Cardiff University | Prifysgol Caerdydd ORCA
Online Research @ Cardiff 
WelshClear Cookie - decide language by browser settings

A three-dimensional (3D) structural model for an oil-producing basin of the Brazilian Equatorial margin

Maia de Almeida, Narelle, Alves, Tiago M. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2765-3760, Nepomuceno Filho, F., Freire, George Satander Sá, Souza, Ana Clara B., Leopoldino Oliveira, Karen M., Normando, Márcio Nunes and Barbosa, Thiago Henrique S. 2020. A three-dimensional (3D) structural model for an oil-producing basin of the Brazilian Equatorial margin. Marine and Petroleum Geology 122 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2020.104599

[thumbnail of Alves2.pdf]
Preview
PDF - Accepted Post-Print Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.

Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

Hydrocarbon discoveries in regions such as the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, Equatorial Africa and French Guiana have recently confirmed their importance as new exploration frontiers. The Mundaú sub-basin, located on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, is an oil and gas producing region with four producing fields in shallow water: Xaréu, Atum, Espada e Curimã. In order to understand the structural and seismic-stratigraphic frameworks of an oil-producing area of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin, this work addresses the 3D geometry and spatial distribution of main faults in the Curimã and Espada fields. The occurrence of hydrocarbons in the Mundaú sub-basin is compared with fields in other parts of the Brazilian Equatorial Basin, and in Equatorial Africa. Data from 12 wells and a 3D post-stack time-migrated multichannel seismic volume are used to define nine (9) main seismic-stratigraphic units: the syn-rift Mundaú Formation (Units 1, 2, 3 and 4); the transitional Paracuru Formation (Unit 5) and the drift Ubarana (Uruburetama and Itapagé Members, Units 6 and 7), Tibau and Guamaré Formations (Units 8 and 9). The study area is dominated by NW-SE planar normal faults, basinward-dipping, that formed multiple half-grabens and tilted blocks with small anticlines and synclines genetically related to a transtensional system. Three types of plays are recognised in the Mundaú sub-basins: structural, combined (structural-stratigraphic) and stratigraphic (turbiditic). In the eastern part of the region where the basement is shallow, no oil was found. Conversely, oil was discovered in an anticlinal trap formed on a hanging-wall block analogous to fields in Côte D'Ivoire-Ghana transform margin. This work shows that combined traps on footwall blocks are successful plays near the shelf break of the Mundaú sub-basin, in similarity with the Espoir and Baobab fields in Ivory Coast Basin. Furthermore, turbiditic reservoirs in drift units are analogous to the Stabroek block in Guyana and prospects in the Gulf of Guinea. The structural and petroleum-play analyses in this work are therefore crucial to understand the multiple geological processes leading to the trapping of hydrocarbons in the larger Equatorial Atlantic Ocean.

Item Type: Article
Date Type: Publication
Status: Published
Schools: Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher: Elsevier
ISSN: 0264-8172
Date of First Compliant Deposit: 3 August 2020
Date of Acceptance: 15 July 2020
Last Modified: 07 Nov 2023 07:32
URI: https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/133921

Citation Data

Cited 6 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item Edit Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics