zn is going thru the process of the 3d mapping pro
Post# of 1012
if zn had not found oil in the triassic they would be less inclined to proceed w a 3d survey
MJ#1 encountered oil in the Triassic Mohilla formation which Zion believes suggests an active deep petroleum system is in Zion’s license area
from p.4 of the recent 10k:
"While not meant to be an exhaustive list, a summary of what Zion believes to be key information learned in the MJ#1 well is as follows:
1. The MJ#1 encountered much higher subsurface temperatures at a depth shallower than expected before drilling the well. In our opinion, this is significant because reaching a minimum temperature threshold is necessary for the generation of hydrocarbons from an organic-rich source rock.
2. The known organic rich (potentially hydrocarbon bearing) Senonian age source rocks that are typically present in this part of Israel were not encountered as expected. Zion expected these source rocks to be encountered at approximately 1,000 meters in the MJ#1 well.
3. MJ#1 had natural fractures, permeability (the ability of fluid to move through the rock) and porosity (pore space in rock) that allowed the sustained flow of formation fluid in the shallower Jurassic and lower Cretaceous age formations between approximately 1,200 and 1,800 meters. While no hydrocarbons were encountered, Zion believes this fact is nonetheless significant because it provides important information about possible reservoir pressures and the ability of fluids to move within the formation and to the surface.
4. MJ#1 encountered oil in the Triassic Mohilla formation which Zion believes suggests an active deep petroleum system is in Zion’s license area. There was no natural permeability or porosity in the Triassic Mohilla formation to allow formation fluid to reach the surface naturally during testing and thus the MJ#1 was not producible or commercial.
5. The depths and thickness of the formations we encountered varied greatly from pre-drill estimates. This required the MJ#1 to be drilled to a much greater depth than previously expected. Zion has tied these revised formation depths to seismic data which will allow for more accurate interpretation and mapping in the future.
A summary of what Zion believes to be some key questions left to be answered are:
1. Is the missing shallow Senonian age source rock a result of regional erosion, or is it missing because of a fault that cut the well-bore and could be reasonably expected to be encountered in the vicinity of the MJ#1 drill site? Zion believes this is an important question to answer because if the Senonian source rocks do exist in this area, the high temperatures encountered are sufficient to mature these source rocks and generate oil.
2. Do the unusually high shallow subsurface temperatures extend regionally beyond the MJ#1 well, which could allow for the generation of hydrocarbons in the Senonian age source rock within our license area?
3. As a consequence of seismic remapping, where does the MJ#1 well lie relative to the potential traps at the Jurassic and Triassic levels and was the well location too low on the structures and deeper than the potential hydrocarbons within those traps?
As a result of these unanswered questions and with the information gained drilling the MJ#1 well, Zion now believes it is prudent and consistent with good industry practice to try and answer some of these questions with a focused 3D seismic imaging shoot of approximately 50 square kilometers surrounding the MJ#1 well.
The Company has commenced preliminary scouting and survey design to help identify the geologic boundaries of the proposed 3D seismic survey. Additionally, Zion held initial meetings with potential vendors to aid in the 3D seismic planning and acquisition process.
Once the survey design and surface layout are completed, Zion intends to acquire the necessary government permits and negotiate potential surface damages to crops, irrigation piping, and other surface features. Zion believes it will be necessary to import seismic source equipment and autonomous wireless geophones (to record the signal) to acquire the 3D data.
Once data acquisition is completed, interpretation is the final step and will involve integration with, and modification of, previous work by Zion technical staff. Zion’s ability to fully undertake all of these aforementioned activities is subject to Zion raising the needed capital, of which no assurance can be provided." [end of material from the recent 10k]