Understanding the thermal evolution of deep-water continental margins

Areas of exploration for new hydrocarbons are changing as the hydrocarbon industry seeks new resources for economic and political reasons. Attention has turned from easily accessible onshore regions such as the Middle East to offshore continental shelves. Over the past ten years, there has been a ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 2003-11, Vol.426 (6964), p.334-343
Main Authors: White, Nicky, Thompson, Mark, Barwise, Tony
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Continental margins
Continental shelves
Deep water
Geography
Geologic Sediments - chemistry
Heat
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons - chemistry
Hydrocarbons - supply & distribution
Industry
Lithosphere
Marine
multidisciplinary
Oceans and Seas
review-article
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Temperature
Water
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Summary:Areas of exploration for new hydrocarbons are changing as the hydrocarbon industry seeks new resources for economic and political reasons. Attention has turned from easily accessible onshore regions such as the Middle East to offshore continental shelves. Over the past ten years, there has been a marked shift towards deep-water continental margins (500–2,500 m below sea level). In these more hostile regions, the risk and cost of exploration is higher, but the prize is potentially enormous. The key to these endeavours is a quantitative understanding of the structure and evolution of the thinned crust and lithosphere that underlie these margins.
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/nature02133