About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

CSPG Special Publications

Abstract


Facts and Principles of World Petroleum Occurrence — Memoir 6, 1980
Pages 983-984
Symposium Abstracts

Petroleum Potential and Possibilities on the Norwegian Continental Shelf: Abstract

E. I. Bergsager1

The exact size of the Norwegian Continental Margin is not clear, since the delineation towards the deep Atlantic Ocean and U.S.S.R. in the Barents Sea is not finalized, but the area with significant sediment thickness is of the order of 1.5 × 106km2.

Only the North Sea south of 62°N, approximately 150 000 km2, has been exposed to exploratory drilling. 183 exploration and 75 production wells were spudded by September 15, 1975. 1.4 × 109 tonne oil/oil equivalents recoverable reserves have been discovered, of which about half is gas. The fields are located along the Central and Viking Graben, a N-S running Mesozoic basin along the central North Sea. Three horizons have proven to be the main reservoir rocks:

  • Middle Jurassic sandstone. Statfjord most prominent field.

  • Maastrichtian/Danian chalk. Ekofisk most prominent field.

  • Paleocene/Eocene sandstone. Frigg most prominent field.

NPD has risk evaluated undrilled structures and concluded that another 2 × 109 tonne oil/oil equivalent recoverable reserves are to be found. Structural and stratigraphic possiblities of further reserves will be discussed.

Evaluation of the area north of 62°N is based mainly on NPD’s seismic surveys. The three main areas to be discussed are:

  • The More-Lofoten between 62°N-69°N

  • Barents Sea north of 70°N

  • The Jan Mayen area

The first two areas are the most extensively explored and considered to be the most prospective. A number of basin developments of different types are defined. Favourable conditions for formation and accumulation of substantial amounts of hydrocarbons prevail over extensive parts. The two areas are generally considered highly prospective, but variations within them will be discussed.

The Jan Mayen ridge is a continental block with sediments of considerable thickness. The possibility of commercial HC-deposits is highly questionable but should not be ruled out.

Acknowledgments and Associated Footnotes

1 Norwegian Petroleum Directorate

Copyright © 2009 by the Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists