Vertical migration in theory and in practice

Abstract

We use the term vertical migration to describe the mechanism of mass transport that moves trace petroleum hydrocarbons from subsurface accumulations to the surface. Vertical migration is the heart of geochemical exploration for petroleum. Although our use of geochemical exploration for petroleum has been accelerating, our understanding of the mechanism that makes the process successful lagged behind. Early vertical migration models were based on a molecular process called diffusion. Diffusion remained the accepted mechanism during the early years of geochemical exploration even though the diffusion mechanism could not explain many observations, including migration that appeared to be predominately vertical. Approximately 30 years ago, buoyancy-driven migration mechanisms were modeled. The models predicted how gases below the water table could migrate vertically as a gas phase with buoyancy providing a mechanism for predominately vertical gas migration. Buoyancy models explained how surface expressions observed from vertical migration measurements related to petroleum reservoirs including small lateral offsets. Buoyancy models also explained the gradients and data contrasts observed in many surface geochemical features including what they mean and predicted fast vertical migration rates that have been verified by field observations. In addition, buoyancy models predicted how petroleum reservoirs could be mapped using gas data and how surface expressions of faults and fractures could be mapped using liquid data. Those data can be obtained from direct measurement of trace hydrocarbons in near-surface fluid samples. Because reservoir rock samples are not required, vertical migration provides a way to obtain information about a reservoir prior to exploratory drilling. The characteristics of these migrating fluids and their surface patterns are the foundation of modern geochemical exploration for petroleum.