Origin, migration and secondary processes of oil and natural gas in the western part of the Polish Outer Carpathians: geochemical and geological approach

Abstract

The origin, migration pathways, as well as the influence of secondary processes of oil and natural gas accumulated in lower Cretaceous to lower Miocene strata of the western part of the Polish Outer Carpathians (between Kraków and Pilzno towns) based on results of organic geochemical analyses are investigated in this paper. Oil and thermogenic hydrocarbon gases were generated mainly from type II kerogen, and type II and III kerogen mixed in various proportions. These kerogens mainly occur in the Oligocene Menilite beds of the Silesian and Dukla nappes. Oils were generated from early to late “oil window”. Secondary cracking was recorded in oils from Dukla nappe, other secondary processes including biodegradation, water washing and evaporative fractionation were also developed to a various extent in many oils. The most biodegraded oils occur in seep S-Li, and the most extensive water washing is observed in the oil from seep S-Sa/1. The evaporative fractionation processes most significantly occur in the selected deepest parts of the multi-horizontal Biecz field. Hydrocarbon gases originated during both microbial and thermogenic processes of organic matter transformation. Natural gas has not been subjected to biodegradation processes. Carbon dioxide is derived from both microbial and thermogenic decomposition processes of organic matter and was generated together with hydrocarbon gases.