The giant Johan Sverdrup oil field on the Utsira high in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea is an example of a multibillion-barrel oil discovery in a mature and prolific super basin. After 50 yr of exploration in the region, the field had eluded the oil industry. Wells drilled (from 1967 to 2006) had oil shows in both basement and traditional sandstone reservoir rocks. The first significant discovery in the area was not made until 2007 with the Edvard Grieg field, shortly followed by the discovery of the Johan Sverdrup field in 2010.

The mainly Jurassic-aged Statfjord and Viking groups constitute the two principal reservoirs in the field containing reserves in the order of 2.2–3.2 BBOE within a productive area of approximately 200 km² (∼124 mi²). Reservoir properties are excellent, with multi-Darcy permeabilities.

The stratigraphic succession of the area, from Upper Triassic–Lower Jurassic alluvial deposits at the base to Upper Jurassic–Lower Cretaceous open-marine deposits at the top, records long-term subsidence and marine transgression, although interrupted by significant Middle Jurassic thermal uplift. During this time, accommodation was influenced by phases of extension and the creation of oblique-slip faults, previously not described in this region. The resulting stratigraphic architecture provided the basis for one of the largest oil fields in the North Sea super basin and a major supplier of energy for decades to come.