Reservoir quality and prospectivity of Lower – Middle Mesozoic sandstones of the Barents Shelf: A multidisciplinary approach for constraining source-to-sink relationships and subsequent burial diagenesis

Abstract

Siliciclastic sandstones constitute important reservoirs for subsurface storage of water, oil and natural gas. Knowledge of the geological processes enhancing or reducing the key reservoir properties – porosity and permeability – is necessary to secure sustainable exploration, exploitation and management of these underground resources. The sedimentary rock record of the Barents Shelf hosts a variety of sandstone reservoirs. The study shows that reservoir properties are governed mainly by 1) the surrounding provenance terrains, 2) processes operating in the depositional environments and 3) compaction processes during burial. Tectonic uplift has also had a substantial impact on the distribution of high-quality sandstone reservoirs. Findings from this study can be applicable to other sedimentary basins of similar geochemistry and equivalent tectonic complexity.