Three-dimensional seismic-based definition of fault-related porosity development: Trenton�Black River interval, Saybrook, Ohio

Abstract

Oil and gas reservoirs of the Ordovician Trenton–Black River interval in the Appalachian Basin are commonly associated with fault-related hydrothermal dolomites. However, relationships between porosity development and fault geometry in these fields are poorly documented. In this article, we integrate three-dimensional (3-D) seismic and wire-line data from the Trenton–Black River interval at Saybrook field in northeastern Ohio to study relationships between faulting and porosity development there. Faults were mapped using a combination of amplitude and coherency versions of the seismic data, and a 3-D porosity volume was generated for the Trenton–Black River interval by integrating attributes derived from the seismic data with log-based measures of porosity. The productive trend in the Trenton–Black River interval at Saybrook is controlled by a 3.4-mi (5.5-km)-long, northwest-southeast–oriented basement fault that was probably reactivated during the Taconic orogeny (i.e., Late Ordovician). Strike-slip movement along the fault generated en echelon synthetic shear faults that branch at least 1350 ft (411.5 m) upward into the Trenton–Black River interval. The best porosity is developed in areas between overlapping synthetic shear faults. Antithetic shear faults probably formed at these locations and, when combined with minor dip-slip movement, created conduits for subsequent porosity-generating fluids. Circular collapse structures associated with localized extension between overlapping shear faults are the primary drilling targets, and horizontal wells running parallel to the strike of the fault would have the best chances of intercepting good porosity development.