Diagenetic history and hydrocarbon potential of Upper Permian carbonate buildups, Wegener Halvo Area, Jameson Land basin, East Greenland

The Upper Permian of Jameson Land includes two carbonate sequences, the Karstryggen and Wagener Halvo formations. The Karstryggen Formation contains hypersaline carbonates and localized evaporites that were heavily weathered and dissected prior to deposition of the overlying strata. The overlying Wegener Halvo Formation represents an abrupt and extensive marine inundation over the underlying karstified Karstryggen surface. Bryozoan-brachiopod-algal-cement buildups of the Wagener Halvo Formation are localized on karstic highs, and show up to 150 m of depositional relief. In-situ mound-core deposits are flanked by allodapic limestones, which pass laterally into intermound calcareous shales. The diagenetic histories of the core and flank facies are very different. If, as is likely, the sea level changes affecting the Greenland Permian were eustatic, then this study may provide significant clues to porosity development throughout the largely unexplored northern Zechstein Basin and the Arctic Basin of the Barent Sea. This study also provides some important connection to the probably time-equivalent Guadalupian carbonate reservoir rocks of west Texas-New Mexico and Wyoming. -from Authors