Analysis of the Petroleum Systems of the Lusitanian Basin (Western Iberian Margin)—A Tool for Deep Offshore Exploration
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Analysis of the Petroleum Systems of the Lusitanian Basin (Western Iberian Margin)—A Tool for Deep Offshore Exploration Pena dos Reis, Rui Pimentel, Nuno Centro de Geociências Centro de Geologia Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade Lisboa Universidade de Coimbra Campo Grande C-6 Lg Marquês de Pombal 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal 3000-272 Coimbra, Portugal e-mail: [email protected] e-mail: [email protected] Abstract A synthesis of the knowledge about the Lusita- Mesozoic and Tertiary seals and traps. Related pro- nian Basin is presented here, focusing on its cesses, such as organic matter maturation and stratigraphic record, sedimentary infill, evolution, and hydrocarbons migration are also discussed. The charac- petroleum systems. Petroleum system elements are teristics of these elements and processes are analysed characterized, including Palaeozoic and Mesozoic and implications for deep offshore exploration are dis- source rocks, siliciclastic and carbonate reservoirs, and cussed. Introduction GCSSEPM The Lusitanian Basin is one of the Western Ibe- results. However, exploration continues and a good rian Margin sedimentary basins related with the understanding of these basins’ evolution and character- opening of the North Atlantic (Fig. 1) (Wilson et al., istics is crucial to enhance the chances of future 1989). These basins have their counterparts in the east- success. This paper deals with the evolution of the ern Canada Jeanne D’Arc and Whale basins, as part of mainly onshore Lusitanian Basin and its petroleum sys- the Iberia-Newfoundland conjugate margins complex tems, in order to establish an analog for other nearby (eg., Wilson et al., 1989; Pinheiro et al., 1996;2014 Peron- offshore basins, aiming to contribute to a better Pinvidic and Manatchal, 2009). The evolution of all regional framework for exploration in this region (Fig. these basins are defined by the same geodynamic con- 1). trols but also by specific local constraints, explaining In this paper we present a summary of this different characteristics and success in exploration. In approach, based on an overview of the basin evolution the Canadian basins, the intense exploration has led to and an analysis of the related petroleum systems and several good production and development results, but elements, with implications on the deep offshore on- the Iberian basins have not had so far similar positive going exploration. Lusitanian Basin’s Evolution and Infill The Lusitanian Basin extends for about 250 km basins in southwestern Iberia (PenB, AB in Fig. 1) and north-south and 100 km east-west, facing the Atlantic the Gulf of Cadiz Basin in southern Iberia (Gb in to the west,Copyright representing the inner and most proximal Fig. 1). margins of much larger basins extending towards the The Lusitanian Basin resulted from the initial shallow and deep offshore (LB in Fig. 1). The geologi- extension of the Pangea’s continental crust and later cal record of the Western Iberian Margin’s evolution is opening of the North Atlantic Ocean as a result of rift- present in several nearby basins sharing similarities, ing and seafloor spreading. The evolution of the such as the offshore Porto and Galicia basins in north- Paleozoic basement and the Mesozoic extension cre- ern Iberia (PB, GB in Fig. 1), the Peniche and Alentejo ated a complex succession of events and sedimentary Sedimentary Basins: Origin, Depositional Histories, and Petroleum Systems 1 infill (Figs. 2 and 3). The influence of the basement on Since the Late Carboniferous and during Perm- the basin’s evolution may be addressed along two main ian times, gradual uplift and erosion brought these lines: (i) its lithologies, including the presence of units rocks to more shallow structural domains and predomi- having source-rock potential; (ii) its structures, particu- nantly gentle deformation, commonly known as “late- larly the presence of important regional faults and their Variscan faulting.” These north-northeast/south-south- movement during the Mesozoic and Tertiary (e.g., Pena west sinistral and northwest-southeast dextral dos Reis et al., 2012 Dinis et al., 2008; Pena dos Reis movements conditioned the origin and configuration of et al., 2000) the Lusitanian Basin from the Late Triassic, in the The complex structure of the Paleozoic basement global context of the Pangaea break-up and intraconti- of western Iberia resulted mainly from the collision and nental troughs in western Europe and eastern America deformation of two terranes (e.g., Ribeiro et al., 1979, (Wilson et al., 1989) (Fig. 2). In western Iberia, strong 1990, 2007; Matte, 1991): (i) the Iberian Terrane with subsidence resulted in north-northeast/south-south- the Central Iberian Zone (CIZ) and the Ossa Morena west trending asymmetric grabens that rapidly filled by Zone (OMZ); and (ii) the Southern Portuguese Terrane alluvial-fan siliciclastic deposits passing to sabkha and its Zone (SPZ). The joint deformation of all this evaporite clays and salts, under arid climatic condi- basement is related with the Ibero-Armorican Arch tions. This sedimentary infill corresponds to the Silves developed in the Late Paleozoic during the Variscan Group (Palain, 1976) and is composed mainly of coarse Orogeny. siliciclastic red-beds forming two fining-upward mega- The Central Iberian Zone includes Silurian units sequences (Fig. 4). Its total thickness is up to 400 having organic matter in pelitic layers, sometimes sev- meters and thee paleogeographic reconstructions point eral hundred meters thick (Romão et al., 2005). to the development of north-northwest/south-southeast However, metamorphism may have over maturated fault-bounded half-grabens, separated by intra-rift those units and most (if not all) of the hydrocarbons basement horst blocks (Uphoff, 2005). These deposits may have been lost. Late Carboniferous deposits are show GCSSEPMgood reservoir potential and have been targeted more prospective, considering their post-orogenic age for gas as part of a pre-salt petroleum system (Uphoff, and therefore not so high maturation. They have been 2005). deposited in narrow intra-mountain lacustrine basins as These Upper Triassic grabens became gradually fining-upward siliciclastic deposits, including black filled-up and sabkha-like environments became pre- shales and coal seams at the top (Domingos et al., dominant, promoting the accumulation of red clays and 1983). 2014evaporites in the most subsiding parts of the basin The Ossa Morena Zone includes several units (Dagorda Formation) (Palain, 1976). The resulting containing organic-rich layers, affected by low-grade shaly deposits, some hundreds of meters thick, include metamorphism that has caused intense maturation significant amounts of gypsum and halite, which would (Chaminé et al., 2003). However, some outcropping be fundamental for the tectonic deformation of the Silurian graptolitic black-shales show highly variable Meso-Cenozoic units, acting as “decollement” level Ro% equivalent values, ranging from the late oil-win- and also as diapiric masses with kilometric-scale verti- dow to the gas-window, probably controlled by the cal movements, locally piercing the Mesozoic cover proximity to major fault zones (Uphoff, 2005; Mach- (Kullberg, 2000) (Figs. 2 and 3). ado et al., 2011). In the Sinemurian, the Hettangian sabkha-like to The Southern Portuguese Zone includes Devo- coastal environments are replaced by open marine, pre- nian to Late Carboniferous metasedimentary rocks, dominantly carbonate environments, such as the including some black-shales having source rock poten- Coimbra Group (Soares et al., 2007) (Fig. 4). This unit tial, suchCopyright as the fine-grained turbidites of the Baixo is about 200 m thick and present throughout the basin Alentejo Flysh Group (Oliveira, 1983). Although they as a result of the paleogeographic coalescence of the are affected by low-grade metamorphism and are gen- initial troughs and an expansive onlap of a carbonate erally over mature (McCormack et al., 2007; ramp over the basement towards the East. Dolomitic Fernandes et al., 2012), preliminary data (Barberes, limestones (São Miguel Formation) are present in the 2013) suggests that there may have been some places northern and eastern areas, whereas the marly lime- where the group is preserved within the gas-window. stones are present in central and western areas of the basin (Água de Madeiros Formation) (Duarte and Pena dos Reis and Pimentel 2 Soares, 2002; Azerêdo et al., 2003). The later includes related with a Late Jurassic rifting event, recognized in a lower unit only a few tenths of meters in thickness, subsidence curves and related with the beginning of the deposited in open marine environments but having Atlantic opening to the south of Iberia (Wilson et al., very good organic content of upper Sinemurian–lower- 1989; Rasmussen et al., 1998). most Pliensbachian age (Polvoeira Member; Duarte The Abadia Formation corresponds to the rift- and Soares, 2002; Duarte et al., 2004, 2010, 2012). climax, and its deposits have been the classical target During the Early Jurassic, sedimentation took of oil exploration in the Lusitanian Basin during the place in a carbonate ramp depositional system, giving 20th century (DPEP, 2013). Prograding continental place to a thick sequence of marly limestones, known siliciclastics continue to cover the basin during the in exploration and the 20th century literature as the Tithonian, resulting in the accumulation of almost 1 km Brenha Group (Witt, 1977). The