Petroleum Systems Flashcards
What are the essential elements of a petroleum system?
- Source rock
- Migration route
- Reservoir rock
- Seal rock
- Trap
What are the essential processes of a petroleum system?
- Generation
- Migration
- Accumulation
- Preservation
- Timing
What is a source rock?
A rock with abundant hydrocarbon prone organic matter
What are the characteristics of the Asthenosphere?
- Hot
- Weak
- Plastic
What are the characteristics of the Lithosphere?
- Cool
- Rigid
- Brittle
What has a higher density, oceanic crust or continental crust?
- Oceanic has higher density - 2900 kg/m^3
- Continental has lower density - 2600 kg/m^3
What is the mohorovic discontinuity?
- The boundary between brittle and ductile crust
What are the 3 processes of organic material evolution in source rocks
- Diagenesis (production of kerogen)
- Catagenesis (production of oil and gas)
- Metagenesis (production of methane)
What is a trap?
The structural and stratigraphic configuration that focuses oil and gas into accumulation
What are the three types of trap?
- Structural traps
- Stratigraphic traps
- Diapiric traps
What causes a structural trap?
tectonic processes (e.g. anticlines and fault traps)
What causes a stratigraphic trap?
depositional morphology (e.g. unconformity trap, pinchout trap and reef trap)
What causes a diapiric trap?
upward movement of less dense sediments, usually salt (e.g. salt domes)
What are the two main types of seals?
- Membrane seal (rocks through which petroleum is unable to pass through the largest pores)
- Hydraulic seals (rocks through which petroleum can only exist by generating fractures)
What characteristics must a reservoir rock have?
It must have pores to contain the oil or gas (porosity) and the pores must be connected (it must have permeability)
