Hydrocarbon Potential of the Middle–Late Jurassic Series of Northwestern Iraq: A Case Study in the Shaikhan Oil Field

Abstract

The Middle–Late Jurassic Sargelu, Naokelekan, and Barsarin formations of northwestern Iraq have been investigated in the Shaikhan oilfield (well Shaikhan-8) to assess their potential for hydrocarbon generation.The results of total organic carbon analysis and rock-eval pyrolysis revealed a good-to-excellent hydrocarbon content and suggest that the depositional conditions were suitable for the production and preservation of organic matter. The thermal maturity proxy indicates that the studied formations were at the start of the hydrocarbon generation period. Most of the samples from the Sargelu and Barsarin formations belong to kerogen type II, whereas those of the Naokelekan Formation belong to kerogen type II/III. The Pr/Ph, Pr/n-C17, and Ph/n-C18 ratios of the extracted bitumen indicated that the organic matter originated from marine sources under reducing conditions. The stable carbon isotope composition of the saturated and aromatic hydrocarbon fractions ranged from –28.3 to –27.7 ‰ and –28.0 to –27.7 ‰, respectively. The biomarker results show a high contribution of marine organic matter that was preserved under relatively anoxic conditions. The profiles of the burial and thermal maturity history show that the simulated generation zones, based on the calculated vitrinite reflectance, indicate immature (0.44%–0.6%)-to-early oil generating (0.6%–0.75%) source rock. The low thermal maturity of the studied formations relative to the depth may be attributed to the low geothermal gradient and heat flow.