Print this pageA fundamental control on the deposition of most deep-water sandstone reservoirs is their depositional setting. However, in many cases the association of rapid sand emplacement in otherwise mud-rich basinal settings results in unstable occurrences of sand-mud alternations, which may cause various forms of sandstone re-mobilisation. In extreme cases, these processes can significantly overprint primary depositional features and directly influence the nature and distribution of sand bodies. The current study encompasses the Gannet fields (UKCS quads 21 and 22) located along the proximal western margin of the Tay Fan complex, a highly sandprone lower Eocene turbidite system located in the Central North Sea. A field wide review of available core data from the Tay interval indicates that re-mobilisation occurs over a wide range of scales. This extends from small-scale (mm-cm) injections to larger, more extensive sand injections, which may have previously been interpreted as primary thin-bedded turbidites. However, in order to enhance characterisation and understanding of the three-dimensional distribution of these re-mobilised intervals field analogues have been sought. Field logging and mapping of well-exposed re-mobilised middle Cretaceous turbidites in the Vocontian Basin, south-eastern France, will enable an improved understanding of the potential 2D and 3D extent of re-mobilised turbidite sands.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90925©1999 AAPG Foundation Grants-in-Aid