Overview of the petroleum potential of active margins

Active convergent margins are of two types. Type A, characterized by Ampherer or Alpino-type subduction, is represented by thick- and thin-skinned fold-and-thrust belts and the dynamically associated foreland basins that are developed in continental settings. Type B, characterized by Benioff-type subduction, is characterized by the trench, accretionary prism, forearc association developed on present-day active continental margins, notably around the Pacific and northeast Indian Ocean. Prolific hydrocarbon reserves are associated with A-type subduction settings, notably the Zagros fold belt and Persian Gulf, the Rockies and the Alberta basin. By contrast, only minor reserves have been proven in B-type subduction settings despite ample evidence of active seepage and large structures. Key contributing factors to the lack of exploration success are a combination of low geothermal gradients, lack of effective reservoir, and imaging of complex traps whose integrity may be impacted by the active deformation. Notable exceptions are Cook Inlet, Alaska, and the Progresso basin, Ecuador, where thick successor basins have been charged with hydrocarbons generated in the underlying accretionary prism.