The document discusses the origin and occurrence of petroleum. It covers topics like petroleum composition, energy resources, fossil fuels formation, and different sedimentary environments and facies where petroleum can form.
The document discusses the origin and occurrence of petroleum. It covers topics like petroleum composition, energy resources, fossil fuels formation, and different sedimentary environments and facies where petroleum can form.
The document discusses the origin and occurrence of petroleum. It covers topics like petroleum composition, energy resources, fossil fuels formation, and different sedimentary environments and facies where petroleum can form.
The document discusses the origin and occurrence of petroleum. It covers topics like petroleum composition, energy resources, fossil fuels formation, and different sedimentary environments and facies where petroleum can form.
Petroleum Composition Petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons Mostly saturated or aromatic (~10%) Small amounts of S (up to 10%), O (up to 5%), N (up
to 1%), can have trace amounts of V, Fe, Al, Ca, Cu,
Ni, Na, U Molecules range greatly in size and are separated into fractions based on boiling point
Energy Resources
Thomas Kitchin/Tom Stack
Natural resources Most geologists are employed in looking
for some kind of resource.
Resources range from petroleum to
precious metals to water.
Resource A material that is both useful and available in
useable quantities. A renewable resource is one that is produced faster
than it is depleted.
Reserves Resources that are identifiable and recoverable
under today's economic conditions
Conditional resources: not economic at the
moment.
Photosynthesis and Fossil Fuels The Carbon Cycle Fig. 22.3
Fossil fuels Decayed organic material (plants) Must have relatively rapid burial
FOSSIL FUELS ARE A
NONRENEWABLE RESOURCE
Hydrocarbonsoil and gas
Oil formation 1) Relatively large quantity of organic matter 2) Rapid burial (before oxidation) 3) Subsequent chemical reactions [f(P,T)] transform decaying organic matter into hydrocarbons.
How do oil and gas deposits form?
Production of large amounts of organic material
(mainly microscopic plants and bacteria)
Preservation in a reducing (oxygen-poor)
depositional environment (e.g., restricted ocean
basin) Burial causes increased heat and pressure,
resulting in maturation (the physical and
chemical breakdown of organic matter into a liquid or gaseous hydrocarbon compounds) in a source rock.
Theres more: Migration of fluids out of the source rock
into a more permeable reservoir rock.
Trapping of fluids must occur by encountering an impermeable seal. In short, you need Production Preservation Maturation Migration Trapping
Thermal conditions of oil formation
Relatively narrow temperature range:
50200C
(also depends on time)
Temperature and duration determine type of
hydrocarbon:
oil wet gas dry gas gone
Duration of process could last millions of years
Environments of oil formation
Continental shelf Continental rise Some nonmarine basins
Reservoirs For oil to be useful, it must accumulate in
concentrated and accessible areas. Such spots are
called reservoirs. Accumulation is possible because oil and gas are
low-density fluids that can migrate through the
pore space in rocks.
Reservoirs To create a reservoir, the migration of the fluids is retarded by cap rock. Cap rocks Reservoir rocks shale
sandstone
gypsum
limestone
salt limestone
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary Rocks Sedimentary rocks are the secondary rocks which are
formed from the loose fragments or detrital or clastic
sediments produced by weathering of older rocks. Almost 90% of earth crust is made up of igneous rocks 75% of land surface on the earth is covered by thin veneer of sediments or sedimentary rocks. These sediments are transported and deposited by river water, wind or by movement of glacial ice. Transportation is either in suspension or in solution. When settle down on the beds of ocean, river and lakes undergo compaction/cementation for millions of years to form SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
Types of sedimentary rocks
Clastic rocks
Sandstones Conglomerates Breccia Shale/mudstones
Chemical & Organic rocks
Evaporatic Rocks Carbonate Rocks Organic Rocks
These rocks are formed
due to evaporation of saline water (sea water) eg. Gypsum, Halit (rock salt) Form basically from CaCO3 both by chemical leaching and by organic source (biochemical) eg. Limestone; dolomite Form due to decomposition of organic remains under temperature and pressure eg. Coal/Lignite etc.
CLASTIC ROCKS Formed from broken rock fragments weathered
and eroded by river, glacier, wind and sea waves.
These clastic sediments are found deposited on floodplains, beaches, in desert and on the sea floors. Clastic rocks are classified on the basis of the grain
size: conglomerate, sandstone, shale etc.
Grain Size
Gravel >256-2 mm
Sand 2- 0.062 mm
Boulder: >256mm Cobble: 64-256 mm Pebble: 4-64 mm Granule: 2-4mm Fine gravel
Silt 0.062-0.004 mm
Clay <0.004 mm
When clastic fragments are cemented or undergo consolidation they are called CONGLOMERATES
Similarly when angular clasts undergo consolidation they are called BRECCIA
Sedimentary environment
Sedimentary Environments A geographic setting where sediment is Accumulating. Determines the nature of the sediments that accumulate (grain size, grain shape, etc. )
Sedimentary environments Types of sedimentary environments Continental Dominated by stream erosion and deposition Glacial Wind (eolian) Marine Shallow (to about 200 meters) Deep (seaward of continental shelves) Transitional (shoreline) Tidal flats Lagoons Deltas
Sedimentary Structure
Terrestrial sedimentary environment
Continental environment
Aeolian Environments: Areas of windblown sand near beaches or in arid,desert environments. Large areas of sand dunes are known as ergs.
Glaciers
Glaciers are one of the most effective erosional
agents on earth. They literally grind and bulldoze rock from beneath them, leaving deposits of loose material called moraines. Moraines are comprised of glacial till, a chaotic mix of detrital sediment containing everything boulders to silt.
Glaciers leave deposits of eroded material called moraines. Moraines are
given different names depending on their location relative to the glacier. Moraines consist of a mixture of boulder to silt sized material.
Recessional Moraine
Loose, unconsolidated recent till deposited by glaciers during the last
ice age. Till contains particles of all sized, ranging from large boulders to silt.
Tillite: Consolidated glacial till that has been lithified.
It is now conglomerate containing large bouldersized clasts.
Alluvium
Mixed material consisting of boulder- to silt-sized
material deposited by streams, usually at the mouth of canyons. These are very common in mountainous desert areas such as southern Utah. In fact, Cedar City is build on a series of alluvial fans.
Alluvium: Mix of boulder- to silt-sized material deposited by
streams.
Stream
Transitional environment
Transitional environment Kinetic energy is due to
the wind and waves.
It contain organic material with good deposits. It is generally observed at river mouth and high tide sea area.
Beach
Beaches are the most recognizable transitional
environments. Beaches form where wave energy washes silt and clay away, leaving larger sand particles behind. Silt and clay may then be deposited in other low energy transitional environments such as tidal flats or sabkhas, or in deep marine environments.
Sand split
Behind the beach area of this sand spit lies
another transitional environment, a tidal flat. It contains mud particles logged with backwaters or sea-water.
Sabkhas
Sabkhas are another transitional environment
that, although rare today, are important to the geologic past of Utah. Sabkhas only occur in, hot, arid climates where sea water can evaporate rapidly.
Sabkhas Sabkhas can be though of as tidal flats or pools that are periodically inundated with water. The water evaporated leaving behind deposits of evaporate minerals like halite (salt) or gypsum. These satellite photos show a tidal pool in Tunisia in a filled state (1987) and after the water evaporated (1999) The white material in the 1999 photo is halite and gypsum.
Sedimentary facies Sedimentary facies refer to the shallow marine environment.
Different sediments often accumulate adjacent to
one another at the same time
Each unit (called a facies) possesses a distinctive
set of characteristics reflecting the conditions of a particular environment.
The merging of adjacent facies is a gradual
transition.
Sedimentary Facies In a shallow marine setting, the different facies represent different depositional environments .
Notch Peak, Millard Co., Utah, and an extraordinarily clear
day. The different layers consist of limestone and shale deposited in shallow marine settings.
