Identification and Ranking of Seabed Seep Prospects on the Scotian Slope

2021-01-21 OERA Webinar Natasha
January 21, 2021

Natasha Morrison, OERA & Nova Scotia Department of Energy and Mines

Studies have shown that seafloor seepage of thermogenic hydrocarbons can been linked to the presence of an active petroleum system. Nova Scotia has been researching, surveying, and piston coring potential offshore hydrocarbon seeps along the deep-water Scotian Slope since 2015. It is the hope that by confirming the presence of hydrocarbons naturally leaking from source rocks or reservoirs in our deep-water, it can encourage exploration offshore Nova Scotia. But what do these seeps mean? And how do we identify potential seep and coring sites? This presentation will take you through this process; from understanding the meaning behind hydrocarbon seeps, how we identify and rank them, and the decisions made at sea.