MODELING OF HYDROCARBON GENERATION ZONES AND MIGRATION PATHWAYS OF AN OIL FIELD OF PRECASPIAN REGION, KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

This article highlights the features of geological (basin) modeling of various zones and migration routes and presents the assessment of resources of the oil field in the Precaspian region in western Kazakhstan. A brief overview of geochemical features of the basin is presented using modern assaying and visualization software packages. The preferred method of constructing 1D models is indicated, and the results of such 1D modeling derived from the results of basin modeling are presented. Additional data points (including paleowater depths, sediment-water interface temperatures and heat flows) as boundary conditions were collected and included in the modeling software for data calibration and cross-checking purposes. For all 1D models produced in this study, Jurassic source rocks were deemed to have entered the oil window in Cretaceous time with the critical moment occurring in Late Cretaceous and Early Paleogene. The implied tectonic history of the basin suggests two possible periods of trap formation: tectonic inversion in the Middle Jurassic and possible folding during late Alpine orogeny which began in Late Cretaceous or early Eocene. While the Middle Jurassic traps can undoubtedly be filled with hydrocarbons, there is no such high degree of certainty with regards to traps formed after Late Cretaceous, as those traps were formed after peak migration periods.