Journal of Petroleum Geology, Vol.3,
No.2, pp. 187-207, 1980
©Copyright 2000 Scientific Press,
Ltd.
PETROLEUM
BASINS--CLASSIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
H. D. Klemme*
* International Petroleum
Consultant, Westport, CT, USA.
Abstract
Petroluem occurs in concentrated
accumulations (fields) in depressed, sediment filled areas
(basins or provinces) (Coury et al., 1978) (Fig. 1).
Worldwide, more than 600 basins (Huff 1979) and sub-basins are
known to occur--of these, about a quarter by number (Fitzgerald
1979) and about 50% by area and volume (Fig. 23) have production
in some portion to almost all of the basin. Many of the larger
and land basins have established production. The principal
producing areas are in the more extensive land mass area of the
Northern Hemisphere. About 50% of the world's basins by area and
volume and three-quarters by number are non-productive. About
one-third of these have never been test drilled. More than
one-third of the world's basins may be considered exploration
frontier basins. basins and differ on about a quarter of those
that are either poorly known or are much studied but
controversial due to a geologic evolution which often includes a
change in basin type through time (Klemme 1977) (Fig. 22).
