Controls on the distribution of volcanism and intra-basaltic sediments in the Cambo-Rosebank region, west of Shetland

Abstract

In 2004 a major oil and gas discovery was made within the volcanic succession of the Faroe-Shetland Basin, the Rosebank Field. Unusually, the reservoir is a series of intra-basaltic fluvial to shallow marine intervals, giving rise to a new hydrocarbon play concept. The eruption of lavas within the Faroe-Shetland Basin is stratigraphically related to an extensive incised drainage network, providing a source of clean sand for the basin. However, despite the identification of an intra-lava incised drainage system running parallel to the Rosebank field, the extent of clean sands was unclear. This talk first details the controls on intra-basaltic sediments in the Cambo-Rosebank region of the Faroe-Shetland Basin, before forming a detailed stratigraphic link between the volcanic succession and dynamic changes in the evolution of the Faroe-Shetland Basin. Locally, volcanism is intimately linked with basin structure, with drainage systems adjacent to palaeohighs representing the thickest potential accumulations of intra-basaltic sediments. Regionally, the emplacement of the volcanic succession is intrinsically linked to uplift and subsidence of the Faroe-Shetland Basin. Prolonged uplift provided a source for clean sands in the south of the basin with further exploration potential existing in the underexplored northern Faroe-Shetland Basin.