Revealing channelized features through multi-scale workflows in a mixed carbonate siliciclastic setting, Grayburg and San Andres formations, Midland Basin, TX

Ortiz Sanguino, Laura

Revealing channelized features through multi-scale workflows in a mixed carbonate siliciclastic setting, Grayburg and San Andres formations, Midland Basin, TX

dc.contributor.advisor	Bedle, Heather
dc.contributor.author	Ortiz Sanguino, Laura
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Pranter, Matthew
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Verma, Sumit
dc.date.accessioned	2023-04-27T19:17:16Z
dc.date.available	2023-04-27T19:17:16Z
dc.date.issued	2023-05-13
dc.date.manuscript	2023-03-30
dc.description.abstract	Channelized systems in mixed carbonate-siliciclastic settings are challenging to characterize from the geological standpoint as facies variability is expected to be high (e.g., siliciclastic porous channel fills, carbonate cemented channel fills or even carbonate channel fills). Determining the lithological composition is crucial for not only understanding the basin evolution but also is required for drilling plans either if the channels serve as reservoirs or drilling hazards. An example of one such compositionally mixed channel system is identified in the San Andres and Grayburg formations in the Midland Basin, TX. For this specific example, channels are presumably siliciclastic infilled while the shelf the channels cut across is dominantly carbonate. An integrated study of core, well-log, and seismic data is conducted to analyze the facies variability of the channelized interval and understand its geomorphological evolution. Seismic attributes such as coherent energy, sweetness and spectral components (CWT) prove to be the most efficient at enhancing the contrast between the clastic vs carbonate elements; demonstrating that it is feasible to depict the lithological heterogeneity between the channel infills and the shelf at a seismic scale. Additionally, conventional seismic interpretation and geometric attributes (e.g., apparent dip, dip azimuth and magnitude, etc.) suggests two categories of channel incisions: type I, characterized by V-shaped bases, straight and mostly oriented in a NE-SW direction; and a type II, that tend to be U-shaped, slightly sinuous, and oriented in a NW-SE trend. Well-log based litho-density techniques such as ρmaa-Umaa and core descriptions support the seismic observations by illustrating the vertical and horizontal heterogeneity and how the channel infills are dominantly siliciclastic in nature. A 3D lithology model constrained to the previous analyses illustrates a dominance of siliciclastics in the Lower San Andres while the Upper San Andres and Grayburg are limestone-rich with episodic siliciclastic events (i.e., related to the channel incisions) and dolostone (in the Upper Grayburg). Lithologies and morphological changes are directly related to changes in the sea level and source rock composition. This study is pioneering in its understanding of the siliciclastic deposition in the middle Guadalupian units in this portion of the Midland Basin, which are referred in literature as the Midland sands and identified as analogs of the Brushy and Cherry Canyon formations in the Delaware Basin.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://shareok.org/handle/11244/337489
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.rights	Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/	*
dc.subject	Seismic attributes	en_US
dc.subject	Mixed carbonate-siliciclastic environments	en_US
dc.subject	3D modeling	en_US
dc.subject	Permian Basin	en_US
dc.subject	channel geomorphology	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Master of Science	en_US
dc.title	Revealing channelized features through multi-scale workflows in a mixed carbonate siliciclastic setting, Grayburg and San Andres formations, Midland Basin, TX	en_US
ou.group	Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy::School of Geosciences	en_US
shareok.orcid	0000-0002-1705-5652	en_US