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First EAGE Guyana-Suriname Basin Conference
- Conference date: October 26-28, 2022
- Location: Georgetown, Guyana
- Published: 26 October 2022
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Tectonic and Sedimentation Synthesis of the Guyana-Suriname Basin: the Albian to Coniacian Play
Authors S. Oropeza, P. Bartok and C. CampbellSummarySummary is not available.
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Exploration Risk Reduction for Clastic Reservoirs – Guyana-Suriname Basin Provenance Case Study
Authors P. Van Heiningen and N. KaymakciSummaryRecent exploration successes in the Guyana-Suriname Basin contribute to an improved understanding of that basin’s petroleum system. Nonetheless clastic reservoir presence, location, volume, and quality remain a risk. Therefore, the evolution in drainage, fluvial systems, need to be better understood.
Our recently completed study results in paleo drainage-, geography- and geology- reconstructions and assessment of implication on mineral composition of the supplied sands to the circum northern South American basins, including the Guyana-Suriname Basin for the Cretaceous to Quaternary. In this contribution an example from the Pliocene will be presented which demonstrates the significant changes in sand supply and -routes to the Guyana-Suriname Basin.
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Late K-Sandstone Turbidite. Are There Any Analogies between the Foz Do Amazonas Basin in Brazil and the Discoveries in Guyana-Suriname?
Authors R.M. Ávila, J.C.D.S. Vital, R.D.M. Travassos and T. FunkeSummaryExploration for Late Cretaceous sandstone turbidites in the Equatorial South America and Northwest Africa margins has been responsible for the most important discoveries of hydrocarbons in the last decade, mainly in Guyana. In northwestern portion of the Foz do Amazonas basin, in Brazil, the same exploratory play was never drilled in deep waters. In the study area, 3D seismic attribute extraction shows the variation in the clastic system, probably with sandstone turbidites distributed along the dip in several stratigraphic levels of the Late Cretaceous with different channels and fan geometries. These potential reservoirs are very similar to those observed in recent discoveries of the analogs. The 2D data indicate that these reservoirs follow the dip and are preserved in ultra-deep waters. Traps and seals are probably preserved, as the erosive unconformity associated with the base of the Amazon Cone does not reach the reservoirs in the region. The source rock of all these basins is characterized by the presence of world-class source rock of the Cenomanian-Turonian and is present in the study area with an adequate depth and thickness, therefore interpreted as a low exploratory risk. We did not observe relevant geological risk in synchronism.
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Testing Rift Versus Transform Models for the Guyana Margin Using 3D and 2D Gravity Models Constrained with Seismic Reflection Data
Authors K. Shipper and P. MannSummaryThe 700 km wide Guyana margin of northeastern South America spans a 40–50 km thick elevated Archean greenstone belt of the Guiana shield and its cover of Precambrian to Paleozoic sediment to normal or thin oceanic crust in the deep offshore Guyana and Suriname. To the east, Triassic-Jurassic volcanic flows partially front a volcanic margin of the Demerara Plateau. Despite the success of offshore Guyana and Suriname, the Jurassic tectonic origin between the Guyana-Suriname margin is disputed and has two competing models: 1) a transform-passive margin extending the Central Atlantic Opening based on previous plate models; and 2) a rifted-passive margin prior to reach of the Central Atlantic Opening supported by NW oriented rifting structures and shallowly sloping sediments. Either model spatially influences source rock maturity through reduced heat flow from continental to oceanic crust. We perform a 3D gravity inversion with marine satellite gravity data constrained by previous refraction surveys to identify a crustal structure matching a transform or rifted margin. Margin-perpendicular transects from the 3D inversion exhibit a 167–74 km tapered necked zone with an average top basement gradient of 4 degrees supporting a rifted-passive origin.
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Deblending the High Point Broadband Towed-Streamer 3D Seismic Data Using the Multistage Iterative Separation of Simultaneous Sources
Authors W. Ibanez, J. Hostetler, R. Kumar, W.G. Brouwer, S. Hydal and Y.I.K. AminSummaryConventional seismic data acquisition surveys require a firing time delay from each source to avoid energy overlaps between all the different shot records. But recent developments in continuous seismic recording systems and data separation workflows have allowed us to simultaneously acquire seismic data from different sources at the same time, thereby, greatly reducing operations costs and improving the data acquisition efficiency. However, the simultaneous source approach imposes new challenges in our data processing workflows to separate (deblend) the signal from each source. Various proposed source separation technologies are available to deblend the data, but most of these technologies rely upon coherent noise attenuation techniques that produce results with a significant amount of residual signal from the seismic interference. In addition to the quality limitations, coherent noise attenuation techniques require a substantial amount of additional time to create the best processing workflow that suits the needs of a particular dataset. In this abstract, we present an alternative approach to deblend the High Point 3D broadband long-offset simultaneous-source towed-streamer data using an innovative algorithm that progressively models the source-separated signal while safely eliminating the interference from the data, and provides significantly better results with better source-separation performance.
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Friend or Foe? How Sediment Remobilization Influences Reservoir Distribution
Authors D. Armitage, N. Fiptiani, A. Hess, R. Margem Junior and J.G. De CastilhoSummarySubmarine mass wasting is one of the most important processes for moving sediment down continental slopes. Such mass wasting events create accommodation on the slope, which can be subsequently filled with reservoir-potential coarse clastic sediments. Likewise, mass wasting events can also remove reservoir deposits due to slope failure up dip and basal erosion during transport down depositional dip. Finally, large mass wasting events can remobilize in situ reservoir deposits into deeper water. An understanding of these different mechanisms is important for accurate characterization of the distribution of deep-water reservoirs.
Evidence collected from shallow stratigraphy on the Guyana slope is interpreted to represent the remobilization of hydrocarbon-charged turbidity current deposits. Additionally the very same deposit shows evidence of significant basal erosion, responsible for removing 100s of feet of potential turbidite reservoir deposits. Three-dimensional seismic reflection data are integrated with wireline and image log data to support the interpretations and development of a conceptual model for slope remobilization processes.
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Innovations in OBN Technologies
Authors M. Zajac, F. Tens Kroode and R. BottomleySummaryIn this presentation we will propose various ways to innovate the OBN seismic value chain. Together, they are aiming at dramatically compressing the timeline of an OBN project, improving image quality and reducing acquisition cost
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Reservoir, Source and Migration Variation, Deep Water Guyana/Suriname Basin
By K. NibbelinkSummaryThe deep-water hydrocarbon system in the Guyana/Suriname Basin is both prolific and complex. This paper will present evidence for both shallow and deep elements of reservoirs, source rocks and migration pathways.
Changes from shallow to deep clastic reservoirs can be explained with a provenance unroofing model from early erosion of massive Mid-Protozoic Quartzites of the Roraima Group to later erosion of Lower Protozoic Greenstone Belt Volcanics of the Barama-Mazaruni Supper Group. The younger Mid-Protozoic quartzites provide excellent quartz rich reservoirs focused by the failed third arm of the Jurassic Rift into the Berbice Canyon and the deep-water Turonian/Santonian reservoirs. Gradually over time these hard quartzites were eroded down and the softer Lower Protozoic Greenstone Volcanics and Metasediments became the dominate provenance which yielded a texturally and mineralogically less mature sediment for the shallower Campanian/Maastrichtian reservoirs. During the Lower Tertiary a significant reorganization of the system occurred by multiple drainage captures of the Berbice which caused most of the sediment to remain on the shelf, so marls developed in the deep-water from sediment starvation. During the Oligocene, multiple erosional canyons delivered sediment to the deep water. The result of this un-roofing model is that when the shallow Campanian/Maastrichtian are buried deeper below mud line, BML, they lose reservoir quality, but the deeper Turonian/Santonian reservoirs retain excellent reservoir quality at much deeper depths BML.
The Cenomanian/Turonian, OAE-2, ∼90Ma, deep water marine Canje Source is well documented by numerous shelf wells in Guyana and Suriname, however an older, deep water marine Lower Albian, OAE-1, ∼108Ma, source is also present in the deeper parts of Guyana/Suriname Basin. The two source rocks are deposited in similar deep water anoxic environments within 20 million years of each other. However, the Canje source is much thicker, more wide spread, has a clastic affinity and may be diluted by the proximal parts of the massive Berbice deep water fan system. Whereas, the Lower Albian source is thinner, restricted to the deeper parts of the basin, has a carbonate affinity and is very rich. Basin models can effectivity treat these two sources together in distal areas, but significant differences in maturity can occur where thicker Upper Albian/Cenomanian Berbice sediment separates these organic intervals.
Migration pathways from mature source areas to focus and concentrate major volumes of hydrocarbons or migration barriers, shadow areas that prevent significant accumulations are complex in the Guyana/Suriname basin. Structural architecture of the basement rift geometry, Neocomian Carbonate shelf edge and the volcanic over-print control deep migration and thick Santonian sandstone carrier beds with overlying over pressured shale seals control the shallow migration routes.
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Acoustic-Only Limitations for Seismic Imaging in the Guyana Basin: A Synthetic Elastic-Imaging Example
Authors C. Helfrich, K. Zhao, H. Zhang, J. Yao, L. Vincent and D. DeanSummaryMid-angle amplitude degradation has hindered detailed AVA inversion work over significant areas of Hess’ Guyana Basin portfolio. This amplitude dimming is inconsistent with acoustic AVA synthetics, as estimated from well calibration, and dominantly appears in the presence of high-amplitude marl-rich overburden. From Acoustic and Elastic modeling we show that the source of amplitude loss is primarily due to mode conversion and some of the converted energy may be recoverable through multi-component seafloor-acquisition and subsequent S-Wave processing.
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Optimizing Geophysical Workflows; a Case History of Imaging Success in the Guyana Basin
Authors S. Knapp, L. Vincent, F. Song and Y. TangSummaryHess and partners have been acquiring and processing 3D and 4D seismic data in offshore Guyana since 2014. Over this period almost 31,000 sq kilometers of seismic data has been acquired and over 62,000 sq kilometers of this data has been processed quickly for timeline driven, exploration decisions; then reprocessed to assist in detailed appraisal and development activities.
Development of optimized workflows for these projects has been a team effort with partners and contractors. Much of the resource in this area is confined to stratigraphic traps and most are amplitude supported plays. This requires that the imaging be as noise free as possible and that the velocity models accurately reflect details of the subsurface. As well, the processing workflows need to retain the amplitude fidelity suitable for Amplitude Variation with Offset/Direct Hydrocarbon Indicator (AVO/DHI) analyses.
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The Jurassic Opening of the Guyana-Suriname Basin
Authors B. Ott, J. Trude, B. Kilsdonk and T. GrowSummaryThe Guyana-Suriname basin is the southernmost basin that formed during the Jurassic opening of the North Atlantic ocean. The basin opened in the NNW/SSE direction as a volcanic passive margin of the Demerara Plateau, with a transform margin along the northwest Guyana shelf. The eastern margin of the basin is an ocean-ocean transform boundary that formed during the Early Cretaceous opening of the Equatorial Atlantic ocean. The arrival of the Caribbean plate in the Late Miocene/Pliocene subducted the once contiguous North Atlantic oceanic crust and left the Guyana-Suriname basin isolated. The original rift architecture and failed rift arm of the Guyana-Suriname triple junction captured the Berbice river and funneled large volumes of clastic sediments into the basin in the Late Cretaceous. The Liza trend of stratigraphic traps sits outboard of the transform plate boundary faults, which suggests a link between basin formation and the development of the stratigraphic traps.
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Uplift and Exhumation of the Guiana Shield: Mesozoic and Cenozoic drainage Re-Configurations Driving Variation in Off-Shore Sediment Supply
Authors R. Taylor, C. Davies, E. Carillo, P. O’Sullivan and S. NadeauSummaryA regional study of on-shore Guyana allowed for the construction of paleo-geographic maps for key Mesozoic and Cenozoic time-slices which tie to important prolific reservoirs in the off-shore Guyana-Suriname Basin. The generation and analysis of data-rich provenance and thermo-chronology data-bases, allowed for provenance finger printing of discrete basement terrains, and how these signatures translate to the sediments which accumulated in modern day and Late Tertiary drainage basins. Thermo-chronology modelling of AFT data derived from basement rocks sampled from independent basement blocks in Guyana, determined when each of these blocks were active and how the relative exhumation rate varied throughout the Mesozoic and Cenozoic. This exhumation data and analysis was used as a key constraint for paleo-geographic mapping and prediction of the relative influence of each provenance terrain to the paleo drainage basins.
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A Wide Spectrum of Gravitary Processes for Multi-Component Stratigraphic Traps: the Complexity of Suriname Recent Successes
Authors J. Mathieu, V. Delhaye-Prat, J. Bourget, G. Gaillot, A. Lambert and A. ChaboureauSummarySummary it is not available
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Mixed Carbonate and Siliciclastic Shelfal Deposition - Implications for Downdip Reservoir Quality
Authors D. Armitage, N. Fiptiani, A. Hess, R. Margem Junior and J.G. De CastilhoSummaryPassive margin continental shelves serve as the key interface between terrestrial sediment sources and deep-water depositional systems ( Covault and Fildani, 2014 ), acting as a sediment staging area for subsequent remobilization down slope. Understanding the composition and distribution of sediment in this staging area is an important step in characterizing coeval deep-water reservoirs, especially in ancient shelves with evidence of alternating siliciclastic and carbonate deposition. These alternating episodes of deposition have been related to sea level cycles along the Guyanas continental margin ( Campbell, 2005 ). Similar patterns of alternating deposition have been observed elsewhere and attributed to high frequency (∼110 kyr) eustatic sea level cycles ( Saller et al, 2010 ).
The pattern of deposition identified on the shelf implies the clastic successions down dip are likely dominated initially by reworked carbonate material eroded during progradation of the siliciclastic shoreline, becoming more siliciclastic-dominated with continued sea-level fall and shoreline progradation. This has implications for reservoir quality and distribution down depositional dip.
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A Voyage to Venus - from Tupi to Liza and Beyond
Authors J. Collard and G. BagleySummaryThe Upper Cretaceous Liza play offshore Guyana and Suriname is the largest new play to emerge since the pre-salt Carbonate bonanza offshore Brazil, which started with Tupi in 2006 and has so far delivered ∼30bnbbl of discovered resource. In the nine years between Tupi and Liza, more than 250 companies participated in over 350 frontier exploration wells globally, with ∼67% of these targeting oil plays and more than half attempting to open new basins. This came at an estimated drilling cost of ∼$30bn, potentially double that if access costs, seismic data and people is included.
28 of these wells resulted in commercial discoveries, giving a 8% frontier commercial success rate. 17 of the plays opened were primarily oil. The largest are the Nanushuk play on Alaska’s North Slope (Qugruk-3 2013), the Upper Cretaceous play in the Tano Basin (Jubilee, 2007) and the Norphlet play in the US Gulf of Mexico (Appomattox 2010). None of the oil plays have yet proven more than 3bnbbl of discovered resource. Meanwhile, the gas plays opened between Tupi and Liza delivered more than 30bnboe combined dominated by huge gas discoveries in the deepwater of East Africa.
The Liza discovery was a game changer for frontier exploration. It opened a new oil play in what appeared to be primarily stratigraphic traps. In Guyana the Stabroek licence holders have reported a discovered resource of ∼11bnboe, and in Suriname a further ∼1.8bnboe is estimated to have been discovered. Attempts to extend the commercial limits of the play fairway have resulted in failures further outboard (in the Canje & Kaieteur licences in Guyana and in the Rasper & Bonboni wells in Suriname), inboard (Carapa 2020) and further to the east (Sloanea 2020). Apart from the Miocene discovery at Hammerhead, other plays tested, such as Mesozoic Carbonates (Ranger), Pliocene Clastics (Joe) and Oligocene Clastics (Jethro) all appear to be non-commercial at present.
Following the 2014 oil price crash, companies focused on drilling only their best prospects but as the industry came to terms with the ‘lower for longer’ oil price, companies started to re-load their frontier acreage portfolios. 2019 was the busiest year for frontier exploration drilling since 2014, with 37 frontier wells drilled. ∼30% of these targeted stratigraphic traps, the highest proportion Westwood has recorded.
Since Liza there have been 19 potentially commercial discoveries from the 191 frontier play wells drilled. These includes the giant gas plays in the Upper Cretaceous of the MSGBC (Tortue 2015) and the carbonates of the Eastern Mediterranean (Zohr 2015). Until the start of 2022, no material new oil plays had opened with the potential to deliver more than 1bnbbl. 2022 began with two significant frontier oil and associated gas discoveries at Venus and Graff in the Orange Basin, offshore Namibia. Initial indications are positive, but significant appraisal is required and time will tell whether the Orange Basin may be able to compete with offshore Suriname-Guyana.
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