Link to GeoExpro article on pockmarks and possible indications of oil and gas migration.
Namibia’s Orange Basin and the holey slope mystery - GeoExproIn the Mopane and Sagittarius areas, GeoExpro haveproposed a model for near-sea bed fluid escape pockmarks structures observed on the 3D seismic. The model proposes that fluidescape (either gas or oil) creates a pockmark in the seabed. GeoExpro proposed that if you accept the pockmark fluid escape modeland extrapolate that the location of the pockmarks is telling you somethingabout a maturing hydrocarbon system below.GeoExpro propose that the Aptian source rock (Kudu Shale)
is mature for oil generationacross the entire Inner Basin which would encompass PEL-87.
When GeoExprolooked at the seabed over the area near Mopane-1X, they observed pockmarktrails extending on a north-south trend close to Mopane-1X. Apparently, this observationwas corroborated by sea surface slick identification around the Mopanediscoveries. However, GeoExpro went onto to conclude thatthe pockmarks at the seabed are seenvirtually nowhere else - incorrect in my view. Looking at the 3D seismic line provided by PCL in the latest quarterly(included below), there appear to be
near-sea bed structures in PEL-87 that closely resemble pockmarksfrom the Mopane,
Sagittarius area.
Ifthe GeoExpro model holds,
it would be reasonable to conclude that the Aptiansource rock beneath Saturn (Kudu Shale) is mature for oil generation overPEL-87 as wellgiven what appears to be near-sea bed pockmarks above Saturn. Anyway, just another observation of similarities between PEL-83(Mopane), 85 (Sagittarius) and 87 (Saturn).
And no, I am not proposing that all the oil potentially in Saturn has leaked away to the seabed and escaped.
OldGeo
(20min delay)