G250 Production Geology

Aeolian Reservoirs

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OBJECTIVES - AEOLIAN RESERVOIRS

At the end of this session the participant should be able to:

List ways to identify reservoir of aeolian origin

List characteristics of the aeolian reservoirs

List production characteristics

List potential field development problems

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AEOLIAN DEPOSITS TANK OF SAND ?

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ALSO DESERT !

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ALSO DESERT !

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MARS (VIKING LANDING, 1980)

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DID YOU KNOW ?

 deserts cover a third of the earth's surface

 evaporation rates in deserts are often 20 times the annual
precipitation

 a temperature of 58 C has been recorded in the shade at Azizia in

Libya

 no rain for over 40 years in the Atacama desert in Chile

 night temperatures in some deserts fall well below freezing
 sand dunes can reach heights of up to 300m
 sand covers less than 20 per cent of the world's desert areas

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DESERT TEMPERATURE
40

Average Monthly Temperature

30

10

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DEC

OCT

SEP

AUG

JULY

JUNE

MAY

APR

MAR

FEB

-20

NOV

Sahara
Gobi
Amsterdam

-10

JAN

Temp (deg C)

20

DESERT PRECIPITATION
120

Sahara
Gobi
Amsterdam

Average Monthly Precipitation

80

60

Total Yearly rainfall

Sahara
: 46 mm
Gobi
: 233 mm
Amsterdam : 828 mm

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DEC

NOV

OCT

SEP

AUG

JULY

MAY

JUNE

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APR

MAR

FEB

20

JAN

Precipitation (mm)

100

WHAT IS A DESERT ?

Desert: any area where annual precipitation is less

than potential evaporation.

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DESERT ENVIRONMENT

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AEOLIAN ENVIRONMENTS

 Dunes
 Sandflats (Sabkha)
Wet
Dry
 Lakes (Playas)

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DESERT TYPE ENVIRONMENTS

Desiccation cracks near an ephemeral stream, Tunisia, Chott Djerid Area (Photo: M. Kosters)

Kelso Dunes in the Mohave Desert in California (US)

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Damp sandflat sediments showing salt precipipation at

the surface
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Photo M. Kosters, Tunisean desert, 4/8/2011
Chott Jerid area

AEOLIAN ENVIRONMENTS

 Dunes
 Sandflats (Sabkha)
 Wet
 Dry

 Lakes (Playas)

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DUNE TYPES

Barchan

Seif

Transverse

Transverse

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Stellate

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CROSS - BEDDED DUNE SANDSTONES

Slipface deposits
Topset deposits
Crest
Windward slope

Brink
Slipface

Interdune
deposits

Wedge planar
cross bed set

Tabular planar
cross bed set

Dune migration
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DUNE SLIPFACE SANDSTONES

~ 4 m.

Simple & Trough Dune Sets - Entrada Fm., Utah

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AEOLIAN DEPOSITS BAFFLES - BARRIERS

cm thick grainflow

Dune base
Jurassic Navajo Fm,
Zion, Utah
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STACKED SAND DUNE CROSS SETS AND INTERDUNES FINE SAND AND SILT

Cross
bedded
slipface
Dune
base

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DUNE APRON / DUNE BASE/ SAND SHEET

 Very fine - medium grained, occasionally granular

 predominantly wind ripple
 common bimodal lamination
 dune apron cross bedding dips <15
 Sand sheet ~horizontal lamination
 higher fines content than slipface
 ave. porosity 11%

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Linear Draa

NAMIBIA

Stellar Draa

Interdune (flooded)
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AEOLIAN ENVIRONMENTS

 Dunes

Sandflats (Sabkha)
Wet
Dry

 Lakes (Playas)

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INTERDUNE SABKHA AREAS

interdune

1 km across grey sabkha,

Empty Quarter, Oman / Saudi Arabia
Tidal flood surface, and associated sedimentary
structures, Guerrero Negro, Mexico.
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Photo courtesy Steven G. Fryberger.

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SANDY SABKHA







Very fine - medium grained,

occasionally granular
crinkly lamination
(disturbed by evaporite precipitation
following deposition)
thickness <1 - 25 (laterally
extensive)
Average porosity 7%
Average Kh <0.01 mD

Trench near Douz, Tunisia

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MUDDY SABKHA








Siltstones / very fine grained

shaly sandstones
crinkly lamination (disturbed by
evaporite precipitation following
deposition)
thickness <1-10
laterally extensive (several km)
field wide markers
ave. porosity 3%
ave Kh <0.01 mD
Chott el Jerid, Tunisia. Mountains are ca. 10km away

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VERTICAL PERMEABILITY RELATIONSHIPS (GAWAIN FIELD, SNS, UK)

10,000

Kv

1000

Interdune
Dune apron
Dune slipface

100

10

0.1
0.1

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10

Kh

100

1000 mD

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AEOLIAN ENVIRONMENTS

 Dunes
 Sandflats (Sabkha)
 Wet
 Dry

Lakes (Playas)

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LAKE EYRE (AUSTRALIA)

Lake Eyre

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LAKE EYRE VARIATION IN SIZE

29 Nov 2000

9 Dec 2000
0
km

50

Area up to 9,500 km2

Depth up to 6 m
17 m below sealevel

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RECOGNISE AEOLIAN DEPOSITS

Desiccation cracks (indicating sub-aerial exposure

of water-laid sediments)

Steepening upward of laminae (indicating

deposition of aeolian dune sands)

Bi-modally sorted laminae or in other words: sand

within individual laminae is well sorted but between
laminae there is a distinct change in grain size

Quartz grains that have not been cemented by

calcite usually exhibit a frosted (pitted) surface
under the microscope

Empty Quarter,
Oman / Saudi Arabia
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30o

Dune Apron
Dune Slipface

Stacked Dune Aprons

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AEOLIAN DEPOSITS

Reservoir development





Dune slipface, dune apron / plinth

Clean, well sorted, rounded sands, 50 - 100s m thick
Grain flow versus windripple depositional processes - distinguished on dip
angle 10 versus 30 degrees
Non reservoir - interdune & water lain facies

Production characteristics



Variable (commonly very good) properties within extensive sand

development
Lower dips separates intermediate from good (grain flow) reservoir

Potential problems





Facies prediction continuity of dune facies

use dipmeter / image logs, red bed strat techniques
Prediction of clay diagenesis
Fault seal cataclasis compartmentalises reservoir
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GRONINGEN GAS FIELD

GIIP ~ 2.9 1012 M3 (100 TCF)
RESERVES ~ 1.0 1012 M3

Groningen

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