Styles of
Channel Body from Outcrop as an Indicator of Connectivity in Deep Marine
Channel Systems
Dykstra, Mason1, Benjamin
Kneller2, Philip Thompson2, Ian Kane3 (1)
University of California, Santa Barbara, CA (2) University of Aberdeen,
Aberdeen, United Kingdom (3) University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom
Three main types of channel bodies are
examined for the type and degree of relative connectivity in a reservoir
context: aggradational, lateral accretion, and amalgamational bodies. While
neither type is exclusively a complete end-member, they do display specific
geometric properties that make for distinct reservoirs. Aggradational channel
bodies tend to be relatively thin, laterally extensive but vertically isolated
within packages of fine-grained sediment. Their lateral connectivity is very
good but vertical is not. Lateral accretion bodies also tend to be relatively
thin, but laterally extensive and multi-lateral. Because of this multi-lateral
behavior their lateral connectivity can be good (if the contacts between
multi-lateral elements are erosional) or poor (if these same contacts are
non-erosive), while their vertical connectivity tends to be low as they also
commonly are isolated within packages of fine-grained sediments. Amalgamational
channel bodies have the greatest vertical and lateral connectivity, as all
bed-scale elements are generally vertically or laterally erosionally truncated.
This type of channel body also tends to be the largest in scale. Geometrically
similar features to these channel body end-members are recognizable on
high-resolution seismic images of deep marine channel systems, although
naturally the scale of the individual elements is greater on seismic than in
outcrop. We suggest that these are process-driven geometries and that they
therefore may be truly scalable across the outcrop/seismic resolution gap.
AAPG Search and Discover Article #90063©2007 AAPG Annual Convention, Long Beach, California