TYE, ROBERT S.¹, JOHN S. BRIDGE², IAN LUNT², and SCOTT JARVIS^2
1ARCO Exploration & Production Co., Plano, TX
²Binghamton University, Binghamton, NY

Abstract: Gravelly Deposits Of The Braided Sagavanirktok River, Alaska: Possible Analog For Conglomeratic Hydrocarbon Reservoirs And Aquifers

The results of a pilot study of the gravelly, braided Sagavanirktok River, near Deadhorse, Alaska, are presented. Channel-belt deposits were studied using ground-penetrating radar tied to trenches, cores and wireline logs. Coring was attempted when the river was frozen, in order to minimize disturbance of the sediment. This sampling strategy will lead to documentation of the 3-D variation of stratification, texture, porosity, permeability and associated geophysical properties of the deposits. Particular attention is being paid to the occurrence and geometry of zones of high permeability (open-framework gravels) and low permeability (muds). Interpretation of the depositional patterns will be undertaken using (1) knowledge of the mode of channel cutting, migration and filling derived from yearly aerial photographs, and (2) inferences about the geometry, sediment texture and bedforms of the channel bed during depositional events. An ultimate objective is construction of a detailed, 3-D depositional model for gravelly braided rivers that is a major improvement over existing models. Such a model will allow prediction of the porosity and permeability distributions that are so important for modeling fluid flow through hydrocarbon reservoirs and aquifers in analogous ancient deposits.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90928©1999 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas