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Thermal History of Sedimentary Basins pp 297–309Cite as

Thermal and Hydrocarbon Maturation Modeling of the Pismo and Santa Maria Basins, Coastal California

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Abstract

Thermal and hydrocarbon maturation models have been developed for the Pismo and Santa Maria basins of coastal California. The thermal models derived for the temperature history of Miocene Monterey Formation source rocks include the effects of subduction, triple junction migration with consequent asthenospheric upwelling, thermal refraction, and temporal changes in thermal conductivities due to diagenesis and compaction. Hydrocarbon maturation models use the technique described by Tissot and Espitalié in 1975 and the derived temperature history to predict the timing of hydrocarbon maturation.

In an attempt to predict API gravity of the generated oils, we use a two kinetic component mixture of kerogen. We assume that relatively sulfur-poor kerogen (5 weight % sulfur or less) will tend to generate high API gravity oils and that relatively sulfur-rich kerogen (9 weight % sulfur or greater) will tend to generate low API gravity oils.

Using our two kinetic component assumption and kinetic values given by Le wan in 1985 for sulfur-rich and relatively sulfur-poor type II kerogens, we are able to predict the general pattern of low API gravity oils found in the Pismo basin and both the high and low API gravity oils found in the Santa Maria basin.

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Authors
  1. Henry P. Heasler
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  2. Ronald C. Surdam
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Denver Federal Center, United States Geological Survey, Denver, Colorado, 80225, USA

    Nancy D. Naeser

  2. Mobil Exploration and Producing Services, Inc., Dallas, Texas, 75265-0232, USA

    Thane H. McCulloh

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© 1989 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Heasler, H.P., Surdam, R.C. (1989). Thermal and Hydrocarbon Maturation Modeling of the Pismo and Santa Maria Basins, Coastal California. In: Naeser, N.D., McCulloh, T.H. (eds) Thermal History of Sedimentary Basins. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3492-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-3492-0_17

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8124-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-3492-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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