ISSN 00014370, Oceanology, 2013, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 491–497. © Pleiades Publishing, Inc., 2013.

Original Russian Text © A. Zabanbark, 2013, published in Okeanologiya, 2013, Vol. 53, No. 4, pp. 550–557.

MARINE
GEOLOGY

Oil and Gas Bearing in Norwegian Sea Basins

A. Zabanbark
Shirshov Institute of Oceanology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia
email: azaban@ocean.ru
Received April 4, 2012; in final form, August 23, 2012

Abstract—The Norwegian passive continental margin is represented by an extensive gentle shelf and conti
nental slope. On the continental slope, there are the isolated Vøring, Møre and Ras basins, the Halten Ter
race is situated to the east of them at the shelf, then the Nordland submarine ridge and the Trondelag Plat
form at the seaboard. There are Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic sediments in its sections. Two complex
structures are clearly distinguished in the sedimentary section: the lower stage (up to the Upper Cretaceous),
reflecting the rifting structure of the basins, broken by a system of dislocations to a series of horsts, grabens,
and separated blocks; and the upper stage, poorly dislocated, like a mantle covering the lower stage, with ero
sion and sharp unconformity. The Halten Terrace is the principal oil and gas production basin. At present,
there are more than 50 oil, gas, and condensate fields in it. The following particularities have been discovered:
than the field lays in the deepwater, than the age of the hydrocarbon pay is younger. It is also interesting that
all gas fields are situated in the Vøring and Møre basins and western part of the Halten Terrace; the oil and
gas fields, mainly at the center of the Halten Terrace; but pure oil fields, in the north of the terrace. In con
formity with discovering the particularities, it is possible to say that the prospects of oil and gas bearing in the
Norwegian Sea are primarilyt related to the Halten Terrace and the Vøring and Møre basins, especially the
territories situated at the boundary of the two basins, where it is possible to discover large hydrocarbon accu
mulations like the OrmenLange field, because the Paleocene–Upper Cretaceous productive turbidite thick
at the boundary of these basins is on the continental slope, which is considered promising a priori.
DOI: 10.1134/S0001437013040164

INTRODUCTION the largest structures; smaller ones are not considered

Norway is one of the top ten countries in terms of
oil and gas extraction and the main natural gas
exporter in Western Europe after Russia (Fig. 1). The
major consumers of Norwegian gas in 2011 were Great
Britain (35%), the Netherlands (10%), France (10%),
Germany (5%), and Benelux countries (4%). Nor
way’s oil and natural gas reserves are 1 billion t and
2.3 trillion m3, respectively [11]. These are the total
hydrocarbon reserves occurring in the North Sea,
Norwegian Sea, and Barents Sea margins of Norway.
The Norwegian passive continental margin is
located along the northwest coast of the Scandinavian
Peninsula, occupying the regions of the Norwegian
Sea, northnorthwest Barents Sea, and the northeast
ern and eastern North Sea. In this paper, only the Nor
wegian Sea region will be considered, because the
other two have already been discussed [2]. The conti
nental margin of the Norwegian Sea is represented by
a vast gentle shelf and continental slope. On the conti
nental slope within the deepwater part of the Norwe
gian Sea, the isolated Vøring, Møre, and Ras basins
are located; additionally, the Halten Terrace and
Trondelag Platform lie east of these basins and in the
coastal zone, respectively (Figs. 2, 4). These are only
because of their minor oil and gas significance.
The basins of the Norwegian Sea continue the ones
of the North Sea. Their sections include Paleozoic,
Mesozoic, and Cenozoic deposits. Analogous to the
North Sea, there are two clear major structural com
plexes in the sedimentary cover. The lower one is pre
Upper Cretaceous and reflects the rift structures of the
basins. It is cut by a fault system into series of horsts,
grabens, and separate blocks. In the Carboniferous–
Jurassic, under a pullapart setting, thick strata of con
glomerates, sandstones, carbonates, and evaporites
formed with interbeds of basaltic tuffs. The upper
structural complex is poorly dislocated, superimposed
in a mantlelike manner on the lower one with erosion
and sharp angular unconformity. Deposits of the upper
complex are more widespread and have a gentle mon
oclinic bedding; they are composed of Upper Creta
ceous and Cenozoic units and reflect the passive mar
gin evolution stage. In the section of sedimentary
deposits, a change in logical facies from continent to
open sea is observed: in the eastern parts of the basins,
rocks are represented by limestones of coastal settings;
in the western parts, deepwater clays, sandstones, and
other marine deposits substitute of open sea.

491
492
Others 10 % Germany 32%
Netherlands 8%
Belguim 10%
France 19%
United Kingdom 21%
Fig. 1. Gas supply from Norway to European countries.
The geological evolution of the mentioned struc
tures is closely interrelated with the general evolution
of plate tectonics in the Northeastern Atlantic. A
notable feature here is the basic rifting in the Late Tri
assic and Jurassic. Jurassic rocks compose the erosion
salients and are superimposed by Lower Cretaceous
deposits. Uplifting and volcanism took place in the
Late Cretaceous and Early Tertiary [8]. The Early
Eocene was notable for a large volcanic event in the
Norwegian Sea shelf. Interbeds of volcanic lavas and
tuffs can be found in the western and eastern margins
of the basins. After that basaltic eruption, the depth in
the sedimentary basin increased and argillites with
sandstone interbeds formed on the shelf [17, 20]. To
understand the evolution of the basins, the develop
ment of sedimentary facies, and the time in which the
basins filled with sediments, the authors [8] have made
paleoreconstruction maps of the Jurassic, Cretaceous,
and Tertiary units. Analysis of these maps shows that
the discussed basins are filled with clastic materials
that washed out from Greenland and continental Nor
way. As a result, the reservoirs, seals, and source rocks
within the regional basins confining beds generally
coeval and similar in composition.
The Vøring sedimentary basin is located within the
limits of a grabenlike trough in the basement, traced
along the Scandinavian Peninsula in the SE Norwe
gian Sea. On the west of it, the Vøring basin is super
imposed by a Vøring marginal plateau of 200 km
width, at 1200 m depth, and which is limited by the
Jan Mayen transform fault. In the eastern (internal)
part of the plateau, a rifting depression (basin) Vøring
is located; the sedimentary cover thickness here is
more than 8 km. It has been established that the crys
talline rocks exposed on the surface extend up to
30 km from the shore; deeper, they are covered by
Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentary deposits [4, 9].
The thickness of Quaternary rocks is from a few meters
at small sites to 200 m or more; these units are repre
sented by sandstones bedding at the top of loose clays
and glacial debris.
The southeastern side of the Vøring basin is seen as
a monocline that linearly extends beneath the bottom
of the outer shelf and slope of the Scandinavian Pen
ZABANBARK
insula, where the sedimentary cover overlies the Cale
donian folded basement. The northwestern side has a
more complex, seemingly heterogeneous structure.
The largest volume of sedimentary rocks occurs in its
broadened northern part. Bedding within the basin is
generally gentle; local structures have small ampli
tudes; however, singular domeshaped diapirlike
rises or groups of them can be found in places [8]. As
mentioned above, the Vøring basin is composed
mostly of Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks; however, the
presence of Paleozoic ones is possible in the lower part
of the sedimentary stratum (Fig. 3). The lower com
plex of the sedimentary cover has a thickness of 1 km
or more and is represented mostly by Upper Paleozoic
deposits, more precisely, an Upper Permian evaporite
complex. In this case, it is logical to suggest that dia
pirs developed here that are analogous to the those of
the North Sea due to halokinesis.
The Møre Basin is located southeast of the Vøring
one and separated from it by the Jan Mayen fault (Fig. 1).
Sedimentary cover of the basin is 7–8 km thick and,
similarly to that of the Vøring one, represented by
Phanerozoic deposits. Composition and age of pro
ductive strata are identical to those of the Vøring basin.
Both basins are typical for Cretaceous deposits of con
siderable thickness in their central and eastern parts.
Western parts of both basins have no Cretaceous
deposits, but Triassic–Jurassic basement is superim
posed by a thick stratum of Eocene basalts.
The Ras deep water basin on its west is divided from
the Vøring Basin with Helland–Hansen arc; on its east,
it is separated from Halten Terrace with the Klakk fault
complex. Sedimentary cover here is about 10–11 km
thick. In the Ras Basin, midJurassic deposits occur at
the depth of 9 km, in contrast to 4–6 km for the west
ern Halten Terrace [22]. This is likely related to rapid
subsidence of the Ras Basin during the Late Jurassic
and the Early Cretaceous rifting. The latter had also
been a favorable condition for deposition of Creta
ceous clayey schists, which are notable for high lithos
tatic pressure. It is believed that this pressure in pro
ductive Jurassic strata of the western Halten Terrace is
related to the adjacent Ras Basin, and hydrocarbon
migrates from the Ras Basin eastward, to the Halten
Terrace, through the Klakk fault complex. However,
this migration was detected only before the Pliocene,
while Pliocene–Pleistocene rocks do not demonstrate
high pressures [22].
The Halten Terrace is divided on the west from the
deepwater Ras Basin by the large Klakk fault complex;
on the east, from the Trondelag platform, by the
Bremstei fault complex [22] (Fig. 4).
The Halten Terrace is located within the shelf; the
sedimentary cover thickness here is 8–9 km. Judging
by the results of seismic exploration and drilling, there
OCEANOLOGY Vol. 53 No. 4 2013
 OIL AND GAS BEARING IN NORWEGIAN SEA BASINS 493

0°
L o f o t e n

S
t r o u g h

w
18
300

n 12
i a a 19 11
0

e
g 17 20°
e S e

o
No

w 10 E
o r Vøring Basin 9
31 30
r we

d
28 Ras
Basin 15

r
8 20
gia

25

e
29 14 7 13
n t

А 6 4
5

w
rou

Halten

n
24 23 Terrace А'
gh

22
3

a
26 16
27 21 2 Trondheim
Møre Basin 1

y
00
10
200 0
60°
N
N Oslo
o
r
w
e
g
ia
n
Tren
ch
60°
0°
N
a 0 А
100 b c А' d e f g h

Fig. 2. Schematic map showing the oil and gas bearing potential of the Norwegian Sea. Compiled by A. Zabanbark based on data
from [6, 10–15, 18, 19, 21]. (a) Jan Mayen fault; (b) isobaths; (c) state borders; (d) A–A' profile; (e) Arctic Circle; (f) oil fields;
(g) oil and gas condensate fields; (h) gas fields. Numerals denote fields: (1) Ormen Lange; (2) Njord; (3) Draugen; (4) Mikkel;
(5) Tyrihans; (6) Kristin; (7) Aasgard; (8) Heidrun; (9) Skarv; (10) Alve; (11) Norne; (12) Urd; (13) Yttergryta; (14) Morvin; (15)
Fogelberg; (16) Midnattsol; (17) Marulk; (18) Svale; (19) Staer; (20) Odfild; (21) Asterix; (22) Luva; (23) Snefrid; (24) Hakland;
(25) Gro; (26) Elida; (27) Stetind; (28) Nyk; (29) Maria; (30) Skuld; (31) Fosskall.

are Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic deposits in
the section of sedimentary cover [3, 7].
The exploration works on the continental shelf of
the Norway Sea north of 61° N started in the 1980s–
1990s and were focused mostly on the Halten Terrace
and areas along its faulted margins. The main devel
oped oil and gas fields are concentrated in the Halten
Basin. At present, there are more than 200 wells within
the limits of the basin; at the result led to discovery
more than 50 oil, gas, and gascondensate fields
(Fig. 2). At the boundary between the Vøring and
Møre basins, drilling started in 1997. The main reser
voirs in this area are located on the continental slope
and composed of sandstones of Cretaceous and Pale
ocene fan are turbidites genesis. By now, only 15 wells
have been drilled in this area and few are isolated from
others. Nevertheless, these wells led to discovery the
Nyk and Gro gas fields in the Vøring Basin, the Elida
gas field in the Møre Basin, and the OrmenLange
large gas field at the boundary between these basins. It
is believed that reservoirs in Jurassic deposits of the
Norwegian Sea contain hydrocarbons from two source
rocks horizons: oil and gas were predominantly sup
plied from oxygenfree marine arigillites of the Spek
Fm., Upper Jurassic; another source of gas was in
coalbearing rocks of the Are Fm., Lower Jurassic. It

OCEANOLOGY Vol. 53 No. 4 2013

494 ZABANBARK

Thickness,
Formation
System

Series
Era
Lithology Lithology description

m
N+Q
Clays, limestones,

1000
diatomites
P3
Kz

1500–2300
Egga
P P2 Clays, diatomites, sandstones,
siltstones, limestones
P1

Nise, Lysing Clays, siltstones.

Springar,
Top to bottom: productive
K2 sandstones of Springar, Nise, and
ysing formations

Clays, productive
Lange

K1 sandstones of
Lange formation
2500–3500
Spekk, Rogn

Mz Argillites of
Spekk rock source formation,
J3
productive sandstones of
Rogn formation, clays

Clays, productive
Garn

J2 sandstones of
J Garn formation

Clays, productive sandstones.

Tilje, Аre

Argillites of Are oilsource

Tofle,

J1 formation and Are coalbearing

deposits

T Sandstones, clays
1000 or more

Clays, evaporites,
Pz limestones, sandstones.
Basement rocks

Fig. 3. Summarized stratigraphic section of Norwegian Sea basins.

OCEANOLOGY Vol. 53 No. 4 2013

 OIL AND GAS BEARING IN NORWEGIAN SEA BASINS
А А'
0
Pleistocene Pliocene
Paleocene–Miocene
2 Jurassic
Up. Cretaceous
4
Depth, km
L. Cret.
6
8 Klakk
fault
complex
Halten Terrace
10
Fig. 4. Cross section A–A' profile of the Ras basin, Halten Terrace, and Trondelag platform, after [22].
is suggested that, in addition to these two horizons of
source rocks, a source can be the shallowwater Upper
Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Turonian) hot shale
deposits [8]. It should be noted that the Upper Creta
ceous source rocks are present in the entire Norwegian
Sea region. In the sections of all basins, 12 reservoirs
have been found. Hydrocarbons have been detected in
Jurassic, Cretaceous, and Paleocene reservoirs, which
are represented by sandstones of the Lange, Lysing,
Nise, Springar, Egga, and other formations (Fig. 3).
This has been verified by discoveries of many oil, gas,
and gascondensate fields (see table).
One of the largest gas fields in the Norwegian Sea is
the OrmenLange, which was discovered in 1997. It is
located in the southern part of a large submeridional
Cenozoic uplift at the northern margin of the Møre
Basin and southern end of the Vøring Basin (i.e., at the
frontier of these two basins) [5, 6]. The high is about
10 km long; its vertical amplitude is 450 m; the sea
depth in the area of this gas field is 850–1200 m. Res
ervoirs have been found in the Egga (Paleocene),
Springar (Upper Cretaceous), and Vale (Maastrich
tian) formations, and in Danian rocks; they are all
represented by turbidite sandstones. Recoverable gas
reserves have been estimated at 397 billion m3 and
28.5 million t of gas condensate. The daily debit of the
field is about 70 million m3. Gas from the Ormen
Lange field is transported to Great Britain via the
longest underwater gas pipeline (Langeled, 1200 km),
which joints Nyhamna on the Norwegian side and Eas
ington on the British. Daily supplies of natural gas are
about 70 million m3, and those of gas condensate are
about 50000 t. Natural gas supplies from the Ormen
Lange field can satisfy 20% of the United Kingdom’s
demands for this resource for about 30 years.
It should be noted that the Norwegian Sea fields
reserves are characterized as small and average: the
OCEANOLOGY Vol. 53 No. 4 2013
495
Triassuc
Continent
Trondelag Platform
Bremstein
fault
complex
recoverable oil reserve vary from 5.5 million t (Mikkel
field) to 137 million t (Norne field); gas reserves are
from 35 billion m3 (Maria field) to 397 billion m3
(OrmenLange field). Reservoir types are structural,
but also lithologically screened, tectonically screened,
stratigraphic, etc.
Analysis of the distribution of fields in the sedimen
tary basins within the Norwegian Sea region can reveal
the following particularities have been discovered,
than the field lays in the deeper water, than the age of
the hydrocarbon pay is younger. The sea depth at the
Asterix field is about 1360 m and the reservoirs are
occured in the Paleogene and Upper Cretaceous
rocks, while the sea depth at the Fogelberg field is
281 m and reservoirs are occured in the Lower and
Middle Jurassic rocks (see table). It is also notable that
all the gas fields are located in Vøring and Møre basins
and at the western margin of Halten Terrace; oiland
gas fields can be found mostly in the central Halten
Terrace, while oil fields are located mostly in the
northern part of this terrace. Studies have shown that
the Eocene, Paleocene–Upper Cretaceous, and
Lower Cretaceous deposits, as well as Lower to Upper
Jurassic ones, which are widespread in the sedimen
tary basins of the Norwegian Sea and whose oil and gas
potential has been proved by many discovered fields,
are still highly prospects for oil and gas. In accordance
with the revealed regularities in the distribution of oil
and gas field types, it can be concluded that the pros
pects in oil and gas development in the Norwegian Sea
are primarily tied to the Halten Terrace, because this
area is not completely developed and many new
hydrocarbon fields are still being discovered here;
despite their small size, these fields are, however, quite
costefficient for industrial development. Another
prospect zone is the Vøring and Møre basins, where six
gas fields have been discovered at 15 wells. Special
496 ZABANBARK

Some oil and gas fields of the Norwegian Sea

Oil re
Year of Gas reserves,
No. Field name Sea depth, m Age of reservoir Fluid type serves,
discovery billion m3
million t

1. Norne 1992 380 Mid. and Lower Jurassic oil/gas 137 29

2. Fogelberg 2007 370 Mid. and Lower Jurassic gas/cond. – 3–14.8
3. Urd 2000 380 Jurassic oil/gas 9.6
4. Tyulipan 2005 1250 Tertiary sandstones gas cond. –
5. OrmenLange 1996 800–1200 Paleocene–Up. Cretaceous gas/oil 28.5 397
6. Tyrihans 1982 270–285 Mid. Jurassic oil/gas 25 41.5
7. Norsk Hydro 2005 1260 Tertiary gas –
8. Kristin 1996 350–370 Cretaceous–Jurassic gas/cond. 48.5 35.4
9. Aasgard 1981 370–380 Mid. Jurassic gas/cond. – 356.1
10. Morvin 2001 380 Mid. Jurassic gas –
11. Alve 1990 392 Mid. Jurassic gas/cond. 6.8 8.3
12. Midnattsol 2007 928 Up. Cretaceous gas – 15
13. Viktoria 2000 137 Lower and Mid. Jurassic gas – 20–60
14. Marulk 1992 365–581 Mid. Jurassic gas/cond. – 12–19
15. Asterix 2009 1360 Up. Cretaceous gas – 16
16. Hakland 2006 1300 Up. Cretaceous gas – Total
17. Snefrid 2008 1300 Up. Cretaceous gas – in the 2 fields
18. Luva 1997 1300 gas – 40–60
19. Gro 2003 1250 Up. Cretaceous gas/cond. 11.4 35–100
20. Draugen 1984 250 Upper and Mid. Jurassic oil/gas 119.2 1.7
21. Gjoa 1989 300 Jurassic oil/gas 11.2 40
22. Mikkel 1987 320 Jurassic gas/cond. 5.5 28
23. Njord 1986 365 Cretaceous oil 22 –
24. Maria 2010 303 Mid. Jurassic oil/gas 63–126 2–5
25. Skuld 2011 330–355 Jurassic oil 12.5 –
26. Fosskall 2010 352 L. and U. Jurassic oil 5.1–8.6 1–3

attention should be paid to the frontier between these
two basins, where large hydrocarbon fields, like the
giant OrmenLange one, can be discovered. The pro
ductive Paleocene–Upper Cretaceous layer at the
boundary of these basins is represented by a thick stra
tum of turbidite sediments that gradually wedging out
westwards. The Ormen Lange field is located on the
continental slope, and reservoirs are represented by
turbidite sandstones. This verifies the widely accepted
idea that up to 90% of all undiscovered hydrocarbon
reserves are concentrated in the continental slopes of
the world ocean; moreover, the giant oil and gas fields
discovered in recent years have been located almost
exclusively in the deep water zones of continental
margins and in turbidite units [1].
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