Publications

Basin modeling techniques are giving new insights to oil and gas exploration, since they can integrate many processes with quantitative evaluation on the history of sedimentary basins. Many geological and geochemical processes are too slow and complex for human beings to integrate quantitatively. But the evolution of computer techniques enables us to simulate and visualize these processes in human time and space scales. Explorationists generally develop several hypotheses or scenarios during evaluations. The artificial experiment of basin modeling can compare these hypotheses. Since each module forming the whole basin modeling package is developed through physical and chemical knowledge, basin modeling can provide constraints and reality checks on these hypothesis and hence reduce exploration risk. Quality, accuracy and reality of the simulations depend not only on the model itself, but also on input parameters and the numerical scheme. In this paper, I would like to discuss pitfalls in 2D basin modeling. Successful modeling can be only accomplished by the tuning of input parameters with geological understanding, not by using default values in commercial software packages. In this paper, the properties of shale (such as permeability, relative permeability, capillary pressure), and the kinetic parameters for source rocks are discussed.