Segmentation and petroleum exploration of passive continental margin basins of eastern North America

Abstract

The passive continental margin of eastern North America is one of the world's oldest intact passive margins, and is a natural laboratory for studying passive-margin development. Base on a large number of overseas research results, this paper used the basin structural analysis method to deeply study the geological structure and tectonic evolution characteristics of the passive continental margin basins group of eastern North America, and revealed hydrocarbon geology patterns of basins group. It is shown that sedimentary filling and unconformity development of basins group of eastern North American have obvious segmentation and difference. Based on regional unconformities, basins in different segmentations can be divided into different structural layers. Basins in the southern segment can be divided into two tectonic layers, southern basins in the central segment can be divided into three tectonic layers, northern basins in the central segment can be divided into four tectonic layers, and basins in the northern segment can be divided into five tectonic layers. The basins group have undergone the evolution process of intracontinental rift-intercontinental rift-passive continental margin, but the tectonic evolution of basins in different segmentations has obvious segmentation and migration. The subsidence center was located in the southern segment during Late Triassic. It migrated to the central segment in earliest Jurassic, and the continent in the southern segment began to break up. The subsidence center migrated to the northern segment in Middle Jurassic, and the continent in the central segment began to break up. The continent in the northern segment began to break up during late Early Cretaceous. Basins in the southern segment and most basins in the central segment are lack of hydrocarbon preservation conditions due to a combination of sustained uplift and erosion and the CAMP. The Scotian Basin and the Grand Banks Basin are the main petroleum basins, mainly developed the Upper Jurassic source rocks and fault-anticline and salt body piercing traps. Basins are characterized by self generation and self reservoir and lower generation and upper reservoir.