Petroleum play of the Lower Cretaceous Alam El Bueib Formation in the El Noor-1X well in the north Western Desert (Egypt): A sequence stratigraphic framework

Abstract The North Umbaraka concession in Umbaraka Basin in the northern the Western Desert of Egypt has been the subject of continuous exploration efforts in the recent years. Despite many oil discoveries gave evidence of a working petroleum system, however, there is little economic production. The petroleum plays of the Alam El Bueib Formation are in the central focus of the exploration in this region because of their high economic reservoir potentiality in other areas of the Western Desert. In the present study, three powerful tools are used to delineate the sequence stratigraphic frame that considers the occurrences of the petroleum play chances of Alam EL Bueib Formation in El Noor-1 well. These tools are palynofacies, electric log and organic geochemistry. The palynofacies analysis revealed three biotopes that cover deposition in wave dominated to fluvial-wave dominated deltas with energetic, oxic and active reworking conditions. These environmental settings are only suitable for deposition of organic-lean hydrocarbon source. However, there are abundant organic materials that fluoresce under the UV-V-blue incident light especially in Proximal Delta Front/Prodelta Slope biotope (A) and these materials can generate oil as indicated also by pyrolysis gas chromatography. In addition, analysis of electric logs is used to assess reservoir capacities and effective porosities in the studied rocks. Eight sequences are identified based on these trends including E4, E3, E2, E1, D1, C1, C2 and B1. Four petroleum plays are determined in the studied succession within the frame of the stratigraphic sequences E, D, C and B. There are six reservoirs identified in the sandy bodies of the lowstand systems tracts and the carbonates of the transgressive and highstand systems tracts. The critical moment of hydrocarbon generation occurred during the Campanian (76 Ma). The entire succession of the Alam El Bueib Formation is in the oil window and the source rocks in this formation initiated petroleum expulsion during the Eocene time (32 Myr).