Minerals Report - International Seabed Authority

Philippines, and possibly Brazil. With regard to offshore Brazil, it was
pointed out that sedimentary basins do not extend beyond 200 miles
rendering the possibility minute.
Another participant noted that part of the question of whether
there will be oil and gas in the international area of the deep sea depends
on the hypothesis of how oil and gas form. This participant said that in
the past, some Russian geologists thought that oil and gas could form by
inorganic processes in the Earth’s interior in addition to organic processes
relating to the accumulation of organic matter.
This participant also said that since in the deep ocean, at the ocean
ridges, much methane is discharged even though there are no sediments,
inorganic processes are forming methane. The participant therefore asked
Dr. Vysotsky about his opinion of oil and gas forming in the deep seabed
as a result of inorganic processes. In response, Dr. Vysotsky said that it
was his opinion that inorganic processes account for only a small source of
the oil and gas in the deep ocean. Dr. Vysotsky also said that the
petroleum resources of the world are from an organic genesis. He said
that the hypothesis of an inorganic genesis is an exotic opinion.
Another participant noted that some of the earlier maps by the US
Geological Survey that addressed the possibility of petroleum occurrences
in the ocean basins used the criterion of sediment thicknesses of 1 km as a
minimum. This participant also noted that for the occurrence methane
hydrates in the deep ocean, it has to be assumed that sedimentary basins
are to be found there.
In response, Dr. Vysotsky explained that for between 5 and 10years
Russian experts had worked together with experts of the USGS, and were
in agreement with the minimum sedimentary thickness for oil genesis of
1000 m. He noted however that in oil production, a sedimentary cover of
1000-1500 m results in small non-commercial oil fields.
INTERNATIONAL SEABED AUTHORITY 516