This study is led by Dr. Rixiang Zhu (Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and his team, in collaboration with research groups of China, including the Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development (China National Petroleum Corporation), China University of Petroleum (East China), and Peking University. By applying a new perspective of multi-spheric interactions within the Earth, the researchers reexamined the mechanisms of hydrocarbon formation and accumulation in the North Sea Basin. Located in northwestern Europe, the North Sea Basin is a region of significant importance for oil and gas production, accounting for 69.8 percent of the total oil and gas reserves of Europe, with strata rich in oil in the north and strata rich in gas in the south.
The researchers reconstructed the evolution of tectonics and processes of sedimentary filling in the basin, revealing that processes of deep thermal and dynamic forces drove block collision orogeny, mantle plume uplift, and intra-continental deformation. A series of tectonic events including post-Caledonian crustal extension, Variscan orogenic compression, mantle plume uplift, and subsequent thermal subsidence led to the formation of the Devonian rift basin, the Carboniferous foreland basin, and multiple stages of rift basin development since the Late Permian. Temporal and spatial variations, along with the superposition of systems of deposition, formed the framework of structure and stratigraphy observed in the basin today.
The study also analyzed how interactions among multiple spheres influenced the systems of petroleum in the basin, driving the distinct distribution of strata rich in oil in the north and strata rich in gas in the south. As the basin drifted northward since the Carboniferous, it passed through the Hadley and Ferrel Cells, contributing to the formation of coal and coal measures of the Upper Carboniferous as primary rocks of gas sources and marine shales of the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay as key rocks of oil sources, respectively. Tectonics, cycles of transgression and regression, oceanic currents, and evolution of climate controlled the distribution and properties of source rocks, reservoirs, and seals, resulting in the formation of a gas-rich system of the Carboniferous-Lower Triassic in the southern basin and an oil-rich system of the Upper Triassic-Paleogene in the northern basin.
Additionally, the study examines the potential of exploration of hydrocarbons in regions of mid to high latitudes. Comparative analysis reveals similarities between the basin of the Okhotsk Sea and the basin of the North Sea in development of tectonics, influences of climate, and favorable combinations of sources, reservoirs, and seals. These findings suggest that the basin of the Okhotsk Sea is a promising target for future discoveries of hydrocarbons. It also highlights the importance of the Ferrel Cell of mid latitudes in the enrichment of hydrocarbons throughout the history of geology.
Finally, the team emphasizes the role of artificial intelligence in advancing digital geological innovation and supporting the carbon-neutral utilization of resources, which contributes to a sustainable approach to energy exploration.
See the article:
Zhu R, Zhang S, Wang H, Wang X, Liu Y, Zhang W, Hao F, Jin Z. 2024. Multi-spheric interactions driven differential formation and accumulation of hydrocarbon resources in the North Sea Basin. Science China Earth Sciences, 67(11): 3397-3420, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-024-1421-8
