The Lima-Indiana Trend--Reservoir Characterization

KEITH, BRIAN D., Indiana Geological Survey, Bloomington, IN, and LAWRENCE H. WICKSTROM, Ohio Geological Survey, Columbus, OH

The Lima-Indiana trend (informal designation) is an arcuate oil- and gas-producing trend that extends from north-central Ohio to east-central Indiana. It was the first giant field in the United States. Since its discovery in 1884 in Findlay, Ohio, nearly 500 MMBO and an estimated 2 tcf of natural gas have been produced from the trend. Production has been documented from the Ordovician Trenton and Black River reservoirs.

The trend is located on a broad structural platform overlying the Findlay arch and the northern end of the Cincinnati arch. Reservoir quality is locally highly variable within the trend as illustrated by a 24-fold difference between the most productive areas in the trend (12,000 barrels/acre along the Bowling Green fault zone in Ohio) and the least productive areas (500 barrels/acre over much of the Trenton field in Indiana). Study of cores and logs has shown that this difference in productivity can be directly related to two end members of reservoir character. Reservoirs with the best recovery are in fractured Trenton Limestone associated with tectonic features. Solution porosity in the reservoir rock and mineralization by white sparry dolomite and other minerals is also common along the fracture zones. Porosity and permeability are greatly enhanced in these zones and account for the high productivity. Reservoirs with the poorest recovery are found where the Trenton Limestone has been regionally dolomitized to produce a vuggy to intercrystalline pore system with highly variable porosity and permeability. Local reservoir enhancement by regional fractures is suspected, but cannot be documented.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91004 © 1991 AAPG Annual Convention Dallas, Texas, April 7-10, 1991 (2009)