Abstract: Characterization of Red River Reservoirs from 3-D Seismic at Cold Turkey Creek Field
SIPPEL, MARK A.
The upper Red River Formation in southwest Williston Basin, North Dakota and South Dakota, consists of four porosity benches in a 250 ft interval. Two of these porosity benches can be prolific oil reservoirs, while the other two benches are generally non-reservoir intervals. This paper describes the identification of variable development (primarily porosity) in the Red River B and D zones using 3-D seismic. The variation of reservoir development is coupled with descriptions of structural growth, oil reserves and engineering characterizations from well data. The 3-D seismic survey at Cold Turkey Creek covers three structural features with four producing wells and three dry holes. Timing of structural growth and seismic attributes demonstrate complex variation across the area. While it is frequently observed that porosity-permeability development preferentially occurs off crestal-structure position, this development is generally random. Late post-depositional diagenesis alters reservoir rock from waters that percolate from above and below. The migration of these waters may follow fractures or other complex pathways. Direct observation of seismic events or attributes which can be related to porosity development improve the risk for drilling economic Red River reserves. Interpretation of structure and seismic amplitude were used to successfully target a development well at one of the structural features at Cold Turkey Creek. The new well encountered undrained oil reserves in the D zone and poorly drained reserves in the B zone. It offset a well at 1300 ft that had been producing from these intervals for 20 years.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90946©1997 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section Meeting, Denver, Colorado