石油开采外文翻译---北福克兰盆地石油地质.doc

Oil, including oil exploration, is the next big subject for the Falkland Islands. We have pleasure in publishing this very full and detailed study of the oil prospects in the North Falkland Basin. Dr Ian Duncan is CEO of Desire Petroleum plc, which is a leading operator in this field, and his article is an authoritative account of the current situation. Petroleum Geology of the North Falkland Basin by Dr Ian Duncan, CEO of Desire Petroleum plc Within the Falkland Islands designated area there are three major basins: North Falkland Basin, Falkland Plateau Basin and South Falkland Basin. The subject of this article is the North Falkland Basin, where Desire Petroleum has been exploring for hydrocarbons since 1997. The North Falkland Basin is a failed rift, which formed during the break-up of the ancient landmass of Gondwana. Plate tectonic reconstruction suggests that the entire Falklands area prior to the break-up was originally located to the South-east of South Africa and moved to its present position during the opening of the South Atlantic during the Jurassic to the Cretaceous. The North Falkland Basin can be further subdivided into a northern, or main, basin in which Tranches A to Fare located and a southern basin in the area of Tranches I and L. The southern basin is undrilled and comprises an older suite of rocks than that found in the main basin to the north. This article concentrates on the main area in Tranches C and D where the next drilling campaign will take place. Exploration History The first phase of exploration was in the early 1990's when Spectrum acquired the first detailed 2D seismic across the area. These data defined the outlines of the N-S trending North Falkland Basin, approximately 180 kms long by 30 kms wide and formed the basis for the evaluation which led to the first round of licensing in 1996. Seven licences were awarded in 1997 to Shell, Amerada, Lasmo, International Petroleum Corporation (IPC) and Desire. These companies acquired more 2