Petroleum geology of the proven hydrocarbon basins, offshore Norway

The Norwegian continental shelf stretches for over 3000 km from 56°N to 82°N and covers an area of more than 1.4 million km2 of which Svalbard and its shelf cover about 300000 km2 (Fig. I). To the north and west the shelf area is limited by the 1500m isobath and the water depth is generally less than 500 m. There are three main petroleum provinces: the North Sea, the Haltenbank area offshore mid Norway and the Hammerfest Basin in the southwest Barents Sea (Fig. 2). In this article we aim to give a brief overview of these areas, describing the hydrocarbon play types developed. Readers interested in further details can consult the selected references quoted in the bibliography (e.g. Glennie 1990).