Prospecting terrain for surface geochemical exploration of oil and gas in West Siberia

Abstract

The relevance of this research is necessitated by the need to advance geochemical prospecting methods for raw hydrocarbon deposits. The study aimed to design new migration models by the interpretation of surface geochemical survey data. In particular, the relationship behavior needs to be identified between the hydrocarbon migration intensity and the presence of oil-bearing reservoirs within the section. To reveal quantitative relationships between the oil show and the oil-bearing capacity of the section, a substantial body of geochemical data across different fields in West Siberia was processed herein. Field-type and in-office operations were being performed by the snow survey procedure. The СН4–С6Н14 saturated hydrocarbons were employed as the major measured parameter. No direct quantitative connection was found between the intensity of surface hydrocarbon anomalies and the section productivity. Nonetheless, the two basic factors were found to affect the structure of the surface geochemical field: first, oil-bearing reservoirs present in the section and, second, fluid-resistant properties of the above-productive strata. Despite a direct quantitative relationship between the oil-bearing capacity of the section and the intensity of surface hydrocarbon anomalies being absent, the large sample made it possible to determine quantitative measures of the surface geochemical field that credibly characterize territories whose sections hold oil-bearing horizons.

Keywords

• Geochemical survey
• snow cover survey
• hydrocarbon migration
• geochemical criteria of oil-bearing capacity