Petroleum System

A petroleum system includes all those geological

elements & processes that are essential for an oil
deposit to exist in nature. (Magoon, 1988)
Source Rock
These basic elements are: Migration Route
1. Petroleum Source rocks Reservoir Rock
2. Migration Paths Seal Rock
3. Reservoir rocks Trap
4. Seals
Generation
5. Traps
Migration
And the geological processes Accumulation
that created each of them Preservation
 Petroleum System Processes
Petroleum System Elements
Petroleum System Elements

Gas
Cap
Oil
Accumulation
Entrapment Water Seal Rock
Reservoir
Rock

Migration
120° F

350° F
Generation
Source 24803

Rock
 Petroleum System
The term petroleum includes high concentrations
of either thermal or biogenic gas, condensates,
crude oils, natural waxes, or asphalts found in both
conventional & in tight reservoirs, fractured shales,
gas hydrates, coal beds and bituminous sandstones.

The name of a petroleum system is a combination

of the source & reservoir rock names followed by
a symbol indicating the level of certainty of the
source – reservoir association. The symbols are:
1.Known (!)
2.Hypothetical (.)
3. Speculative (?)
e.g La Luna – Misoa (!) Marcaibo Basin, Venezuela.
 Petroleum System
Petroleum system is best described by:
1. Table listing all the field names, year of
discovery, name of producing unit, depth,
reservoir seal lithology, trap type, cumulative
production & reserves.
2.A map showing the geographic extent of
the system, matured source pod , location
of fields & key wells etc.
3.A burial history chart at one or more locations.
4. A geologic cross-section drawn at the critical
moment illustrating the spatial relationship of
the essential elements.
5.An event chart indicating the time intervals of
the essential elements & processes including
preservation time & critical moment.
Petroleum System
Present-Day Petroleum System

GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT OF PETROLEUM SYSTEM

Present-Day
A Trap Trap Trap A’

STRATIGRAPHIC
EXTENT OF
PETROLEUM SYSTEM

e nt
sem
Ba
Overburden
Seal
Petroleum accumulation Reservoir
Top of oil window
Source
Bottom of oil window
Underburden

Magoon and Dow, 1994

Petroleum System
Petroleum System
Petroleum System
 Petroleum System
Formulae to calculate hydrocarbon generation

M (g.TOC) = V (cm3) x p (g/cm3) x [TOC(wt%) /100]

R (mg HC/g TOC) = HI0(mg HC/g TOC) – HIp (mg HC/g TOC)

HCG (kg HC) = R xM x 106

Oil (1012 bbl) = HCG x 131.15 (kg/bbl of 400 API oil)

 Source Material

Non-Biogenic Origins

Biogenic (Kerogen Types)

Type I – Algal (oil prone) sapropelic
Type II – Mixed
Type III – Woody (gas prone) humic

Host rock (Shales and Coals)

 Kerogen Types
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3