Modeling of Hydrocarbon Generation and Expulsion in the Tyee Basin, Oregon Coast Range, USA

The timing of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion from source rocks can be evaluated by reconstructing the geohistory of the basin using petroleum system modeling. The Tyee basin is generally considered having a high hydrocarbon generation potential. For the southern part of the basin, the basin evolution from a structural and stratigraphic points of view, the thermal history, and the burial history were reconstructed and simulated using numerical tools of basin modeling. An evaluation of organic geochemistry for the potential source rocks and the possible petroleum systems were analysed to improve the understanding of the hydrocarbon charge of the basin. Organic geochemical data indicate that the undifferentiated Umpqua Group, mudstones of the Klamath Mountains, and coals and carbonaceous mudstones in the Remote Member and the Coquille River Member are the most potential gas-prone source rocks in the basin. The relatively high maturity of the southern Tyee basin is related to deep burial resulting from loading by the Coos bay strata. And the heating by intrusion from the western Cascade arc also affects to the high maturity of the basin. The maturation of source rocks, the hydrocarbon generation and expulsion were evaluated by means of basin modeling. The modeling results reveal that the hydrocarbon was generated in all potential source rocks and an expulsion only occurred from the Remote Member.