Petroleum play
Encyclopedia
In geology, a petroleum play, or simply a play, is a group of petroleum fields or prospects in the same region that are controlled by the same set of geological circumstances.
The normal steps in the play cycle are:
A particular stratigraphic
or structural
geologic setting is also often known as a play. For example, in a relatively unexplored area such as the Falkland Islands
, one might speak of the "Paleozoic play" to refer to the potential oil reserves that might be found within Paleozoic
strata. In a well-explored basin such as the Gulf of Mexico
, explorationists refer to the "Wilcox play" or the "Norphlet play" to collectively designate the production and possible production from those particular geological formations, of Paleocene
and Jurassic
age, respectively.
A play may also be a broad category of possible reservoirs or rock types, as in the turbidite play of offshore Angola
or the carbonate play in the East Java Sea, or to the structural geology of the setting, as in the sub-upthrust play of Wyoming
. Sometimes the word play is applied to a geographic area with hydrocarbon potential, as the South Texas play or the Niger Delta play, but usually "play" is used with the sense of restricting discussion to exploring a particular geologic setting. Thus, one might have both the Wilcox play and the Norphlet play (among others) in partially overlapping areas of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico; the Gulf of Mexico deep-water play might or might not include elements or particular locations appropriate to either the Wilcox or the Norphlet, or both. The term is one of convenience for discussion, and may refer to geologic time intervals, rock types, structures, or some combination of them.
The normal steps in the play cycle are:
- Initial observations of a possible oil reserve
- Testing and adjustments to initial estimates of extraction
- High success in locating and extracting oil from a reserve
- Lower success as the reserve is depleted
- Continued decrease in further exploration of the region
A particular stratigraphic
Stratigraphy
Stratigraphy, a branch of geology, studies rock layers and layering . It is primarily used in the study of sedimentary and layered volcanic rocks....
or structural
Structural geology
Structural geology is the study of the three-dimensional distribution of rock units with respect to their deformational histories. The primary goal of structural geology is to use measurements of present-day rock geometries to uncover information about the history of deformation in the rocks, and...
geologic setting is also often known as a play. For example, in a relatively unexplored area such as the Falkland Islands
Falkland Islands
The Falkland Islands are an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean, located about from the coast of mainland South America. The archipelago consists of East Falkland, West Falkland and 776 lesser islands. The capital, Stanley, is on East Falkland...
, one might speak of the "Paleozoic play" to refer to the potential oil reserves that might be found within Paleozoic
Paleozoic
The Paleozoic era is the earliest of three geologic eras of the Phanerozoic eon, spanning from roughly...
strata. In a well-explored basin such as the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, explorationists refer to the "Wilcox play" or the "Norphlet play" to collectively designate the production and possible production from those particular geological formations, of Paleocene
Paleocene
The Paleocene or Palaeocene, the "early recent", is a geologic epoch that lasted from about . It is the first epoch of the Palaeogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era...
and Jurassic
Jurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
age, respectively.
A play may also be a broad category of possible reservoirs or rock types, as in the turbidite play of offshore Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
or the carbonate play in the East Java Sea, or to the structural geology of the setting, as in the sub-upthrust play of Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
. Sometimes the word play is applied to a geographic area with hydrocarbon potential, as the South Texas play or the Niger Delta play, but usually "play" is used with the sense of restricting discussion to exploring a particular geologic setting. Thus, one might have both the Wilcox play and the Norphlet play (among others) in partially overlapping areas of the coast of the Gulf of Mexico; the Gulf of Mexico deep-water play might or might not include elements or particular locations appropriate to either the Wilcox or the Norphlet, or both. The term is one of convenience for discussion, and may refer to geologic time intervals, rock types, structures, or some combination of them.