UPPER PALAEOZOIC LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE SOUTHERN NORWEGIAN BARENTS SEA
Geir B. Larssen, Geir Elvebakk, Leif B. Henriksen, Stein-E. Kristensen,
Inger Nilsson, Tommy J. Samuelsberg, Tore A. Svånå, Lars Stemmerik
& David Worsley
G. B. Larssen, Statoil Nord-Norge, PB 40, N-9481 Harstad, Email gbla@statoil.com; G. Elvebakk, Norsk Hydro, N-9480 Harstad, Email geir.elvebakk@hydro.com; L.B. Henriksen, Statoil Nord-Norge, PB 40, N-9481 Harstad, Email leihe@statoil.com; S.-E. Kristensen, Norsk Hydro, N-5020 Bergen, Email stein-erik.kristensen@hydro.com; I. Nilsson, Norsk Hydro, 4065 Stavanger, Email inger.nilsson@hydro.com; T.J. Samuelsberg, Norsk Hydro, N-9480 Harstad, Email tommy.samuelsberg@hydro.com; T.A. Svånå, Statoil, 4035 Stavanger, Email tasv@statoil.com; L. Stemmerik, GEUS, Øster Voldgade 10, DK-1350 København K, Email ls@geus.dk; D. Worsley, Norsk Hydro EPI, N-0246 Oslo (present address Nyhusveien 10, N-3474 Åros), Email david.worsley@prw.no
Abstract
Preface
Acknowledgements
Abstract
The Norwegian sector of the southern Barents Sea has been the target for hydrocarbon exploration for over 20 years and to date almost 60 exploration wells have been drilled in this still under-explored province. Only a quarter of these wells have penetrated the Upper Palaeozoic succession, often only because of a TD criterion set by the authorities – although some wells have targeted varied play types within the Upper Palaeozoic. Accumulated knowledge from this exploration programme has gradually led to the present-day situation, where exploration of these Upper Palaeozoic plays may well represent the next major development in the area.
In contrast to the overlying Mesozoic and Cenozoic successions, no formal lithostratigraphical framework has yet been established for these Upper Palaeozoic strata, which although similar in gross terms to the onland exposures of the Svalbard archipelago also display significant differences, clearly contrasting the generally stable platform aspect of the Svalbard exposures and the more labile platforms and significant basinal developments offshore.
This work was therefore commissioned by the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate in recognition of the need for a formal lithostratigraphical framework for a succession that may well prove to be of great commercial interest in coming years. Reviews of all seismic and well data from the area have led to our recognition and acceptance of the long-established usage of the Billefjorden, Gipsdalen and Tempelfjorden groups from onshore Svalbard, but we define 8 new formations and assign them to these groups to reflect the offshore development of the Upper Palaeozoic succession. In addition, we define 3 formations that together represent the Bjarmeland Group – a mid-Permian carbonate development only poorly represented – and as yet poorly defined - in highly condensed sequences onshore Svalbard.
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Preface
Upper Palaeozoic rocks underlie most of the extensive Barents Shelf, and a long awaited formal lithostratigraphical scheme is now been proposed for the region, with the participation of geologists with long experience of this succession in the area.
The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD), through the senior author of this contribution, initiated the study and a committee was appointed in 1994 in order to pool the collective experience of the Norwegian oil companies active in the region. The work has been sponsored and supported by the Norwegian Project on Exploration Cooperation, led by NPD. Preparation of the publication has taken several years, with delays resulting from restructuring of exploration activity in the area and resulting reassignment and changes in company affiliation of many key contributors; the original group of authors has been changed and extended in the course of the work. The committee’s recommendations were integrated with the revision of the post-Caledonian lithostratigraphy of Svalbard led by Winfried K. Dallmann (Dallmann et al. 1999). Geir B. Larssen has coordinated the work during the entire study.
The manuscript has been review by the Norwegian Committee on Stratigraphy (Johan Petter Nystuen, Winfried K. Dallmann and Atle Mørk), and the Norwegian names have been approved by Norsk språkråd (Marit Hovdenak).
A provisional version of this new lithostratigraphical framework was first presented at the Norwegian Geological Society’s (NGF) 16th Congress in Stavanger in January 1999, and a somewhat condensed version, with a smaller number of figures, will be formally printed in a recognised journal. This present version, with extensive plates and diagrams, represents the first formal electronic publication on the World Wide Web that has been approved by the Norwegian Committee on Stratigraphy, and this WWW version is to be regarded as a fully refereed and editorially approved publication. The correct way to refer to this publication is indicated below.
Trondheim November 2002
Atle Mørk
Chairman, Norwegian Committee on Stratigraphy
How to refer to this publication:
Geir B. Larssen, Geir Elvebakk, Leif B. Henriksen, Stein-E. Kristensen, Inger Nilsson, Tommy J. Samuelsberg, Tore A. Svånå, Lars Stemmerik & David Worsley, 2002: Upper Palaeozoic lithostratigraphy of the Southern Norwegian Barents Sea.
http://www.npd.no/Norsk/Produkter+og+tjenester/Publikasjoner/Oversikt+sokkelpublikasjoner/npd+bulletin.htm. 76 pp., 63 figs., 1 tbl.
Acknowledgements
We appreciate especially the contributions of:
• The chairmen of NSK, Johann-Petter Nystuen and Atle Mørk, who supported this
project over many years
• The reviewers Atle Mørk, Johann-Petter. Nystuen, Winfried Dallmann and Neil A.
H. Pickard
• Leteteknologisamarbeidet (Exploration technology cooperation between
Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Statoil, Norsk Hydro ASA and (now defunct)
Saga Petroleum ASA) with its previous leader Bente Nyland and present leader
Tove Thorsnes, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Stavanger
We are grateful to the following oil companies and institutions for allowing their employees to work on this project:
• Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Harstad and Stavange
• Statoil ASA, Harstad
• Saga Petroleum ASA, Harsta
• Norsk Hydro ASA, Harsta
• GEUS, København
We are grateful to the following oil companies for allowing us to publish their geological data:
• Statoil ASA
• Norsk Hydro ASA
• Saga Petroleum AS
• Conoco Norway Inc
• A/S Norske Shel
• Norsk Agip A
• Elf Petroleum Norge A
• Fortum Petroleum AS
• Amoco Norge AS
• Amerada Hess Norge AS
• Total Norge A
• Enterprise Norge AS
and for financial support from:
• Norwegian Petroleum Directorat
• Statoil ASA
• Norsk Hydro AS
• Saga Petroleum ASA
We also thank:
Rune Goa, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Stavanger, Jan Sigurd Ervik, Statoil, Harstad and Else Marie Olsen, Norsk Hydro ASA, Harstad for their expert drafting of the figures and Børre Munch-Ellingsen, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate, Harstad for extensive technical IT-support.
We sincerely hope that this contribution will provide a framework for future exploration in the Norwegian Barents Sea.