− | Understanding factors like anoxic events, sea level and climate fluctuations help predict and insight the distribution of source rocks.<ref name=Vailandmitchum_1979>Vail, P. R., and R. M. Mitchum, 1979, Global cycles of relative changes of sea level from seismic stratigraphy, in Geological and geophysical investigations of continental margins: AAPG memoir 29, p. 469–472.</ref><ref name=Haqetal_1987>Haq, B., J. Hardenbol, and P. R. Vail, 1987, Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic: Science, v. 235, no. 4793, p. 1156–1167, doi:10.1126/science.235.4793.1156.</ref><ref name=Sorkhabi_2016>Sorkhabi, R., 2016, Rich petroleum source rocks, GeoExPro, v. 6, no. 6, p. 16–22. </ref> Source rock mapping can enhance productive super basins evaluations, potentially identify deeper or underappreciated petroleum systems, and help anticipate new plays in emerging super basins.<ref name=Dolson_2016>Dolson, J. C., 2016, Understanding oil and gas shows and seals in the search for hydrocarbons: Cham, Switzerland, Springer, 486 p., doi:10.1007/978-3-319-29710-1.</ref><ref name=Dolson_2017>Dolson, J. C., 2017, Hunting for NULFs: GeoExPro Magazine, v. 14, no. 2, p. 30–33.</ref> | + | Understanding factors like anoxic events, sea level and climate fluctuations help predict and insight the distribution of source rocks.<ref name=Vailandmitchum_1979>Vail, P. R., and R. M. Mitchum, 1979, [https://archives.datapages.com/data/specpubs/history2/data/a109/a109/0001/0450/0469.htm Global cycles of relative changes of sea level from seismic stratigraphy], ''in'' J. S. Watkins, L. Montadert, P. W. Dickerson, eds., Geological and geophysical investigations of continental margins: [https://archives.datapages.com/data/alt-browse/aapg-special-volumes/m29.htm AAPG Memoir 29], p. 469–472.</ref><ref name=Haqetal_1987>Haq, B., J. Hardenbol, and P. R. Vail, 1987, Chronology of fluctuating sea levels since the Triassic: Science, v. 235, no. 4793, p. 1156–1167, doi:10.1126/science.235.4793.1156.</ref><ref name=Sorkhabi_2016>Sorkhabi, R., 2016, Rich petroleum source rocks, GeoExPro, v. 6, no. 6, p. 16–22. </ref> Source rock mapping can enhance productive super basins evaluations, potentially identify deeper or underappreciated petroleum systems, and help anticipate new plays in emerging super basins.<ref name=Dolson_2016>Dolson, J. C., 2016, Understanding oil and gas shows and seals in the search for hydrocarbons: Cham, Switzerland, Springer, 486 p., doi:10.1007/978-3-319-29710-1.</ref><ref name=Dolson_2017>Dolson, J. C., 2017, Hunting for NULFs: GeoExPro Magazine, v. 14, no. 2, p. 30–33.</ref> |
| Structural traps have historically driven exploration and have been responsible for most reserves in super basins. However, stratigraphic and combined trap discoveries have significantly increased over the last 20 years and are now the most prospectable plays along with the unconventionals. Historically, these traps have only comprised 10% of giant fields.<ref name=Halbouty_1986>Halbouty, M. T., 1986, Basins, and new frontiers: An overview, in M. T. Halbouty, ed., Future petroleum provinces of the world: AAPG Memoir 40, p. 1–10.</ref> From 1988 to 1999, hydrocarbon volumes in stratigraphic traps increased to 15%, driven by advances in 3D seismic imaging.<ref name=Halbouty_2003>Halbouty, M. T., 2003, Giant oil and gas fields of the decade 1990–1999: AAPG Memoir 78, 340 p., doi:10.1306/M78834.</ref> However, since 2000, resources attributed to giant stratigraphic and combined traps have grown to 60%, primarily related to thick, evaporite-sealed carbonate reefs and buildups that effectively form four-way dip structures in the Caspian Basin, Egypt, Brazil, and Turkmenistan.<ref name=Sternbach_2020 /> Large passive margin turbidite fans, channels, and contourites are the second-most significant stratigraphic play type.<ref name=Sternbach_2020 /> Many tectonic uplifts create unconformities that can be correlated within and between other super basins; they can play a major role, controlling pinch-outs, truncations, wedge belts of porosity, and migration pathways.<ref name=Levorsen_1943>Levorsen, A. I., 1943, Discovery thinking: AAPG Bulletin, v. 27, no. 7, p. 887–928</ref><ref name=Sloss_1963>Sloss, L. L., 1963, Sequences in the Cratonic interior of North America: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 74, no. 2, p. 93–113, doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1963)74[93: SITCIO]2.0.CO;2.</ref><ref name=Sloss_1984>Sloss, L. L., 1984, Comparative anatomy of Cratonic unconformities, in Interregional unconformities and hydrocarbon accumulation: AAPG Memoir 36, p. 1–6.</ref><ref name=Fosterandbeaumonta_1990>Foster, N. H., and E. A. Beaumont, 1990a, Structural traps: Atlas of oil and gas fields: AAPG Treatise of Petroleum Geology, v. 1–8, 2520 p.</ref><ref name=Fosterandbeaumontb_1990>Foster, N.H., and E. A. Beaumont, 1990b, Stratigraphic traps: AAPG Treatise of Petroleum Geology, v. 1-3, 1100 p.</ref> In super basins with carbonate reservoirs, unconformities can dramatically dissolve and create karst reservoir fabrics.<ref name=Derbyetal_2012>Derby, J., R. Fritz, S. Longacre, W. Morgan, andC.A. Sternbach, 2012, eds., The great American carbonate bank: The geology and economic resources of the Cambrian-Ordovician Sauk Megasequence of Laurentia: AAPG Memoir 98, 504 p.</ref><ref name=Sternbach_2012>Sternbach, C. A., 2012, Petroleum resources of the great American carbonate bank, in J. Derby, R. Fritz, S. Longacre, W. Morgan, and C. A. Sternbach, eds., The great American carbonate bank: The geology and economic resources of the Cambrian-Ordovician Sauk Megasequence of Laurentia: AAPG Memoir 98, 504 p.</ref><ref name=Sternbacha_2017>Sternbach, C. A., 2017a, Lessons from a decade of discovery thinking forums.</ref><ref name=Sternbachb_2017>Sternbach, C. A., 2017b, Petroleum resources of the great American carbonate bank: Exercising unconformity thinking: AAPG Search and Discovery article 70276,</ref> | | Structural traps have historically driven exploration and have been responsible for most reserves in super basins. However, stratigraphic and combined trap discoveries have significantly increased over the last 20 years and are now the most prospectable plays along with the unconventionals. Historically, these traps have only comprised 10% of giant fields.<ref name=Halbouty_1986>Halbouty, M. T., 1986, Basins, and new frontiers: An overview, in M. T. Halbouty, ed., Future petroleum provinces of the world: AAPG Memoir 40, p. 1–10.</ref> From 1988 to 1999, hydrocarbon volumes in stratigraphic traps increased to 15%, driven by advances in 3D seismic imaging.<ref name=Halbouty_2003>Halbouty, M. T., 2003, Giant oil and gas fields of the decade 1990–1999: AAPG Memoir 78, 340 p., doi:10.1306/M78834.</ref> However, since 2000, resources attributed to giant stratigraphic and combined traps have grown to 60%, primarily related to thick, evaporite-sealed carbonate reefs and buildups that effectively form four-way dip structures in the Caspian Basin, Egypt, Brazil, and Turkmenistan.<ref name=Sternbach_2020 /> Large passive margin turbidite fans, channels, and contourites are the second-most significant stratigraphic play type.<ref name=Sternbach_2020 /> Many tectonic uplifts create unconformities that can be correlated within and between other super basins; they can play a major role, controlling pinch-outs, truncations, wedge belts of porosity, and migration pathways.<ref name=Levorsen_1943>Levorsen, A. I., 1943, Discovery thinking: AAPG Bulletin, v. 27, no. 7, p. 887–928</ref><ref name=Sloss_1963>Sloss, L. L., 1963, Sequences in the Cratonic interior of North America: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 74, no. 2, p. 93–113, doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1963)74[93: SITCIO]2.0.CO;2.</ref><ref name=Sloss_1984>Sloss, L. L., 1984, Comparative anatomy of Cratonic unconformities, in Interregional unconformities and hydrocarbon accumulation: AAPG Memoir 36, p. 1–6.</ref><ref name=Fosterandbeaumonta_1990>Foster, N. H., and E. A. Beaumont, 1990a, Structural traps: Atlas of oil and gas fields: AAPG Treatise of Petroleum Geology, v. 1–8, 2520 p.</ref><ref name=Fosterandbeaumontb_1990>Foster, N.H., and E. A. Beaumont, 1990b, Stratigraphic traps: AAPG Treatise of Petroleum Geology, v. 1-3, 1100 p.</ref> In super basins with carbonate reservoirs, unconformities can dramatically dissolve and create karst reservoir fabrics.<ref name=Derbyetal_2012>Derby, J., R. Fritz, S. Longacre, W. Morgan, andC.A. Sternbach, 2012, eds., The great American carbonate bank: The geology and economic resources of the Cambrian-Ordovician Sauk Megasequence of Laurentia: AAPG Memoir 98, 504 p.</ref><ref name=Sternbach_2012>Sternbach, C. A., 2012, Petroleum resources of the great American carbonate bank, in J. Derby, R. Fritz, S. Longacre, W. Morgan, and C. A. Sternbach, eds., The great American carbonate bank: The geology and economic resources of the Cambrian-Ordovician Sauk Megasequence of Laurentia: AAPG Memoir 98, 504 p.</ref><ref name=Sternbacha_2017>Sternbach, C. A., 2017a, Lessons from a decade of discovery thinking forums.</ref><ref name=Sternbachb_2017>Sternbach, C. A., 2017b, Petroleum resources of the great American carbonate bank: Exercising unconformity thinking: AAPG Search and Discovery article 70276,</ref> |