The integration of public domain lithostratigraphic data into a series of cross-border North Sea well-penetration maps

As geological information about the North Sea is increasingly made available to the public, there is great potential to build cross-border datasets to enable people to more rapidly filter relevant geological data and also to better understand and further study the subsurface. This paper discusses the construction of such a geological database and presents the associated map set. Public domain lithostratigraphic data from petroleum exploration and appraisal wells drilled in the Norwegian, Danish, German, Dutch and UK North Sea sectors were used to create a series of 13 well-penetration maps, ranging from Basement to Eocene age. In order to produce the maps, lithostratigraphic well tops had to be translated into a chronostratigraphic scheme, followed by building a database and subsequent mapping in a GIS. Three well categories were used for each of the maps: wells that (1) fully penetrate a chronostratigraphic interval, (2) prove it is absent or (3) reach total depth in the interval under consideration. The resulting maps, which will all be discussed and presented in this paper, form a starting point for multiple types of (petroleum) geological screening studies. The North Sea database is freely available in QGIS format and can be easily imported into any geospatial software platform.