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Chapter 4: the Appomattox Field: Norphlet Aeolian Sand Dune Reservoirs in the Deep-Water Gulf of Mexico

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Chapter 4: the Appomattox Field: Norphlet Aeolian Sand Dune Reservoirs in the Deep-Water Gulf of Mexico AAPG Memoir 113 can be purchased at https://store.aapg.org/detail.aspx?id=1284 Godo, Ted, 2017, The Appomattox field: Norphlet Aeolian sand dune reservoirs in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico, in R. K. Merrill and C. A. Sternbach, eds., Giant 4 fields of the decade 2000–2010: AAPG Memoir 113, p. 29–54. The Appomattox Field: Norphlet Aeolian Sand Dune Reservoirs in the Deep-Water Gulf of Mexico Ted Godo Shell USA, Retired, 14938 Cindywood Drive, Houston, Texas, U.S.A. 77079 (e-mail: [email protected]) ABSTRACT Exploration for oil in the Norphlet reservoir in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico began in 2003 at prospect Shiloh (DC269). The well found oil but not an economic volume. The second pros- pect, Vicksburg (DC353), was drilled in 2007. This well found a larger in-place volume of oil, but with an immovable solid hydrocarbon component within pore spaces, there was great uncertainty as to the potential producible volumes. Two subsequent wells (Fredericksburg [DC486] and Antietam [DC268]) were dry and had a very small amount of oil, respectively. Finally, in late 2009, the fifth well (Appomattox [MC392]) was a significant discovery of high- quality oil in a thick aeolian Norphlet sandstone. INTRODUCtiON Exploration of the Norphlet in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico deep-water Norphlet play seg- The first oil discovery made in the Norphlet reservoir ment began with lease acquisition in December 2001 occurred in Mississippi in 1967. This discovery initi- (Figure 1). The first well drilled prospect Shiloh ated exploration for the Norphlet reservoir that resulted (DC269) and targeted three stacked Jurassic objec- to date with finding 32 small oil and gas discover- tives (Cotton Valley [Tithonian] and Haynesville ies (northeast Texas, 2; Mississippi, 15; Alabama, 14; [Kimmeridgian] deltaic sandstones, and Norphlet and Florida, 2) (Figure 1). The fairway of Norphlet [Callovian] aeolian sandstones) (Godo, 2006). At exploration extended southeast into the shallow Gulf of Shiloh, the only oil found was in the Norphlet sand- Mexico state waters of Mobile Bay. In 1979, a discovery stone, which was both sealed and charged by the in the bay was made whereupon further exploration overlying Smackover. The results at Shiloh prompted continued there throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The further exploration and drilling in the deep water first production in Mobile Bay occurred in 1989. Also for additional Norphlet prospects. Exploration drill- during the 1980s, other exploration wells were drilled ing continued through 2009 with some oil found in in federal waters of the Florida panhandle occurred the first Vicksburg well and a dry hole at Fredericks- with only small discoveries of oil and gas. None of these burg prospects, but no commercial success. The learn- small discoveries in federal waters were ever produced. ings from each well greatly helped to identify specific Copyright ©2017 by The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. DOI:10.1306/13572000M1133680 29 13934_ch04_ptg01_hr_029-054.indd 29 28/06/17 1:41 PM 30 GODO Pelahatchie Flomaton Mobile Wiggins Arch Pensacola Arch Mary Ann PN973 PN948 PN976 Mobile DD31 Bay Fields DD162 DD166 DD56-57 DD111 -167 New Orleans Delilah DD422 Desn Dome DD563 Dorothy GV 707 Viosca Knoll Shiloh FMG252 Appomaox Vicksburg Ge ysburg Rydberg Middle Ground Arch Mississippi Canyon Ft. Sumter Florida Middle Groun d Fredericksburg Desoto Canyon Sale 181 outline Atwater Cheyenne Lloyd Ridge Legend Scale CO Thick 2 Norphlet Gas 1500 Fields Oil Mesozoic 3000 Thin Water “Camp” Basalt Jurassic Igneous Overburden 6000 Norphlet Penetraon Depths TR-Mid Jurassic Paleozoics (Ord-Sil) (Eagle Mills) Paleozoics Fold and Norphlet Metamorphics Thrust Belt Deposional Limit Figure 1. The Norphlet sandstone has been penetrated onshore in the Southern gulf coast states (brown circles). Offshore well locations are identified by the protraction abbreviation and the wells block number or their prospect name. Norphlet exploration since 2003 has been in water depths greater than 5000 ft (1524 m). The names of Shell’s prospects were used from American Civil War battles. critical risk factors to enhance the understanding of net-to-gross ratios are present in the current deep-water the key play elements. Finally, in late 2009, economic play environment. The oil has excellent qualities and success was achieved with the discovery of the thick low viscosity. At Appomattox, the Norphlet reservoir oil charged aeolian sands in the Appomattox field. should average a peak production estimated to reach The Norphlet reservoirs discovered to date have approximately 175,000 barrels of oil equivalent (BOE) shown that thick aeolian sand development (up per day and includes the development of approxi- to 900 ft [274 m] true vertical thickness) with high mately 650 million BOE resources from the Appomattox 13934_ch04_ptg01_hr_029-054.indd 30 28/06/17 1:41 PM The Appomattox Field: Norphlet Aeolian Sand Dune Reservoirs in the Deep-Water Gulf of Mexico 31 and adjacent Vicksburg fields. Additional new nearby are filled with continent-derived fluvial and lacus- discoveries by Shell at prospects Fort Sumter and trine red beds referred to as the Newark Supergroup Rydberg could easily bring the total resource volume to (Olsen, 1997). Sediments in the Newark Supergroup over 800 million BOE. consist of a dryland red bed sequence of alluvial and This chapter is intended to review the historical fluvial conglomerates, sandstone, and siltstone with aspects of the Norphlet play as well as to summarize occasional lacustrine mudrocks. All of these sedi- and integrate much of the excellent industry work that ments are intruded by Jurassic diabase sills, dikes, and led to the discovery of the Appomattox field in 2009. extrusive flow deposits. Basalt intrusions and flows occurred over a 10 million km2 (4 million mi2) area of central Pangaea, dated at approximately 200 Ma (also REgiONAL STRatiGRAPHY AND known as CAMP—Central Atlantic Magmatic Prov- STRUCTURAL SEttiNG ince) (Manspeizer et al., 1988; Olsen, 1997; Marzoli et al., 1999; Hames et al., 2000; McHone, 2000). In the Synrift Phase: Deposition of the Eagle Mills onshore trend of rift basins, diabase igneous rocks in dikes have been radiometrically dated at 180 to 200 Ma The Gulf of Mexico began to form after the initial (Scott et al., 1961; Baldwin and Adams, 1971; Ash, rift stage that separated North and South America. 1980; Chowns and Williams, 1983; Arthur, 1988). The earliest opening began along the Atlantic mar- In the southeastern United States, synrift deposi- gin, with successive rifting beginning from the north tion occurred from the Late Triassic into the lower and progressively younger age rifting to the south. Jurassic (Cornet and Olsen, 1985) (Figure 2). The The rift basins along the present-day Atlantic coast South Georgia rift trend—the southern continuation Figure 2. This stratigraphic column illustrates the lateral changes from shelf to basinal positions. This column only shows the Mesozoic stratigraphy of the eastern Gulf of Mexico highlighting general lithologies. Note the stratigraphic location of the Norphlet sandstone deposited directly on evaporites. The Norphlet clastic wedge represents the ephemeral fluvial wash and aeolian sands deposited around the rim edge of the forming Gulf of Mexico. The Appomattox well left of the column illustrates the typical gamma-ray and resistivity response of the stratigraphic column. 13934_ch04_ptg01_hr_029-054.indd 31 28/06/17 1:41 PM 32 GODO of the Atlantic rift margin—cuts across South Carolina et al., 1961; Vernon, 1971; Woods and Addington, and southern Georgia into northern Florida. The off- 1973). The formation is not only confined to rift ba- shore extension of this trend into the northeast Gulf sin geometry but also fills and spills over the grabens of Mexico covers portions of the Gainesville, Destin with continued deposition marking the transition be- Dome, and Desoto Canyon protraction areas (Scott tween rift and sag phases (Hutchinson and Klitgord, et al., 1961; Gohn et al., 1978; Mitchell-Tapping, 1982; 1988; Green, 1989; Hurbert et al., 1992; Schlische, 1993; Chowns and Williams, 1983; Moy and Traverse, 1986; Withjack et al., 1998, 2012; White et al., 1999). In south- Thomas, 1988; Raymond, 1989; Salvador, 1991; Burch west Arkansas, fossil algae and leaf impressions from and Weidie, 1994; Macrae and Watkins, 1995; Wood an Eagle Mills core indicate a Late Triassic age (Scott and Benson, 2000; Heffner, 2013; Parker, 2014). The et al., 1961; Traverse, 1987; Wood and Benson, 1991). Eagle Mills Formation was deposited within the rift Based upon reported leaf impressions and other work, grabens and then spilled across a wider initially sag- Rainwater (1968) proposed the possible existence of ging basin. The environment of deposition for Eagle lacustrine facies deposited in rift valley lakes. Mills sediment was a dryland environment (Mitchell- In the Gulf of Mexico, there are several undrilled, Tapping, 1982; Harrelson and Ingram, 2000). These but seismically well-defined, rift-formed half gra- sediments consist of conglomerates from alluvial fans, bens likely filled by continental red beds (Macrae and varicolored mudstones, siltstones, and sandstones Watkins, 1995; Dobson and Buffler, 1997). The Sohio-1, from ephemeral fluvial deposition and aeolian sand- in Gainesville 707, drilled a seismically defined half stones (Dawson and Callender, 1992). graben and found 4775 ft (1455 m) of siltstones and The Eagle Mills Formation is known only from volcaniclastics, all intruded by basalt dikes, with the subsurface and is named from the Amerada no lacustrine or marine shale described (Applegate Eagle Mills No. 1 well located in Ouachita County, and Lloyd, 1985) (Figure 1). One particularly large Arkansas (Weeks, 1938). The maximum thick- undrilled graben underlies the Delilah wells, and a ness estimated for the Eagle Mills is approximately smaller half graben is present under prospects Shiloh 7000 ft (2134 m), and it was deposited adjacent to the (DC269) and Antietam (DC268) (Figure 1).
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