Abstract
The Cooper Basin produces oil and gas from numerous fluvial channel sandstone bodies deposited within several formations such as the Late Permian Toolachee Formation; however, the geometry of these fluvial deposits are not well constrained. Five sandstone bodies (SS-1 to SS-5) have been identified within the Toolachee Formation. These sandstone bodies are characterized mainly by fining-upward packages, which have been interpreted to be deposited by high-sinuosity channels. This study aims to determine and interpret the size, geometry, and architecture of these fluvial sandstone bodies identified within the Toolachee Formation from well logs in the Meranji Field. The morphometric parameters examined in this study include channel width (w), channel depth (d), and meander-belt width (mbw). All of these parameters have been determined using empirical equations driven from modern rivers. The estimated maximum bankfull depth (d) ranges from 3.3 to 6 m, and the estimated channel width (w) ranges from 42 to 105 m, which indicates that these sandstone bodies were deposited by relatively small fluvial channels. The estimated meander-belt width (mbw) ranges from 800 to 2000 m, which indicates that some of these sandstone bodies (e.g., SS-1, SS-4, and SS-5) are connected and can be correlated between the adjacent wells within the Meranji Field. Furthermore, this indicates that these sandstone bodies are excellent reservoirs due to their good lateral extent. The empirical equations used in this study have improved the quantitative estimations of the channel dimensions and connectivity of the sandstone bodies. These equations can help to reduce the number of wells that are planned to be drilled in the Meranji Field.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alexander EM (1998) Lithostratigraphy and environments of deposition, Cooper Basin. Pet Geol Aust 4:69–115
Alexander EM, Hibburt JE (1996) The petroleum geology of South Australia: Eromanga Basin. Department of Mines and Energy, South Australia. Report Book 2: 96–20
Allen JL (1970) Physical processes of sedimentation. Allen and Unwin, London, 284 p
Allen JL (1979) Studies in fluviatile sedimentation: an exploratory quantitative model for architecture of avulsion-controlled alluvial suites. Sediment Geol 9:235–267
Alqahtani FA (2010) 3D seismic geomorphology of fluvial systems. PhD. thesis, Imperial College London, 251 p
Alqahtani FA (2015) Subsurface analysis of fluvial systems of Epsilon and Toolachee formations, Cooper Basin, Australia. Arab J Geosci doi:10.1007/s12517-014-1344-8
Blum MD, Törnqvist TE (2000) Fluvial responses to climate and sea-level change: a review and look forward. Sedimentology 47:2–48
Bridge JS (1997) Thickness of sets of cross strata and planar strata as a function of formative bed-wave geometry and migration, and aggradation rate. Geology 25:971–974
Bridge JS (2003) Rivers and floodplains: forms, processes, and sedimentary record. Blackwell Science, New York, 491 p
Bridge, JS, Mackey, SD (1993) A theoretical study of fluvial sandstone body dimensions. In: Flint SS and Bryant ID (eds) Geological modelling of hydrocarbon reservoirs. International Association of Sedimentologists, Special Publication 15:213–236
Bridge JS, Tye RS (2000) Interpreting the dimensions of ancient fluvial channel bars, channels, and channel belts from wireline-logs and cores. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 84:1205–1228
Bryant ID, Flint SS (1993) Quantitative clastic reservoir geological modeling: problems and perspective. In: Flint SS, Bryant ID. (eds) The geologic modeling of hydrocarbon reservoirs and outcrop analogues. International Association of Sedimentologists, Special Publication 15:3–20
Carlston CW (1965) The relation of free meander geometry to stream discharge and its geomorphic implications. Am J Sci 263:864–885
Collinson, JD (1978) Vertical sequence and sand body shape in alluvial sequences. In Miall AD (ed) Fluvial sedimentology. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 5:577–586
Dalrymple M (2001) Fluvial reservoir architecture in the Statfjord Formation (northern North Sea) augmented by outcrop analogue statistics. Pet Geosci 7:115–122
Deighton I, Draper JJ, Hill AJ, Boreham CJ (2003) A hydrocarbon generation model for the Cooper and Eromanga basins. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 43:433–452
Ethridge, FG, Schumm, SA (1978) Reconstructing morphologic and flow parameters: methodology, limitation, and assessments. In: Mail AD (ed) Fluvial sedimentology. Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists, Memoir 5:703–721
Fielding, CR, Crane, RC (1987) An application of statistical modelling to the predication of hydrocarbon recovery factors in fluvial reservoir sequences. In: Ethridge FG, Flores RM and Harvey MD (eds) Recent developments in fluvial sedimentology. SEPM Special Publication 39: 321–327
Heath RS (1989) Exploration in the Cooper Basin. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 29:366–378
Hobday DK (1987) Gondwana coal basins of Australia and South Africa: tectonic setting, depositional systems and resources. In: Scott AC (ed) Coal and coal-bearing strata: recent advances. Geological Society of London Special Publications 32:219–233
Lang SC, Kassan J, Benson JM, Grasso CA, Avenell LC (2000) Application of modern and ancient geological analogues in characterization of fluvial and fluvial–lacustrine deltaic reservoirs in the Cooper Basin. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 40:393–415
Lang SC, Grech P, Root R, Hill A, Harrison D (2001) The application of sequence stratigraphy to exploration and reservoir development in the Cooper–Eromanga–Bowen–Surat Basin system. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 41:223–250
Lang SC, Celglar N, Forder S, Spencer G, Kassan J (2002) High resolution sequence stratigraphy, reservoir analogues, and 3D seismic interpretation—application to exploration and reservoir development in the Baryulah Complex Cooper Basin, southwest Queensland. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 42:511–522
Leeder MR (1973) Fluviatile fining-upward cycles and the magnitude of paleochannels. Geol Mag 100:265–276
Leopold LB, Wolman MG (1957) River channel patterns: braided, meandering and straight. Geol Surv Prof Pap 282-B:U49
Lorenz JC, Heinze DM, Clark JA, Searls CA (1985) Determination of widths of meander-belt sandstone reservoirs from vertical downhole data, Mesaverde Group, Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 69:710–721
Lorenz, JC, Warpinski, NR, Branagan, PT (1991) Subsurface characterization of Mesaverde reservoirs in Colorado: geophysical and reservoir-engineering checks on predictive sedimentology. In: Miall AD, Tyler N (eds) The three-dimensional facies architecture of terrigenous clastic sediments, and its implications for hydrocarbon discovery and recovery. SEPM Concepts in Sedimentology and Palaeontology 3:57–79
Mackie SJ, Grasso CA, McGuire SR (1995) Reservoir characterization of the Toolachee Unit ‘C’ in the Moomba/ Big Lake area: focusing on minimizing risk. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 35:92–105
Miall AD (1996) The geology of fluvial deposits. Spring-Verlag, York New, 582 p
Nakanishi T, Lang SC (2001) Towards an efficient exploration frontier: constructing a portfolio of stratigraphic traps in fluvial–lacustrine successions, Cooper–Eromanga Basin. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 42:65–82
Nakanishi T, Lang SC (2002) The search for stratigraphic traps goes on-visualisation of fluvial–lacustrine successions in the Moorari 3D survey, Cooper–Eromanga Basin. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 41:115–137
North CP (1996) The prediction and modeling of subsurface fluvial stratigraphy. In: Carling PA, Drawson MR (eds) Advances in fluvial dynamics and stratigraphy. Wiley, Chichester, pp 395–508
Reynolds A (1999) Dimensions of paralic sandstone bodies. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 83:211–229
Schumm SA (1977) The fluvial system. Wiley, New York, 338 p
Shanley, KW (2004) Fluvial reservoir description for a giant, low-permeability gas field; Jonah field, Green River Basin, Wyoming, U.S.A. In: Robinson JW, Shanley KW (eds) Jonah field: A case study of a tight-gas fluvial reservoir. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Studies in Geology 52:159–182
Shanley KW, McCabe PJ (1994) Perspectives on the sequence stratigraphy of continental strata. Assoc Pet Geol Bull 78:544–568
Stuart WJ (1976) The genesis of Permian and Lower Triassic reservoir sandstones during phases of southern Cooper Basin development. Aust Pet Explor Assoc J 16:37–42
Tye RS (2004) Geomorphology: an approach to determining subsurface reservoir dimensions. Am Assoc Pet Geol Bull 88:1123–1147
Williams BP (1982) Facies analysis of Gidealpa Group reservoir rocks, southern Cooper Basin, South Australia: Report for South Australia Oil and Gas Corporation Pty Ltd (unpublished).
Williams BP (1984) Reservoir geometry and alluvial architecture of the Toolachee Formation, Moomba Field, south Cooper Basin. Geol Soc Aust Abst 12:522–533
Yalin MS (1964) Geometrical properties of sand waves. J Hydraulics Div, Am Soc Civil Eng 90:105–119
Acknowledgments
This project was funded by the Deanship of Scientific Research (DSR), King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, under grant no. (4/145/1432). The author, therefore, acknowledge with thanks DSR technical and financial support. Primary Industries and Resources of South Australia (PIRSA) is gratefully acknowledged for providing 3D seismic and well-log data. A special thank goes to the faculty members of the Department of Petroleum Geology and Sedimentology for their help and support during this study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Alqahtani, F.A. Quantitative analysis of fluvial sandbodies of the Toolachee Formation, Cooper Basin, Australia. Arab J Geosci 8, 10003–10014 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1921-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1921-5