APT identifies lower Jurassic source rocks offshore Canada

May 29, 2020
Applied Petroleum Technology (APT), Oslo, has identified lower Jurassic source rocks and a genetically related set of oil shows in the Southern Grand Banks petroleum system offshore Canada.

Applied Petroleum Technology (APT), Oslo, has identified lower Jurassic source rocks and a genetically related set of oil shows in the Southern Grand Banks petroleum system offshore Canada.

APT sampled and analyzed drill cuttings from 13 key wells from Southern Grand Banks to assess source potential, possible oil staining, and thermal history to provide new insight into lower Jurassic petroleum systems in the Northern Atlantic Canada region.

The study has generated new lower Jurassic source rock screening data, vitrinite and spore color maturity data, and apatite thermochronology data, which recovers time-temperature history of source rock and calibrates burial histories across the study area of interest. The study also conducted Lower Jurassic oil stain screening and characterization.

The oil stain data has been compared with stain data of both Jeanne d’Arc and lower Jurassic oils from the European conjugate (UK, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal), providing a unique data set to understand lower Jurassic source in the North Atlantic domain.

“Some of our geochemical analyses were conducted on drill cuttings that are almost 50 years old, which confirms that a lot of new information can be found in old materials,” said Martin Fowler, head of APT’s Canadian operation.

“In Europe, intra-continental basins hosting Lower Jurassic source rocks are well known, sourcing commercial oil deposits in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and the UK. However, to the South and West their occurrence is much less well understood. This study has for the first time demonstrated their continuation across the North Atlantic conjugate,” he said, adding that the analyses could be of interest to energy companies investigating opportunities offshore Canada.