Digital Outcrop Model of the Eagle Ford Group, Lozier Canyon, West Texas

Abstract

The Eagle Ford Group has served as a prolific producer of unconventional oil and gas in south Texas during the last decade. Operators typically target the Lower Eagle Ford Formation to drill horizontal wells with laterals averaging close to 1 mile (1.61 km) in length for the lateral component. For that reason, an understanding of lateral facies distributions and geometries, paired with geochemical and physical properties data, is valuable in optimizing field development and well locations. High-resolution digital outcrop models (DOMs) using photogrammetry techniques provide a unique opportunity to study lateral variability of Eagle Ford Group strata in outcrops located in Lozier Canyon and Antonio Creek in Terrell County, West Texas. Stratigraphic variability within the Eagle Ford Group has been well documented, however, lateral variability of Eagle Ford strata is minimally understood and is fundamental to developing this productive unconventional play. The objective of this study is to analyze the three-dimensional (3D) expression and internal geometries of Eagle Ford Group strata in West Texas. This project focuses on world-class outcrops in Lozier Canyon and Antonio Creek that exhibit complete exposures of the Eagle Ford Group. The study area covers an approximate surface area of 25.4 km² (9.8 mi2) allowing for reservoir-scale analyses. The project incorporates data from North Lozier Canyon and Antonio Creek, with newly studied South Lozier Canyon, and integrates measured sections and hand-held gamma-ray spectrometry data in the framework of reservoir-scale DOMs to develop an improved model of lateral facies variability in the Eagle Ford Group. This 3D model may be used to understand rock property and facies distributions within the Eagle Ford Group, and will have application in helping to characterize and predict similar unconventional reservoir architectures around the world. Preliminary results indicate thickening of Eagle Ford strata from North Lozier Canyon to South Lozier Canyon by a total of 16 feet.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90259 ©2016 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 19-22, 2016