Seismic Stratigraphy of a Fracture Reservoir: Case Study of Albion-Scipio Trend

Stacy L. Clark, Ron White

The Albion-Scipio trend is a narrow, divergent wrench system located on the south-central flank of the Michigan basin. The initial discovery well, Perry 1 Houseknecht, was drilled in 1956 to the Trenton limestone, allegedly on the advice of a fortune-teller. In 1957, the well was deepened and completed in the Black River, flowing 150 BOPD with minor amounts of gas. Subsequent field extensions consisted of random drilling along a straight-line projection through the Scipio and Albion fields throughout the late 1950s and early 1960s. By 1961, nearly 320 wells were completed and on production. By the mid-1960s, development of the Albion-Scipio trend was nearly completed. Geophysical techniques had not been employed in the discovery, extension, or development work of the tren .

With the increase in oil prices during the oil embargo of 1973, the search intensified for trends similar to the Albion-Scipio in south-central Michigan. Coincidentally, with the advent of digital recording, improved field techniques, and new software, it became possible to use geophysical techniques in the exploration of fracture trends. In the summer of 1982, Ladd Petroleum conducted a modeling study to determine if the Albion-Scipio field could be identified. Interpolative modeling and field testing indicated that when frequencies above 75 Hz were recovered in the field, several seismic anomalies associated with the productive dolomitized fracture portions of the Trenton-Black River reservoirs could be identified. These anomalies included (1) direct observation of faulting, (2) "sagging" of the Trenton reflector, (3) disruption of the Black River reflector due to destructive and/or constructive interference, and (4) complex trace attributes of frequency and amplitude. Because there is little lithologic variation in the Trenton-Black River stratigraphy in southern Michigan, these seismic anomalies should aid in finding additional production along similar fracture trends.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91030©1988 AAPG Annual Convention, Houston, Texas, 20-23 March 1988.