--> ABSTRACT: Channels, Reservoir Orientation, and Paleocurrents--Theory and Exploitation, by L. M. Grace, P. E. Potter, R. G. Pirie; #91003 (1990).

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ABSTRACT: Channels, Reservoir Orientation, and Paleocurrents--Theory and Exploitation

L. M. Grace, P. E. Potter, R. G. Pirie

Channels, from a few up to hundreds of meters thick, occur in virtually all the major sandy and carbonate environments. The fill of channels varies greatly and includes stream deposits, delta distributaries, tidal deposits, debris flows, marine detritus washed both longitudinally and laterally into shelf channels, deep-water turbidites, glacial deposits, and volcanic rocks. Landslide blocks from collapsing channel margins can also be incorporated in the fill. Most of these occur in combinations, although a few combinations are very common and some are rare. Reservoirs in channels are increasingly significant in mature basins.

We propose a general set of rules for predicting reservoir orientation in channels. The rules are independent of depositional environment and scale, and depend only on the physical processes of channel filling. This set of rules is based on studies of outcrop and electrical images from well bores and includes channel sinuosity, type of accretion, and the orientation of paleocurrent structures. A key concept is compactional dip, which mirrors the channel's bottom morphology. These rules are illustrated with case histories of successful offset wells from basins of all ages throughout the world.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990