The Rotliegend in the Netherlands and its gas accumulations

Abstract

The Rotliegend in the Dutch part of the Mid-European Basin contains recoverable gas reserves of at least 2.1 x 1012 m3. A combination of the following favourable conditions is the cause of these prolific accumulations: (1) up to 2500 m of Late Carboniferous coal-bearing strata form excellent source rocks for gas; (2) burial of these source rocks to depths of 4000-6000 m has led to generation of methane over a wide area; (3) excellent reservoirs in aeolian and alluvial Rotliegend sandstone are present, often not adversely affected by diagenesis; (4) favourable sealing qualities are offered by Zechstein evaporites; (5) abundant structural traps occur, often formed before the main gas-generation periods.