Dynamic basin analysis: an integrated approach with large data bases

Abstract

Summary Basin analysis must include an appreciation of both the rocks and the processes affecting their contained fluids. Therefore the objective of dynamic basin analysis is to synthesize and evaluate the present geological, hydrogeological, thermal and geochemical situation of sedimentary basins as well as their past history. For sedimentary basins such as that in western Canada, where petroleum exploration has resulted in a vast amount of information, synthesis and evaluation can only be achieved through an integrated multidisciplinary computer-oriented approach. This requires the development of a data-base management system and specialized data-processing techniques. These have been developed by the Basin Analysis Group of the Alberta Geological Survey for geological, hydrogeological, thermal and hydrochemical parameters. The synthesized information can then be integrated into a descriptive steady-state model which forms the basis of the numerical simulation of various processes and phenomena related to present fluid, heat and mass flows in the subsurface. These techniques have been applied to studies of the baseline hydrogeology of the Cold Lake oil sands deposit area and the deep waste disposal site at Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada. They are also applicable to petroleum exploration, in situ oil recovery, gas storage, geothermal resource evaluation and mineral exploration. Future research directions are to focus on the inclusion of models for mass transport and on the determination of the palaeohydrogeological regimes in sedimentary basins.