Conduits For Fluid Flow Research Articles

Physical properties of carbonate fault rocks, fucino basin (Central Italy): implications for fault seal in platform carbonates

AbstractWe documented the porosity, permeability, pore geometry, pore type, textural anisotropy, and capillary pressure of carbonate rock samples collected along basin‐bounding normal faults in central Italy. The study samples consist of one Mesozoic platform carbonate host rock with low porosity and permeability, four fractured host rocks of the damage zones, and four fault rocks of the fault cores. The four fractured samples have high secondary porosity, due to elongated, connected, soft pores that provide fluid pathways in the damage zone. We modeled this zone as an elastic cracked medium, and used the Budiansky–O'Connell correlation to compute its permeability from the measured elastic moduli. This correlation can be applied only to fractured rocks with large secondary porosity and high‐aspect ratio pores. The four fault rock samples are made up of survivor clasts embedded in fine carbonate matrices and cements with sub‐spherical, stiff pores. The low porosity and permeability of these rocks, and their high values of capillary pressure, are consistent with the fault core sealing as much as 77 and 140 m of gas and oil columns, respectively. We modeled the fault core as a granular medium, and used the Kozeny–Carmen correlation, assigning the value of 5 to the Kozeny constant, to compute its permeability from the measured porosities and pore radii. The permeability structure of the normal faults is composed of two main units with unique hydraulic characteristics: a granular fault core that acts as a seal to cross‐fault fluid flow, and an elastic cracked damage zone that surrounds the core and forms a conduit for fluid flow. Transient pathways for along‐fault fluid flow may form in the fault core during seismic faulting due to the formation of opening‐mode fractures within the cemented fault rocks.

Fracture sealing and fluid overpressures in limestones of the Jabal Akhdar dome, Oman mountains

AbstractFractures are important conduits for fluid flow in the Earth's crust. To better understand the spatial and temporal relations among fracturing, fracture sealing, and fluid flow, we have studied fractures, faults, and veins in a large dome (Jabal Akhdar) in the Oman mountains. Our work combines the results of meso‐ and microstructural analyses and stable isotope analyses. Seven generations of fractures and veins have been identified in the carbonate‐dominated dome. The earliest generations of veins developed during extension and subsidence of the Mesozoic basin. These veins formed in the inclined segments of bedding‐parallel stylolites and in extensional fractures that are perpendicular to bedding (#1 and #2, respectively). These extension‐related veins are truncated by bedding‐parallel veins (#4) that formed during top‐to‐north bedding‐parallel shear of both the northern and southern limbs of the dome. These veins are consistent with a change in stress regime and may be related to an earlier generation of strongly deformed pinch‐and‐swell veins (#3) that are exposed locally on the southern limb of the dome. Normal faults contain a set of en‐echelon tension gashes (#5) and veins emplaced in dilational jogs along the fault planes (#6). In the northern part of the dome, veins (#7) associated with thrusts post‐date the normal faults. Samples of veins and their host rocks were analyzed to provide information on fluid‐rock interaction in the dome and the scale(s) of fluid movement. Oxygen isotope values range from +16.2 to +29.3‰; carbon isotope values range from 0 to +3.6‰. The results of the structural and isotopic analyses are consistent with the early veins (#2–#5) having precipitated from overpressured fluid in a isotopically rock‐buffered system. During normal faulting (#5 and #6), a more open system allowed external fluid to infiltrate the dome at drained conditions and precipitate the youngest sets of veins (#6 and #7).

Coupled reservoir/wormholes model for cold heavy oil production wells

Cold heavy oil production (CHOP) is a non-thermal process in which sands are aggressively produced to obtain a higher oil production rate. It is believed that wormholes are generated during this process and that the wormholes provide the main conduits for fluid flow. A semi-analytical model coupling the reservoir/wormholes flow has been developed to analyze the performance of CHOP wells. The diffusivity equation in the model is solved by source functions, which has been widely practiced in solving the unsteady reservoir flow problems to analyze transient pressure behaviors of horizontal and multilateral wells. This model is also quite flexible to incorporate any wormhole hydraulic model; moreover, the model can be used under a variety of reservoir boundary conditions, such as closed systems, constant pressure systems, etc. In this paper, the effects of wormhole patterns, wormhole scales, wormhole diameters, wormhole branching, boundary conditions and pressure drop along the wormhole on the performance of CHOP wells have been analyzed extensively. The model not only provides a powerful tool to understand the effects of wormholes, but also offers a way to interpret well testing data and to analyze production rate declines of CHOP wells.

Deformation and fluid flow during orogeny at the palaeo‐Pacific active margin of Gondwana: the Early Palaeozoic Robertson Bay accretionary complex (north Victoria Land, Antarctica)

AbstractStructural investigations, integrated with X‐ray diffraction, fluid inclusion microthermometry and oxygen‐stable isotope analyses are used to reconstruct the deformation history and the palaeo‐fluid circulation during formation of the low‐grade, turbidite‐dominated Early Palaeozoic Robertson Bay accretionary complex of north Victoria Land (Antarctica). Evidence for progressive deformation is elucidated by analysing the textural fabric of chronologically distinct, thrust‐related quartz vein generations, incrementally developed during progressive shortening and thickening of the Robertson Bay accretionary complex. Our data attest that orogenic deformation was mainly controlled by dissolution–precipitation creep, modulated by stress‐ and strain‐rate‐dependent fluid pressure cycling, associated with local and regional permeability variations induced by the distribution and evolution of the fracture network during regional thrusting. Fracture‐related fluid pathways constituted efficient conduits for episodic fluid flow. The dominant migrating fluid was pre‐to‐syn‐folding and associated with the migration of warm (160–200 °C) nitrogen‐ and carbonic (CO2 and CH4)‐bearing fluids. Both fluid advection and diffusive mass transfer are recognized as operative mechanisms for fluid–rock interaction and vein formation during continuous shortening. In particular, fluid–rock interaction was the consequence of dissolution–precipitation creep assisted by tectonically driven cooling fluids moving through the rock section as a result of seismic pumping. The most likely source of the migrating fluids would be the frontal part of the growing accretionary complex, where fluids from the deep levels in the hinterland are driven trough channelization operated by the thrust‐related fracture (fault) systems.

Complexity gradients in the Yilgarn Craton: Fundamental controls on crustal-scale fluid flow and the formation of world-class orogenic-gold deposits

Fractal-dimension analysis is an effective means of quantifying complex map patterns of structures and lithological contacts, which are conduits for hydrothermal fluid flow during the formation of orogenic-gold deposits. In this study, fractal dimensions, calculated on a 10 km grid across a geologic map of the Yilgarn Craton of uniform data quality, highlight relationships between geologic complexity and the location and size of Archaean orogenic-gold deposits. In the Kalgoorlie Terrane and Laverton Tectonic Zone, the largest gold deposits occur along steep gradients defined by fractal-dimension values. These steep gradients in the greenstone belts occur between massive sedimentary rock sequences of low complexity, and volcanic and intrusive rock units with more complex map patterns. The formation of world-class orogenic-gold deposits requires that hydrothermal fluids become focused from a large volume of well-connected rocks at depth, towards narrow, high-permeability zones near the location of deposit formation. Connectivity is indirectly related to permeability, and the degree of connectivity is related to the density and orientation of fluid pathways, which are quantified in map patterns using fractal-dimension analysis. Thus, fractal dimensions are a measure of the potential for increased connectivity and the likelihood of increased permeability. Greater complexity, as measured by larger fractal dimensions, implies that a certain area has the potential to produce more interconnected pathways, or zones of high connectivity. Therefore, the steep complexity gradients defined in the Kalgoorlie Terrane and Laverton Tectonic Zone correspond to areas that focused large volumes of hydrothermal fluid and enhanced the potential for significant gold mineralisation. Fractal-dimension analysis thus provides a link between empirical map features and the processes that have enhanced hydrothermal fluid flow and resulted in the formation of larger orogenic-gold deposits.

When do faults in sedimentary basins leak? Stress and deformation in sedimentary basins; examples from the North Sea and Haltenbanken, offshore Norway

Faults may be barriers or conduits for fluid flow in sedimentary basins. The properties of faults, however, depend on stress conditions and rock properties at the time of deformation and subsequent diagenesis of the fault zone. Several recent publications have suggested that petroleum reservoirs in the North Sea and at Haltenbanken, offshore mid-Norway, have experienced leakage along faults caused by imposed stresses, related to glacial loading during the Quaternary. The Jurassic reservoirs in these areas are, however, bounded by faults produced during the Upper Jurassic rifting, when the sediments were still soft and, for the most part, uncemented. These faults do not represent zones of weakness. Because of strain hardening and later diagenesis in sandstones and cementation in mudstones, the fault zones are commonly stronger than the adjacent rocks. They are therefore not likely to be reactivated tectonically. Furthermore, there is little evidence of glacial deformation in the Quaternary sediments overlying these oil fields. It has been proposed that very large horizontal stresses, inferred to be related to periods of glacial loading, caused shear failure at pore pressures below fracture pressure and subsequent leakage along these shear zones. We argue that this is not a likely mechanism during progressive burial in sedimentary basins. Very high horizontal effective stresses, up to 60 MPa, at about 3 km (1.8 mi) depth, at Haltenbanken would have caused more mechanical compaction and grain crushing than that observed in situ. External stress, i.e., plate-tectonic stress from spreading ridges (ridge push), will be transmitted primarily through the basement and not through the much more compressible overlying sedimentary rocks. During progressive basin subsidence, chemical compaction, i.e., caused by quartz cementation, causes rock shrinkage, which will relax differential stresses. This makes brittle deformation (shear failure), resulting in open fractures less likely to occur at stresses below the fracture pressure. In subsiding sedimentary basins with progressive compaction, horizontal stress will normally not exceed the vertical stress except when there is significant shortening of the underlying basement.

Regional-scale fluid flow and element mobility in Barrow’s metamorphic zones, Stonehaven, Scotland

The geochemistry of metamorphic quartz vein formation in Barrow’s index mineral zones north of Stonehaven, Scotland, was investigated in order to assess regional fluid flow and mass transfer. Metamorphic grade in the Dalradian metasediments increases to the north–northwest away from the Highland Boundary Fault (HBF) and associated ophiolitic rocks of the Highland Border Complex (HBC), passing through the Chlorite (Chl), Biotite (Bt), Garnet (Grt), Chloritoid (Cld), and Staurolite (St) zones. Syn-metamorphic fluid infiltration at 462±8.8 Ma (Breeding et al. in Am Mineral 89:1067, 2004) produced considerable quartz veining. Vein abundance varies from about 5 to 15 volume percent of the outcrops; veins tend to be more abundant in metapelitic layers than in metapsammitic ones. Metamorphic veins are surrounded by centimeter- to decimeter-wide zones of chemical and mineralogical alteration (selvages). Porphyroblasts, particularly Bt, Grt, Cld, and St, are typically larger in selvages than in wallrocks distal to veins. The altered selvages underwent fluid-driven addition of Na, Ca, and Sr, and loss of K, Rb, and Ba. Alteration is most intense within ∼750 m of the HBF, but is still very significant at the northern end of the field area some 2 km away. Mg/FeT (FeT=total iron) was either unchanged or increased due to alteration. Silica was added at some Chl and Bt zone localities near the HBF. Pb mass transfer was variable although Pb was added at a number of locations. Rare Earth elements (REE) were generally immobile, but light REE and possibly heavy REE were lost at one field site. The gain of Na and Ca and loss of K promoted the growth of plagioclase at the expense of micas (particularly muscovite) in selvages and wallrock inclusions throughout the field area and, probably, some calcite and/or dolomite growth directly adjacent to the HBF. The Ca gains were also critical for epidote production in the Bt zone. Gains of Ca and increases in Mg/FeT helped to stabilize Grt at the expense of Cld and St in some selvages. Hornblende and cummingtonite were discovered in strongly altered metapelitic rocks at one Cld zone locality. The metasomatism puts important constraints on the processes of mass transfer and suggests two models for regional fluid flow. In the first model, fluid flow in a direction of increasing temperature downward along the HBF added Na and Ca, and removed K from the Dalradian. In the second model, fluid flow upward from the HBC transported Na and Ca into the overlying Dalradian and, at the same time, stripped out K. The latter model is favored because it can most readily account for silica addition near the HBF, but neither model can be ruled out at present. In either case, the veins represent fractures that transmitted very large time-integrated fluid fluxes of at least ∼104 m3 (fluid)/m2 (rock). Consequently, the veins were conduits for regional fluid flow that caused considerable open-system chemical and mineralogical alteration during metamorphism.

Complex pockmarks with carbonate-ridges off mid-Norway: Products of sediment degassing

A new type of pockmark has been discovered off mid-Norway. They contain up to 10 m high ridges of methane-derived authigenic carbonate (MDAC) rock. The pockmarks were investigated using ROVs (remotely operated vehicles) in 2003 and 2004. The complex pockmarks are located well within the gas hydrate pressure/temperature stability field, and are associated with a regional BSR (bottom simulating reflector). Our high-resolution seismic data demonstrate that the near-surface sedimentary bedding dips into vertical pipe structures underlying the pockmarks, and that the pipes are deeply rooted. The pockmarks are circular in plan view and contain up to 190 m long and 40 m wide ridges formed by up to 4 m wide carbonate rocks piled on top of each other in irregular piles. Other key features of the complex pockmarks include: 1) a distinct fauna with local bacterial mats, small tubeworms, stalked crinoids, and pycnogonids (sea spiders); and 2) the presence of light hydrocarbon gases (C 1–C 5) in clay-rich sediments. The methane δ 13C values range from − 54‰ to − 69‰ PDB, suggesting the presence of both bacterial and thermogenic gases. During our two-day observation periods only micro-seepage occurred, without ebullition or other visual fluid flow. Petrography and geochemistry of carbonate blocks from the pockmarks suggest precipitation of methane-derived aragonite within the sediments (δ 13C = − 52‰ to − 58‰ PDB). We suggest that the complex pockmarks formed by sudden (‘catastrophic’) fluid flow and that the large carbonate ridges represent dislodged MDACs originally formed subsurface, prior to the event. Subsequent micro-seepage is still active, and may indicate that the pipes represent fluid flow conduits which transport both bacterial and thermogenic hydrocarbons to the water column. Our data do not suggest pressure buildup and do not predict future eruptions from the complex pockmarks. Thus our data rather suggest that the ‘catastrophic’ formation of the complex pockmarks may be a one-time-event.

Timing and nature of fluid flow and alteration during Mesoproterozoic shear zone formation, Olary Domain, South Australia

AbstractThe development of shear zones at mid‐crustal levels in the Proterozoic Willyama Supergroup was synchronous with widespread fluid flow resulting in albitization and calcsilicate alteration. Monazite dating of shear zone fabrics reveal that they formed at 1582 ± 22 Ma, at the end of the Olarian D3 deformational event and immediately prior to the emplacement of regional S‐type granites. Two stages of fluid flow are identified in the area: first an albitizing event which involved the addition of Na and loss of Si, K and Fe; and a second phase of calcsilicate alteration with additions of Ca, Fe, Mg and Si and removal of Na. Fluid fluxes calculated for albitization and calcsilicate alteration were 5.56 × 109 to 1.02 × 1010 mol m−2 and 2.57 × 108–5.20 × 109 mol m−2 respectively. These fluxes are consistent with estimates for fluid flow through mid‐crustal shear zones in other terranes. The fluids associated with shearing and alteration are calculated to have δ18O and δD values ranging between +8 and +11‰, and −33 and −42‰, respectively, and ɛNd values between −2.24 and −8.11. Our results indicate that fluids were derived from metamorphic dehydration of the Willyama Supergroup metasediments. Fluid generation occurred during prograde metamorphism of deeper crustal rocks at or near peak pressure conditions. Shear zones acted as conduits for major crustal fluid flow to shallow levels where peak metamorphic conditions had been attained earlier leading to the apparent ‘retrograde’ fluid‐flow event. Thus, the peak metamorphism conditions at upper and lower crustal levels were achieved at differing times, prior to regional granite formation, during the same orogenic cycle leading to the formation of retrograde mineral assemblages during shearing.

Suitability of boron-nitride single-walled nanotubes as fluid-flow conduits in nano-valve applications

Molecular-level simulations are used to examine the suitability of boron-nitride single-walled nanotubes (SWNTs) as fluid-flow conduits in the nano-valve applications based on a molecular-mono-layer functionalized silicon cantilever. The interaction between the constituent atoms in the nanotubes is modeled using the Universal Force Field inter-atomic potential. Key functional requirements (a large range of nanotube radii with a stable circular cross section, a low level of strain energy in the nanotube at the onset of bending-induced buckling, relatively high compliance with respect to the radial breathing mode and a low value of nanotube/fluid-molecule binding energy) have been identified for nanotube fluid-flow conduits. The results obtained suggest that boron-nitride SWNTs do not offer any significant functional advantage over their carbon-based counterparts when used in fluid-flow conduit applications. The results also suggests that several of the nanotube properties obtained through the use of the Universal Force Field are quite comparable to their counterparts based on the first-principles quantum-mechanical calculations.

Field observation of fluid circulation patterns in a normal fault system

Faults are often assumed to be either barriers or conduits for subsurface fluid flow, although they may act as both, depending on the hydraulic architecture of the fault and the direction of flow with respect to the fault plane. Here we use high‐resolution (5 × 5 m spacing) ground temperature measurements to track geothermal discharge in the step‐over region of an active échelon normal fault in southeast Oregon. Our analysis demonstrates that the fault acts as a combination conduit‐barrier system and reveals complex, 3‐dimensional circulation patterns in the area of the fault step‐over. Although complex flow circulation patterns are likely to be present in most fault‐controlled flow systems, they are generally neglected in conceptual and numerical models. Improved understanding of this aspect of subsurface fluid flow is essential for developing better models of fault hydrology.

Geophysical images of the creeping segment of the San Andreas fault: implications for the role of crustal fluids in the earthquake process

High-resolution magnetotelluric (MT) studies of the San Andreas fault (SAF) near Hollister, CA have imaged a zone of high fluid content flanking the San Andreas fault and extending to midcrustal depths. This zone, extending northeastward to the Calaveras fault, is imaged as several focused regions of high conductivity, believed to be the expression of tectonically bound fluid pockets separated by northeast dipping, impermeable fault seals. Furthermore, the spatial relationship between this zone and local seismicity suggests that where present, fluids inhibit seismicity within the upper crust (0–4 km). The correlation of coincident seismic and electromagnetic tomography models is used to sharply delineate geologic and tectonic boundaries. These studies show that the San Andreas fault plane is vertical below 2 km depth, bounding the southwest edge of the imaged fault-zone conductor (FZC). Thus, in the region of study, the San Andreas fault acts both as a conduit for along-strike fluid flow and a barrier for fluid flow across the fault. Combined with previous work, these results suggest that the geologic setting of the San Andreas fault gives rise to the observed distribution of fluids in and surrounding the fault, as well as the observed along-strike variation in seismicity.

Gas permeability evolution of cataclasite and fault gouge in triaxial compression and implications for changes in fault-zone permeability structure through the earthquake cycle

We report the results of permeability measurements of fault gouge and tonalitic cataclasite from the fault zone of the Median Tectonic Line, Ohshika, central Japan, carried out during triaxial compression tests. The experiments revealed marked effects of deformation on the permeability of the specimens. Permeability of fault gouge decreases rapidly by about two orders of magnitude during initial loading and continues to decrease slowly during further inelastic deformation. The drop in permeability during initial loading is much smaller for cataclasite than for gouge, followed by abrupt increase upon failure, and the overall change in permeability correlates well with change in volumetric strain, i.e., initial, nearly elastic contraction followed by dilatancy upon the initiation of inelastic deformation towards specimen failure. If cemented cataclasite suffers deformation prior to or during an earthquake, a cataclasite zone may change into a conduit for fluid flow. Fault gouge zones, however, are unlikely to switch to very permeable zones upon the initiation of fault slip. Thus, overall permeability structure of a fault may change abruptly prior to or during earthquakes and during the interseismic period. Fault gouge and cataclasite have internal angles of friction of about 36° and 45°, respectively, as is typical for brittle rocks.

Geophysical constraints on the surface distribution of authigenic carbonates across the Hydrate Ridge region, Cascadia margin

On active tectonic margins methane-rich pore fluids are expelled during the sediment compaction and dewatering that accompany accretionary wedge development. Once these fluids reach the shallow subsurface they become oxidized and precipitate cold seep authigenic carbonates. Faults or high-porosity stratigraphic horizons can serve as conduits for fluid flow, which can be derived from deep within the wedge and/or, if at seafloor depths greater than ∼300 m, from the shallow source of methane and water contained in subsurface and surface gas hydrates. The distribution of fluid expulsion sites can be mapped regionally using sidescan sonar systems, which record the locations of surface and slightly buried authigenic carbonates due to their impedence contrast with the surrounding hemipelagic sediment. Hydrate Ridge lies within the gas hydrate stability field offshore central Oregon and during the last 15 years several studies have documented gas hydrate and cold seep carbonate occurrence in the region. In 1999, we collected deep-towed SeaMARC 30 sidescan sonar imagery across the Hydrate Ridge region to determine the spatial distribution of cold seep carbonates and their relationship to subsurface structure and the underlying gas hydrate system. High backscatter on the imagery is divided into three categories, (I) circular to blotchy with apparent surface roughness, (II) circular to blotchy with no apparent surface roughness, and (III) streaky to continuous with variable surface roughness. We interpret the distribution of high backscatter, as well as the locations of mud volcanoes and pockmarks, to indicate variations in the intensity and activity of fluid flow across the Hydrate Ridge region. Seafloor observations and sampling verify the acoustic signals across the survey area and aid in this interpretation. Subsurface structural mapping and swath bathymetry suggest the fluid venting is focused at the crests of anticlinal structures like Hydrate Ridge and the uplifts along the Daisy Bank fault zone. Geochemical parameters link authigenic carbonates on Hydrate Ridge to the underlying gas hydrate system and suggest that some of the carbonates have formed in equilibrium with fluids derived directly from the destabilization of gas hydrate. This suggests carbonates are formed not only from the methane in ascending fluids from depth, but also from the shallow source of methane released during the dissociation of gas hydrate. The decreased occurrence of high-backscatter patches and the dramatic reduction in pockmark fields, imaged on the eastern part of the survey, suggest gas hydrate near its upper stability limit may be easily destabilized and thus, responsible for these seafloor features. High backscatter along the left-lateral Daisy Bank fault suggests a long history of deep-seated fluid venting, probably unrelated to destabilized gas hydrate in the subsurface.

Porosity, permeability, and fluid flow in the Yellowstone geothermal system, Wyoming

Cores from two of 13 U.S. Geological Survey research holes at Yellowstone National Park (Y-5 and Y-8) were evaluated to characterize lithology, texture, alteration, and the degree and nature of fracturing and veining. Porosity and matrix permeability measurements and petrographic examination of the cores were used to evaluate the effects of lithology and hydrothermal alteration on porosity and permeability. The intervals studied in these two core holes span the conductive zone and the upper portion of the convective geothermal reservoir. Variations in porosity and matrix permeability observed in the Y-5 and Y-8 cores are primarily controlled by lithology. Y-8 intersects three distinct lithologies: volcaniclastic sandstone, perlitic rhyolitic lava, and non-welded pumiceous ash-flow tuff. The sandstone typically has high permeability and porosity, and the tuff has very high porosity and moderate permeability, while the perlitic lava has very low porosity and is essentially impermeable. Hydrothermal self-sealing appears to have generated localized permeability barriers within the reservoir. Changes in pressure and temperature in Y-8 correspond to a zone of silicification in the volcaniclastic sandstone just above the contact with the perlitic rhyolite; this silicification has significantly reduced porosity and permeability. In rocks with inherently low matrix permeability (such as densely welded ash-flow tuff), fluid flow is controlled by the fracture network. The Y-5 core hole penetrates a thick intracaldera section of the 0.6-Ma Lava Creek ash-flow tuff. In this core, the degree of welding appears to be responsible for most of the variations in porosity, matrix permeability, and the frequency of fractures and veins. Fractures are most abundant within the more densely welded sections of the tuff. However, the most prominent zones of fracturing and mineralization are associated with hydrothermal breccias within densely welded portions of the tuff. These breccia zones represent transient conduits of high fluid flow that formed by the explosive release of overpressure in the underlying geothermal reservoir and that were subsequently sealed by supersaturated geothermal fluids. In addition to this fracture sealing, hydrothermal alteration at Yellowstone appears generally to reduce matrix permeability and focus flow along fractures, where multiple pulses of fluid flow and self-sealing have occurred.

Direct imaging of fluid flow in fault-related rocks by X-ray CT

Abstract Faults profoundly affect patterns and rates of fluid flow and solute transport in the geological environment. They may act as conduits, barriers or combined conduit-barrier systems. In order to elucidate the relationship between fluid flow properties and deformation mechanisms of fault-related rocks, we applied X-ray CT during laboratory permeameter measurements for direct imaging of fluid flow during permeability testing. A KI solution, which has high X-ray attenuation values, was used as a contrast medium for the advection imaging. Three-dimensional fluid flow distributions were measured for the studied fault-related rocks. Fault zones characterized by independent particulate flow as deformation mechanism act as conduits for fluid flow, whereas cataclastic fault zones act as barriers.

A case study of hydrocarbon transport along active faults and production-related stress changes in the Monterey Formation, California

Abstract Recent field studies show that critically stressed faults, that is, faults that are close to frictional failure in the current stress field, serve as conduits for fluid flow. Similarly, geological field studies of the low permeability siliceous shales in the Monterey Formation, California, clearly indicate that faults influence hydrocarbon transport. We report here a study of the Antelope Shale, a low permeability siliceous shale hydrocarbon reservoir in the Buena Vista Hills field in the southern San Joaquin Valley to determine the influence of the stress state on the relative hydraulic conductivity of the fractures and faults present in the subsurface. Because production has both lowered reservoir pressure and the horizontal stresses, it was necessary to “restore” the reservoir stress state to initial conditions in order to identify correctly the most highly productive intervals. This analysis demonstrates that prior to production, faults in the reservoir were active in a transitional reverse/strike-slip faulting stress state, consistent with regional tectonics. Initial production rates in the field were 2000 barrels of oil per day, principally from intervals where critically stressed faults were encountered.

Blueschist preservation in a retrograded, high‐pressure, low‐temperature metamorphic terrane, Tinos, Greece: Implications for fluid flow paths in subduction zones

The preservation of high‐pressure, low‐temperature (HP‐LT) mineral assemblages adjacent to marble unit contacts on the Cycladic island of Tinos in Greece was investigated using a new type of digital outcrop mapping and numerical modeling of metamorphic fluid infiltration. Mineral assemblage distributions in a large blueschist outcrop, adjacent to the basal contact of a 150‐meter thick marble horizon, were mapped at centimeter‐scale resolution onto digital photographs using a belt‐worn computer and graphics editing software. Digital mapping reveals that while most HP‐LT rocks in the outcrop were pervasively retrograded to greenschist facies, the marble‐blueschist contact zone underwent an even more intense retrogression. Preservation of HP‐LT mineral assemblages was mainly restricted to a 10–15 meter zone (or enclave) adjacent to the intensely retrograded lithologic contact. The degree and distribution of the retrograde overprint suggests that pervasively infiltrating fluids were channelized into the marble‐blueschist contact and associated veins and flowed around the preserved HP‐LT enclave. Numerical modeling of Darcian flow, based on the field observations, suggests that near the marble horizon, deflections in fluid flow paths caused by flow channelization along the high‐permeability marble‐blueschist contact zone likely resulted in very large fluid fluxes along the lithologic contact and significantly smaller fluxes (as much as 8 times smaller than the input flux) within the narrow, low‐flux regions where HP‐LT minerals were preserved adjacent to the contact. Our results indicate that lithologic contacts are important conduits for metamorphic fluid flow in subduction zones. Channelization of retrograde fluids into these discrete flow conduits played a critical role in the preservation of HP‐LT assemblages.

The Erskine Field, Block 23/26, UK North Sea

Abstract The Erskine Field is a high temperature, high pressure (HTHP), gas condensate accumulation located on the western margin of the East Central Graben. The field was discovered in 1981 by the 23/26a-3RE well and subsequently delineated by six appraisal wells. Development approval was granted in 1995 and to date five development wells have been drilled. In December 1997, Erskine Field became the first HTHP field in the UKCS to achieve production. Hydrocarbons are produced from three separate Jurassic reservoirs. In order of decreasing importance, these are: the Late Oxfordian Erskine Sandstone (Puffin Formation), the Middle Jurassic Pentland Reservoir, and the Late Oxfordian Heather Turbidite Reservoir. The Erskine Sandstone is very fine to fine-grained highly bioturbated, shaley sandstone. The sandstones represent shallow marine progradational sequences, deposited predominantly in the offshore transition zone. Within the majority of the Erskine Sandstone, porosity is high (20-25%) but with relatively poor associated permeability (0.1-10mD). However, the tops of the coarsening upward sequences (E30 and E70 zones) have appreciably better permeability and are thought to be the major conduits for fluid flow. The E30 and E70 zones would not have been identified, had it not been for the extensive coring programme undertaken in the development wells. The Pentland Reservoir is a regionally extensive sequence of interbedded sandstone, shales, coals and siltstones, deposited in a fluvial-lacustrine environment in a delta plain setting. Permeability in the Pentland reservoir (0.1 mD-1 D) is in general far superior to the values observed in the Erskine Sandstone. The main control on the observed variability in porosity and permeability characteristics is grain size, that in turn is controlled by facies. The Heather Turbidite Reservoir occurs within two thin predominantly fine-grained turbidite sandstone beds in the Heather Shale Formation. This reservoir is restricted to the Alpha Terrace region in the SW of the field, and is drained by a single development well. Total Erskine Field reserves are estimitated at approx 400 BCF of gas and 66 MMBBL of condensate.

Fluid-flow properties of faults in sandstone: The importance of temperature history

Research Article| November 01, 2003 Fluid-flow properties of faults in sandstone: The importance of temperature history Quentin J. Fisher; Quentin J. Fisher 1Rock Deformation Research Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Martin Casey; Martin Casey 1Rock Deformation Research Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Simon D. Harris; Simon D. Harris 1Rock Deformation Research Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Robert J. Knipe Robert J. Knipe 1Rock Deformation Research Group, School of Earth Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Geology (2003) 31 (11): 965–968. https://doi.org/10.1130/G19823.1 Article history received: 13 May 2003 rev-recd: 04 Aug 2003 accepted: 06 Aug 2003 first online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Quentin J. Fisher, Martin Casey, Simon D. Harris, Robert J. Knipe; Fluid-flow properties of faults in sandstone: The importance of temperature history. Geology 2003;; 31 (11): 965–968. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G19823.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Sandstone rheology and deformation style are often controlled by the extent of quartz cementation, which is a function of temperature history. Coupling findings from deformation experiments with a model for quartz cementation provide valuable insights into the controls on fault permeability. Subsiding sedimentary basins often have a transitional depth zone, here referred to as the ductile-to-brittle transition, above which faults do not affect fluid flow or form barriers and below which faults will tend to form conduits. The depth of this transition is partly dependent upon geothermal gradient. In basins with a high geothermal gradient, fault-related conduits can form at shallow depths in high-porosity sandstone. If geothermal gradients are low, and fluid pressures are hydrostatic, fault-related conduits are only formed when the sandstones have subsided much deeper, where their porosity (and hence fluid content) is low. Mineralization of faults is more likely to occur in areas with high geothermal gradients because the rocks still have a high fluid content when fault-related fluid-flow conduits form. The interrelationship between rock rheology and stress conditions is sometimes a more important control on fault permeability than whether the fault is active or inactive. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.