Heat Flow and Thermal Maturity Modelling in the Northern
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http://www.paper.edu.cn Marine and Petroleum Geology 19 (2002) 1073–1088 Heat flow and thermal maturity modelling in the Northern Carnarvon Basin, North West Shelf, Australia Sheng Hea,b,*, Mike Middletonb aDepartment of Petroleum Engineering, Faculty of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, People’s Republic of China bDepartment of Applied Geology, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia Received 24 June 2002; received in revised form 17 December 2002; accepted 19 December 2002 Abstract The Northern Carnarvon Basin is located at the southern end of the North West Shelf of Australia. It was developed by rifting during the Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous. Heat flow and thermal maturity in seven wells, from three sub-basins, Rankin Platform and Exmouth Plateau of the Northern Carnarvon Basin, were modelled using BasinMod 1D program. Multiple thermal maturity parameters were used to constrain the influence of anomalously low vitrinite reflectance. Those Tmax data with reliable quality can be applied to correlate with vitrinite reflectance, establish thermal maturity and calibrate the modelled results. The modelled results indicated that the measured maturity data in some wells were consistent with the rift heat flow model (Jarvis & McKenzie) associated with the Jurassic rift and the earliest Cretaceous seafloor spreading events. The maximum values of heat flow were in the range from 67 mW/m2 (Jurabi-1) to 105 mW/m2 (Bowers-1) in the Exmouth and Barrow Sub-basins. On the Exmouth Plateau, the maximum values of heat flow were modelled to be 72 mW/m2 in the Jupiter-1 well and 78 mW/m2 in the Investigator-1 well. These maximum values were modelled to occur during syn-rift phase, which were 29–88% and 33–37% greater than their current heat flow values in the sub-basins and on the Exmouth Plateau, respectively. This study suggests that maturity indicators are less diagnostic of rifting thermal histories if the maximum thermal effect is associated with Cretaceous and Cainozoic burial in this basin. q 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Heat flow; Thermal maturity; Thermal modelling; Rock-Eval Tmax; Northern Carnarvon Basin 1. Introduction Vitrinite reflectance (Ro) is the most widely used indicator of thermal maturity (Allen & Allen, 1990; Hunt, The heat flow history of a basin is proposed by 1996; Tissot & Welte, 1984; Waples, 1985). Wilkins, establishing an agreement between a calculated (or Wilmshurst, Hladky, Ellacott, and Buckingham (1992a) modelled) maturity parameter and the equivalent observed pointed out that two major causes of the anomalously low maturity parameter (such as vitrinite reflectance, or Rock- vitrinite reflectance for some North West Shelf wells are: (1) Eval T ). The calculated, or modelled, thermal maturity suppression of vitrinite reflectance through marine influ- max ence; (2) difficulty of identifying vitrinite population in parameters are usually derived from models that use (1) dispersed organic matter. Marine influence resulting in empirically-based temperature and time integrals (Middle- lower R values was proposed by Hunt (1996), Gurba and ton, 1982; Waples, 1980), (2) the Arrhenius-reaction o Ward (1998), Kaiko and Tingate (1996) and Wilkins et al. approach (Lerche, Yarzab, & Kendall, 1984; Wood, (1992a). Samuelsson and Middleton (1998) stressed that the 1988), or (3) multiple Arrhenius-reaction models, which vitrinite reflectance suppression in this basin has led to an attempt to simulate the chemical reactions that produce underestimation of the true level of thermal maturity. As a maturation (Larter, 1988; Sweeney & Burnham, 1990). major thermal maturity indicator, these problems with vitrinite reflectance make it difficult to estimate the thermal * Corresponding author. Address: Department of Petroleum Engineering, history in many wells of this basin. Faculty of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, People’s Republic of China. Tel./fax: þ86-27-8743-6106. The Northern Carnarvon Basin is the richest hydrocarbon E-mail address: [email protected] (S. He). province in Australia (Kopsen, 1994). A number of gas/ 0264-8172/02/$ - see front matter q 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/S0264-8172(03)00003-5 转载 中国科技论文在线 http://www.paper.edu.cn 1074 S. He, M. Middleton / Marine and Petroleum Geology 19 (2002) 1073–1088 condensate and oil fields, associated with postulated a maturity indicator, also need to be further studied in this Triassic and Jurassic source rocks, have been discovered area. The aims of this study are (1) to investigate the (Baillie & Jacobson, 1997; Lawry & Carter, 1992; le applicability of the classical McKenzie-model (Jarvis & Poidevin & Lowden, 1994; Vincent & Tilbury, 1988). McKenzie, 1980; McKenzie, 1978) for rifting thermal Researchers have used alternative thermal parameters and history to the study area, (2) to examine and use Rock-Eval Ro correction for attempting to overcome the problems Tmax data for evaluation of thermal maturity compared with associated with the anomalously low Ro in studies of the other maturity parameters of Ro and Eq VR, and (3) to basin’s thermal history and the thermal evolution of source present detailed thermal modelling of individual wells based rocks. Alexander, Marzi, and Kagi (1990) applied molecular on the correlation between Tmax and Ro. markers as thermal indicators for modelling the palaeoheat- flow of the Jupiter-1 well in the basin. Wilkins, Russell, and Ellacott (1994) evaluated thermal maturity of five Northern 2. Regional geological setting Carnarvon Basin wells using equivalent vitrinite reflectance (Eq VR) data, which is analysed by the technique of the The Northern Carnarvon Basin (Fig. 1) is located at the fluorescence alteration of multiple macerals (FAMM). southern end of the North West Shelf of Australian (AGSO Kaiko and Tingate (1996) used the spore coloration method (Australian Geological Survey Organisation) North West combined with Ro and FAMM data for assessment of Shelf Study Group, 1994; Hocking, Moors, & van De thermal maturity in the Barrow and Dampier Sub-basins. Graaff, 1987). The main subdivisions of the Northern Samuelsson and Middleton (1998) corrected vitrinite Carnarvon Basin include the Exmouth, Barrow, Dampier, reflectance values based on the method of Lo (1993) for and Beagle Sub-basins, the Rankin Platform and the reconstruction of heat flow histories in seven wells of the Exmouth Plateau (Fig. 1), which commonly refer to the basin. Mesozoic–Cainozoic basin overlying the pre-Triassic base- Studies of palaeoheatflow in rift-related basins indicate ment. Sediments usually extend to the continental-oceanic that high palaeoheatflow is commonly associated with crust boundary. The sub-basins contain thick sedimentary rifting and seafloor spreading (Mello & Karner, 1996; Zhou rocks of Mesozoic–Cainozoic (Fig. 2). Middle–Upper & Littke, 1999), and the reconstruction of thermal history Jurassic syn-rift sedimentary rocks are thinner on the from vitrinite reflectance is a function of the tectonic history Rankin Platform and the Exmouth Plateau than elsewhere of a sedimentary basin (Allen & Allen, 1990; Middleton, in the basin. 1982). Based on theoretical and empirical studies (Barber, The geological evolution of the Northern Carnarvon 1982; Driscoll & Karner, 1998; Hellinger & Sclater, 1983; Basin, as a part of the North West Shelf, commenced in the McKenzie, 1978; Middleton & Hunt, 1989; Polomka, Late Palaeozoic. During this time, the North West Shelf was Bruins, Spanninga, & Mennie, 1999; Tindale, Newell, situated on the eastern part of Gondwana and formed part of Keall, & Smith, 1998), the evolution of the Northern the southern Tethyan continental margin (Exon & Colwell, Carnarvon Basin from the Jurassic is commonly accepted to 1994). A previous extension of the North West Shelf basins be comprised of two major thermo-tectonic phases: (1) rapid terminated in the late Permian, and is represented by an subsidence and faulting, and (2) thermal subsidence. angular unconformity at the Permian–Triassic boundary Nielsen (1996) proposed that organic maturity indi- (Westphal & Aigner, 1997). The post-Permian basin cators tend to record only the maximum temperature evolution can be divided into (1) a Triassic pre-rift phase, encountered, and when organic matter in the present era (2) a syn-rift phase and continental breakup, and (3) a post- experiences the maximum geotemperature, maturity indi- rift (thermal sag) phase. cators are less sensitive to thermal reconstruction. Simi- larly, Kaiko, and Tingate (1996) noted that direct evidence 2.1. Pre-rift phase for estimating past heat flow from palaeotemperatures (derived from vitrinite reflectance, Rock-Eval Tmax,or The Triassic section shows little, or no evidence, of syn- similar parameters) in most Barrow and Dampier Sub- depositional extensional faulting along the entire North basin wells may have disappeared, since the palaeotem- West Shelf (Etheridge & O’Brien, 1994; Westphal & peratures experienced during the rifting phase may have Aigner, 1997). The Triassic sedimentary rocks are inter- been equalled, or exceeded, by those associated during preted to be present nearly everywhere on the continental burial in later sag-phase sedimentation. margin; these rocks comprise the marine Locker Shale and Palaeoheatflow models for the study region have been fluvio-deltaic Mungaroo Formation (AGSO North West proposed by Alexander et al. (1990), Samuelsson and Shelf Study Group,