Desert Environments and Petroleum Geology of the Norphlet Formation, Hatter’s Pond Field, Alabama

Abstract

Reservoirs of the Norphlet Formation provide good examples of the varied influences of depositional and diagenetic controls on reservoir distribution and quality. Norphlet sandstones are representative of a variety of desert and near-desert depositional settings, and show a considerable range in reservoir quality. The degree to which deep burial of the Norphlet has overprinted and modified the depositional controls of reservoir quality is varied, as seen in this chapter and the two which follow. The Norphlet reservoir in the Hatter’s Pond Field provides an opportunity to compare and contrast the reservoir quality of several desert and near-desert sequences, including wadi, playa dune, and nearshore-marine lithofacies. Reservoir quality varies greatly, and the most productive lithofacies are dune and shoreface sandstones.