3D petroleum systems modelling of the North German Basin

Abstract

The evolution of the North German Basin is of particular interest due to the fact that it is an important hydrocarbon province with considerable reserves of natural gas. There have been several previous studies on the stratigraphy, structural evolution, and geochemical characterization of the basin, but no large-scale petroleum systems model has previously been published. We have developed a fully integrated numerical petroleum systems model, with emphasis on Palaeozoic pretroleum systems, taking into account the thermal subsidence history to calculate maturity levels, temperatures, and other related parameters. As one result of the study, we have produced maps of temperature and maturity for different time steps. We have also calculated the dynamics of gas generation and accumulation for different parts of the basin. This large-scale petroleum system model for the North German Basin can be applied in future exploration because it gives important clues concerning migration, accumulation, and escape of gas in the course of basin evolution.