Eric Negulic

Early hydrocarbon discoveries in the Sable sub-basin on the Scotian Margin have resulted in the primary exploration focus on the Sable and adjacent Abenaki sub-basins with lesser focus on the surrounding sub-basins and seaward slope, despite the presence of thick regional sedimentary cover. This thesis aims to broaden our knowledge of the slope area immediately southwest of the Sable sub-basin, with emphasis on heat-flow and petroleum systems potential. The Scotian slope is highly deformed by the thick Argo salt that forms many salt structures such as salt diapirs, tongues and canopies. Salt has a high thermal conductivity and the presence of diapirs results in significant variations in heat-flow throughout the Scotian Slope affecting hydrocarbon maturation. A 4D model was created to study the thermal and petroleum systems properties of the region in and around the eastern Shelburne sub-basin. The model is constrained by seismic interpretations of four lines bounding the study area, well data and analogue models. The goal of the model is two fold: 1) predict the effect of salt diapirs on heat-flow, and 2) predict the petroleum systems potential under idealised conditions. The model shows significant increases in heat-flow in regions overlying salt diapirs, as well as the accumulation of hydrocarbons in selected reservoirs. The predicted heat-flow values are used to suggest locations for heat-flow measurements to be taken in the summer of 2008, and these measured values will then be used to calibrate future models of the area.

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Pages: 90
Supervisors: Mladen R. Nedimović / Hans Wielens