and their
impact on hydrocarbon exploration 1
KUSZNIR, N., ROBERTS, A. & MORLEY, C. K. Forward and reverse modelling of rift basin
formation 33
ROBERTS, G. P. & GAWTHORPE, R. L. Strike variation in deformation and diagenesis along
segmented normal faults: an example from the eastern Gulf of Corinth, Greece 57
BOSWORTH, W. A high-strain rift model for the southern Gulf of Suez (Egypt) 75
PLATT, N. H. Structure and tectonics of the northern North Sea: new insights from
deep penetration regional seismic data 113

Stratigraphic development and reservoir distribution

LAMBIASE, J. J. & BOSWORTH, W. Structural controls on sedimentation in continental rifts 117
DRISCOLL, N. W. & HOGG, J. R. Stratigraphic response to basin formation: Jean d'Arc
Basin, offshore Newfoundland 145
COLLIER, R. E. L1. & GAWTHORPE, R. L. Neotectonics, drainage and sedimentation in
central Greece: insights into coastal reservoir geometries in syn-rift sequences 165
SCHOLZ, C. A. Seismic stratigraphy of an accommodation-zone margin rift-lake delta,
Lake Malawi, Africa 183
SMITH, R. D. A. Reservoir architecture of syn-rift lacustrine turbidite systems, early
Cretaceous, offshore South Gabon 197

Source rocks and geochemistry

KATZ, B. J. A survey of rift basin source rocks 213
WILLIAMS, H. H., FOWLER, U . & EUBANK, R. T. Characteristics of selected
Palaeogene and Cretaceous lacustrine source basins of Southeast Asia 241

Case studies: productive and non-productive rifts

BANKs, N. L., BARDWELL, K. A. & MUSIWA, S. Karoo rift basins of the Luangwa Valley,
Zambia 285
KREUSER,T. Rift to drift evolution in Permian-Jurassic basins of East Africa 297
DESHENG, L. Hydrocarbon habitat in the Songliao Rift Basin, China 317
WILLIAMS,H. H. 8s EUBANK, R. T. Hydrocarbon habitat in the rift graben of the central
Sumatra Basin, Indonesia 331

Index 373
 Preface
This book provides an overview of the geology
and hydrocarbon habitat or rift basins in a
variety of geographic settings and of diverse
geological ages. It stems from the boom in rift
basin exploration which occurred throughout
the 1980s, from recognition early in the decade
that lacustrine shales can be excellent source
rocks, and from some notable exploration
successes. This exploration activity led to a
substantial increase in the available subsurface
data which, in turn, fuelled a rapid expansion in
the understanding of rift basin geology, a topic
which remains at the forefront of geological
research for both academic and petroleum
industry workers.
The book brings together studies from work-
ers of different disciplines and backgrounds who
are actively studying rift basins of different
geological ages and diverse geographic settings.
The intention of the volume is to present a broad
spectrum of topics related to rift basin geology
and its impact on hydrocarbon habitat. The
papers span the entire range from theoretical
models through outcrop studies to case studies
of productive and non-productive rift basins.
In the first section of the book, there are five
papers which are concerned with the tectonic
and structural development of rift basins. The
first of these, by Morley, reviews the major
developments in structural geology over the
previous decade, a time during which ideas
about rift structure changed radically. New
concepts evolved that prompted a major re-
evaluation of many other aspects of rift geology
such as sedimentation patterns and stratigraphic
evolution. Kusznir et al. then present models
based on observed fault geometries which can be
used to constrain several structural attributes of
rifts including basin geometry, fault spacing and
polarity and extension magnitude. The three
other papers in the first section discuss specific
examples of structural style. Roberts &
Gawthorpe demonstrate how differing styles of
deformation within the Gulf of Corinth rift
significantly affect diagnenesis over relatively
short distances. Bosworth integrates outcrop
and drilling data into a model which demon-
strates that the Gulf of Suez is one of the most
highly strained, failed continental riffs and is
therefore an important link between low-strain
failed rifts and successful ocean basins. In the
last paper in the section, Platt presents an
interpretation of the structure and tectonic
development of the North Sea based on deep
penetration seismic data.
Stratigraphic development and reservoir dis-
tribution are the topics covered by the five
papers in the second section of the book. In the
first of these, Lambiase & Bosworth present a
model for the response of sedimentation patterns
and resultant stratigraphy to evolving structural
geometry and topography. This is followed by
an analysis of stratigraphic response to structu-
rally-controlled basin geometries at several
scales, and its effect on reservoir distribution,
in the Jeanne d'Arc basin, Canada by Driscoll &
Hogg. Collier & Gawthorpe then discuss the
relationship between tectonics, drainage and
sedimentation in the tectonically active basins
of central Greece and comment on the implica-
tions for syn-rift reservoir geometries. The
fourth paper, by Scholz, uses seismic stratigra-
phy to interpret the stratigraphic development of
the Ruhuhu delta in Lake Malawi and then
discusses the implications for hydrocarbon
exploration. In the final paper of the section,
Smith describes the architecture of Early
Cretaceous syn-rift lacustrine turbidites in the
offshore of Gabon.
Two papers on source rocks and geochemistry
form the third section of the book. The lead
paper is by Katz who presents a survey of rift
basin source rocks and discusses their distribu-
tion, the factors controlling their deposition,
distribution and quality and their geochemical
attributes. The survey includes oil- and gas-
prone source rocks and restricted marine as well
as lacustrine examples. In the other paper,
Williams et al. describe the characteristics of
lacustrine source rocks in Southeast Asia. They
define several features which are common to
Palaeogene and Cretaceous rift basins which
range geographically from China to Indonesia.
The fourth, and final, section of the book is
devoted to case studies of productive and non-
productive rift basins. Banks et al. lead off the
section with a discussion of the Karoo (Permo-
Triassic) rift basins of the Luangwa Valley,
Zambia. Their analysis of the structural and
stratigraphic history indicates untested hydro-
carbon potential in the currently non-productive
basins. Kreuser expands the discussion of East
African rift basins to include the Permian to
Jurassic basins of Tanzania, Mozambique,
Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Ethiopia. He
describes several phases in their tectonic and
viii PREFACE
stratigraphic evolution and recognizes consider-
able variation in their hydrocarbon potential
based on source rock properties. The very
productive Songliao Basin of China is described
by Li. Four evolutionary stages have contrib-
uted to the formation of the supergiant Daqing
oilfield which had produced 8.2 billion barrels by
the end of 1992. In the final paper, Williams &
Eubank discuss hydrocarbon habitat in the
Central Sumatra Basin, Indonesia. Tectonics,
stratigraphic history, climate and migration
efficiency have all contributed to the formation
of numerous oilfields which total 25 billion
barrels of proven reserves.
Collectively the various papers on models
and case studies in this book lead the reader to
the inescapable conclusion that each rift basin is
a unique geological entity, yet that all are
variations on a common theme. The models
illustrate the major progress that has been made
recently towards defining that theme and in
recognizing the variations on it. The case studies
clearly demonstrate t h a t it is often those
variations which determine the hydrocarbon
habitat of a specific rift basin. Future research
and continued hydrocarbon exploration in rift
basins will further refine the models, define more
clearly the general characteristics of all rifts,
better delineate the range of possible variations
on the common theme and refine and improve
exploration strategies.
This volume is an outgrowth of the 1993 Bath
Conference which was sponsored by the Petroleum
Group of the Geological Society. The meeting was the
first of the Bath Conferences to turn its attention
beyond the borders of Britain and to adopt an
international theme. It was Richard Hardman of
Amerada Hess, whilst Chairman of the Petroleum
Group, who proposed the theme of the conference and
it is he who deserves much of the credit for its success.
Bandar Seri Begawan J. J. Lambiase
August 1994