Eugene Island

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Eugene Island is a submerged mountain 70-85 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico. The nearby oil field Eugene Island 330 is best known for its unusual depletion profile. According to the article "Sustainable Oil?" by Chris Bennett WorldNetDaily.com:

A significant reservoir of crude oil was discovered nearby in the late ’60s, and by 1970, a platform named Eugene 330 was busily producing about 15,000 barrels a day of high-quality crude oil. By the late ’80s, the platform’s production had slipped to less than 4,000 barrels per day, and was considered pumped out. Done. Suddenly, in 1990, production soared back to 15,000 barrels a day

However, the figures given by Richard Heinberg are:

Production from Eugene Island had achieved 20,000 barrels per day by 1989; by 1992 it had slipped to 15,000 b/d, but recovered to reach a peak of 30,000 b/d in 1996. Production from the reservoir has dropped steadily since then.

The source of additional oil was analyzed as migrating through faults from deeper and older formations below. The oil contains biomarkers similar to those in other oils in the area.

Eugene Island 330 is often cited as a key example of Abiogenic petroleum origin theory, which holds that petroleum reservoirs are continuously replenished from inorganic sources deep within the Earth. However it must be noted that Eugene Island 330's fame comes precisely from its status as an unusual anomaly, rather than being typical of the other 40,000 developed oil fields, and most petroleum scientists believe that the depletion profile is adequately explained by replenishment from deeper reservoirs of normal biologically derived petroleum.

In regard to oil depletion concerns, while the rate went up again in the early 1990's along with the overall estimated recoverable petroleum, the rate has since declined and is expected to be exhausted just as other oil fields have been rather than being indefinitely renewed. It just turned out to be a larger linked group of reservoirs than initially expected.

[edit] External links

• Eugene Island Block 330 Field
• The Abiotic Oil Controversy - Richard Heinberg
• The Mystery of Eugene Island 330
• The Myth Of Peak Oil
• No Free Lunch, Part 2: If abiotic oil exists, where is it?