Source rock evaluation of the Central Gulf of Suez, Egypt: A 1D basin modelling and petroleum system analysis

Abstract

Geochemical studies were applied to evaluate the possible source rocks of Cretaceous-Eocene formations in the October oil field, including pyrolysis analysis data such as total organic carbon (TOC %), generating source potential (S2), production index (PI), oxygen, and hydrogen indices (OI, HI) and (Tmax). Three source rocks are characterized by fair to good and very good TOC%, which are Thebes, Duwi, and Abu Qada formations with kerogen type I and type II, respectively, and some samples are in the type III region reflecting the degree of maturation and can generate oil and gas. 1D basin models were constructed for five wells to simulate the multi-tectonic phases and multiple burial histories, migration path, and event chart in the study area. The sedimentation rates from Cretaceous to Palaeocene age are characterized by low burial rate sedimentation, low to medium in the Eocene age, and high burial rate and rapid sedimentation in the Miocene and post-Miocene age. The petroleum system of the October oil field was studied, and two petroleum systems can be recognized, according to the integration studies between the source rock evaluation and petroleum basin modelling.

Integrated analysis of source rock evaluation and basin modelling in the Abu Gharadig Basin, Western Desert, Egypt: Insights from pyrolysis data, burial history, and trap characteristics

“…Integrated analysis of source rock evaluation and basin modelling has emerged as a powerful approach in unravelling the hydrocarbon potential in specific basins or fields. This approach combines geological, geochemical and geophysical data to assess the effectiveness of source rocks in generating hydrocarbons, determine the quality and quantity of organic matter and simulate the evolution of the basin over time (Abd-Allah et al, 2019;Gawad et al, 2021aGawad et al, , 2021bMakky et al, 2014).…”

“…Complementing source rock evaluation, basin modelling integrates various geological data, such as stratigraphy, sedimentation rates, thermal history and tectonic information (Abd Elhady et al, 2015; Abd‐Allah et al, 2018; Gawad et al, 2021a). Through the simulation of basin evolution, it enables the understanding of burial history, estimation of hydrocarbon generation timing and extent, identification of migration pathways and formation of trapping mechanisms within the basin.…”

“…Additionally, numerous formations act as source rocks based on subsurface geologic settings and geochemical analysis parameters, including the Oligocene Dabaa Formation, Lower Eocene Apollonia Formation, Late Cretaceous ARD and ARF members, Late Cretaceous Upper Bahariya Formation, Early Cretaceous Kharita and Dahab shale formations (Abdel‐Fattah et al, 2018; Gawad et al, 2019; Mamdouh et al, 2023; Reda et al, 2022; Sarhan et al, 2017; Shehata et al, 2023). Notably, the Jurassic Khatatba shales are believed to be the primary source of hydrocarbons, predominantly free gas with minor associated condensates (Abdel‐Fattah, 2015; Gawad et al, 2021a; Gawad et al, 2021b; Reda et al, 2022). The main production reservoir is the sand of the Kharita Formation, along with the Late Cretaceous Abu Roash Formation and the underlying Cenomanian Bahariya and Albian Kharita formations (Shalaby & Sarhan, 2021).…”

Characterization of Upper Cretaceous Matulla and Wata clastic reservoirs from October field, Central Gulf of Suez, Egypt

“…Sercombe et al (1997Sercombe et al ( , 2012 and Gawad et al (2021b) interpreted the structural geology of the field and reservoir modeling aspects. Lashin and Mogren (2012) and Gawad et al (2021a) characterized the source rock properties and analyzed the petroleum system of the October field. Kassem et al (2020) studied the organic geochemical and isotope data of the Cenomanian-Turonian shales and limestones from the October field and linked the sediments with oceanic anoxic event 2 (OAE 2) which produced organic-rich intervals.…”

Geochemical and geomechanical evaluation of the Mungaroo Formation, offshore northwestern Australia

“…1D burial history models are a useful tool in hydrocarbon exploration because they provide a history of evolution of a source's rock transformation rate and thermal maturity through time (Peters and Cassa, 1994). Sedimentation rates vary across a basin, for this reason building multiple 1D subsidence models inside the area of interest is needed, since this will help to identify sedimentation tendencies, zones with the highest organic matter transformation ratio and explain the reasons of these variations (Afife et al, 2016;Amobi et al, 2019;Gawad et al, 2021).…”