Siliciclastic Reservoir Sedimentology

Instructor: Dr Boyan Vakarelov

Who Should Attend

Exploration and development geologists, geophysicists and reservoir engineers who need essential understanding of reservoir and seal facies, geometry and architecture. The course will review basic processes and will develop criteria for identifying these reservoir and seal couplets from core, outcrop, and wireline data.

Course Duration

Two days. This course is designed to run before the companion course Concepts and Applications of Sequence Stratigraphy (three days) and together these form a 5-day course.

Course Content

1. Siliciclastic Sedimentary Processes
   Sediment erosion, transport and deposition, naturally occuring flows, sedimentary facies and structures (bedload, suspension, mixed)
2. Fluvial Depositional Systems
   Geological context, alluvial fans, braided rivers, meandering rivers, anastomosing river systems, crevasse splays, the significance of "flood" deposits, floodplains, peat mires (coal), palaeosols
3. Delta and Shoreline Depositional Systems
   Coastal morphology and sedimentary processes and facies, delta morphology and sedimentation patterns, delta scale, delta cycles, delta types, mouth bar development versus distributary channels, lacustrine deltas, shoreline deposits, barrier islands, tidal delta, lagoons. Criteria for distinguishing deltaic distributary channels from fluvial channels.
4. Shelf Depositional Systems
   Shelf morphology and processes, storm deposits, shelf tidal deposits, mixed siliciclastic-carbonate deposits
5. Deep Sea Depositional Systems
   Density flow processes, turbidites, contourites, deep sea fan deposits, canyons, feeder channels, levees, lobes, basin plain, relationship with relative sea level, catastrophic events, olitholiths.
6. Reservoir Geometry and Architecture
   Reservoir analogues (a whole suite including modern and ancient), Width/Thickness ratios for different depositional systems, Interconncectedness, Relationship between facies and reservoir quality (flow units), Reservoir orientation via mapping and palaeocurrent analysis, sand percent/thickness plots,
7. Exercises
   Applications of reservoir sedimentologic analysis to exploration and reservoir

Development based on modern analogues (using well data and high resolution seismic), and ancient examples from basins throughout Australia , South Africa , Indonesia , Venezuela , Spain , USA . Hands-on interpretation of wireline logs and core photos (can run with a core workshop if deemed appropriate).