I 01286 Colombia Foreland

In Development
Principal Investigator:
Petroleum Migration History
Michal Nemčok, Ph.D.
Research Professor Models for Foreland Basins:
Email: mnemcok@egi.utah.edu
Phone: +421-2-2062 0781 Colombian Foreland
Evaluation of the timing, paths & mixing locations
of hydrocarbon migration events affecting the
Llanos foreland basin, Colombia
Value
Ø Determination of the flexural forebulge location of the Llanos foreland
basin in time.
Ø Determination of the flexure-driven normal fault patterns of the Llanos
Investment per Sponsor foreland basin in time and space.
$57K (USD)
Ø Determination of major mountain building events of the Eastern
Cordillera in time and space.
Ø Determination of the major advance events of the Eastern Cordillera in
Duration time and space.
12 months Ø Determination of the expulsion timing in the hydrocarbon kitchens of
all recognized oil families.
Ø More detailed determination of the spatial distribution of results of each
individual migration pulse.
Project I 01286 Ø Determination of lateral and vertical migration segments of each
migration pulse.
Key Deliverables
1. Arc GIS project including all data, profiles and maps addressing problems
to be solved, which are listed in the Task list.
2. Written report with accompanying graphic documentation on the
results of the tasks focused on individual open problems listed in the
Task list.
EMAIL:
ContactEGI@egi.utah.edu
PHONE: (801) 585-3826

February 11, 2020 4:04 PM
egi.utah.edu | EGI ... the science to find energy | ContactEGI@egi.utah.edu
In Development | Petroleum Migration History Models for Foreland Basins: Colombian Foreland | I 01286
Data Sources
Type of Data Quantity

Reflection seismic profiles for
20,000 km of 2D images tied to a larger number of wells not specified for
geoseismic trace sections and
confidentiality reasons (Figure 1A)
geological cross sections
Gravity data Coverage of the whole study area by the Free-air and Bouguer gravity anomaly maps
Magnetic data Coverage of the whole study area by the Total magnetic intensity map (Figure 2)
Initial dataset contains (Figure 1B):

-479 crude oil bulk analyses
-461 oil GCs
-305 extract GCs
-151 oil biomarkers
-19 extract biomarkers
Geochemical data -4876 TOC measurements
-2079 pyrolysis measurements
-1004 reflected light organic petrography analyses
-519 transmitted light organic petrography analyses
In-project analytical work is expected to contain: up to 15 GC-MSMS analyses of oil,

10-15 extract GC-MS analyses of source rocks
Figure 1A: Map of the provinces used for spatial differentiation in the Llanos foreland basin with location of
studied seismic profiles and wells (provided by Remora for Nemčok et al., 2009, 2010).
2
Figure 1B: Location map of samples already taken from the Llanos foreland basin.
3
Figure 2: Total magnetic intensity map of the study area (Hermeston et al., 2011).
4
Significance & Rationale

Foreland strata accretion into the developing thrustbelt taper (Figure 3A and 2) accelerated sediment
transport from the emergent portion of the orogen undergoing mountain building (Figure 3B) control a
relatively rapid burial of the proximal portion of the foreland basin. They are the most prominent factors
affecting the expulsion timing from the organic rich strata residing under and inside the foreland basin
fill.
Figure 3A: Line drawings from time-lapse photographs of a sandbox model with syn-tectonic deposition,
after contraction of a) 6 mm, b) 14 mm, c) 22 mm, d) 30 mm, e) 54 mm and f) 90 mm (Storti et al., 1997). Black
layer indicates top of the pre-tectonic sediments.
5
Figure 3B: Stratigraphic evolution of a foreland basin during 8 Ma, shown at 2 Ma intervals (Flemings and
Jordan, 1990). Time lines show 1 Ma intervals. Vertical exaggeration is 40 times. Shading indicates basin
margin facies, which were deposited at a gradient greater than 0.0005. Basin-axis facies, accumulated at
a smaller gradient are unshaded. Right margin of the basin is amplified in boxes and 200,000 year lines are
used to illustrate onlap and truncation at vertical exaggeration of 100 times. Bedding on the left side has
been uplifted and deformed by leading edge of the thrust belt. Thrust belt advance was 20 km during the
second phase of thrusting.
6
If the contraction driving the thrustbelt and foreland basin development is orthogonal to thrustbelt
and basin axes, hydrocarbon expulsion from source rocks of the same stratigraphic age is more-or-
less synchronous along strike. However, the timing can quickly gain more complex character if the
contraction is either oblique to the axis of linear thrustbelt-foreland basin system or fanning inside of
salients and reentrants of the curved thrustbelt-foreland basin system.
Starting with simpler of the two systems, the Phase 1 study focuses on the Llanos foreland basin of
Colombia (Figure 4), while the second system is planned to be covered by subsequent Phase 2 and 3
studies that would focus on Andean foreland basins of Argentina and Peru-Bolivia, respectively.
Figure 4A: Study area with map of the Eastern Cordillera, studied portion of the Colombian segment of the
Andes, together with location of exhumation timing data (Hermeston and Nemčok, 2013).
7
Figure 4B: Study area with geological map of Colombia showing the Llanos foreland basin (red ellipse)
adjacent to the Eastern Cordillera shown in (Figure 4A) (Geotec in Hermeston et al., 2011).
8
There are multiple lines of evidence documenting oblique plate convergence driving the development
of the Colombian segment of Andes and their adjacent foreland basin from Paleocene till present,
including:
1. plate reconstructions (e.g., Pindell, 1993; Figure 5, Scotese, 1998; Golonka, 2000; Dalziel et al.,
2001);
2. paleostress data calculated from shear fractures at outcrops (Cortés and Angelier, 2005a);
3. present-day stress field interpreted from earthquake and bore hole data (e.g., Arcila et al., 2000;
Cortés and Angelier, 2005b; Figure 6);
4. along-strike migration of the foreland basin depocenters (Hermeston and Nemčok, 2013); and
5. orogen structural architecture analogy with architecture of analog material models (Macedo and
Marshak, 1999).
Figure 5: Early Oligocene stage (35 Ma) of the plate reconstruction done for the circum-North Andean region
(Pindell, 1993).
9
Figure 6: Extrapolated in situ σ1 stress trajectories (red) based on earthquake focal mechanism data in
circum-North Andean region (Arcila et al., 2000) together with map of provinces from Figure 1. Note that the
Eastern Cordillera is affected by dextral transpression, the strike-slip component of which decreases from S
to N. Inset shows major tectonic elements of the Caribbean Region and Northern Andes (Cortés & Angelier,
2005a). Rectangle indicates the location of main figure.
10
In theory, the oblique convergence in the study area should drive the S-to-N zipper-like closure of the
orogen-foreland system. Such closure should control the S-to-N younging of accelerated sediment
transport into the proximal foreland basin. This effect was documented by S-to-N transfer of thickness
maxima in the Carbonera Formation, Leon Formation and 4 sedimentary packages of the Guayabo
Formation (Hermeston and Nemčok, 2013; Figure 7A-C). Furthermore, such closure should control the
S-to-N younging events of internal orogen deformation and its advance towards the foreland. This
effect is yet to be documented by structural and exhumation data collected and calculated from the
Eastern Cordillera.
Figure 7A: Thickness distribution of the Carbonera Formation, (Hermeston and Nemčok, 2013).
11
Figure 7B: Part 4 of the Guayabo Formation
12
Figure 7C: Part 2 of the Guayabo Formation (Hermeston and Nemčok, 2013).
13
There is a growing amount of geochemical constraints, indicating pulses of hydrocarbon migration

coming from diamondoid-biomarker cracking analysis, compound specific isotope analysis of
diamondoids and quantitative extended diamondoid analysis methods (Figure 8) done on oils,
asphaltenes and candidate source rocks (e.g., Moldowan et al., 2015). Despite of the understanding
being complicated by:
1. severe biodegradation;
2. occurrence of post-mature/cracked oil (Figure 9);
3. multiple source rock kitchens of different organic facies and stratigraphies (Figure 10); and
4. co-sourcing and mixing resulting in migrating oil mixtures (Figure 11),
One can identify several migration pulses, forming NE-SW zones in the foreland basin.
Study Area
The study area (see Figure 4 for location) incorporates the Eastern Cordillera and the Llanos foreland
basin.
Figure 8. Five oil groups of the Llanos foreland basin determined by the fingerprinting with use of the
quantitative extended diamondoid analysis (Moldowan et al., 2015). 1 – Lower Cretaceous or pre-Cretaceous
terrestrial-marine shale facies combination, 2 – Upper Cretaceous marine carbonate facies, 3 – Tertiary
terrestrial shale facies, 4 – Cenomanian-Turonian marine shale and marl facies combination occurring also
in mixture with Tertiary source, 5 – Turonian or younger marine shale and marl facies combination.
14
Figure 9. Map showing the distribution of three groups of oils in the Llanos foreland basin based on the extent
of their cracking (Moldowan et al., 2015).
15
Figure 10. Map showing the spatial distribution of the products of migration from multiple source rock
kitchens ignoring their mixing (Moldowan et al., 2015).
Figure 11. Map showing the spatial distribution of the products of migration from multiple source rock
kitchens including their mixing (Moldowan et al., 2015).
16
Next step further from the outlined knowledge is to:

1. date the sudden burial events along the Eastern Cordilleran front study caused by mountain
building;
2. run maturation history and expulsion timing modelling in identified source rock kitchens;
3. study lateral migration-dominated pathways of each recognized migration pulse with known
start timing and spatial distribution; and
4. study vertical migration-dominated pathways of migration pulses providing hydrocarbon mixing.
Proposing team is well-suited for proposed set of rigorous tasks because of the amount of both structural
and geochemical work already invested into the study area (see Figure 4 for location) in the past. Each
of the co-PIs of proposed study led two large 1-year long studies of the region already (Nemčok et al.,
2009, 2010; Thul et al., 2016) and co-authored subsequent research studies (Hermeston and Nemčok,
2013; Mora et al., 2013; Nemčok et al., 2013).
The project will be based on an unusually large collection of data for geochemical interpretation
enabling precise identification of the spatial distribution of identified oil groups. Original basin modeling
will add the temporal distribution aspect. Both spatial and temporal aspects of the mountain-building
processes will be added to the picture as well.
Major Goals
1. Determination of the flexural forebulge location of the Llanos foreland basin in time.
2. Determination of the flexure-driven normal fault patterns of the Llanos foreland basin in time
and space.
3. Determination of major mountain building events of the Eastern Cordillera in time and space.
4. Determination of the major advance events of the Eastern Cordillera in time and space.
5. Determination of the expulsion timing in the hydrocarbon kitchens of all recognized oil families.
6. More detailed determination of the spatial distribution of results of each individual migration
pulse.
7. Determination of lateral and vertical migration segments of each migration pulse.
Significant Tasks
1. Structural geology and sedimentology:
• Determining flexural forebulge location in time
• Determining flexure-driven normal fault patterns
• Determining inversion of pre-existing flexure-driven normal fault patterns
• Determining uplift events of thrust sheets
• Determining displacement events of thrust sheets
• Determining accelerated erosion events in the thrustbelt
• Determining sediment transport pathways from thrustbelt to foreland basin
• Determining spatial and temporal distribution of accelerated depositional rate events in the
foreland basin
17
2. Geochemistry:
• Dating of cements in reservoir rocks that contain hydrocarbons in their fluid inclusions
• Determining pressure and temperature conditions of cements with trapped hydrocarbons
• Determining onset of hydrocarbon expulsion in all known hydrocarbon kitchens defined by
previous work by numeric modelling
• Determining detailed spatial extent of migration pulses in time by original sampling and
analytical work
3. Structural Geology/Geochemistry Combination:
• Determining lateral and vertical migration segments for all migration pulses
• Determining mixing zones of hydrocarbons sourced by different organofacies
Deliverables
1. Arc GIS project including all data, profiles and maps addressing problems to be solved, which are
listed in the Task list.
2. Short explanatory text with accompanying graphic documentation on the results of the tasks
focused on individual open problems listed in the Task list.
Research Team
Staff Expertise/Affiliation
Structural Geology
Michal Nemčok, Ph.D. Principal Investigator
Research Professor – EGI, University of Utah
Petroleum Geochemistry,
Júlia Kotulová, Ph.D. Co-Principal Investigator
Research Scientist – EGI, University of Utah
Samuel Rybár, Ph.D. Sedimentology – EGI, University of Utah
Prof. Andreas Henk Technische Universitat, Darmstadt, Germany
Project Timeline, Report & Investment

Project duration is 12 months and investment per sponsor: $56,949 (USD). Project sponsors will be
updated regularly regarding analyses and interpretations and a final report will be delivered after the
final project meeting.
Tectonics
Sedimentology
Geochemistry
Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
18
EGI Technical Contact

Michal Nemčok, Ph.D. | Research Professor
Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah
423 Wakara Way, Suite 300, Salt Lake City Utah 84108
Tel. +421-2-2062-0781 (Bratislava, Slovakia) | Email: mnemcok@egi.utah.edu
EGI Sponsorship & Contract Information

Raymond Levey, Ph.D., EGI Director
Tel. (801) 585-3826 | Fax (801) 585-3540 | Email: EGIDirector@egi.utah.edu
19
Michal Nemčok, PhD
Research Professor
Michal holds a Ph.D. in Structural Geology from the Comenius University, Bratislava. He
has 35 years of applied and basic research experience at the Slovak Geological Survey,
University of South Carolina, University of Wales, Cardiff, Imperial College London,
University of Salzburg, University of Wurzburg, and University of Utah. He joined EGI in
1998 and is a Research Professor and Structural Group leader. Michal has published 80+
articles, coauthored 5 monographs, and coedited five books.
Continental Break-up Processes & Controlling Factors

Continental break-up research focuses on both extensional and transform settings, with
Email a focus on driving mechanisms and controlling factors to achieve predictive models with
mnemcok@egi.utah.edu respect to structural architecture, thermal regimes, and petroleum systems. The main
research contribution includes understanding anomalous thermal and uplift histories of
Phone transform margins, break-up mechanisms in extensional settings, and micro-continent-
+421 2-2062-0781 (SK) (Office) releasing mechanisms. A summary of his last eight years of break-up research is recorded
in a monograph titled “Rifts and Passive Margins; Structural Architecture, Thermal Regimes and
Research Interests Petroleum Systems” published by Cambridge University Press, and authored by Nemčok,
M. Together with co-authors, a new monograph called Strike-slip Terrains and Transform
• Continental break-up Margins—Structural Architecture, Thermal Regimes & Petroleum Systems is being written in
processes and controlling contract with Cambridge University Press.
factors
• Thrustbelt development
Thrustbelt Development & Controlling Factors
and controlling factors Michal’s current research focuses on the thrustbelt-foreland interactions, with a
concentration on driving mechanisms and controlling factors behind thick-skin tectonics,
• Fracture development foreland plate flexure mechanisms, and flexural faulting in control of structural architecture
prediction and play concept elements. The main research contribution includes the factors and
mechanisms leading to the lack of foreland flexing and transitions from initial inversion to
full accretion. Accompanying research focuses on modeling of the fluid flow mechanisms
occurring in the thrustbelt front and its foreland. A summary of thrustbelt research is
written in a monograph called “Thrustbelts; Structural Architecture, Thermal Regimes and
Petroleum Systems”, published by Cambridge University Press, and authored by Nemčok,
M., Schamel, S. and Gayer, R.. Current research findings are summarized in several articles
included in the Geological Society of London Special Publication 377, which is edited by
Nemčok, M., Mora, A., and Cosgrove, J.
Fracture Development Prediction

Fracture prediction research includes both detailed well core, rock outcrop and numerical
simulation studies focused on predicting timing, location and kinematics of developing
fractures. Most of the fracture studies come from thrustbelts, although some core-based
studies come from various geothermal reservoirs. The main research contribution includes
tools capable of predicting fracture locations, kinematics and propagation timing in two
and three-dimensions for hydrocarbon reservoirs in thrustbelts, which were tested by well-
EMAIL: based fracture data. Accompanying research includes understanding the role of mechanical
ContactEGI@egi.utah.edu stratigraphy on developing structural architecture. This research is published in a number of
journals run by structural and geothermal communities.
PHONE: (801) 585-3826
February 7, 2020 8:27 AM egi.utah.edu | EGI ... the science to find energy | ContactEGI@egi.utah.edu

I 01286 Colombia Foreland

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

I 01286 Colombia Foreland

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

I 01286 Colombia Foreland

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

In Development

PHONE: (801) 585-3826

Type of Data Quantity

Initial dataset contains (Figure 1B):

In-project analytical work is expected to contain: up to 15 GC-MSMS analyses of oil,

Significance & Rationale

Figure 7B: Part 4 of the Guayabo Formation

There is a growing amount of geochemical constraints, indicating pulses of hydrocarbon migration

Next step further from the outlined knowledge is to:

Samuel Rybár, Ph.D. Sedimentology – EGI, University of Utah

Prof. Andreas Henk Technische Universitat, Darmstadt, Germany

Project Timeline, Report & Investment

EGI Technical Contact

EGI Sponsorship & Contract Information

Continental Break-up Processes & Controlling Factors

Fracture Development Prediction

You might also like

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.