In this month’s AAPG BULLETIN...
February 2010
Impact of deltaic clinothems on reservoir performance: Dynamic studies of reservoir analogs from the Ferron Sandstone Member and Panther Tongue, Utah
Håvard D. Enge and John A. Howell
Clinoforms impact fluid flow
Two ancient river-dominated delta systems were digitally mapped to recreate their clinothem and clinoform geometries in geocellular reservoir modeling software. Laser scanning was used to build virtual outcrops for quantitative reservoir characterization as well as for input in reservoir modeling.
Controls on hydrocarbon properties in a Paleozoic petroleum system in Saudi Arabia: Exploration and development implications
Khaled R. Arouri, Pierre J. Van Laer, Mark H. Prudden, Peter D. Jenden, William J. Carrigan, and Adnan A. Al-Hajji
Compartmentalization: The key component
Petroleum inclusions exist in parts of the Ghazal Field, and their discovery in this traditional gas play was unexpected. Compartmentalization preserved light oil along the southern rim of the field that appears to have escaped flushing by subsequent charges that occurred further north.
Submarine channel response to intrabasinal tectonics: The influence of lateral tilt
Ian A. Kane, Vicky Catterall, William D. McCaffrey, and Ole J. Martinsen
A model of submarine channel evolution
Lateral surface tilting, a common deformation style in extensional settings, has a significant effect on channel evolution with the potential to affect the resultant configuration of the channel system. This study in the Pliocene of the Nile Delta slope has architectural implications for other systems.
Geomechanical modeling of an extensional fault-propagation fold: Big Brushy Canyon monocline, Sierra Del Carmen, Texas
Kevin J. Smart, David A. Ferrill, Alan P. Morris, Barron J. Bichon, David S. Riha, and Luc Huyse
A powerful tool for subsurface deformation
Geometry and strain evolution from the Big Brushy Canyon monocline were tracked so that fold shape, cumulative extension, and layer-parallel shear strain could be compared to field observations. This geomechanical modeling approach provides a powerful tool for site-specific subsurface deformation prediction.
Sedimentary facies and three-dimensional reconstructions of upper Oligocene meander belts from the Loranca Basin, Spain
Margarita Díaz-Molina and M. Belén Muñoz-García
Understanding meander belt architecture
This paper presents three-dimensional reconstructions, estimates differences in sand fraction and connectivity, and discusses controls including estimations of ancient river sizes from exposures of sandstone meander belt deposits in the Loranca Basin, Spain.
About the BULLETIN
First published in 1917 as the Bulletin of the Southwestern Association of Petroleum Geologists--AAPG’s predecessor organization--in order to disseminate scientific material from annual meetings of the S.A.P.G., the AAPG Bulletin changed its name one year later when S.A.P.G. became AAPG.
The AAPG Bulletin has been delivering quality research to the scientific world ever since. The first issue contained papers written by the best-known geologists of the day, and included papers on such topics as South America, Europe, and general geologic problems of structure and sedimentation.
While the 21st-century AAPG Bulletin has undergone some changes since 1917, enlarging to 8 ½ x 11” size to incorporate more material and being published digitally as well as in print, it continues to adhere to the primary purpose of the organization, which is to advance the science of geology especially as it relates to petroleum, natural gas, other subsurface fluids, and mineral resources.
Delivered digitally or in print monthly to each AAPG Member as a part of membership dues, the AAPG Bulletin is one of the most respected, peer-reviewed technical journals in existence, with recent issues containing papers focused on such topics as the Middle East, channel detection, China, permeability, subseismic fault prediction, the U.S., and Africa.