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Tectonic Setting of 79 Giant Oil and Gas Fields Discovered from 2000-2007: Implications for Future Discovery Trends*

Search and Discovery Article #110045 (2007)

Posted July 15, 2007

*Abstract prepared prior to presentation at session, “Searching for Success,” AAPG 2007 Annual Convention, Long Beach, California, April 1-4, 2007. The title and some
numbers given herein vary from those shown and described in presentation, reflecting the acquisition of data after submittal of abstract and before presentation.

1
Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX (paulm@utig.ig.utexas.edu)
2
Sourcetoreservoir.com, Tulsa, OK
3
IHS Energy, Houston, TX

Abstract

“Emerging Trends from 69 Giant Oil and Gas Fields Discovered from 2000-2006”

932 giant oil and gas fields account for about 50±10% of the world's petroleum reserves. In the period of 2000-2006, 33 new oil giants and 36 new
gas giants were added to the existing 863 oil and gas giants discovered in the interval of 1868-1999. We have identified several dominant clusters of
giants occupying specific tectonic settings. Most clusters of 2000-06 discoveries occupy established provinces like the rift/collisional setting of the
Persian Gulf (6 oil/5 gas giants, or 15% of the new discoveries), the passive margin setting of northwest Australia (8 gas), the passive margin of west
Africa (5 oil/2 gas), the passive margin of the deepwater GOM (6 oil), and the passive margin of Brazil (7 oil/3 gas). However, new emerging
clusters include the passive margin setting of India and Mynamar (3 gas) and the collisional basins of western China (1 oil/3gas). Other giant clusters
include: rift setting of the Western Siberian basin (1 gas), rift and collisional setting of the Caspian Sea (3 oil/2 gas), collisional and strike-slip setting
of northern South America (1 oil/1 gas), subduction setting of Indonesia (2 gas), rift setting of the North Sea (1 oil) and northern Africa (1 oil), and
passive margin setting of Norway (1 gas). Despite the steady decline in the discovery of new giants since 1970, we predict 33 future oil and gas giant
discoveries will be made during the remainder of this decade. This tally would make 2000-2009 the third highest discovery decade in history.
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 Talk outline:
1. Introduction: Definition and importance of giant oil and gas
fields.

2. Tectonic Setting of 945 giant oil and gas fields: where are
the major clusters, why are some basin types better
settings for giants?

3. Map-based summary of tectonic settings of 79 giants from

2000-2007 including discovery "trendology".
- Least interesting: infill
- More interesting: deeper water, along-strike
- Most interesting: frontier, emerging cluster

4. How can we use this information to predict the settings and

numbers of future giants?
 What is a giant oil/gas field?

1. Field with an estimate of ultimately recoverable

hydrocarbons greater than 500 million barrels of oil or 3
trillion recoverable cubic feet of gas.

2. Some giants are hybrids, based on their combined

amounts of oil and gas.

4. 79 giants were added in 2000-2007 to make a total of 945.

4. We also track and classify the "little giant" discoveries

with <200 MBOE. They help highlight some of the
emerging clusters and support trends for the true
giants.
 KEY
Coklf code for dnslflcatJon of sedimentary basins COI'Ilau'Iil'lg gla nl lields:

• CQnIinenIaI fin and overlying r;ag baBiII

• _ fanned on oonllnenl.lll 1'>8_ margin fronting """"" ocellII

_ !onnI!<I by continenlal (:Oi.IioIor, tulaIod to ternlne ac<::fetkln.

arc: cor...." aI\dIor t.IIaIkJw t.ubduction
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
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011_
~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
•
011_
~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
•
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~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
•
011_
~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
•
011_
~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
•
011_
~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
 KEY
COlor code for daSSmC8tlotl 01 sedlmenl8l) basins eonca\n lng glenl rl8lds '

II -Ionned
•
011_
~ rift and ove<lying sag ba$in

fllA<&.aIIp Delln
paSSM! mlII'gO'l ''''''ling major ocean

baWl lonned by continonlal ooIOsIon reIaIed to _ne &cCIotion.

arc c:QIlIsian. Ilr'IIIhlf o.haIkJw aubdudion
Tectonic settings of 945 giants using tectonic classification
proposed in AAPG memoir 78 (2003)

100.00%

90.00%

80.00%

70.00%

60.00%

50.00%

40.00% :36.089/.
29.95%
30.00%
19.26%
20.00%

10.00% ~ f - - ~():3%
7.83%
0. 85%
0.00% I I I I
Conti nental ri fts Passive margins Collisional margins Continental Strike ~ slipmargins Subduction margins
(283) (341) re lated to terrane coll isional margins (74) (8)
accretion, arc ( 182)
colli sion, and/or
sha llow subduction
(57)
ALHUAMPA
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1928-2007
'A
Trend: Infill, along-strike
 65 Giants for the
Gulf of Mexico from 1901 to 2007
Trend: Deeper water, along-strike
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from 1959-2007
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from 1929-2007
Trend: Deeper water, frontier
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7 Giants for
Bay of Bengal
1980-2007
Trend: Deeper water, frontier

•
 5 Giants
for Tarim Basin
80'
from 1989-2007 'Ii

Trend: Along-strike, frontier ~

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for Ordos Basin
from 1956-2007
Trend: Along-strike, basin center
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 GIANTS BY DISCOVERY, DECADE 2000 EXTRAPOLATED

2~~----------------------------------------------------------------,

200+-------------------------------------------,

~ 150 +--------------------------------------------
II:
w
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o(f)
C 100 +---------------------------------------~---

50 +------------------------------o~_.-----

1860 1870 1880

iii NUMBER 1 4 2
 Conclusions:
1. Most common tectonic settings for 2000-2007 giant
discoveries follows the same pattern as 1867-2000
discoveries: 1) passive margins (-36%), 2) continental
rifts and overlying sags (-30%); and 3) continental
collisional zones (20%).

2. Trends in 2000-2007 discoveries: 1) infill discoveries in

cluster areas (least interesting); 2) dee er water and
~ discoveries in cluster areas (more
interesting); and 3) .f!:Q.n!i.ru: discoveries in areas of no
previous giants (most interesting).

3. Frontier discovery areas in 2000-2007 include: Bay of

Bengal (both India and Myanmar), central Tarim basin,
central Ordos basin, Mekong Delta, Sudan rift,
deepwater northern Australia.

4. Future trends from> 200 MBOE 2007 data: passive

margins still dominant, then rifts and collision belts.