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Characterization of Shallow Hydrocarbon Accumulations in the Central North Sea
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 80th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2018, Jun 2018, Volume 2018, p.1 - 5
Abstract
Shallow hydrocarbon accumulations often appear as ‘bright spots’ on seismic data. They are found associated with other fluid flow features such as gas chimneys, pipes, mud volcanoes, pockmarks in sedimentary basins around the world. Of recent, they are perceived as drilling hazards and often bypassed when drilling for deeper targets but recently some bright spots are being turned into resources in parts of the North Sea. For example, shallow gas is currently being produced from Pleistocene sands in the Aviat field in the UK and from Miocene-Pliocene sands in the Dutch sector of the North Sea. Despite the role they play in the industry, their occurrence, spatial distribution, mechanism of accumulation and relationship to other geologic structures is yet to be fully understood. This study assessed the occurrence, hosting sediments and distribution of the shallow gas accumulations within the Central North Sea using conventional seismic interpretation approaches within a geologic framework. A geologic model is developed that may assist in mitigating the risks associated with the shallow gas accumulations.