The well-exposed outcrops of the Pyrenean foreland basins (PFB) in northern Spain offer a unique opportunity to observe a range of sand-rich, deep water (DW) depositional systems. During the early Lutetian time (Middle Eocene), the PFB area consists of a series of linked basins connected to the Atlantic Ocean to the west. These basins formed from the interaction of the African and European plates with the Iberian micro-plate during the Cenozoic, resulting in south-directed thrusting. The middle Eocene deposition in the PFB recorded the interaction of tectonics and sedimentation from shelf (Tremp Basin) to slope (Ainsa Basin) and basin (Jaca Basin). During the Middle Eocene, deposition occurred in piggy-back (wedge top) basins that shifted southward as the thrust faults progressed to the south. Rapid changes in local gradient along with high sedimentation and subsidence rates resulted in the vertical stacking of a progression of environments of deposition (EoD’s) with easy access and excellent exposures. These outcrops are analogous to hydrocarbon reservoirs explored and exploited in the Gulf of Mexico, West Africa, northern and eastern South America, The Black Sea and East Africa.
The 6-day course combines field activities with in-class lectures and exercises. Exercises in the field will focus on description of DW lithofacies, stratal geometries and recognizing key stratigraphic surfaces, emphasizing practical applications. Participants will also learn to describe cores, integrate core and well-log information with seismic to generate high-resolution EoD maps of reservoirs in different settings. Engineering data is used to demonstrate how to improve prediction of reservoir performance. Cores, well-logs and seismic examples are compared to and contrasted with outcrops to help participants to extrapolate 2-D outcrop information to 3-D views of reservoir scale depositional systems.
- Understand deep water sedimentological processes and the impact in reservoir architecture.
- DW lithofacies nomenclature and definitions and how to interpret them in cores, well logs and outcrops.
- How to describe DW lithofacies in cores and relate them to stratal geometries
- How to interpret key stratigraphic surfaces based on changes in lithofacies
- How to describe cores
- How to interpret DW EoD’s maps based on lithofacies associations, stacking and diversity
- How to use outcrop analogues and depositional models to better understand 3-D reservoir distribution.
- How to tie rock properties to facies in building geologic models
- How to integrate engineering and production data to improve reservoir performance.
- How to perform EoD mapping, emphasizing impact on reservoir performance and behavior
- Review deep water lithofacies nomenclature and definitions, common lithofacies associations, and interpret lithofacies in outcrops and cores
- Interpret EoD’s and related reservoir architecture, lithofacies associations, and diversity
- Interpretation of sequence stratigraphic surfaces in outcrop, logs, and seismic in DW settings and related to vertical stacking of facies
- EoD’s interpretation using core and well-logs
- Reservoir geometry evaluation and connectivity in different EoD’s
- Do’s and Don’ts of using outcrops as reservoir analogs
- Work with outcrop information as analog for reservoir model building
- Seismic response (geometry, facies, and acoustic response) evaluation in DW EoD’s
- Outcrops, cores, well logs, and seismic criteria to identify Composite Sequences, Sequence Sets, and depositional Sequences.
- Interpretation and mapping techniques for cores, well-logs, and seismic lines in DW settings
- Recognition criteria and mapping strategies for play elements in DW depositional settings
- Play fairway identification and mapping
The schedule below is just a sample as the exact order of locations and outcrops visited are subject to change due to changing weather, tides and sunlight hours.
Day 1 – Sunday
George’s Point, east side of Kilkee Bay to introduce the local stratigraphy and setting.
Lectures: Class Introduction, Field Safety, Geologic Setting, Sequence Stratigraphy of DW Systems.
Exercises: Lowstand Sequence Sets from Pelotas Basin, West Siberia and New Jersey
Day 2 – Monday
Loop Head; general basinal context; Ross Formation turbidites. Bridges of Ross and east of Ross; major slump sheets, Fisherman’s Point turbidite channels and sand volcanoes.
Lectures: Deep Water Processes and Depositional Models
Exercises: Lobes and Lobe Complexes – Golo Fan
Day 3 – Tuesday
Ross Formation at Kilcredaun. Boat trip from Carrigaholt: Ross Formation in sea cliffs between Carrigaholt and Loop Head. Lateral Accretion Packages of the Rehy Cliffs.
Lectures: Deep Water Lithofacies and Rock Properties
Exercises: Core description of DW reservoirs
Day 4 – Wednesday
Kilbaha Bay; Kilcloher Head. Turbidite facies including channels and mega-flutes. Rinevella Bay.
Lectures: Deep Water Exploration Methods, Reservoir Presence Assessment and Pre-Drill Prediction
Exercises: East Breaks Mini-Basin Mapping and Pre-Drill Prediction
Day 5 – Thursday
Torkeal Bay – stories, story stacking, lobe and lobe stacking.
Lectures: Deep Water Reservoirs – Production Behavior
Exercises: High-Resolution Reservoir Mapping and Production Data Integration
Day 6 – Friday
Drive to Shannon and depart.
Designed for
Geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers working on deep water reservoirs from exploration to production.
Instructor
Vitor Abreu, PhD
Consultant, ACT-Geo
Online Registration
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Limit 25 persons max per workshop.
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