Print this pageFracture Heterogeneity in the Natih E Formation, Jebel Madar, Oman
Carbonate platforms around the world contain significant hydrocarbon reserves, and the Late Cretaceous carbonates of the Middle East include many prolific reservoirs. However, elements of these reservoirs are still poorly constrained. This study provides an analysis of fracture heterogeneities and networks within the carbonate deposits of the Natih Formation, a significant hydrocarbon producer throughout the Middle East.
Jebel Madar, located in the Adam Foothills of Northern Oman, is a salt-cored domal structure that exposes the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Natih Formation. The Natih shallow-water carbonate reservoirs are comprised primarily of skeletal peloidal packstones and grainstones. These reservoirs have low porosity and permeability, and productivity is thought to be largely dependent on extensive fracture networks.
Examination of Natih Formation outcrop fracture patterns by field mapping and through LiDAR image analysis reveals a complex 3D fracture pattern that is compared to predicted strain distributions across the Jebel Madar structure from 2D and 3D structural reconstructions. These results aid in the generation of a reservoir model for the Natih Formation, incorporating the effect of fluid flow through this complex porosity network.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90090©2009 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado, June 7-10, 2009