Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Reservoir Characterization of the Middle Jurassic Upper Shaunavon Member in Southwestern Saskatc
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SEDIMENTOLOGY, STRATIGRAPHY AND RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION OF THE MIDDLE JURASSIC UPPER SHAUNAVON MEMBER IN SOUTHWESTERN SASKATCHEWAN A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Masters of Science In Geology University of Regina By Peter Donald Hill Regina, Saskatchewan June 2018 Copyright 2018, P.D. Hill UNIVERSITY OF REGINA FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES AND RESEARCH SUPERVISORY AND EXAMINING COMMITTEE Peter Donald Hill, candidate for the degree of Master of Science in Geology, has presented a thesis titled, Sedimentology, Stratigraphy and Reservoir Characterization of the Middle Jurassic Upper Shaunavon Member in Southwestern Saskatchewan, in an oral examination held on April 27, 2018. The following committee members have found the thesis acceptable in form and content, and that the candidate demonstrated satisfactory knowledge of the subject material. External Examiner: Erik Nickel, Petroleum Technology Research Centre Supervisor: Dr. Osman Salad Hersi, Department of Geology Committee Member: Dr. Hairuo Qing, Department of Geology Chair of Defense: Dr. Abdul Bais, Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science ABSTRACT The Upper Shaunavon Member in southwestern Saskatchewan has once again become an area of a new interest with advances in drilling and completion techniques. The member has been a medium oil producer since the 1950’s and has some of the most prolific oil production within the province. In southwestern Saskatchewan the Upper Shaunavon Member unconformably overlies the Lower Shaunavon Member. Detailed core descriptions and geophysical well- logs identified seven recurring lithofacies that include: 1) very fine to medium-grained peloidal quartz arenite (Facies 1); 2) sandy, bioclastic oolitic grainstone (Facies 2); 3) bioclastic, bioturbated sandstone (Facies 3); 4) well-cemented sandstone (Facies 4) ; 5) calcareous mudstone (Facies 5); 6) mixed sandstone and dolomitic shale (Facies 6); 7) shale, sandstone and coquina interlayers (Facies 7). These facies are grouped into 3 lithofacies associations within the Upper Shaunavon Member. Deposition of the Upper Shaunavon Member primarily occurred within a marginal marine environment under tidal and brackish water influences. Facies Association 1 has tidal indicators such as inclined heterolithic stratification, channel lags and coals. Brackish influences are indicated by low-diversity, diminutive trace fossils as well as synaresis cracks. Facies Association 2 was deposited in inner shelf fully marine wave dominated conditions indicated by Cruziana Ichnofacies. Facies Association 3 formed as the result of a base level drop, resulting in erosion and the creation of incised valleys. The subsequent rise in sea level caused these valleys to be filled by tidal inlet channel sediments. Geologic mapping of stratigraphic units underlying Upper Shaunavon Member reveal they have a significant amount of control on deposition and the distribution of oil. I The best oil production is found within Facies Association 3 tidal inlet channels deposited on structural lows in the study area. Tidal flats deposits are the least productive reservoirs due to a primarily muddy lithology, a relatively thin reservoir and low permeability restricting oil migration. Oil within the Upper Shaunavon Member is trapped both hydrodynamically and stratigraphically by impermeable shales. Previously missed pay zones and reservoirs found west of the main oil field trend offer new potential explorations targets. II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor Dr. Osman Salad Hersi for his technical and scientific expertise, patience and allowing me to think and work independently throughout this project. Dr. Salad Hersi’s suggestions and recommendations were invaluable throughout this entire process. I would like to thank my coworkers at the Saskatchewan Subsurface Geology Lab, in particular Dan Kohlruss and Arden Marsh for their geologic expertise, project management skills and everyday discussions. Also without their encouragement this project would have never started. Thank you to Melinda Yurkowski for giving me the support and time needed to complete this project. I would also like to thank Megan Love and Tyler Music for their technical support and assistance with multiple figures in this thesis. I would like to thank all of the warehouse staff at the lab for the many hours and physical labor spent getting core and samples during the logging process. Last but not least, I would like to thank my family for their support. III DEDICATION To Jennifer IV Table of Contents Abstract………………………………………………………………………………….. I Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………..III Dedication………………………………………………………………………………. IV Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………....V List of figures………………………………………………………………………......VIII List of tables……………………………………………………………………………XV 1. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..1 1.1 Purpose and Objectives……………………………………………………………….3 1.2 Previous Work………………………………………………………………………..4 1.3 A Review of Mixed Carbonate-Clastic Depositional Systems……………………….9 1.3.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………9 1.3.2 Controls on Carbonate-Clastic Mixing……………………………………..9 1.4 Study Area…………………………………………………………………………...13 1.5 Study Methods……………………………………………………………………...15 1.5.1 Production Maps………………………………………………………...…16 1.5.2 Geologic Structure and Isopach maps……………………………………...16 1.5.3 Geologic Cross-Sections…………………………………………………………...16 2. REGIONAL GEOLOGY……………………………………………………………...18 3. FACIES DESCRIPTIONS AND INTERPRETATIONS……………………………..22 3.1 Introduction……………………………………………..............................................22 3.1.1. Facies 1: Very Fine to Medium-Grained Arenite Peloidal Arenite……………..22 3.1.2. Facies 2: Sandy Bioclastic Oolitic Grainstone…………………………...30 V 3.1.3. Facies 3: Bioclastic Bioturbated Sandstone……………………………………..36 3.1.4 Facies 4: Well-Cemented Sandstone…………………………………………....40 3.1.4.1 Facies 4a: Massive Well-Cemented Very Fine-Grained Sandstone………..........40 3.1.4.2 Facies 4b: Well-Cemented laminated Fine Grained Sandstone………………..42 3.1.5 Facies 5: Calcareous Mudstone……………………………………………...…42 3.1.6 Facies 6: Mixed Sandstone and Dolomitic Shale………………………………..47 3.1.7 Facies 7: Shale, Sandstone and Coquina Interlayers…………………………...54 3.2 Facies Associations and Depositional Environments………………………………..62 3.2.1 Facies Association 1: Tidal Flats and Tidal Bars………………………………...62 3.2.2 Facies Association 2: Subtidal/ Shoreface……………………………………....72 3.2.3 Facies Association 3: Tidal Inlet Channels……………………………………....78 4. STRATIGRAPHIC ARCHITECTURE AND DEPOSITIONAL MODEL…………..82 4.1 Introduction……………………………………………………………………...83 4.2 Structure and Isopach Maps……………………………………………………...83 4.3. Facies Association Cross-Sections……………………………………………....95 4.3.1 Cross-Section A-A’………………………………………………………………95 4.3.2 Cross-Section B-B’………………………………………………………….100 4.3.3 Cross-Section C-C’……………………………………………………………..104 4.3.4 Cross-Section D-D’……………………………………………………………..106 4.3.5 Cross-Section E-E’……………………………………………………………..108 4.3.6 Cross-Section F-F’……………………………………………………………..111 4.4 Depositional Model…………………………………………………………….114 4.4.1 Tidal Flat and Tidal Bars Association (Facies Association 1)………………….114 4.4.2 Subtidal Wave Dominated Shoreface (Facies Association 2)………………….120 VI 4.4.3 Tidal Inlet channels (Facies Association 3)………………………………….…120 5. RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION……………………………………………..122 5.1 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….122 5.2 Oil Distribution Controls and Trapping………………………………………...122 5.3 Trapping………………………………………………………………………...123 5.4 Oil Production……………………………………………………………….….127 5.4.1 Instow – Bone Creek Tidal Channel…………………………………………....127 5.4.2 Covington - Illerbrun Tidal Channel…………………………………………....136 5.4.3 Leitchville Tidal Flats and Tidal Bars……………………………………….…143 5.4.4 Township 11 and 12 Tidal Flats and Tidal Bars…………………………….….149 5.5 Decline Curve Analysis………………………………………………………...155 5.5.1 Instow – Bone Creek Tidal Inlet Channel……………………………….……...155 5.5.2 Covington – Illerbrun Tidal Inlet Channel……………………………..……….162 5.5.3 Leitchville………………………………………………………………............166 5.5.4 Township 11 – 12 Range 18 – 20………………………………………………166 5.6 Reservoir Burial and Diagenesis……………………………………………..…166 5.7 Reservoir Characterization Summary…………………………………………..169 6. CONCLUSIONS……………………………………………………………….175 LIST OF REFERENCES…………………………………………………………….…177 APPENDIX I: Formation and Facies Association Tops…………………………….….184 APPENDIX II: Oil-Cut Calculations…………………………………………………...195 VII LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Stratigraphic chart of Lower Mesozoic in southwestern Saskatchewan……....2 Figure 1.2 Upper Shaunavon Member sub-units from Christopher’s Report 95……….…6 Figure 1.3 Schematic showing systems tracts and changes in accommodation space that control mixing in clastic-carbonate systems………………………………….12 Figure 1.4 Detailed map of the study area in southwestern Saskatchewan……………...14 Figure 2.1 The Euramerican continent during the Middle Jurassic……………………...20 Figure 2.2 Schematic of Jurassic sediments in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin…………………………………………………………………….....21 Figure 3.1 Core photograph of facies 1: Peloidal Quartz Arenite ………………………26 Figure 3.2 Core photograph of planar lamination in facies 1…………………………....27 Figure 3.3 Core photograph of rippled crossbedding from facies 1…………………..…28 Figure 3.4 Photomicrograph of facies 1………………………………………………....29 Figure 3.5 Core photographs of well-cemented oolitic grainstone from facies2………...32 Figure 3.6