In this month's AAPG BULLETIN...

May 2008

GEOLOGIC NOTE

A Review and Technical Summary of the AAPG Hedberg Research Conference on “Origin of Petroleum – Biogenic and/or Abiogenic and Its Significance in Hydrocarbon Exploration and Production”

Barry Jay Katz, Ernest A. Mancini, and Alexander A. Kitchka

Petroleum: Biotic or Abiotic Origin?

The question of whether petroleum is of a biotic or an abiotic origin, as well as the implications of such an origin, was tackled at the Hedberg Research Conference. While little common ground exists between the two camps, all participants agree that the meeting was an informative and useful exercise.

ARTICLES

Multiscale stratigraphic analysis of a structurally confined submarine fan: Carboniferous Ross Sandstone, Ireland

David R. Pyles

Ross Sandstone

Results of a detailed, multiscale stratigraphic analysis indicate that the Carboniferous Ross Sandstone, Ireland, is indeed an outcrop analog for the productive submarine fans that fill structurally confined minibasins in the northern Gulf of Mexico. A better understanding of the former will aid exploration and production of the latter.

Tectonically induced adjustment of passive-margin accommodation space; influence on the hydrocarbon potential of the Orange Basin, South Africa

Douglas A. Paton, David van der Spuy, Rolando di Primio, and Brian Horsfield

Increased Passive Margin Potential

Most passive margins have experienced some degree of postrift deformation. A single tectonic event significantly altered the location and style of sediment accumulation on the southern Orange Basin passive margin in South Africa, resulting in increased hydrocarbon potential.

Evidence for multiple stages of oil cracking and thermochemical sulfate reduction in the Puguang Gas Field, Sichuan Basin, China

Fang Hao, Tonglou Guo, Yangming Zhu, Xunyu Cai, Huayao Zou, and Pingping Li

Puguang Gas Field TSRs

The Puguang Gas Field of the Sichuan Basin is the largest carbonate gas field in China but contains a high concentration of H₂S. This field provides an excellent case study of oil-gas cracking and the effects of thermogenic sulfate reduction.

About the BULLETIN

First published in 1917 as the Bulletin of the Southwestern Association of Petroleum Geologists--AAPG’s predecessor organization--in order to disseminate scientific material from annual meetings of the S.A.P.G., the AAPG Bulletin changed its name one year later when S.A.P.G. became AAPG.

The AAPG Bulletin has been delivering quality research to the scientific world ever since. The first issue contained papers written by the best-known geologists of the day, and included papers on such topics as South America, Europe, and general geologic problems of structure and sedimentation.

While the 21st-century AAPG Bulletin has undergone some changes since 1917, enlarging to 8 ½ x 11” size to incorporate more material and being published digitally as well as in print, it continues to adhere to the primary purpose of the organization, which is to advance the science of geology especially as it relates to petroleum, natural gas, other subsurface fluids, and mineral resources.

Delivered digitally or in print monthly to each AAPG Member as a part of membership dues, the AAPG Bulletin is one of the most respected, peer-reviewed technical journals in existence, with recent issues containing papers focused on such topics as the Middle East, channel detection, China, permeability, subseismic fault prediction, the U.S., and Africa.