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THE PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

and
PETROLEUM GEOCHEMISTRY
of

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO


February 19th 2015

CONTENTS
CONCEPT OF PETROLEUM SYSTEMS
SOURCE ROCKS
OIL ALTERATIONS
BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PETROLEUM SYSTEMS
RECOGNISED TO DATE IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

PETROLEUM SYSTEMS
CONCEPT OF PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

Before we discuss the petroleum systems themselves


we will outline briefly how the concept developed and
some of the terms used when one is describing these
systems.
We will discuss briefly the source rocks and then
We will look at oil alterations
Finally we will describe the various petroleum systems

PETROLEUM SYSTEMS
The Concept of Petroleum Systems
According to Magoon and Dow (1994) "a petroleum system
encompasses a pod of active source rock and all related oil
and gas and includes all the essential elements and
processes that are needed for oil and gas accumulations to
exist".
These essential elements of a petroleum system are the
source, reservoir, seal and overburdenmigration pathway.
The processes are the timing of trap formation, generation,
migration and accumulation of petroleum. Traps must have
been formed at the correct time, i.e. prior to migration. This
is defined in the petroleum systems approach as the critical
moment.

Definition and Description of Petroleum System


The petroleum systems name combines the name(s) of the reservoir
rock(s) and the source rock or rocks with the level of certainty:
e.g. The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
The name includes first the source, followed by the reservoir, but
separated by a hyphen.

In each case the formations are given with the oldest first.

Definition and Description of Petroleum System


The petroleum systems name combines the name(s) of the reservoir
rock(s) and the source rock or rocks with the level of certainty:

e.g. The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System


Designation of Certainty
It is described as known, if there is a good geochemical match between
the source and the reservoired oil and gas.
Designated as: (!)
It is described as hypothetical, if both the source and accumulation are
known but there is no good geochemical match between them.
Designated as: (.)

The term speculative is applied if there are uncertainties


relating to the source and/or the petroleum accumulation
Designated as:
()

Definition and Description of Petroleum System


According to Magoon and Dow (1994) a typical description of each
petroleum system should include;

The name of the system


A burial history chart to establish the age and critical moment for the
system
A map showing the geographic extent of the system
A cross section showing the estimated depths of the oil and gas
windows
An events chart to summarize the formation of the petroleum system
A table listing the accumulations in the system.
We have used this guideline as far as possible in our descriptions of the
petroleum systems we have identified.

SOURCE ROCKS
Talukdar, Dow and Persad (1995) have found that:
Both the Upper Cretaceous Naparima Hill and Gautier
Formations in Trinidad contain good to excellent quality oil source
rocksthey have sourced 99.999% of all oil and gas condensate
produced to date
Deposited in relatively deep waters in outer shelf-upper slope
environments under anoxic to near anoxic condition
Kerogen quality of these oil-prone source rocks varies
considerably from type II to mixed type II/III.
These organic facies variations are observed stratigraphically
as well as regionally
The continental margin probably had a zigzag geometry
which had also influenced the regional organic facies variations

SOURCE TYPES
The Cretaceous source is marine in the north and east and
mixed in the south

Pristane/Phytane Ratio Map


Control Well

1.5

2.0

3.0

2.5

TERTIARY FORMATIONS: ORGANIC FACIES AND THERMAL


MATURITY
Many of the Tertiary formations in Trinidad, ranging in age from Palaeocene to
Pliocene (inland and offshore), contain abundant shales that have been evaluated
for petroleum source potential (Persad et aI., 1980; Leonard 1983; Rodriguez,
1988; Talukdar, Dow and Persad, 1989).
No detailed source rock study was undertaken on Tertiary rocks by any group
because all work showed they contain essentially gas-prone kerogen and are
generally immature.
The Brasso shales were however found to be an oil source in the Gulf of Paria, the
only Tertiary source rock recognizedvery minor production to date

OIL ALTERATIONS
THERE ARE MAINLY TWO TYPES
BIODEGRADATION
and
EVAPORATIVE FRACTIONATION
THERE MAY MULTIPLE PHASES OF ALTERATION

BIODEGRADATION
LONG KNOWN AND EASILY RECOGNISED
IT RESULTS IN:
Decrease in API Gravity, GOR and light hydrocarbons content
Increase in viscosity and sulphur content
It is caused by oils coming into contact with
meteoric water carrying aerobic microbes

DESCRIPTION OF TYPES OF OIL ALTERATIONS


BIODEGRADATION

It is recognised by the character of


the HRGCs
A whole unaltered oil looks
like this

Whole Oil GC Trace

NC 10
IP 11

MX
YL
PXYL

NC 9
IP 10

OX YL

NC 11

IP 9

IS TD
NC 8

4N C 4
IC
IC
NC
225DM B
P
C2M
3MP6P 23 DM B
NC
PP3T MB
DM
22
PDM
MC
24
22
Z23
B2M
P11
DM
33
C HHH
P DM CP
DM
3M
MCP
3D
1C
1T
P
3E
1T
7 MCP
NC 2D
H 3T MCP
MC11
P12
EC
MCP
4T
12
L MCP
TO 3T

This second oil was biodegraded,


mixed with a later migrating
condensate
And then re-biodegraded

G1040458.D

DESCRIPTION OF TYPES OF OIL ALTERATIONS


EVAPORATIVE FRACTIONATION

A "residual" oil shows loss of light hydrocarbons and a reduced API


gravity compared to the original oil and is waxier.
The other petroleum fraction that has left the oil pool and migrated
above is a condensate (known as evaporative condensate) and has a
much higher API gravity.
This condensate will have two characteristics.
First, contrary to thermal condensates, it will have the same range of
thermal maturity as the "residual" oil or any original oil from the
same source in the area that escaped the introduction of gas and
resulting fractionation.
Secondly, contrary to the complementary "residual" oil, it will be
enriched in light aromatic hydrocarbons. It will appear like an
unaltered original condensate.

EVAPORATIVE FRACTIONATION
Recognizable by position in Thompson Diagram

623 Cassia 1 12,000 feet

EVAPORATIVE FRACTIONATION
Also recognizable from the HRGCs

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PETROLEUM SYSTEMS


The eleven petroleum systems that have been identified by us and
which are described are listed in the next slide on a basin by basin
basis
Each with its designation as known, hypothetical and/or speculative
as the case may be
The systems in yellow account for 99.99% of the oil produced to
date and all share a common source, i.e. the Upper Cretaceous
Naparima Hill and Gautier Formations

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
COLUMBUS BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando ( ) System
CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System
The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System
CARUPANO BASIN (CARACOLITO SUB-BASIN and the PARIA SUB-BASIN)
and THE EAST TOBAGO HALF-GRABEN
The Cretaceous-Neogene ( ) Petroleum System
The Tertiary-Neogene ( ) Petroleum System

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT

This system is known to exist in the Southern Basin onshore and in its extension
offshore in the Gulf of Paria. It lies within the piggy back Southern Basin, which is
sub-divided into the western Erin Syncline, which lies west of the Los Bajos Fault,
and extends westward into the Gulf of Paria, a central portion known as the Siparia
Syncline and an eastern portion termed the Ortoire Syncline.

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
North-South Geologic Cross Section showing the Stratigraphic extent of the System

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS (See previous slide)

Source
This system has as its principal source the Naparima Hill Formation and the Gautier
Formation.
Reservoir
The principal reservoir rocks are the Cruse, Forest and Morne L'Enfer and their
stratigraphic equivalents. They are marginal marine to fluvial sands of Pliocene age
and have good to very good reservoir characteristics.
The Cruse, Forest and Morne L'Enfer formations are recognised only in the western
portion of the basin.
In the central part of the basin, the oil bearing formations are the sands of the
Wilson, which is generally equivalent to the Forest Formation.
Further east the Catshill Sands are the stratigraphic equivalent of the Wilson
formation and contains oil bearing sands.

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
EVENTS CHART
PROCESSES
Phase I
The first phase of maturation, expulsion and oil entrapment in this system occurred in
the Miocene with the onset of foreland basin deformation and fore-deep formation,
caused by the oblique collision of the Caribbean Plate with the northern margin of
South America.
Phase II
A second phase of re-migration occurred in the late Pliocene, when oil migrated
principally along the Los Bajos and other faults into the Pliocene reservoirs of Cruse,
Forest and Morne L'Enfer formations and their stratigraphic equivalents.

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
EVENTS CHART

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System

Conceptual Cross Section showing Phase II re-migration of oil from deeper


Herrera reservoirs into the shallower Pliocene reservoirs

SOUTHERN BASIN
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cruse/Forest/M L'Enfer (!) System
Petroleum Accumulations

The largest known contributor to oil production in the country having produced an
estimated 1,900 million barrels of oil to the end of 2010. The original oil in place in
these reservoirs/fields is estimated to be over eleven billion barrels

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
found mainly offshore the south and southern part of the east coast of Trinidad. A
western onshore portion, lies to the south-east of the eastern part of the Southern
Basin, and east of the Guayaguayare sub-basin. It extends as far north as the Darien
Ridge and includes the Galeota Sub-basin. Its southern boundary extends beyond
the territorial waters into Venezuela. Its eastern boundary is perhaps best defined as
the eastern limit of the growth fault province of the Orinoco delta

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
North-South Geologic Cross Section showing the Stratigraphic extent of the System

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
This system shares the Naparima Hill and the Gautier formations, with the Southern
Basin as the principal source.
There is good oil/source correlation and analyses of the oils and condensates have
shown the source to be marine mixed with terrigenous input.
The terrigenous type III material is thought, together with evaporative fractionation
to account for the presence of the condensates and gas associated with the
condensates.
As much as 50% of the dry and lean gas found in the basin is biogenic in origin and
probably sourced from the interbedded and underlying terrestrially derived shales.

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Reservoir
Gros Morne and Mayaro Formations of the Moruga Group lower Pliocene to upper
Pleistocene in age.
They show good to very good porosities and permeabilities and have been
interpreted to be marginal marine to shallow marine sandstones.
These rocks have contributed over 98% of the 950 plus million barrels of oil and 10
trillion cubic feet of associated and free gas that have been produced from this
system to date.
Seal
The seals are the thin, (up to 200 feet in thickness) inter-bedded marine shales.
Although thin they act as excellent seals as they are mostly condensed sections
relating to maximum flooding surfaces, or at least major flooding surfaces.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are all Plio-Pleistocene in age, with the youngest being the
Palmiste formation

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
EVENTS CHART
PROCESSES

There are three distinct types of petroleum accumulations within the Columbus Basin.
Within the northwestern part of the basin, the accumulations are mainly oil
The fields to the south are predominantly gas and gas/condensate.
Some of the oil fields show evaporative fractionation while others contain only whole
oils.
These gas/condensate fields have a generally thin black oil leg below the gas condensate.
Seemingly most of these gas/condensate fields have been evaporatively fractionated.
Finally a significant portion of the gas is biogenic gas, upwards of 45%.
We are suggesting two main reasons for this complex distribution.
Firstly the oil fields to the north and west are sourced from more marine source rocks,
while the increasingly terrestrial nature of the source has resulted in the generation of
predominantly gas and condensate to the south and east.
Secondly, some of the oil fields and all of the gas/condensate fields have been subjected
to evaporative fraction which occurred during a second phase of tectonic activity

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
EVENTS CHART
PROCESSES

Phase I
Within the oil prone portion of the basin, there has seemingly been a phase of midPliocene maturation, expulsion and migration. Entrapment may have occurred in
reservoirs of Mid/Lr. Pliocene and older ages.
Phase II
A later major phase of re-migration, accompanied by evaporative fractionation
probably occurred in late Pliocene to Pleistocene along the pene-contemporaneous
growth faults. This would have led to the emplacement of fractionated light aromatic oil
and gas/condensate in the Teak, Samaan and Poui fields, with residual oil being left in
the deeper reservoirs.
This phase of re-migration also affected the oil and gas/condensate fields to the south
and east which resulted in the entrapment of fractionated condensates mixed with
thermogenic (and biogenic) gas in the shallower reservoirs, leaving behind residual oils
in the deeper reservoirs.
Finally we believe that this phase of re-migration did not occur all at once, but
sequentially from the WSW to the ENE. As the Orinoco delta migrated eastward, each
successive new growth fault provided a pathway for the re-migration to occur.

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
EVENTS CHART

Events Chart for the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
Petroleum Accumulations Oilfields

This basin contains some of the largest petroleum accumulations known in the
Trinidad area to date. The fields as we indicated above are oil fields, as well as
gas/condensate fields with thinner oil legs below.

COLUMBUS BASIN
Gautier/Naparima Hill Lower Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System
Petroleum Accumulations Gas/Condensate Fields

Gas fields of T&T including gas fields from the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Lower
Cruse/Gros Morne/Mayaro (!) System

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


Within the fold and thrust belt area number of petroleum systems but we grouped
them together, because of the similarity of their origin and development.
They all have the Naparima Hill and Gautier formations as their source. They are all
caught up in the down-warping of the successive foredeep basins, which created a
succession of elongate kitchens which caused the maturation of the source rocks.
The migration and trapping of the oil and gas in the mid to lower Tertiary reservoirs
represents the first phase of oil accumulations within all of these petroleum systems.
The petroleum systems we recognize and have described within the fold and thrust belt
are listed below;
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
Those in yellow account for all of the oil produced within the Fold and Thrust Belt to
date

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
It underlies the entire Caroni Basin, onshore and offshore, where the
GOPPA obscures its features. It is partly exposed in the Central Range
Uplift, which is a local transpressive zone related to the east-west wrench
movement.
To the south, it is overlain in part by the piggy back Southern Basin, but
outcrops locally in uplifts like the Rock Dome and Singuineau uplifts.
It extends north-eastwards into the eastern offshore of Trinidad and
westwards into the western Gulf of Paria and into eastern Venezuela.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Known to exist onshore southern Trinidad, south of the Central Range and westward
into the Gulf of Paria.
The reservoirs extend in three major fairways all trending north-east/south-west to
ENE-WSW. They are from north to south, the Nariva fairway, the Retrench fairway
and the Herrera Fairway.
The latter can be sub-divided into Cipero and Karamat Herrera fairways.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Potential extensions of these trends have been postulated by this author who has
suggested that they could contain significant accumulations of hydrocarbons.
For example he has postulated a westward extension to the Herrera trend west of the
Los Bajos Fault and into the western Gulf of Paria

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Potential extensions of these trends have been postulated by this author who has
suggested that they could contain significant accumulations of hydrocarbons.
For example he has postulated a westward extension to the Herrera trend west of the
He has also postulated an extension into the eastern offshore

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
This system shares the Naparima Hill and the Gautier formations, with the Southern
Basin as the principal source. There is good oil/source correlation and analyses of the
oils and condensates have shown the source to be mostly marine in the north but mixed
with terrigenous input in the south central.
Reservoir
The principal reservoir rocks are the upper Oligocene to middle Miocene submarine
fans of the Nariva, Retrench and Herrera members of the Cipero Formation. They
show good to very good porosities and permeabilities.
Seal
The seals in this system are the thick, (up to 10,000') deep marine shales of the Cipero
Formation which are interbedded with the reservoirs.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are the upper Miocene to Recent sediments.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Cross Section showing the Essential Elements the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!)
System.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PROCESSES
The first phase of maturation, expulsion and oil entrapment occurred in the Upper
Oligocene to middle Miocene with the onset of foreland basin deformation and foredeep
formation, caused by the oblique collision of the Caribbean Plate with the northern
margin of South America.
This first phase did not all occur at once, but sequentially as the Caribbean Plate (and
the foreland deformation) advanced to the SSE. At least four pulses of migration can be
recognised within the period, starting with the Nariva, and continuing with the
Retrench, Herrera and then the Karamat depositional/uplift episodes.
We believe that it is in this general period of time all the middle Miocene (and older) oil
and gas fields of the Fold and Thrust Belt were formed.
Much of the accumulations however, may have lost to the surface, at this time and
during re-migration in a second phase.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PROCESSES
This first phase did not all occur at once, but sequentially as the Caribbean Plate (and
the foreland deformation) advanced to the SSE. At least four pulses of migration can be
recognised within the period, starting with the Nariva, and continuing with the
Retrench, Herrera and then the Karamat depositional/uplift episodes, as seen in the
following figures.
Each pulse of maturation takes place during the deposition of the reservoir rock, within
the fore-deep basin. So therefore the Nariva maturation takes place between 22 and 27
ma. The migration takes place during overthrusting around 22 ma, and entrapment is
mainly in Nariva and perhaps also older rocks. Deposition then shifts to the ESE and a
new pulse starts.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PROCESSES
Each pulse of maturation takes place during the deposition of the reservoir rock, within
the fore-deep basin. . So that the Retrench maturation takes place between 16 and 22
ma. The migration takes place during overthrusting around 16 ma, and entrapment is
mainly in Retrench and perhaps also older rocks. Deposition then shifts to the ESE and
a new pulse starts.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PROCESSES
Each pulse of maturation takes place during the deposition of the reservoir rock, within
the fore-deep basin. The Cipero Herrera maturation takes place between 16 and 11.5
ma. The migration takes place during overthrusting around 11.5 ma, and entrapment is
mainly in these Cipero Herrera and perhaps also older rocks. Deposition then shifts to
the ESE and a new pulse starts.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PROCESSES
Each pulse of maturation takes place during the deposition of the reservoir rock, within
the fore-deep basin. The Karamat Herrera maturation takes place between 11.5 and 10
ma. The migration takes place during overthrusting around 10 ma, and entrapment is
mainly in these Karamat Herrera and perhaps also older rocks. Deposition then shifts
to the ESE and a new pulse starts.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
EVENTS CHART
for the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
In some BUT NOT ALL of these reservoirs
remigration occurred during later periods of tectonic activity

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
At least seven oilfields had been found in this petroleum system between the period
1911 and 1957, with reservoirs in all the sand members of the Cipero Formation,
namely, Nariva, Retrench, Cipero Herrera and Karamat Herrera. These discoveries
were based on geologic mapping, detailed biostratigraphic work and some limited 2D
seismic lines.
Those fields that were found during this period have to date produced over 250 million
barrels of oil.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
More recently (after 2000) 3D seismic work has enabled much more accurate imaging
of the complexly over-thrusted structures and significantly, discoveries have been made
in the first two blocks in which 3D seismic was run, within the Herrera trend.
The first discoveries were in the Central Block, the largest being a gas-condensate
accumulation. They were originally made by Vermillion who sold to BGTT. Current
production (Q1 2011) is about 70 MMCFD and 1,300 BCD. A second non-commercial
light oil discovery was made with the Saunders well, whose reservoir was reportedly
tight.
Most recently Parex and its partner Primera (now Touchstone Resources) have made
two discoveries in the Cory-Moruga Block, with the Snowcap and Firecrown wells,
both of which are oil. The Snowcap well, which TDd at 8,000 feet, tested 580 bopd and
5.4 MMCFD. The Firecrown well, which was deepened to 10,331 feet, was tested .

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System,
a hypothetical petroleum system, exists within the transpressive zone of the Central
Range Uplift.
To the present time a number of petroleum accumulations have been found within this
system, including the Angostura field, which has produced to date around 50 million
barrels of oil and contains around 1.5 TCF of gas.
Oil production averaged 14,241 bopd and 222 MMCF gas in May 2012 .
While we have established no direct correlation between source and reservoir, we have
interpreted the source to be the same as that for the majority of the thermogenic
hydrocarbons found to date, i.e. upper Cretaceous Naparima Hill and Gautier
formations.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Known to lie within the transpressive zone of the Central Range Uplift, in the eastern
offshore of Trinidad, at least in Blocks 2 and 3. We believe it extends along trend to the
south and to the southwest into the onshore of Trinidad. (see Figure 4.44).
The Angostura sands, which are lower to middle Oligocene, may outcrop in the eastern
Central Range, where it is known as the Pointe a Pierre. May be active margin
turbidites, or derived from the passive margin

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Reservoir
The reservoirs of Oligocene age are known to occur within the transpressive zone of the
Central Range Uplift, in the eastern offshore of Trinidad, at least in Blocks 2 and 3.
In the Angostura field and Block 2ab to the southwest the reservoirs are thick, often
with good porosity (15-20%) and permeability (50-2000mds).
Sand shale ratios are high (40-60%) and water saturations in the hydrocarbon
reservoirs are low ( 15-25%).
Recent heavy mineral
analyses
(by Pindell et al 2009)
show a South
American
provenance.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
We believe the source rocks to be the Upper Cretaceous Naparima Hill and Gautier
formations. While we have not yet done analyses of the Angostura oils or oil/source
correlations, we have analyzed oil obtained from below the Biche High School from an
auger sample, which we believe may have been reservoired in the same age reservoirs.
That light good quality oil was found to be a whole oil, not fractionated and not
biodegraded, although it had lost some light ends, probably to evaporation. Its source
was mature and contained predominantly marine alga/bacterial matter with minor
terrigenous input. Expulsion temperature was around 128 degrees C. This data is
consistent with the upper Cretaceous Gautier/Naparima Hill source, which has been
found to be largely free of terrigenous matter this far to the north.
Seal
The seals in this system are the thick, up to 1,000', deep marine shales of the Angostura
Formation.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are the Lower Miocene to Recent sediments.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Cross section showing the postulated geographic extent and essential systems of the
Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
PROCESSES
Maturation, expulsion and oil entrapment in this system is interpreted to have occurred
in the Miocene with the onset of foreland basin deformation and foredeep formation,
caused by the oblique collision of the Caribbean Plate with the northern margin of
South America. We interpret that the oil is sourced from the underthrust Naparima Hill
Formation and has migrated directly into the Angostura sands. There has been to our
knowledge no re-migration
into younger reservoirs.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
To the present time a number of petroleum accumulations have been found within this
system, including the Angostura field, which has produced to date around 50 million
barrels of oil and contains around 1.5 TCF of gas.
Oil production averaged 14,241 bopd and 222 MMCF gas in May 2012 .

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Angostura (.) System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
The original discovery wells were Angostura 1, Aripo 1, Kairi 1, and Canteen 1.
Angostura 1, drilled in 1999, was the original discovery well of the field. It encountered
some 950 of gas pay in lower Oligocene sands. Aripo 1 was drilled next, in 2000, and
also encountered a thick gas column and in addition a thin oil column. Kairi 1, the third
well, discovered both oil and gas in August 2001. It tested at rates of up to 3,000 bopd
on a 38/64 choke. Canteen 1 was started in October 2001, about 1.6 kms north of Kairi
1. It encountered 700 of gross pay, including about 200 of net oil pay and 322 of net
gas pay. The oil zone tested 3,700 bopd on a 72/64 choke. The Kairi and Canteen Fault
Blocks contain most of the oil found thus far. The Aripo block has a thin oil rim
overlain by a large gas cap. Kairi 2 (ST2), an appraisal well, presumably in the Kairi
Fault Block, was drilled in early 2002. It found a 322 gas column and also 235 of oil
pay. Over the next six months, in 2002, two additional appraisal wells, Angostura 2 and
Canteen 2 were drilled. Both found oil and gas in the Oligocene sands.
The estimated recoverable reserves of oil had been reported in the past to be as high as
90-300 MMBbls stock tank, with a P50 of 160 MMBbls, and gas is 1-2.3 TCF, with a
P50 of 1.75 TCF. It seems more likely that the oil reserves will be significantly less than
that and will be more likely in the region of 75 MMBO recoverable, although the gas
reserves are still estimated to be 1.0-1.5 TCF.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
A hypothetical petroleum system
Postulated to exist throughout the Caroni and Southern Basins and in the Eastern
offshore in the Manzanilla sub-basin.
Not expected to be present in the Central Range where these formations outcrop.
Erlich and Keens-Dumas (2007) have discussed possible distribution of reservoirs and
source rocks in the Cretaceous and their maps show the possible extent of this system.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Source
Postulated to be the Upper Cretaceous Naparima Hill and Gautier formations and
possibly also the Cuche formation. While we have not yet done oil/source correlations
we are confident that the source will be confirmed as the Gautier and Naparima Hill
formations
Reservoir
The reservoirs, of upper to lower Cretaceous age, are known to occur in the Gautier as
turbidites in the Southern Basin and in the Cuche, which has been penetrated in many
wells in onshore Trinidad as far north as the Caroni Basin, where it has found probably
also as sub-marine fans in all the areas. Sub-marine fan reservoirs of Naparima Hill age
postulated in the southern part of the Southern Basin and Columbus Shelf in those areas
where oil compositions point to a high terrigenous input.
Seals
The seals in this system are the thick, up to 10,000', deep marine shales of the Cipero,
Chaudiere, Naparima Hill, Gautier and Cuche Formations.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are the Lower Tertiary to Recent sediments.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Cross section showing the geographic extent and the essential elements

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
PROCESSES
The first phase of maturation, expulsion and oil entrapment in this, as in all the other
petroleum systems of the fold and thrust belt, occurred in the lower Miocene with the
onset of foreland basin deformation and foredeep formation, caused by the oblique
collision of the Caribbean Plate with the northern margin of South America. We expect
that migration into the Gautier and possibly other Cretaceous sands occurred at this
time, directly from the shales into the interbedded or underlying reservoirs.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cuche/Gautier/Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS

To date the only known oil accumulations are the sub-commercial discoveries made in
the Moruga East 15 well, which found heavy oil in Gautier turbidites and light
oil/condensate in Naparima Hill turbidites in the Rocky Palace 1 well. The latter was
interpreted to be sub-commercial gas and condensate

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
A hypothetical petroleum system postulated by Budden et al (1994). They
recognize the Gautier as a proven source and suggest that fractured
Naparima Hill could be the main reservoir. They suggest the seal would
be the overlying Tertiary shales.
Talukdar et al, discussed the system in 1995 suggested that the
underthrust Naparima Hill can act as a source as well. The systems
name has been modified to the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.)
Petroleum System as a result
We expect the traps to be the basement detached overthrust anticlines
formed in the collision.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Expected to be within the southern area of the Central Range
transpressive zone onshore and its eastward and westward extensions
offshore, as well as the entire Southern Basin and the Guayaguayare SubBasin. Portions missing because of uplift and erosion within the Central
Range

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum
System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
We postulate that the source will be the Gautier and Naparima Hill
Formations.
Reservoir
The reservoir is fractured Naparima Hill argillite.

Seal
The seals are expected to be the overlying Tertiary shales.
Overburden
The overburden rocks will be the overlying Tertiary formations.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Cross Section showing Essential Elements and Geographic Extent of the
middle portion of the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum
System.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
PROCESSES

A first phase of maturation, expulsion and oil occurred around the lower
Miocene with the onset of foreland basin deformation and foredeep
formation, caused by the oblique collision of the Caribbean Plate with the
northern margin of South America. Migration is postulated to have
occurred at this time, from the more mature underthrust Naparima Hill and
Gautier shales to the less mature, fractured Naparima Hill rocks in the
overthrust areas. The migration pathways are postulated by us to be the
detached overthrust faults.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
EVENTS CHART
For the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
While there have been no commercial accumulations found to date, a few significant
discoveries made as outlined below. All were in fractured Naparima Hill argillite.
Sub-commercial amounts of light oil were produced in various wells in Guayaguayare area,
along the crest of the Southern Range anticline in wells drilled in the 50s.
There were shows of heavy oil in Marabella 1 well which was drilled in the western part of
the Southern Basin onshore in the 1950s.
There were also shows in Emerald 1, 2 and the three new wells in Block 3. The Emerald
wells were drilled by Texaco and three wells were drilled later on by Unocal. The Emerald 2
well tested 3.22 MMCF gas per day with a trace of oil from fractured Naparima Hill at
10400-10972 feet.
More recently gas and condensate were tested in the Howler 1 well in the Central Range
Transpressive belt. The well was drilled by a consortium operated by BHP/Billiton. The
Howler well tested 22MMCFGD and 122 bbls condensate per day from fractured upper
Cretaceous Naparima Hill fm. in an underthrust limb. We interpret this area to be in the
core of the Central Range transpressive zone and the condensate to be evaporatively
fractionated i.e. there must be other-thrust sheets below containing black residual oil.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Naparima Hill (.) Petroleum System

PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
There is perhaps significant potential for shale oil in this reservoir

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT

A speculative petroleum system


Postulated to exist along the flanks of the Central Range Uplift.
No petroleum accumulations have been found within this system
No correlation between source and reservoir.
But we know that the system lies within the fold and thrust belt and that
reservoir quality can be very good.
Geologic and geochemical evidence to postulate the existence of this
system.
The Pointe a Pierre in the eastern part of the Central Range may be
Oligocene in age and may be equivalent to the Angostura sands (Pindell et
al 2009).
Because of the uncertainty however, we have proposed a different
petroleum system for these reservoirs.

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT... along the flanks of the Central Range Uplift

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Reservoir
The reservoirs of Oligocene to Paleocene age are known to outcrop along the south flank
of the Central Range. In addition Eocene to Oligocene reservoirs have been found to be
present in Block 3 in the eastern offshore. They may also be postulated to occur in the
southern flank of the Caroni Basin i.e. The north flank of the Central Range
Source
This petroleum system, the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Cipero (!) System also has, we believe,
as its source rocks, the Upper Cretaceous Naparima Hill and Gautier formations.

Seal
The seals in this system are the thick, up to 10,000', deep marine shales of the Cipero and
Chaudierre Formations.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are the Lower Tertiary to Recent sediments

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS...cross section showing the postulated geographic
extent and essential systems

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS...cross section across the Central Range Transpressive
Zone through the Kitchener 1 well

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
PROCESSES
The first phase of maturation, expulsion and oil entrapment occurred in the
Oligo--Miocene with the onset of foreland basin deformation and foredeep
formation, caused by the oblique collision. In this general period of time all
the Miocene (and older) oil and gas fields of the Southern Basin and
indeed, the entire Trinidad area were probably formed.

Events Chart for the Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/ San Fernando () System

FOLD AND THRUST BELT


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Pointe a Pierre/San Fernando () System
PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
To the present time no commercial petroleum accumulations have been
found within this system and there is no correlation between source and
reservoir. But oil & gas sands have been reported in wells in Block 3 which
lies off the east coast of Trinidad. An Eocene sand tested 4.53 MMCFGD at
depths between 4855 and 4867 feet in the Emerald 1 well drilled by Texaco
in this Block.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System
The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System
INTRODUCTION
the Caroni Basin and the Gulf of Paria Pull Apart Basin are NOT synonymous. The latter is a
wrench related pull-apart basin which formed within a portion of the Caroni Basin which
extends further to the south and to the east, into the Atlantic Ocean.
There are two petroleum systems that are known to within the Gulf of Paria portion of the
Caroni Basin.
The First system extends further to the south within the Gulf of Paria than the southern
pull-apart boundary, as far south as the western extension of the Central Range Uplift. The
second has been recognized as far west as the Venezuelan onshore just west of the Gulf of
Paria and we expect it to be present throughout southern portion of the pull-apart basin
We can postulate extensions of both systems into the onshore portion of the Caroni Basin.
While the source is different in each system, oil/source correlations have been established
for both systems.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Found in the southern portion of the Caroni Basin offshore in the Gulf of
Paria. We postulate its extension into the southern portions of onshore and
eastern offshore parts of the Caroni Basin.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
Interpreted (Talukdar et al 1995) to be a mature, marine Type II source
containing principally algal-bacterial organic input. This was based analyses
of two Manzanilla oils from the North Soldado field.
It has been postulated by earlier workers (e.g. Kugler and others) that the
upper Cretaceous is missing from most of the Caroni Basin onshore.
We suggest however that the upper Cretaceous source could be present in
the southern portion of the basin and point out that the Cretaceous
penetrations were in the northern part of the basin.
In any event, the north verging overthrusting associated with the
transpressive Central Range fault system allows migration pathways from
within the Central Range, where the source is known to be present to
reservoirs in the southern part of the Caroni Basin.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Reservoir
The principal reservoir rocks are the Manzanilla and Springvale Formations
of Mio-Pliocene age. Reservoir quality should be good to excellent in the
southern part of the basin, but is deteriorates in a northern direction as
conglomerates of the Cunapo formation become more and more dominant.
Seal
The interbedded marine shales, generally only a few hundred feet thick,
formed at maximum flooding periods act as very good seals.
Overburden
Overburden rocks are those of the younger Pliocene to Recent sediments.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS...Cross Section showing the essential elements of the


Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System
PROCESSES

Phase 1
An earlier phase of lower and mid-Miocene maturation, expulsion, migration and
entrapment occurred in reservoirs of Oligocene to Middle Miocene and older ages, as a
result of the continuing oblique advance of the Caribbean Plate. Initially migration would
have occurred along the south verging faults which developed within the basement
detached fold and thrust belt and which trend ENE-WSW.
A good example is the Brighton Field in which deeper reservoirs of upper Oligocene Nariva
sands are overlain by younger Manzanilla reservoirs, and both contain oil.
Geochemical evidence from two oil analyses from the North Soldado field, supports this
concept. Towards the north, in the North Soldado field area, Nariva encountered oil
bearing sands beneath Manzanilla and younger oil reservoirs.
Briefly Talukdar et al (1995) interpret two phases of migration which resulted in the mixing
of an earlier migrated oil which has been biodegraded, with a later migrating unbiodegraded gas/condensate. They conclude that deeper reservoirs of gas/condensate or
original oils should exist.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

PROCESSES
Phase 11
Two later major phases of re-migration are suggested. The first re-migrated
oil was biodegraded.
A second later phase of re-migration of gas/condensate then occurred
resulting in the mixing of the earlier re-migrated oil, with the later remigrating gas/condensate.
The re-migration phases would have occurred in the Pliocene along the Los
Bajos Fault and other faults bounding the North Soldado structure.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

EVENTS CHART

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
This system has so far yielded commercial production from the North
Soldado oilfield which has produced over 200 million barrels of oil to date.
Smaller accumulations are also found even further south, east of the Los
Bajos Fault in the Cluster Six area within the Trinmar acreage and the Ten
Degrees North Brighton Field and in their Pt. Ligoure Block.
Large heavy oil accumulations have been found in North East Soldado Field
(S484/S498) and in the North Marine area. Production to date from these
accumulations has been low.
Recently the Jubilee discovery has been announced . It lies between Cluster
6 and North East Soldado

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Gautier/Naparima Hill-Manzanilla/Springvale/Talparo (!) System

PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
Table showing petroleum accumulations within the System.
Production for Brighton represents our estimate of the portion of the
production from the Manzanilla only (estimated by us to have produced
10% of the fields production)

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System

GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Found in the southern portion of the Gulf of Paria Pull Apart Basin. We
postulate its extension into the southern portions of onshore part of the
Caroni Basin
Very waxy light oil produced from the Couva Marine sourced from Brasso
shales

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Seal
There are adequate interbedded marine shales which are interpreted to
have acted as the seals.
Overburden
The overburden rocks will be Upper Tertiary sands and shales of the
Manzanilla, Springvale and Talparo Formations.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
Mid-Tertiary Brasso shales of the Cipero formation...deposited in a more
restricted environment than that further south
Reservoir
Manzanilla Sands is the main known reservoirs for this petroleum system.
A second potentially more important reservoir is the Brasso sand member
of the Cipero shale which is expected to be present in the Gulf and western
onshore portions of the Caroni Basin.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System
PROCESSES
Maturation of these shales although not very deeply buried, less than
12,000', is possible because of the higher heat flows in the western part of
this basin, which was seemingly reactivated as pull apart basin in the late
Miocene and Pliocene.
Migration pathways along the numerous oblique wrench and associated
faults formed at the same time would allow hydrocarbons to move into
the simultaneously formed structural/stratigraphic traps.

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System

EVENTS CHART

CARONI BASIN/GULF OF PARIA PULL APART BASIN


The Cipero-Brasso/Manzanilla (!) Petroleum System

PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
To date only one small oilfield within the Trinidad area and another further
to the west in the Eastern Venezuela onshore which are known to have
been sourced by the Brasso shales There are other relatively small
accumulations of gas and condensate further to the west, within the Gulf of
Paria Pull Apart Basin with Manzanilla sands as the main reservoir, but we
do not know whether the source is Brasso or Naparima Hill/Gautier.

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Speculated as being present in the entire Tobago Trough which extends
from the Caracolito Sub-basin in the south-west to north of offshore west
of Barbados, where the very waxy oil of terrestrial origin is being produced
further to the east along trend on the island of Barbados.
It may also be present in parts of the Paria sub-basin.

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Map showing the extent of the Tobago Trough (it includes the Tobago Basin
and Caracolito Sub-Basin), which is a fore-arc basin. We estimate that the
Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System extends from the Caracolito Subbasin in the south-west to at least as far north as the island of Barbados.

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Source
The source could be the same deep water shales which are the source for the Barbados oil
and/or the source for the Rio Caribe gas/condensate The former has now been
recognized to be of Cretaceous age (Shenck et al 2005
The latter is believed to be also Cretaceous in age (Martinez 2003). To this time it has not
been established whether the source for the Barbados oil is upper or lower Cretaceous in
age. The Barbados oil is light and waxy, generally indicative of a terrestrial source or a
source with high terrigenous input. With regard to the Rio Caribe wells, which were drilled
on the extreme western edge of the Patao High, it was reported (Martinez 2003) that
these wells found a thick section of lower to upper Cretaceous (1000 m +) that contains
deep water shales with radiolarians, and submarine basalts, equivalent to the Guayuta
group of Eastern Venezuela and Naparima Hill Formation of Martinez postulated that such
rocks could have reached maturity in the Paria sub-basin and sourced the Rio Caribe
condensates. One can postulate eastward extension of the upper Cretaceous source rocks
throughout much of the Paria sub-basin.
Several years ago, gas and light oil were reported to be bubbling up from the sea bed in an
offshore area north of Las Cuevas. This could be a manifestation of that source.

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Reservoir
The reservoirs could be the marine sands of mainly Mio-Pliocene age which
produce gas in the fields to the south along the Patao/KK Uplift, but also
could be older in age. The sands are thin but laterally extensive and have
good porosity and permeability. They are turbiditic in origin to the west but
become shallower to the east.
Seal
The seals are overlying and encasing marine shales, which are known to
seal the gas fields to the south.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are interbedded sands and shales of Plio-Pleistocene
and older age.

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Cross Section showing geographic extent and essential elements of the
Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


PROCESSES
The gas being produced in our NCMA is mostly biogenic gas, sourced from
interbedded shales.
With regard to the possible thermogenic system, we expect that
maturation could have taken place during the oblique collision of the
Caribbean Plate with the South American plate in the Trinidad area and
that the faults and anticlinal structures formed during the Mio-Pliocene,
could act as migration pathways and pene- contemporaneous traps.

The Cretaceous-Neogene () Petroleum System


PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
No wells have been drilled into the flanks of the trough either in Trinidad waters to the
south or Grenadian waters to the north, but this system is an exciting possibility. There are
a number of clues to its existence as a valid petroleum system. First is the oil production in
Barbados from the Woodbourne field, which has produced over 12 million barrels of oil to
date and is currently doing about 800 bopd. Second is the Rio Caribe gas condensate
discovery which tested 10 to 20 MMCFD of gas and 1000 to 2,000 barrels condensate per
day from two wells. This discovery lies in the extreme south-west portion of the Tobago
Trough, along the Patao
We have previously suggested that Cretaceous source rocks may be present in the axis of
the Tobago Trough which lies to the northwest of our NCMA

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System


GEOGRAPHIC EXTENT
Known to be present along parts of the Patao High
Expected to be present in the Paria Sub-basin
May extend eastward into the East Tobago Half Graben and the Barbados
Basin.
Speculated as being present in the entire Tobago Trough which extends
from the Caracolito Sub-basin in the south-west to north of offshore west
of Barbados.

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System


ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Source
The minor amount of condensate being produced from the Trinidad has
now been proven to have a Tertiary source and not Cretaceous as we
originally suggested.
This was on the basis of analysis of a sample of condensate from the
Hibiscus Field.
To the present time no source rock correlation has been attempted, so the
exact age is not known. The analysis of the condensate shows however that
it was sourced from a rock rich in terrestrial organic matter.
We are suggesting a Miocene or older age.
A thick Miocene shale was penetrated in the Maracas 1 well, which was
reported to be rich in TOC which seemed to be terrestrial in origin.
This may be the source, but no analyses have yet been done on these
shales.

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System


ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Reservoir
The reservoirs are the marine sands of mainly Mio-Pliocene age which
produce gas in the fields to the south along the Patao High, but also could
be older in age. The sands are thin but laterally extensive and have good
porosity and permeability. They are turbiditic in origin to the west but
become shallower to the east.
Seal
The seals are overlying and encasing marine shales, which are known to
seal the gas fields to the south.
Overburden
The overburden rocks are interbedded sands and shales of Plio-Pleistocene
and older age.

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System


ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
Cross Section showing geographic extent and essential elements of the
Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System

PROCESSES
The gas being produced in our NCMA is mostly biogenic gas, sourced from
interbedded shales.
The condensateis sourced from Tertiary (probably Miocen)e shales
We expect that maturation could have taken place during the oblique
collision of the Caribbean Plate with the South American plate in the
Trinidad area and that the faults and anticlinal structures formed during the
Mio-Pliocene, could act as migration pathways and pene-contemporaneous
traps.

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System


EVENTS CHART

The Tertiary-Neogene () Petroleum System


PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
This system is an exciting possibility as it points to a previously unknown
source for liquid hydrocarbons even though it is lean. To this time liquids
have only been found in the Hibiscus Field.
No wells have been drilled into the flanks of the Tobago trough either in
Trinidad waters to the south or Grenadian waters to the north.

PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
We have provided a listing and description of all the eleven petroleum
systems that have been found to date in the Trinidad area.
The methodology used was based on that outlined by Mc Goon and Dow.
We hope to be able to do oil source correlations for those systems in which
these correlations are still outstanding, particularly the systems for the
Angostura and Hibiscus fields.
There are, needless to says lots of other geo-chemical work to be done if
we are to better understand accumulations in basins in which oil and gas
have already been found as well as predict the types and amounts of
hydrocarbons that might be found in frontier areas, like the older
formations in the Gulf of Paria Pull-apart Basin, the ultra-deep waters off
the east coast of Trinidad and the flank areas of the North Coast Marine
Area.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS


We have no doubt that other petroleum systems will be identified.
If we are to predict there are three obvious candidates:
1. In the sub-salt i.e. below the evaporite known to be present in the
Gulf of Paria Pull-apart Basin we can expect pre-Cretaceous reservoirs
and source rocks.
2. In the deeper horizons of the East Coast offshore we can expect to find
reservoirs and source rocks in the syn-rift sediments of Lower
cretaceous to Jurassic age, similar to what is found to the south-east in
the Guyana-Suriname Basin and offshore Angola (which is our probable
pre-rift counterpart to the east).
3. In the deeper horizons of the North Coast Marine Area we can expect
to find reservoirs and source rocks in the syn-rift sediments of Lower
Cretaceous to Jurassic age, similar to what is found to the north-west
off-shore Yucatan and in the Gulf of Mexico (which are our pre-rift
counterparts to the north and west).

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