3D seismic analysis of the geometrical characteristics of the Rosedale Fault System, west Gippsland Basin, Victoria
E. Swierczek A , S. Holford B , G. Backé A and A. Mitchell BA Australian School of Petroleum, CO2CRC.
B Australian School of Petroleum, The University of Adelaide.
The APPEA Journal 52(2) 698-698 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ11112
Published: 2012
Abstract
One of the main risks associated with the underground storage of CO2 is the possibility of leakage from the reservoir to the surface. Among the most likely pathways for CO2 migration are permeable fault systems and highly fractured caprocks. It is thus important to develop a detailed understanding of geometrical characteristics of fault systems to assess the long-term storage and reactivation potential of fault dependent reservoirs.
This extended abstract describes the results from a detailed structural analysis of the Rosedale Fault System (RFS) in the Gippsland Basin, Victoria, which is undergoing assessment for CO2 storage, using high-fidelity 3D seismic data. The RFS is a long-lived fault system that has experienced significant reactivation since the late Miocene and continued activity on this fault. Conventional structural mapping has been supported by seismic attribute analyses using a dip-steering cube.
The coupling of seismic attribute analysis with fault displacement analysis has enabled the geometry of the RFS to be defined and to delineate associated damage zone. This extended abstract’s analysis shows that the RFS is an anastomosing normal fault system that displays lateral changes in the degree of late Miocene-onwards reverse reactivation, which has affected the Latrobe Group and older units.
This analysis has also revealed an extensive polygonal fault-system confined to post-Top Latrobe (Eocene) sediments, showing that this component of the stratigraphy is structurally decoupled from the older sedimentary section. This extended abstract concludes by assessing the roles that both the RFS and the polygonal fault system play in fluid migration in the western Gippsland Basin.
Ernest Swierczek is a PhD candidate at the Australian School of Petroleum (University of Adelaide). In 2006, he obtained his MSc (petroleum geology) from AGH University of Science and Technology, Cracow, Poland. During this time, he studied petroleum prospectivity of the Skole Nappe in the Polish Eastern Carpathian Foredeep Basin. He worked for a few years before he started his PhD as geoscientist at geophysical consulting company in Adelaide. His research interests are in 3D structural and geomechanical modelling, fault reactivation, and fault mechanics for carbon storage process. Member: AAPG, ASEG, AGU, EAGE, PESA. |
Simon Holford is an Australian Research Council post-doctoral fellow and lecturer at the Australian School of Petroleum. He is the deputy director of the Centre for Tectonics, Resources and Exploration (TRaX) at the University of Adelaide. He graduated with a BSc (hons) from Keele University (2001) and a PhD from the University of Birmingham (2006). His research interests are in the deformation, uplift and magmatic evolution of rifted margins, sedimentary basins, and continental interiors and their impact on hydrocarbon exploration. Member: AGU, ASEG, GSA, GSL, PESA. |
Guillaume Backé is a structural geologist with an expertise in seismic interpretation, three-dimensional structural and geomechanical modeling. He obtained a Master of Geophysics at the University of Toulouse III in France in June 2002, and completed a PhD at the University of Pau et des Pays de l’Adour in 2006. He very recently joined BP as a structural geologist in the Integrated Sub-surface and Description and Modelling team (ISDM), following a two-year Postdoctoral position in the Centre for Mineral Exploration Under Cover (CMXUC) and a three-year lecturing position at the Australian School of Petroleum of the University of Adelaide. Member: AAPG, PESA, AGU and EAGE. |
Andy Mitchell graduated with a BSc (hons) (geophysics) from the University of Adelaide in 1974. He worked at Esso Australia in Sydney for eight years as a petroleum geophysicist, mainly in seismic interpretation, production geology, and computer applications. He joined the National Centre for Petroleum Geology and Geophysics (now merged into the Australian School of Petroleum) upon its inception at the University of Adelaide. At the Australian School of Petroleum, he teaches courses about petroleum geology and geophysics for geoscience and engineering students; he also coordinates the postgraduate courses. His professional interests lie in seismic reservoir description and velocity and attribute analysis. He presents industry short courses in petroleum geology and geophysics, and has consulted for companies in Australia and southeast Asia. Member: SEG, EAGE. |
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