The importance of provenance for Triassic petroleum systems on the Southwest Barents Shelf

Temporal and geographical variation in sandstone reservoir quality remains one of the key risk factors for exploration on the southwest Barents Shelf. Despite some exploration success (e.g. The Goliat Field), recent exploration targeting analogous Triassic plays have had mixed outcomes. Whilst the controls on reservoir quality and distribution are complex, provenance has a fundamental control on sandstone composition. To assess the impacts of provenance variation on reservoir quality, the provenance of Triassic sandstones are investigated using a broad array of techniques. This has revealed significant variation in provenance both spatially and temporally. During the Induan to Early Norian, most of the southwest Barents Shelf was sourced from the Uralian Orogeny; however, a source from northern Norway delivered sand to a restricted area throughout this time interval. Following the Early Norian, tectonic changes associated with the uplift of Novaya Zemlya caused hinterland rejuvenation and recycling of previously deposited Triassic units. The study reveals the sandstone reservoirs of the Goliat field are an exception to the provenance signature for Triassic sandstones seen further north on the Barents Shelf.