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Площадь: 128410.82 км²
Bristol Bay Basin
The Bristol Bay Basin, situated along the Alaska Peninsula in southwestern Alaska, is a significant geological feature that has drawn considerable attention from the scientific community as a result of its potential for hydrocarbon exploration and production. The Bristol Bay Basin (BBB), called the North Aleutian Basin, located in Southwestern Alaska (Fig. 1), is encompassed in the Bristol Bay Area Plan, which contains high potential for oil and gas reserves. This sedimentary basin, which covers an area of approximately 25,000 square kilometres, has been the subject of extensive research and exploration efforts aimed at unravelling its complex tectonic history, stratigraphic architecture, and hydrocarbon prospects. The basin is located on a back-arc setting of the southeastern Bering shelf. It is isolated from the Pacific Ocean by the Alaska Peninsula and formed due to the Pacific Plate subducted under the North American plate along the Aleutian trench at an oblique angle during the Mesozoic era. The Basin lies between latitude 57 - 59◦N and longitude 157 -162◦W. It is roughly 300 km long, parallel to the Alaska Peninsula, and 75 km to roughly 200 km wide, with water depths ranging from 15 to 700 feet. The basin is remarkably asymmetric, trending northeast, extending onshore beneath the lowlands along the northwestern shore of the Alaska Peninsula and Bering Shelf, where several wells have penetrated it. It has a maximum basement depth of at least 6 km in the south and gradually thins to less than 500 m north. Twenty-eight wells have been drilled onshore on the Alaska Peninsula to the southeast of the Bristol Bay Area Plan with at least modest shows of oil and/or gas since oil and gas exploration began in the region.
Fig. 1: Location map showing the regional setting of the Alaska Peninsula, Bristol Bay Basin (BBB) and the Basin Extent.
Greater resource potential may be found in the Bristol Bay basin, with a technically recoverable resource assessment estimated to be about 753 million barrels of oil and natural gas liquids and 244 million m3 (8.6 trillion ft3 [TCF]) of natural gas. Although past explorations have not yielded commercial production, there are strong indications that the necessary components of active petroleum systems exist [8]. This categoric history identifies the Alaska Peninsula-Bristol Bay basin as a frontier basin, generating continuing interest in the search for oil and gas. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to further evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of the Bristol Bay Basin using an integrated play-based approach in a bid to identify potential leads and prospects, encourage better prospect assessment, optimise well placement, and contribute to a better understanding of the basin's petroleum systems and potential for future exploration and development.
Geology And Structural Setting
The Bristol Bay basin was formed during the Mesozoic as a result of the collision between the North American and Pacific Plates and the subsequent subduction of the Pacific plate. Associated sub-environments identified include a Back-arc basin and the Bristol Bay Basin. From the Mid Jurassic to late Cretaceous, the Kamishak, Kialagvik, Naknek, Stanickovic and Herendeen Formations were deposited in the Alaska Peninsula area of the basin. This period was mostly characterised by volcanism, uplift and erosional activities. Also, the Tolstoi, Stepovak, Unga, Bear Lake and Milky River Formations were deposited from Palaeocene to Pliocene. During the Paleogene and Neogene periods, the basin experienced a complex interplay of compressional and extensional tectonic regimes, resulting in the formation of various structural features such as folds, faults, and unconformities. These structural elements have played a critical role in the distribution and trapping mechanisms of potential hydrocarbon reservoirs within the basin. It is important to note that the Kamishak, Kialagvik and Tolstoi Formations served as the major source rocks in the basin. In contrast, the Bear Lake, Tolstoi and Naknek Formations served as the major reservoirs in the Basin. Exploration efforts in the Bristol Bay Basin have revealed the presence of numerous potential source rocks, including coal bearing intervals and organic-rich shales. Various reservoir units, such as sandstones and conglomerates, have also been identified, making the basin an attractive target for hydrocarbon exploration.
Source: Basin Analysis and Hydrocarbon Potentials of The Bristol Bay Basin, Alaska Peninsula. Odoh, B. I., Ahaneku, C. V., Nwafuluibeya, S. C., Ochili, M. C., Okpara, A. O., Ozoemena, O. G., Modekwe, D. C., Anozie, H. C. 2024
Следующий Бассейн: Gulf of Alaska Trench