Relationship between Overpressure and the Formation of Hydrocarbon-Rich Solitary Waves during Sedimentary Basin Diagenesis: A Case Study of the Eugene Island 330 Field in the Gulf of Mexico Basin

Hydrocarbons in shallow (< 1 km depth) Pleistocene sand reservoirs of the Eugene Island 330 field in the northern Gulf of Mexico basin are thought to have originated from Early Tertiary source sediments at depths of about 4.5 km. Despite the low permeability of the intervening sediments, hydrocarbons appear to have moved rapidly through these sediments, most likely as discrete pressure pulses (solitary waves) along the Red growth fault system. The purpose of the present research was to evaluate the mechanics of solitary wave formation and movement during sedimentation, diagenesis, and source rock maturation in the Eugene Island hydrocarbon field. A detailed two-dimensional model coupling sedimentation, compaction, hydrocarbon generation, heat transport, and multi-phase fluid flow predicted overpressures of 50 MPa by 0.5 Ma in the hydrocarbon source sediments, with about 93% of the overpressure caused by compaction disequilibrium and the remainder by hydrocarbon generation. Movement along the Red growth fault was rapid enough to cause a pressure decrease of several MPa from the upthrown block to the downthrown block, consistent with field observations. The average pressure generation rate at the base of the Red fault during the period of hydrocarbon formation was predicted to be 9.6x10^-7 Pa/s. However, for the most likely values of fault permeability, basal heat flow, and organic carbon content of the source rocks, too little hydrocarbon was able to migrate along the Red fault by conventional Darcian flow and accumulate in the Pleistocene reservoirs relative to field observations. Only when the permeability of the shale-bounded portions of the Red fault was increased by an order of magnitude, the basal heat flow was increased from 60 to 70 mW/m², and the organic carbon content of the source rocks was increased from 5% to 10% was hydrocarbon transport by conventional Darcian flow through the Red fault great enough to accumulate in the reservoirs in amounts approaching field observations. These results indicate the potential importance of solitary waves as agents of enhanced hydrocarbon transport. To evaluate this potential, a separate one-dimensional solitary wave model was constructed that used the pressure generation rate determined from the two-dimensional basin model. The results showed that solitary waves could form at the specified pressure generation rate and ascend over kilometer scales, provided that the pore fluid pressure in the fault was at least 90% of lithostatic, the permeability was low, and the compressibility was high. Under these optimal conditions, solitary waves could reach velocities on the order of 0.1 m/yr.