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ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY, BURIAL HISTORY AND HYDROCARBON GENERATION MODELLING OF THE UPPER JURASSIC MADBI FORMATION, MASILA BASIN, YEMEN
Author(s) -
Hakimi Mohammed H.,
Abdulah Wan H.,
Shalaby Mohamed R.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
journal of petroleum geology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.725
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1747-5457
pISSN - 0141-6421
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-5457.2010.00481.x
Subject(s) - source rock , geology , kerogen , cretaceous , maturity (psychological) , organic geochemistry , geochemistry , structural basin , borehole , hydrocarbon , basin modelling , paleontology , organic matter , psychology , developmental psychology , chemistry , organic chemistry
The Masila Basin is an important hydrocarbon province in Yemen but the origin of its hydrocarbons is not fully understood. In this study, we evaluate Upper Jurassic source rocks in the Madbi Formation and assess the results of basin modelling in order to improve our understanding of burial history and hydrocarbon generation. This source rock has generated commercial volumes of hydrocarbons which migrated into Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous reservoir rocks. Cuttings samples of shales from the Upper Jurassic Madbi Formation from boreholes in the centre‐west of the Masila Basin were analysed using organic geochemistry (Rock‐Eval pyrolysis, extract analysis) and organic petrology. The shales generally contain more than 2.0 wt % TOC and have very good to excellent hydrocarbon potential. Kerogen is predominantly algal Type II with minor Type I. Thermal maturity of the organic matter is R r 0.69–0.91%. Thermal and burial history models indicate that the Madbi Formation source rock entered the early‐mature to mature stage in the Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary. Hydrocarbon generation began in the Late Cretaceous, reaching maximum rates during the Early Tertiary. Cretaceous subsidence had only a minor influence on source rock maturation and OM transformation.