Sediment provenance in the Sureste Basin through integration of 2D and 3D seismic data

Abstract

Salt-influenced sedimentary basins are mostly associated with significant prospectivity, such as the Gulf of Mexico, the North Sea, the Campos and Santos Basins and the Lower Congo Basin (Hudec and Jackson, 2007). Due to its density and flow characteristics, salt has a major influence on the different elements of the petroleum system. For the trap element, halokinesis creates structural traps, counter- regional dips, and can carry adjacent lithologies via rafting. For the reservoir element, it affects syn- and post-kinematic sediment dispersal patterns and reservoir distribution, (such as presented in the 2020 publication by Howlett et al., with examples from the Kwanza Basin) and can therefore be important for the creation of stratigraphic traps; it can also impact reservoir quality. For seal, it can act as one of the most efficient top and side seals and can also act as a regional seal to fluid migration and charge. It also affects the thermal evolution of sediments due to its high thermal conductivity (Forrest et al., 2007). Relative timing of salt can also govern prospectivity. Enhanced seismic imaging is essential in salt-influenced basins in order to address the effect of salt on the different aspects of the petroleum system. An integration of nearshore modern 2D seismic data and outboard reprocessed 3D data, are resulting in a better understanding of the sediment fairways and reservoir distribution in the Sureste Basin.