Vestford-Helgeland

Commentary

Development in the VHB remains sparse, however, opposition to oil & gas exploration in the Artic regions is contentious. Consequently, large scale progress remains unlikely.

Updated

June 18, 2024

Location

Description

Upper Jurassic marine shales equivalent to the Spekk Formation of the Halten Terrace and to the Kimmeridge Clay in the northern North Sea constitute the oldest readily identifiable stratigraphic marker regionally. Although not widely drilled, organic carbon-rich shales are expected to have similar hydrogenenriched, high TOC, oil-prone properties of equivalent rocks elsewhere. A wide range of potential reservoir rocks include deeply buried clastic rocks as old as Devonian in rift-related fault blocks, Permian carbonate rocks, fluvial channel and deltaic sandstones of Jurassic age, and a variety of Cretaceous and Tertiary sandstones ranging from late Early Cretaceous to rocks as young as Oligocene.

Summary

The proximity of a number of prolific basins makes the VHB attractive for exploration.