Romania's petroleum systems and their remaining potential

Eighteen petroleum systems (PS) - particular combinations of source rock maturation and migration to reservoirs in a confined area of a sedimentary province - have been identified in Romania. Most hydrocarbons were expelled or re-migrated into the reservoirs after the Late Styrian orogenic phase , 12-14 Ma years ago. Hydrocarbons mostly accumulated in fields during the Late Sarmatian- Pliocene interval, after the Moldavian orogenic phase. Most gas in the Sarmatian-Pliocene reservoirs of the post-tectonic basins is biogenic. The thick Late Miocene-Pliocene sediments of the Carpathian foredeep and Transylvania Basin have not reached the stage of an effective thermogenic petroleum system. Evaluation of exploration history and fractal distribution laws of discovered hydrocarbons suggest future discoveries in the five major onshore PS analysed of 15 Mt of crude oil. These new discoveries will be in: foreland plays in little explored deep, central basin areas, structural, stratigraphic and combination traps of the subthrusted areas; structural traps of deeper duplexes of the Carpathian Palaeogene PS and in stratigraphic plays of biogenic PS.

[1]  W. Sassi,et al.  Kinematics of deformation and petroleum system appraisal in Neogene foreland fold-and-thrust belts , 1995, Petroleum Geoscience.

[2]  O. Dicea.  The structure and hydrocarbon geology of the Romanian East Carpathian border from seismic data , 1995, Petroleum Geoscience.

[3]  K. Milota,et al.  Petroleum potential of the North Hungarian Oligocene sediments , 1995, Petroleum Geoscience.

[4]  I. Morosanu.  Tectonic seeting of the Romanian offshore at the Prealbian Level , 1994 .

[5]  A. Damián.  Hydrocarbons in pelitic overpressured neogene bodies from Focsani depression (Romania) , 1994 .

[6]  N. Ellouz,et al.  Thrust-controlled exploration plays in the outer Carpathians and their foreland (Poland, Ukraine and Romania) , 1994 .

[7]  B. Popescu.  Hydrocarbons of Eastern Central Europe , 1994 .

[8]  N. Ionescu.  Exploration History and Hydrocarbon Prospects in Romania , 1994 .

[9]  M. Báldi-Beke,et al.  Paleogene retroarc flexural basin beneath the Neogene Pannonian Basin: A geodynamic model , 1993 .

[10]  N. Balteș,et al.  Do hydrocarbon prospects still exist in the eastern Carpathian Cretaceous flysch , 1993 .

[11]  B. Popescu,et al.  Romania's petroleum systems , 1993 .

[12]  J. Rullkötter,et al.  Kerogen maturation in a reference kerogen Type II series: the Toarcian shales of the Hils syncline, NW Germany , 1993 .

[13]  M. Stefănescu,et al.  Orogenic and platform petroleum systems in Romania - Definition and forecasting of remaining resources , 1993 .

[14]  J. Clayton,et al.  Petroleum Geochemistry of the Zala Basin, Hungary , 1993 .

[15]  M. Hetényi.  ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY AND HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF NEOGENE SEDIMENTARY ROCKS IN HUNGARY , 1992 .

[16]  G. Ulmishek,et al.  Depositional controls, distribution, and effectiveness of world's petroleum source rocks , 1989 .

[17]  Károly Mészáros.  Hungary. , 1988, Revue scientifique et technique.

[18]  D. Rice,et al.  Generation, Accumulation, and Resource Potential of Biogenic Gas , 1981 .