FUTURE HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION ON CONTINENTAL MARGINS AND PLATE TECTONICS

Abstract

Continental margins, the border zones between continents and oceans, are preferred sites for hydrocarbon accumulations throughout geologic history. Passive Atlantic‐type margins are found worldwide. Active Pacific‐type margins exist together with passive margins where endogenous vertical crustal mobility took place. Vertical mobility is preferred over lateral mobility. Plate‐tectonic hypotheses are doubted. Exploration for gas and oil must be based on sound data. Kontinentalränder, die Grenzen zwischen Kontinenten und Ozeanen, sind durch die geologische Geschichte hindurch bevorzugte Räume für Ansammlungen von Gas und Öl. Passive atlantische Kontinentalränder sind weltweit verbreitet. Aktive pazifische Kontinentalränder erscheinen zusammen mit passiven Kontinentalrändern, wo endogene vertikale Krustenmobilität auftritt. Vertikalmobilität wird einer Lateralmobilität vorgezogen Plattentektonische Hypothesen werden in Zweifel gestellt, sie werden ohnehin zunehmend abgeändert. Exploration auf Gas und Öl muss auf einer gesunden Datenbasis beruhen, nicht auf wissenschaftlicher Spekulation.

Research Highlights

“…Pratsch [7] has addressed the western continental margin as a passive Atlantic type margin. The western Indian offshore region is characterized by a series of sedimentary basins.…”

Regional Structural Elements in Northwest Germany

“…Thus, there is a general lack of recognition of an interrelation between primary forces and secondary effects. Further, attempts to find or identify continuous Caledonian fold belts or one common fold belt may fail if Caledonian deformation did not produce fold belts, but instead a system of individual smaller blocks, each with its own history of deformation and metamorphism, as found along present continental margins (Pratsch, 1978). T h e reconstruction of Paleozoic paleogeography is affected by the common picture of a northern "Old Red Continent" (Weggen, 1978), whereas in fact marine areas or even small Paleozoic ocean areas may have existed in NW Europe.…”

“…This applies equally to continent-ocean, oceanocean. and intra-continental settings (Pratsch, 1978). In the Caledonian system.…”