Petroleum Hydrogeology: A Potential Application of Groundwater Science

Abstract Hydrogeological principles and techniques may be useful in petroleum exploration and basin analysis because of two kinds of genetic relations between accumulations of petroleum and regional groundwater flow. First, groundwater flow may create deposits by transporting hydrocarbon particles toward and into sites where conditions for accumulation and entrapment are fluid-dynamically favourable. Second, groundwater flow may reveal deposits by indirect or direct signatures transmitted from potential sites of or actual accumulations, respectively, to locations where they can be detected. Knowledge of groundwater flow pattern thus allows identification of dynamically favourable regions for deposit formation as well as projections to be made in the directions of both developing and eroding deposits. Groundwater flow may be studied by mathematical and field-oriented techniques, and by using its own physical, chemical and thermal manifestations. The four basic types of petroleum exploration problems to which hydrogeology might be applied are: 1. Areal reconnaissance ; 2. Estimates of migrated hydrocarbon volumes; 3. Location of hydrodynamic traps and extension of known deposits ; and 4. Surface exploration. Even though it is not possible to precisely estimate the economics of a groundwater based approach in petroleum exploration, a cost-saving of up to 50% in regional surveys on continental areas may be expected and there is a strong case for a field-test of the concepts.