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Multiphase deformation and its impacts on hydrocarbon distribution in the Hetianhe–Madong region, southwestern Tarim Basin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Wei Wang, Hongwei Yin, Huiwen Xie, Dong Jia, Bin Wang, Gengxiong Yang, Haoyu Luo
The Hetianhe–Madong region of the southwestern Tarim Basin contains two thrust systems: the Cenozoic Mazhatage thrust belt in the northwest and the Paleozoic Madong fold-thrust belt in the southeast. The two structural belts have almost vertical propagation directions of deformation and abut in a narrow interaction zone between them. Proven hydrocarbons are closely related to the structural deformation
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Petroleum system evaluation of the world’s deepest (>5000 m) volcanic reservoirs, Sichuan Basin, China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Di Xiao, Yu Yang, Long Wen, Benjian Zhang, Ran Liu, Ya Li, Xiucheng Tan, Jian Cao
Large-scale hydrocarbon accumulations have rarely been found in volcanic reservoirs around the world. This study documents large gas accumulations in Permian reservoirs in two areas of the Sichuan Basin, southwestern China, that include the deepest (>5000 m) volcanic reservoirs yet identified worldwide. Petroleum system elements differ in these deep volcanic accumulations between the Jianyang and Zhougongshan
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Integration of diagenesis, porosity evolution, and oil emplacement in lacustrine tight sandstone reservoirs: A review with illustrative cases from the major oil-bearing basins in China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Kelai Xi, Yingchang Cao, Rukai Zhu, Honggang Xin, Weidong Dan, Helge Hellevang
Tight sandstone oil is currently one of the most important unconventional hydrocarbon resources in China. The coupling relationship between porosity evolution and oil emplacement determines the reservoir effectiveness and oil exploration potential in tight sandstones. Complex diagenetic alterations, however, make research on porosity evolution much more difficult than that on conventional sandstone
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Hydrocarbon source rock characteristics and shale gas potential of Permian marine shales in the Lower Yangtze region of South China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Bolin Zhang, Suping Yao, Wenxuan Hu, Yuyuan Wu, Wenduan Yu, Hao Yu
Considerable progress has been made in shale gas exploration and development in China. However, apart from the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation shales in the Sichuan Basin, large-scale commercial exploitation of shale gas has not yet been achieved. Permian marine shales in the Lower Yangtze region have long been considered prospective targets for unconventional reservoirs, but few detailed evaluations of
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Gas-in-place prediction from quantifying organic matter– and mineral-hosted porosities in marine gas shales AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Yingzhu Wang, Jijin Yang
Practically quantifying gas-in-place content in organic matter (OM)–hosted and mineral-hosted pores is essential to understanding shale gas storage and recovery mechanism, and this remains challenging by conventional methods. This study obtained different porosity type and pore size distribution by integrating scanning electron microscopy and helium ion microscopy image analysis and CO2 adsorption
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Molecular structure characterization of kerogen in contact metamorphic shales: Insights into the effect of graphitization on organic matter pores AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Yuguang Hou, Rui Yu, Junjie Li, Zhenhong Chen, Cheng Wang, Xianglin Chen, Rui Yang, Sheng He
The adjustment of organic matter (OM) molecular structure due to graphitization should be of great significance to the evolution and preservation of OM pores at an extremely high maturity stage. In this study, the lower Paleozoic Silurian Longmaxi contact metamorphic shales from the north section of the Xuefeng Mountain tectonic zone of the South China block were taken as an example and the molecular
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The Qiongzhusi-Dengying petroleum system in the Sichuan Basin, China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-04-01 Shugen Liu, Bin Deng, Zeqi Li, Wei Sun, Juan Wu, Chao Luo, Yong Zhong, Xiao Liang, Zhiwu Li, Jinming Song, Pengda Lu, Tengzeng Tian, Luba Jansa
In the Sichuan Basin there is abundant evidence in the lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation and Ediacaran (upper Sinian) Dengying Formation for the existence of the oldest petroleum system in China. Here, we discuss the essential elements of the petroleum system—source rock in the Qiongzhusi Formation and reservoir rock in the Dengying Formation. The source rock in the Qiongzhusi Formation was deposited
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Lithologic controls on reservoir quality and production trends in the Pettet Formation, Rusk County, east Texas AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Kelly E. Hattori, Eric M. Radjef
The Early Cretaceous Pettet Formation of east Texas, United States, was deposited as part of the giant Comanche carbonate platform of the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is largely characterized by shallow-water platform interior carbonates, including skeletal-oolitic shoals and muddy green algae-rich lagoons. The Pettet is broken up into four subunits (Pettet A, B, C, and D), each of which represents
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Study on microscale mechanical properties of minerals and organic matter in shale based on atomic force microscopy AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Zhuo Gong, Shangbin Chen, Hubert Ishimwe, Shaojie Zhang, Jamil Khan, Yang Wang, Xiong Sun
The micromechanical properties of shale are crucial for the modeling and prediction of its macromechanical properties. However, the elastic properties have not been comprehensively understood at nano- and microscales. In the present study, the mechanics-component mapping and logarithm filtering methods are proposed to overcome the defect of atomic force microscopy in identifying shale components to
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A novel method for digitizing sedimentological graphic logs and exporting into reservoir modeling software AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Aly Abdelaziz, Greg M. Baniak, Thomas F. Moslow, Alessandro Terzuoli, Giovanni Grasselli
Sedimentology is a key technical discipline in the energy and resource industry. One of its greatest benefits is in the detailed description and interpretation of full-diameter core as well as wellbore cutting samples. Such information adds significant value to hydrocarbon exploration and development by providing the basis for determining reservoir characterization and constructing precise subsurface
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Paleocave architectures and controlling processes of the Ordovician carbonate paleokarst systems in western and central Tarim Basin, northwestern China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Changsong Lin, Haijun Yang, Jianfa Han, Jingyan Liu, Zhenzhong Cai, Hao Li, Manli Zhang
The paleokarst systems of the Ordovician carbonate rocks in the Tarim Basin, northwestern China, comprise economically significant oil and gas reservoirs and display complex cave architectures. Based on comprehensive analysis of seismic, well log, core, and outcrop data, the cave architecture and controlling processes of the Ordovician paleokarst systems in the western margin and central uplift belt
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High-resolution petrophysical, geochemical, and geomechanical profiling of a 230-m continuous core from the Montney Formation, Canada AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Daniela Becerra, Christopher R. Clarkson, Amin Ghanizadeh
Low-permeability (tight) siltstones and mudstones of the Montney Formation in western Canada are currently being exploited with multistage fractured horizontal wells. A significant challenge for development is effectively targeting zones for lateral placement and hydraulic fracture stimulation within the typically thick (up to 350 m) gross Montney interval. At the vertical resolution of common well-log
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New insights on the retention and migration of shale oil within the hypersaline Qianjiang Formation in the Jianghan Basin, China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Zhiliang He, Yuanjia Han, Qinglai Luo, Fu Wang, Furong Wang, Shiqiang Wu
Super giants of oil are present in the hypersaline Qianjiang shale of the Jianghan Basin. Although the oil in place of intersalt shale is controlled potentially by the total organic carbon (TOC) content, the extremely high values of the oil saturation index (OSI), ranging from 100 to 600 mg/g TOC, are widely revealed to be a result of lateral charging of self-sourced petroleum from deep sags. However
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Guizhou modern karsts as analogues for paleokarst reservoirs in the Shunbei oil field, Tarim Basin, China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Jingbin Wang, Dongya Zhu, Zhiliang He, Haiming Song, Quanyou Liu, Cheng Zeng, Tianbo Yang, Qian Ding
The modern karst systems of Guizhou Province in southern China are examined as the key analogues for fault-controlled paleokarst reservoirs of the Shunbei oil field in the Tarim Basin in northwestern China. The size, distribution, and geometry of karst features are quantitatively described on millimeter-to-kilometer scales, and then we discuss their relationships to the faults, fractures, and bedding
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Seismic sedimentology of a broad, low-relief carbonate platform: The Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation, Moxi–Gaoshiti area, Sichuan Basin, China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-03-01 Wenzhi Zhao, Hongliu Zeng, Zhaohui Xu, Suyun Hu, Qilong Fu
Broad, low-relief carbonate platforms are commonly relatively flat lying and show minimal topographic relief. These characteristics make the platforms difficult to interpret using seismic data. To systematically analyze these platforms for reservoirs, a seismic-sedimentological workflow was implemented to investigate the paleogeomorphology and reservoir quality of the Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation
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The impact of CO2-enhanced oil recovery on oil production and lifespan of old oil pools: A Canadian example AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Mengwei Zhao
Analyses of oil production data from the Weyburn Midale oil pool reveal that CO2 injection substantially reduced the decline trend of annual oil outputs in an exponential way with an average decline rate of 2.5%, which is two times lower than that of the worldwide total giant oil fields (5.5% or 6.5%). Based on its production data, it is projected that without CO2 injection the pool would have ended
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Hydrocarbon trapping in hydrodynamic salinity gradients: Williston Basin case studies AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 David M. Petty
Hydrodynamic salinity gradients occur in aquifers where lateral salinity changes are caused by regional water flow. Hydrodynamic salinity gradients are highly favorable for oil entrapment in areas where less-saline waters flow downdip to replace more-saline waters because the “tilt amplification factor” increases in updip areas where the oil–water contact tilt may exceed the regional structural dip
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Permeability of upper Wolfcamp lithofacies in the Delaware Basin: The role of stratigraphic heterogeneity in the production of unconventional reservoirs AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Sebastian Ramiro-Ramirez, Athma R. Bhandari, Robert M. Reed, Peter B. Flemings
The drainage of low-permeability unconventional reservoirs is often interpreted to be controlled by hydraulic and natural fractures that drain a homogenous low-permeability mudstone. However, stratigraphic heterogeneity, which results in strong variations in permeability, may also play an important role. We demonstrate that thin dolomitized carbonate sediment gravity flow deposits are over 25 times
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Origin of bedding-parallel calcite “beef” layers in the Upper Jurassic Haynesville shale, northwestern Louisiana AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 L. Taras Bryndzia, Calum I. Macaulay, Alexander P. Litvinchuk, Brian D. Monteleone
Bedding-parallel calcite layers (BPCLs) preserving a fibrous “beef” texture are common throughout the overmature Haynesville Formation shale. Their interfaces with the host shale contain radiating splays of anhydrite pseudomorphs after gypsum rosettes, suggesting either a primary evaporitic or an early burial origin. In places, the calcite layers contain remnant barite or anhydrite in crystallographic
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Why does it take so long to publish a paper in the AAPG Bulletin? AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Wayne K. Camp
Many authors become frustrated with the amount of time it takes to review, accept, and publish their work in peer-reviewed scientific journals. An analysis of papers published in volume 107 of the AAPG Bulletin through November 2023 shows publication took an average of 25 months from manuscript submission to publication. Most of the time is consumed during the review period that averaged 15 months
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Strike-slip fault control on karst in ultra-deep carbonates, Tarim Basin, China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Lianbo Zeng, Jinxiong Shi, Qingyou Ma, Wenya Lyu, Shaoqun Dong, Dongsheng Cao, Hehua Wei
Karst reservoirs in the Ordovician carbonates of Tarim Basin are currently major targets of deep and ultra-deep hydrocarbon exploration and development in China. New drilling and seismic data show that these deep-buried carbonate karst reservoirs are spatially dependent on strike-slip faulting. Based on the geological and geophysical data, this study developed an attempt to determine the impact and
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Carbonate platform or volcanic mound? Seismic characterization of a synrift buildup along the outer high of the Lüderitz Basin, Namibia AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 N. Rochelle-Bates, G. Calvès, M. Huuse, S. Schröder
Prospect B is one of the largest Cretaceous sag-phase buildups yet identified along the outer high of Namibia’s Atlantic volcanic-rifted margin. These enigmatic buildups constitute a potential new carbonate play offshore Namibia and South Africa. However, no unambiguous carbonate geometries have been reported to date, and they sit atop a highly volcanic sedimentary sequence. In the absence of well
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Effects of light hydrocarbons and extractable organic matter on the methane sorption capacity of shales AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Qian Zhang, Reinhard Fink, Bernhard M. Krooss, Zhijun Jin, Rukai Zhu, Zhazha Hu, Garri Gaus, Ralf Littke
High-pressure methane (CH4) sorption measurements at 30°C and up to 20 MPa have been conducted on four carbonaceous shales with total organic carbon contents ranging from 8.52 to 11.73 wt. % and different maturities (0.53%–1.45% vitrinite reflectance). Excess sorption isotherms were measured on all four samples in the “dry,” “solvent-extracted,” “hexane-equilibrated,” and “moisture-equilibrated” states
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Forecast of economic gas production in the Marcellus Shale AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Wardana Saputra, Wissem Kirati, David Hughes, Tadeusz W. Patzek
We apply a hybrid data-driven and physics-based method to predict the most likely futures of gas production from the largest mudrock formation in North America, the Marcellus Shale play. We first divide the ≥100,000 mi2 of the Marcellus Shale into four regions with different reservoir qualities: the northeastern and southwestern cores and the noncore and outer areas. Second, we define four temporal
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Hypogenic karstic cavities formed by tectonic-driven fluid mixing in the Ordovician carbonates from the Tarim Basin, northwestern China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Lei Jiang, Anjiang Shen, Zhanfeng Qiao, Anping Hu, Zhaohui Xu, Heng Zhang, Bo Wan, Chunfang Cai
Enhanced hydrogeologic circulations promoted by tectonics are commonly linked to karstic cavity formation in carbonate rocks, providing superb reservoirs for hosting energy resources (i.e., hydrocarbon and geothermal) in sedimentary basins. Predicting such cavern reservoirs in the deep subsurface is difficult mainly due to uncertainties in timing the tectonics and characterizing their associated fluids
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Hydrodynamic effects on low-dip stratigraphic traps AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 S. A. Stewart
Existing descriptions and mapping techniques of hydrodynamic effects on subsurface fluid contacts are generally restricted to relatively thick, continuous reservoirs. These concepts do not readily apply to stratigraphic traps in thin reservoirs that pinch out laterally in some directions yet are normally pressured. Spatial variation in reservoir pinch-out trends, geological depth structure, and hydrodynamic
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Jurassic deep-water reservoirs at a transfer-transform offset: Modeling the mixed carbonate-siliciclastic Shelburne subbasin, southeastern Canadian margin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Justin Nagle, David J. W. Piper, E. Marfisi, Georgia Pe-Piper, F. Saint-Ange
The Mesozoic–Cenozoic Scotian Basin terminates southwestward at the Yarmouth transfer fault zone. That part of the basin, the western Shelburne subbasin, shows a different geological evolution from the main Scotian Basin. It is the most prospective part of the basin for oil, but it remains underexplored. This study investigates the role of the transfer fault zone in sediment dispersion and deep-water
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Impacts of diagenetic processes on petrophysical characteristics of the Aptian presalt carbonates of the Santos Basin, Brazil AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Hugo Tamoto, André Luiz Silva Pestilho, Anelize Manuela Bahniuk Rumbelsperger
The presalt carbonate reservoirs located at the marginal basins of Brazil are one the most important hydrocarbon provinces worldwide. These reservoirs are responsible for approximately 75% of the Brazilian offshore oil production. Despite the presalt reservoirs’ present good petrophysical qualities (porosity >15% and permeability >100 md), there are still challenges related to the lack of understanding
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Complex multiscale reservoir heterogeneity in a tidal depositional environment, Temblor Formation, West Coalinga field, California AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Dave Larue, Jon Allen, Cecile Audinet, Kathy Miller, Jesse Thompson
The Temblor Formation reservoirs in the densely drilled West Coalinga field were primarily deposited in various tidal settings and have an abundance of reservoir complexity types and heterogeneities that can be interpreted within a sequence stratigraphic framework. Characterization of the Temblor reservoirs is presented in three parts: the first part focuses on techniques of recognizing functional
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Application of a deep-water stratigraphic framework to the production of the Wolfcampian units in the Permian Basin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2024-01-01 Daniel Minisini, Patricio Desjardins
To increase the understanding of the Wolfcampian unconventional plays within the Permian Basin, we present an integrated subsurface study shedding light on multiple target stratigraphic units (Wolfcamp A, B, C). We analyzed a rich data set covering 1000 km2 (386 mi2) in the deep-water sector (basinward of the shelf margin) of the Delaware Basin to generate a robust sequence stratigraphic framework
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Introduction to Salt Basins Special Issue Volume 2: Evaporite precipitation, physical modeling, basin evolution in honor of Bruno Vendeville AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Rachelle Kernen, Tim Shin
As government policy, consumer markets, and global geopolitics rapidly shift, it will be imperative that energy companies, universities, and government organizations have access to research that addresses the subsurface development of energy. A key area of research for the energy transition is related to the precipitation, deposition, and diapirism in salt basins. Traditionally, evaporite stratigraphy
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Salt deposition in ultradeep brine settings by dynamic inflow and evaporation AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Alexandros Konstantinou, Garry D. Karner, Erik Kneller, David Gombosi
This study addresses the geological conundrum of giant salt basins by challenging the longstanding assumption that salt deposition necessarily occurs in brines in which the water depth is less than 300 m. We integrate regional observations, quantitative paleowater depth estimates, and numerical mass-balance modeling to illustrate that this assumption is inconsistent with observations from three giant
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Growth and evolution of salt canopies on a salt-detached slope: Insights from physical models AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Tim P. Dooley, Martin P. A. Jackson, Michael R. Hudec
Salt canopies form the most spectacular and complex structures in the realm of salt tectonics. In this study, we use two physical models to examine salt-canopy growth and evolution on a salt-detached slope. A series of 14 feeders were seeded in our models and grew upward as passive diapirs. Eventually, these passive diapirs spread as salt sheets, with motion vectors skewed down the imposed regional
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Interplay of downbuilding and gliding in salt-bearing rifted margins: Insights from analogue modeling and natural case studies AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Pablo Granado, Pablo Santolaria, Josep Anton Muñoz
Our analogue modeling program simulates a thermally subsiding rifted margin with a regional late synrift to early postrift salt basin. End member models include (1) pure downbuilding in a confined salt basin and (2) dominant gliding on a tilted opened toe margin. The spectrum between these was completed by modeling different amounts of downbuilding versus dominant gliding. Our results provide structural
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Salt welding during canopy advance and shortening in the Green Canyon area, northern Gulf of Mexico AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Turki K. Alshammasi, Sian L. Evans, Christopher A.-L. Jackson
Welds form due to tectonically induced thinning and/or dissolution of salt, with their composition and completeness thought to at least partly reflect their structural position within the salt-tectonic system. Despite their importance as seals or migration pathways for accumulations of hydrocarbons and CO2, we have relatively few published examples of drilled subsurface welds; such examples would allow
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Three-dimensional seismic classification of salt structure morphologies across the Southern North Sea AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Christopher Brennan, Anna Preiss, Jürgen Adam
Post-Permian salt tectonic processes and their relationship with varied paleodepositional systems were a major controlling factor of the Mesozoic–Cenozoic basin evolution of the Southern North Sea. Detailed mapping and analysis of Zechstein salt structure morphologies is vital to conduct regional kinematic analysis and evolution of salt structures as well as understanding the relationship between thick-
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Regional variability of onset and cessation of salt tectonics in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic Southern North Sea subbasins AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01 Christopher Brennan, Jürgen Adam
Early post-Permian salt mobilization of the Zechstein Supergroup was a major controlling factor of the post-Permian basin evolution and complex Mesozoic–Cenozoic architecture of different subbasins across the Southern North Sea. Supraregional merged seismic data sets enable the basin-scale systematic analysis of salt tectonic processes and their regional tectonic and local paleodepositional controls
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INDEX OF VOLUME 107 (2023) AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-12-01
The format of the 2023 Bulletin index consists of titles, authors, and keywords. Beginning at the left, column one references a regular Bulletin article (BU) or a Bulletin abstract (BA). Column two indicates the volume and issue numbers (00000 = volume 000, issue number 0). Column three gives the page number. Column four indicates whether the entry is by title (T), author (A), or keyword (K). The fifth
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Stratigraphic architecture of the 1420–1210 Ma Velkerri and Kyalla Formations (Beetaloo Sub-basin, Australia) AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Vincent Crombez, Marcus Kunzmann, Mohinudeen Faiz, Claudio Delle Piane, Stuart Munday, Anne Forbes
The Mesoproterozoic Velkerri and Kyalla Formations in the Beetaloo Sub-basin in northern Australia contain the world’s oldest shale plays. In unconventional exploration, the main challenge is the identification of sweet spots from which hydrocarbons can be produced economically. In fine-grained siliciclastic intervals, the distribution of these sweet spots is controlled mainly by the evolution of the
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Water depth–terrigenous input dynamic equilibrium controls the Eocene lacustrine shale laminae records in Jiyang depression, Bohai Bay Basin, East China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Chao Liang, Yingchang Cao, Jing Wu, Yu Han, Keyu Liu, Fang Hao, Danish Khan, Junfang Mei, Shun Zhang, Yong Wang
Lacustrine organic-rich Eocene shales are well developed within the faulted lake basin in the Bohai Bay Basin in eastern China. It is crucial to comprehend the sedimentation of these shales for the study of depositional processes, paleoenvironment reconstruction, and shale oil exploration. This research investigates the sedimentary characteristics and formation mechanisms of lacustrine shales in the
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A genetic algorithm–driven support vector machine to discriminate the kerogen type using conventional geophysical logging data AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Jier Zhao, Xinmin Ge, Yiren Fan, Jianyu Liu, Yiguo Chen, Lei Xing
Source rock properties such as kerogen type are critical for reservoir quality evaluation of unconventional oil and gas resources. However, determining the kerogen type is challenging due to the significant formation heterogeneities and poor correlations between geophysical logging data and laboratory geochemical observations. In this paper, a genetic algorithm–driven support vector machine (GA-SVM)
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Direct radiometric dating of bitumen using Sm-Nd isotopes AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Mao-Wen Yuan, Lin Li, Sheng-Rong Li, M. Santosh, Cheng-Lu Li, Masroor Alam, Zeng-Qian Hou, Ming Li
The Sm–Nd geochronology has great potential to directly constrain the age of hydrocarbon generation, migration, and charging; however, this technique has been rarely applied and poorly understood in the context of timing of petroleum system formation and evolution. In this contribution, we carried out a comprehensive study of the Sm–Nd isotope, mineralogical characteristics, and Raman spectroscopy
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Fracture stratigraphy, stress, and strain evolution in shale succession of the lower Paleozoic Baltic Basin (Poland) AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Marek Jarosiński, Kinga Bobek, Andrzej Głuszyński, Krzysztof Sowiżdżał, Tomasz Słoczyński
Our integrated tectonic and geomechanical study, based on industry-sourced data from the lower Paleozoic shale succession in the Polish part of the Baltic Basin, targeted the stress and strain conditions in which a series of tectonic structures occurred. Structural profiling of cores and scanner images from eight exploration boreholes has revealed that joint intensity profiles, bedding-parallel veins
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Control of grain size of brittle minerals on fracture development in shale under compression: Insights from numerical experiments AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Qingfeng Meng, Fang Hao
Screening potential shale gas systems and successful hydraulic stimulation of shale gas plays require careful evaluation of shale mechanical properties and fracability. However, the competitive control of grain size versus content of brittle minerals on shale mechanical properties and fracture behavior is not well understood. We have used the discrete element method to simulate unconfined rock tests
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Molecular dynamics simulation of the coupling and distribution patterns of CO2 sequestration and slit pore media AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Jingling Xu, Gaoyang Chen, Ling Zan, Songwei Guo
The coupling and distribution patterns of CO2 and slit pore media are of great significance for CO2 sequestration, but urgency is needed to elucidate the occurrence state, displacement, and distribution patterns of CO2 in slit pores in different minerals, as well as the mineral adsorption and sequestration capacities. Molecular dynamics simulation is effective for studying the coupling between CO2
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Subsurface storage in the Mississippi Salt Basin domes: Considerations for the emerging hydrogen economy AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 C. Nur Schuba, Lorena Moscardelli
Hydrogen will play an important role as an energy carrier to help society decarbonize energy systems. Although storage in salt caverns is a proven concept, hydrogen storage for purposes of power generation, transportation, and industrial use is today an untested concept. This use of hydrogen storage will require the creation of new salt caverns and/or the repurposing of existing ones within salt formations
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In situ stress state in the petroliferous Barmer Basin, northwestern India: A new geomechanical approach AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Premanand Mishra, G. Karthikeyan, Sabyasachi Dash, Shubhodip Konar, Ajoy K. Bora, Utpalendu Kuila, Dilip K. Mukhopadhyay, Mark D. Zoback
Limited understanding of state of stress has led to wellbore complications attributing to significant nonproductive time during drilling operations in the Barmer Basin, northwestern India. This paper deals with determination of state of stress in the hydrocarbon-bearing Barmer Basin by incorporating well data, earthquake aftershock data, and structural fieldwork data. Vertical stress (Sv), pore pressure
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A review of the genesis, evolution, and prediction of natural fractures in deep tight sandstones of China AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Lianbo Zeng, Lei Gong, Yunzhao Zhang, Shaoqun Dong, Wenya Lyu
Natural fractures are effective reservoir spaces and the main seepage channel for tight sandstones, which control the migration, enrichment, and productivity of oil and natural gas. This paper systematically reviews the formation and distribution of natural fractures in the deep tight sandstone reservoirs of China over the past three decades. Based on geological origins, multiscale characteristics
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Growth and demise of a Paleocene isolated carbonate platform, northwest Sirte Basin, Libya: Sequence stratigraphic architecture and controlling factors AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Muneer Abdalla, Wan Yang, Salah Shaniba
Isolated carbonate platforms are important for their significant explorational interests and tectonic sedimentary implications for the formation of extensional rift basins. This study integrates three-dimensional seismic and well data to investigate the architecture and growth history and interpret factors controlling the growth and termination of a Paleocene isolated carbonate platform in the West
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The analysis of the micro-occurrence state of irreducible water in anthracite fracture network based on digital core AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Lei Han, Jian Shen, Jing Qu, Changjiang Ji, Huijie Cheng
The micro-occurrence state and the mobility of irreducible water in coal is important in achieving high coalbed methane (CBM) production. Displacement system and computed tomography experiments were conducted using high-rank coals collected from the Qinshui Basin of China. The registered wet and dry computed tomography images were subtracted to provide differential images, within which the contrast
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Novel diamondoid-based maturity models using naturally occurring petroleum fluids AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Robin van der Ploeg, Jos B. M. Pureveen, Sander H. J. M. van den Boorn, Pim F. van Bergen
Diamondoids have been extensively used in petroleum geochemistry for thermal maturity assessment of hydrocarbon fluids and the source rocks from which they are derived. Both diamondoid concentrations and diamondoid indices have been proposed as maturity indicators, but no relationships have been shown to be universally applicable across multiple petroleum systems and source rock types. Here, we present
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Direct projection of remaining potential from historical discoveries AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Kenneth C. Hood, Ian M. Longley, Paul Ventris, Jerry Jarvis
The number, sizes, and temporal trends of hydrocarbon discoveries can be used to project the remaining potential for a basin or area of interest. This paper describes a simple graphical method for projecting number and size of potential future discoveries. The graphical approach enables adjustments for geological characterization, exploration maturity, and basin complexity. The method requires enough
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Hydrocarbon-bearing volcanic lava deltas as potential reservoirs: A case study from the North Atlantic Igneous Province, Faroe-Shetland Basin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Óluva Reginsdóttir Eidesgaard, Lars Ole Boldreel, Niels Hemmingsen Schovsbo, Jana Ólavsdóttir
More than 150 volcanic-related hydrocarbon reservoirs have been discovered around the world. In 2010, three gas intervals (lower, middle, and upper, with a total thickness of 350 m [1150 ft]) were found in the offshore Anne-Marie exploration well in a present-day deep-water volcanic setting in the Faroese sector in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, northeast Atlantic Ocean. Seeps, shows, and traces of hydrocarbons
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Geomechanical insights on the importance of mechanical stratigraphy to hydraulic fracture containment AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-10-01 Kevin J. Smart, David A. Ferrill, Alan P. Morris
The influence of mechanical stratigraphy on natural and induced deformation is well established for unconventional or self-sourced hydrocarbon reservoirs. Although drill-through and coring experiments show the complexity of hydraulic fractures, most conceptual models of hydraulic stimulation are predicated on the development of large planar opening-mode fractures or swarms. In this study, we use numerical
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Laboratory study on microbial fractionation mechanisms of carbon and hydrogen isotopes in coalbed biomethane AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Xianbo Su, Dan Li, Daping Xia, Weizhong Zhao, Haijiao Fu, Hongyu Guo
The hydrocarbon isotope geochemistry of coalbed methane is determined by fractionation during its generation, migration, and accumulation. The isotope can be used to identify the origin type and also provide a basis for the selection of favorable blocks for coalbed methane exploration and development. In this paper, the anaerobic fermentation of coal was conducted to generate primary biogenic gases
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A mechanical basis of fault-bend folding AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 N. P. Benesh, J. H. Shaw
Fault-bend folding theory describes the geometric and kinematic evolution of structures in fold-thrust belts and is widely applied to characterize hydrocarbon systems and evaluate subsurface energy storage and carbon sequestration sites. The theory is solely kinematic and does not account for aspects of structural growth that are influenced by mechanical stratigraphy or stress. To address this, we
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The impact of organic pores on estimation of overpressure generated by gas generation in organic-rich shale: Example from Devonian Duvernay Shale, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Pengwei Wang, Zhuoheng Chen, Kezhen Hu, Xiao Chen
Overpressure determination is essential for sweet spot identification, resource evaluation as well as drilling in organic-rich shale, a typical self-contained source-reservoir system. Traditional pressure prediction methods designed for conventional source rocks (e.g., the Eaton’s method) were typically established based on mechanical compaction, which did not consider the increase in organic porosity
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Prestack inversion and amplitude variation with offset attributes as hydrocarbon indicators in carbonate rocks: A case study from the Illinois Basin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Jacob T. Murchek, Paul McColgan, Lindell C. Bridges, Ernest C. Hauser, Doyle R. Watts
Amplitude anomalies in prestack seismic data are used as a risk analysis tool when identifying hydrocarbons in the subsurface. Amplitude variation with offset (AVO) analysis is most commonly applied to poorly consolidated rocks due to the compressibility of these strata when hydrocarbons and porosity are present. In contrast, well-lithified carbonate rocks are less prone to producing a prestack amplitude
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Origin of heavy shale oil in saline lacustrine basins: Insights from the Permian Lucaogou Formation, Junggar Basin AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 Yuce Wang, Jian Cao, Keyu Tao, Chenjia Zhang, Baoli Xiang, Erting Li, Shuang Yu, Changchun Pan
Lacustrine shale oil is typically heavier and more viscous than marine shale oil, impeding its exploration and exploitation. Thus, identification of its origin is key to elucidating its fluidity. Here, the middle Permian Lucaogou Formation of the Jimusar sag, Junggar Basin, China, was used as an example to investigate this issue. The main controlling factor for the characteristics of crude oil in the
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Permeability field imaging: Mapping the geocritical crust’s permeability field AAPG Bull. (IF 3.5) Pub Date : 2023-09-01 P. A. Geiser, P. E. Malin, S. E. Boyer, J. R. Geiser
The highly heterogeneous permeability field of the Earth’s brittle crust has long been a challenge to those seeking to extract its fluid resources. We discuss the geologic and geophysical evidence that the ambient seismic method of permeability field imaging (PFI) solves this problem not by modeling, but by directly mapping the permeability field in its quantitative manifestation and temporal evolution