Reservoir Potential of Cretaceous – Tertiary Re-Deposited Carbonate Successions: a Core and Outcrop Study in the Apenninnes and the Adriatic sea, Italy

Irena Andisa Maura
University of Miami, CSL – Center for Carbonate Research Miami, FL USA
[email protected]

The aim of this research is to assess the reservoir potential of Cretaceous – Tertiary re-deposited carbonate successions through a sedimentological and petrophysical characterization. Measurements include sonic velocity, porosity and permeability of samples in the basin adjacent to Adriatic carbonate platforms that are collected from three areas; (1) Maiella platform margin, an isolated Mesozoic to Mid-Tertiary carbonate platform (2) Monte Conero, an isolated anticline where the proximal section of the turbidite facies can be found (3) Well 1, an offshore well in the Adriatic sea, which represents the subsurface analog of the basinal sediments in the Apennines.

Initial petrophysical measurements show that re-deposited carbonate have a reservoir potential. The Cretaceous section has more porosity than the Tertiary one, although it has less overburden. Cretaceous re-deposited beds have porosity of about 15% and permeability up to 500 mD. The Tertiary sections megabreccias in the subsurface core display up to 12% porosity while the Tertiary turbidites in outcrop range in porosity from 0 - 13% with permeability up to 100 mD. The better reservoir quality in the Cretaceous strata is most likely related to the original mineralogy, which is calcite during the Cretaceous, while in the Tertiary it is aragonite that is meta-stable and prone to dissolution and re-crystallization that diminishes porosity. This project will provide a comprehensive sedimentological and petrophysical characterization of Cretaceous and Tertiary mass gravity flow deposits along some Adriatic carbonate platforms. Altogether these results will help the assessment of re-deposited carbonate reservoir potential.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90157©2012 AAPG Foundation 2012 Grants-in-Aid Projects