Description

Presents new aspects and methodologies relating to both exploration and production in the Southern North Sea. Much attention is paid to the structural and tectonic characterization of the basin including reference to outcrop analogues. In a mature hydrocarbon play such as the Southern North Sea, advanced techniques areneeded for stratigraphic correlation and to improve production efficiency. Also, new areas of exploration, such as the Carboniferous, have become of primeimportance. Exploration in the Southern North Sea now aims to use subtle traps and satellite structures. Explorers are re-evaluating the economic value of marginal and existingfields, and they are continually searching for, and applying, new techniques and technologies for enhanced productivity. Detailed and advanced techniques indiagenesis play an important role. Re-evaluation also includes examination of old plays, which incorporates a detailed knowledge of the connectivity and spatial extension and correlation of known prospective strata, and the ability to make reliable predictions. For this aspect sequence stratigraphy becomes important. Early success also occurred in the Bunter Formation, but this has been markedly short-lived compared to the continuing success in the Rotliegend. However, more recent discoveries in the Carboniferous Westphalian and Namurian reservoirs provide an expanded focus on the basin’s wealth. The collection of papers in this volume gives an overview of the current activities in the Southern North Sea.