Quantification of Geological Processes That Govern Basin Scale Fluid Flow, 2009

We assessed geophysical characteristics and geological processes of focused fluid flow systems that may have gone through or have been connected to potential hydrocarbon reservoirs. The total number of hydrothermal vent complexes in the Norwegian offshore basins is estimated to be between 2000 and 3000, and we concentrated our studies on three target areas. There is strong evidence from seismic (amplitude anomalies) and well data from the Møre and Vøring basin that some of these deep hydrothermal vent complexes have been re-used for vertical fluid flow during the past 55 million years creating fluid flow throughout basin formations. They appear to penetrate the stratigraphic levels of hydrocarbon reservoirs. Therefore, our study focused on the quantification of the geological processes that govern basin-scale fluid flow to understand impacts of fluid flow systems on petroleum prospectivity, and the distribution of shallow free gas as a risk in drilling areas. The end products of this project increased international competitiveness, and enhanced education of students in the field of high resolution 3D seismic imaging and fluid flow systems.