Chapter 25
Geology of the Norwegian Continental Shelf
Jan Inge Faleide, Knut Bjørlykke and Roy H. Gabrielsen
25.1 Introduction
In the preceding chapters we have included only a few
regional examples and case studies because of space
limitations. The present chapter will, however, provide
some examples. The North Sea and other parts of the
Norwegian continental shelf contain several different
petroleum provinces which can illustrate some of the
general principles of petroleum geology and geophysics. The geological evolution of these sedimentary
basins provides a necessary background to understand
the distribution of source rocks and the timing of petroleum migration. The structural history of rifted basins,
passive margins and also uplifted basins such as the
Barents Sea is critical to the trapping of oil and gas.
These basins are very well documented by seismic and
well data. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate also
provide information about exploration and production
on their web pages (http://www.npd.no).
The Norwegian continental shelf is unique with
respect to the amount of information available about
petroleum exploration and production and also geological and geophysical information and maps (http://
www.npd.no/en/Topics/Geology/). You will there find
updated information about exploration and production
and also references to publications and reports. This is
a supplement to this book. Furthermore, updated
lithostratigraphic tables from the Norwegain Offshore
are available from NPD (http://www.npd.no/en/
Topics/Geology/Lithostratigraphy/).
25.1.1 Regional Geological Setting
The Norwegian continental shelf comprises three main
provinces (Figs. 25.1 and 25.2):
• North Sea
• Mid-Norwegian continental margin
• Western Barents Sea
Prior to continental break-up and the onset of seafloor spreading in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea
(Fig. 25.3) these provinces were part of a much larger
epicontinental sea lying between the continental
masses of Fennoscandia, Svalbard and Greenland.
Thus there are many similarities in the stratigraphy
(Fig. 25.4) and geological evolution of the various
provinces but also important differences – in particular
during Cretaceous-Cenozoic times.
The sedimentary basins at the conjugate continental
margins off Norway and Greenland and the adjacent
shallow seas, the North Sea and the western Barents
Sea, developed as a result of a series of post-Caledonian
rift episodes until early Cenozoic time, when complete
continental separation took place. The Norwegian Margin comprises the mainly rifted volcanic margin offshore mid-Norway (62–70
N) and the mainly sheared
margin along the western Barents Sea and Svalbard
(70–82
N) (Fig. 25.2). Physiographically, the Norwegian margin consists of a continental shelf and slope that
vary considerably in width and morphology (Fig. 25.1).
25.1.2 Petroleum Exploration
When gas was found onshore in the Groningen Field in
the Netherlands in 1958 it soon generated interest in
the North Sea itself. However, it was difficult to say
J.I. Faleide (*) K. Bjørlykke R.H. Gabrielsen
Department of Geosciences University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
e-mail: j.i.faleide@geo.uio.no; knut.bjorlykke@geo.uio.no;
roy.gabrielsen@geo.uio.no
K. Bjørlykke (ed.), Petroleum Geoscience: From Sedimentary Environments to Rock Physics,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-34132-8_25, # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
603
Geology of the Norwegian Continental Shelf
Jan Inge Faleide, Knut Bjørlykke and Roy H. Gabrielsen
25.1 Introduction
In the preceding chapters we have included only a few
regional examples and case studies because of space
limitations. The present chapter will, however, provide
some examples. The North Sea and other parts of the
Norwegian continental shelf contain several different
petroleum provinces which can illustrate some of the
general principles of petroleum geology and geophysics. The geological evolution of these sedimentary
basins provides a necessary background to understand
the distribution of source rocks and the timing of petroleum migration. The structural history of rifted basins,
passive margins and also uplifted basins such as the
Barents Sea is critical to the trapping of oil and gas.
These basins are very well documented by seismic and
well data. The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate also
provide information about exploration and production
on their web pages (http://www.npd.no).
The Norwegian continental shelf is unique with
respect to the amount of information available about
petroleum exploration and production and also geological and geophysical information and maps (http://
www.npd.no/en/Topics/Geology/). You will there find
updated information about exploration and production
and also references to publications and reports. This is
a supplement to this book. Furthermore, updated
lithostratigraphic tables from the Norwegain Offshore
are available from NPD (http://www.npd.no/en/
Topics/Geology/Lithostratigraphy/).
25.1.1 Regional Geological Setting
The Norwegian continental shelf comprises three main
provinces (Figs. 25.1 and 25.2):
• North Sea
• Mid-Norwegian continental margin
• Western Barents Sea
Prior to continental break-up and the onset of seafloor spreading in the Norwegian-Greenland Sea
(Fig. 25.3) these provinces were part of a much larger
epicontinental sea lying between the continental
masses of Fennoscandia, Svalbard and Greenland.
Thus there are many similarities in the stratigraphy
(Fig. 25.4) and geological evolution of the various
provinces but also important differences – in particular
during Cretaceous-Cenozoic times.
The sedimentary basins at the conjugate continental
margins off Norway and Greenland and the adjacent
shallow seas, the North Sea and the western Barents
Sea, developed as a result of a series of post-Caledonian
rift episodes until early Cenozoic time, when complete
continental separation took place. The Norwegian Margin comprises the mainly rifted volcanic margin offshore mid-Norway (62–70
N) and the mainly sheared
margin along the western Barents Sea and Svalbard
(70–82
N) (Fig. 25.2). Physiographically, the Norwegian margin consists of a continental shelf and slope that
vary considerably in width and morphology (Fig. 25.1).
25.1.2 Petroleum Exploration
When gas was found onshore in the Groningen Field in
the Netherlands in 1958 it soon generated interest in
the North Sea itself. However, it was difficult to say
J.I. Faleide (*) K. Bjørlykke R.H. Gabrielsen
Department of Geosciences University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
e-mail: j.i.faleide@geo.uio.no; knut.bjorlykke@geo.uio.no;
roy.gabrielsen@geo.uio.no
K. Bjørlykke (ed.), Petroleum Geoscience: From Sedimentary Environments to Rock Physics,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-34132-8_25, # Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015
603