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Reservoir Potential of Sands Formed in Glaciomarine Environments: an Analog Study Based on Cenozoic Examples from Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica

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Reservoir Potential of Sands Formed in Glaciomarine Environments: an Analog Study Based on Cenozoic Examples from Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences of 4-2012 Reservoir potential of sands formed in glaciomarine environments: An analog study based on Cenozoic examples from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica Christopher R. Fielding University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Brian A. Blackstone University of Nebraska-Lincoln Tracy D. Frank University of Nebraska-Lincoln, [email protected] Zi Gui University of Nebraska-Lincoln Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub Part of the Geochemistry Commons, Geology Commons, Geomorphology Commons, Geophysics and Seismology Commons, Glaciology Commons, Hydrology Commons, and the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons Fielding, Christopher R.; Blackstone, Brian A.; Frank, Tracy D.; and Gui, Zi, "Reservoir potential of sands formed in glaciomarine environments: An analog study based on Cenozoic examples from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica" (2012). Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. 314. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/geosciencefacpub/314 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Papers in the Earth and Atmospheric Sciences by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Published in M. Huuse, J. Redfern, D. P. Le Heron, R. J. Dixon, A. Moscariello, & J. Craig, eds., Glaciogenic Reservoirs and Hydrocarbon Systems; Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 368 (2012); doi:10.1144/SP368.10 Online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1144/SP368.10 Copyright © 2012 The Geological Society of London. Used by permission. Published online April 5, 2012. Reservoir potential of sands formed in glaciomarine environments: An analog study based on Cenozoic examples from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica Christopher R. Fielding, Brian A. Blackstone, Tracy D. Frank, and Zi Gui Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, University of Nebraska–Lincoln 214 Bessey Hall, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588-0340, USA Corresponding author — C. Fielding, email [email protected] Abstract This paper provides documentation of unexpectedly high-reservoir-quality glaciomarine sands found in the Cenozoic succession beneath McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, as an analogue study for evaluations of hydrocarbon prospectivity in basins elsewhere. The Oligocene to Lower Miocene succession of the Victoria Land Basin, an extant portion of the West Antarctic Rift System, comprises diamictites, mudrocks, and sandstones with minor conglomerates. These lithologies are arranged in repetitive stacking patterns (cycles), interpreted to record repeated advance and retreat of glaciers into and out of the basin, with attendant eustatic and isostatic effects. Phases of ice retreat within the cycles comprise an ar- ray of mudrocks, sandy mudrocks, and sandstones, deposited mainly during relative sea-level highstands. Clean, well- sorted, unconsolidated, and porous sands <25 m thick from such intervals, which are interpreted to be mainly deltaic in origin, were encountered. Some of these sands, which have visible porosity as high as 41%, flowed into the well bore to- gether with significant volumes of cold formation water. Diagenetic modification of sands in these intervals is minimal, which can be attributed to the low-temperature nature of the subsurface environment. Accordingly, glaciomarine sands in near-field glaciogenic successions should be considered as potential reservoir facies in prospectivity assessments. The fluid reservoir potential of most terrigenous clas- ity in Antarctica; rather, we use information from a well- tic depositional settings is well-documented in the geo- studied, largely unmodified and geologically extant basin logical literature (e.g. Scholle & Spearing 1982; Barwis in Antarctica to develop models that might be used as an- et al. 1990; Galloway & Hobday 1996; Shepherd 2009). alogues for potential exploration targets elsewhere. Conspicuously lacking from these reviews, however, Productive sandstone reservoirs of interpreted gla- and from the literature in general, is any evaluation of ciomarine origin have been documented from the Upper the reservoir potential of glaciogenic successions, partic- Carboniferous Itarare Group of the Paraña Basin in Bra- ularly those formed in glaciomarine settings. Nonethe- zil (Franca & Potter 1991; Potter et al. 1995; Vesely et al. less, glaciogenic successions both in the Ordovician and 2007). Similar sands formed in apparently non-marine late Paleozoic of Gondwana have proved to be effective water bodies (lakes) have also been documented from and producible petroleum systems, and so a fuller un- the Upper Carboniferous to Lower Permian Al Khlata derstanding of reservoir potential in glaciogenic settings Formation of Oman by Levell et al. (1988) and Osterl- would seem to be a desirable objective. off et al. (2004), and age-equivalent Unayzah Formation In this paper, we focus on an element of glaciogenic Members B and C in Saudi Arabia (Melvin & Sprague successions that is poorly documented in terms of reser- 2006; Melvin et al. 2010). There is, furthermore, consider- voir potential, that of glaciomarine facies. We detail the able glaciomarine reservoir hydrocarbon potential in the depositional environments, stratigraphic contexts, tex- Neoproterozoic and Early Paleozoic systems of North ture and porosity characteristics, as well as the diagene- Africa (e.g. Hirst et al. 2002; Le Heron et al. 2004, 2009; sis of Neogene sands from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, Craig et al. 2009). Accordingly, there is reason to believe as an analogue for glaciomarine deposits elsewhere in the that analogue studies of glaciomarine reservoir poten- world and the geological record. We emphasize that in tial might be of value to future exploration efforts in gla- no way do we encourage or advocate exploration activ- cial petroleum systems. 1 2 FIELDING ET AL. IN GLACIOGENIC RESERVOIRS AND HYDROCARBON SYSTEMS (2012) Figure 1. Location map showing geological context of southern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica (inset map), the locations of fully cored drillholes mentioned in the text (black circles), Neogene, rift-related volcanic edifices (black triangles) and the principal re- search bases in the area (black squares). Geological setting Main Rift, in which sediment accumulation was no lon- ger confined to individual sub-basins, but rather formed The data on which this analysis is based derive from a lens that thickens basinward to a central depocenter Cenozoic successions accumulated in the Victoria Land (29–24 Ma); (iv) thermal subsidence, in which sediments Basin (VLB), Antarctica (Figure 1). The VLB forms the formed a blanket over the earlier synrift section (24– 13 westernmost compartment of the West Antarctic Rift Ma); and (v) renewed rifting (Terror Rift: Cooper et al. system, a failed rift complex of Cenozoic age now un- 1987; Henrys et al. 2007), in which sedimentary section derlying the Ross Sea embayment (Cooper et al. 1987; again thickens markedly into a series of depocenters Davey & Brancolini 1995; Stagpoole 2004; Figure 1). and which was accompanied by extensive magmatic ac- As there is essentially no surface exposure of the VLB tivity (13–0 Ma). stratigraphic succession, all available information is The first drilling program to acquire substantial sub- sourced from extensive seismic reflection surveys (e.g. surface drillcore from the McMurdo Sound region was Cooper et al. 1987; Brancolini et al. 1995a, b; Bartek et the Dry Valleys Drilling Project of the 1970s (DVDP: Mc- al. 1996; Hamilton et al. 2001) and from a series of fully Ginnis 1981) in which 15 holes were drilled, all but one cored stratigraphic drillholes (Barrett 2007; Figure 1). onshore, to a maximum depth of 328 m. A parallel drill- Seismic reflection data show the VLB succession to be ing program was carried out by the Eastern Taylor Val- up to 5 km thick and to be divisible into a series of tec- ley Project in the early 1980s (Robinson 1983; Robinson tonostratigraphic units. Based on integration of drilling & Jaegers 1984). Thirteen holes were drilled to a maxi- results with seismic reflection data, Fielding et al. (2006, mum of 71 m below surface. Acquisition of cored strati- 2008a) divided the history of the VLB into five major graphic sections from offshore locations using sea-ice phases: (i) Exhumation and erosion of the Transantarc- platforms commenced with the drilling of DVDP-15 tic Mountains and formation of initial rift topography in 1975, in western McMurdo Sound (Barrett & Treves (older than 34 Ma); (ii) Early Rift, in which sediments ac- 1981; Figure 1). The hole penetrated to 65 m below sea cumulated in mainly fan environments in discrete, rap- floor (mbsf), and various drilling issues limited core re- idly subsiding extensional sub-basins (34–29 Ma); (iii) covery to 52%. A further attempt to penetrate the gla- RESERVOIR POTENTIAL OF SANDS FORMED IN GLACIOMARINE ENVIRONMENTS 3 cial succession of New Harbor was made in 1979 with posits during early rift development and preceding the the drilling of MSSTS-1 somewhat inboard of the site of initial growth of ice centers in the region (Fielding et DVDP-15, with 56% recovery (Barrett 1986). This hole al. 2001). These strata pass gradationally upwards into penetrated to 227 mbsf, but, like earlier offshore holes, increasingly
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