Search

The Southern North Sea Basin area, stretching from the UK to the Netherlands, has a rich hydrocarbon exploration and production history. The past, present and expected future hydrocarbon and geothermal exploration trends in this area are discussed for eight key lithostratigraphic intervals, ranging from the Lower Carboniferous to Cenozoic. In the period between 2007 and 2017, a total of 95 new hydrocarbon fields were discovered, particularly in Upper Carboniferous, Rotliegend and Triassic reservoirs. Nineteen geothermal systems were discovered in the Netherlands onshore, mainly targeting aquifers in the Rotliegend and Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous formations. Although the Southern North Sea Basin area is mature in terms of hydrocarbon exploration, it is shown that with existing and new geological insights, additional energy resources are still being proven in new plays such as the basal Upper Rotliegend (Ruby discovery) for natural gas and a new Chalk play for oil. It is predicted that hydrocarbon exploration in the Southern North Sea Basin area will probably experience a slight growth in the coming decade before slowing down, as the energy transition further matures. Geothermal exploration is expected to continue growing in the Netherlands onshore as well as gain more momentum in the UK.

The Southern North Sea Basin area, stretching from the UK to the Netherlands, has a rich hydrocarbon exploration and production history. The past, present and expected future hydrocarbon and geothermal exploration trends in this area are discussed for eight key lithostratigraphic intervals, ranging from the Lower Carboniferous to Cenozoic. In the period between 2007 and 2017, a total of 95 new hydrocarbon fields were discovered, particularly in Upper Carboniferous, Rotliegend and Triassic reservoirs. Nineteen geothermal systems were discovered in the Netherlands onshore, mainly targeting aquifers in the Rotliegend and Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous formations. Although the Southern North Sea Basin area is mature in terms of hydrocarbon exploration, it is shown that with existing and new geological insights, additional energy resources are still being proven in new plays such as the basal Upper Rotliegend (Ruby discovery) for natural gas and a new Chalk play for oil. It is predicted that hydrocarbon exploration in the Southern North Sea Basin area will probably experience a slight growth in the coming decade before slowing down, as the energy transition further matures. Geothermal exploration is expected to continue growing in the Netherlands onshore as well as gain more momentum in the UK.

The application of the empirical Eaton method to calibrated sonic well information and 3D seismic interval velocity data in the southeastern part of the Central North Sea Graben, using the Japsen (Glob. Planet. Change 24 (2000) 189) normal velocitydepth trend, resulted in the identification of an undercompacted and overpressured zone within the shaly Lower North Sea Group. Calculated overpressures near the bottom part of the group increase from east to west, from 3.5 to 5.5 MPa, that is in the direction of increasing sedimentary loading rates in Pliocene - Quaternary times. This ability of the application of sonic and 3D seismic velocity in empirical methods to assess the spatial distribution of overpressures in such shaly units is of importance because measured pressure data are usually not available for shaly sections. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Following an initial presentation on the implications of crustal permeability for fluid movement between terrestrial fluid reservoirs, papers are presented from sessions with the following themes: Physical and chemical characterisation, origin and evolution of geofluids (23 papers); Tectonics, deformation, pore pressures and fluid flow (14 papers); Fluid flow and heat and mass transport (13 papers); Fluid flow through the seabed (5 papers); Geofluids in sedimentary basins - a) groundwater systems - hydrodynamics and permeability evolution (6 papers), b) petroleum systems - generation, migration and entrapment of hydrocarbons (19 papers), c) physical and geochemical interaction - hydrogeologic and petroleum systems (9 papers), d) Water-rock interactions in sediments and hydrothermal environments (14 papers); Crustal mineralisation influenced by mantle fluids, magmatism and metamorphic fluids (13 papers); and Advancements in simulating fluid flow and associated mass by laboratory experiments and mathematical/numerical modelling (7 papers). There is an author index., Following an initial presentation on the implications of crustal permeability for fluid movement between terrestrial fluid reservoirs, papers are presented from sessions with the following themes: Physical and chemical characterisation, origin and evolution of geofluids (23 papers); Tectonics, deformation, pore pressures and fluid flow (14 papers); Fluid flow and heat and mass transport (13 papers); Fluid flow through the seabed (5 papers); Geofluids in sedimentary basins - a) groundwater systems - hydrodynamics and permeability evolution (6 papers), b) petroleum systems - generation, migration and entrapment of hydrocarbons (19 papers), c) physical and geochemical interaction - hydrogeologic and petroleum systems (9 papers), d) Water-rock interactions in sediments and hydrothermal environments (14 papers); Crustal mineralisation influenced by mantle fluids, magmatism and metamorphic fluids (13 papers); and Advancements in simulating fluid flow and associated mass by laboratory experiments and mathematical/numerical modelling (7 papers). There is an author index.