Depositional sequence analysis and sedimentologic modeling for improved prediction of Pennsylvanian reservoirs

The objectives of this research are to: (1) assist producers in locating and producing petroleum not currently produced because of technological problems or the inability to identify details of reservoir compartmentalization, (2) to decrease risk in field development, and (3) accelerate the retrieval and analysis of baseline geoscience information for initial reservoir description. The interdisciplinary data sought in this research will be used to resolve specific problems in correlation of strata and to establish the mechanisms responsible for the Upper Pennsylvanian stratigraphic architecture in the Midcontinent. The data will better constrain ancillary problems related to the validation of depositional sequence and subsequence correlation, subsidence patterns, sedimentation rates, sea-level changes, and the relationship of sedimentary sequences to basement terrains. The geoscientific information, including data from field studies, surface and near-surface reservoir analogues, and regional database development, will also be used for development of geologic computer process-based simulation models tailored to specific depositional sequences for use in improving prediction of reservoir characteristics. 4 refs