Virtual and classical Precipice Sandstone outcrops mapping for reservoir modelling
Davide Pistellato A B , Richard Murphy C D , Atefeh Sansoleimani A B , Valeria Bianchi A B and Joan Esterle BA School of Earth Sciences.
B The University of Queensland.
C Australian Centre for Field Robotics.
D The University of Sydney.
The APPEA Journal 56(2) 603-603 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ15109
Published: 2016
Abstract
The Lower Jurassic Precipice Sandstone is an important hydrocarbon and water reservoir in the Surat Basin. It is the basal infill of the Surat Basin, commonly considered an intracratonic sag basin, although the triggering mechanism for subsidence remains unresolved. Its interpreted origin is a fluviatile system that formed a thick belt of sandstone that corresponds to the Mimosa Syncline structural axis.
The Precipice Sandstone outcrops along the northern margin of the basin forming laterally continuous cliffs. This provides good conditions for 2D and 3D photogrammetry and classical analysis of sedimentary architectures, bedding and facies. Photogrammetry is a measurement technique that builds 3D photorealistic virtual models in which every pixel on the image corresponds to a real 3D point in georeferenced space. This was used to measure surfaces, correlate stratigraphy, and to measure bed and body geometries for export to a reservoir modelling system, providing a bridge between the subsurface drilling data and the outcrop analogue.
The field survey mapped the lower Precipice, defined by the predominance of southeast-flowing planar and trough cross stratified sandstone (the braided stream facies), and upper Precipice, defined by a predominance of heterolithic, ripple and plane parallel stratification and slumps that transition upward into the Evergreen Formation mud-dominated unit. Sedimentary structures in outcrop suggest a northward flow on the eastern margin of the outcrop for the upper Precipice. The basin asymmetry, coincident with a major, meridional-trending fault system—the Goondiwindi-Moonie-Burunga system—and changes in upper and lower unit thickness suggest some syn-depositional control on the sedimentary architecture.
Davide Pistellato is a Research Assistant in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Queensland (UQ). He received a BSc and MSc in engineering geology at the University of Padua in Italy. After three years of experience, Davide is now applying his learning of geomatics and topography in several projects as a geological surveyor. Presently he is working on two large-scale CSG projects with ANLEC. The first project is focused on 3D mapping of outcrop analogues for reservoir and subsurface modeling. The main purpose of the project is the collection of photogrammetry records to create a static model for the prediction of the underground behavior of the Precipice Sandstone formation. The second project intends to investigate the presence and distribution of clay minerals at the outcrop scale within the Precipice Sandstone using ground-based hyperspectral surveys. This will provide a classification and a description of its weathering behavior and the potential affect this has on CO2 injections. Furthermore, he is collaborating in an ACARP project for fault characterisation in Permian to Jurassic coal measures in the Bowen Basin, processing available photogrammetric, and laser scanning data for detailed mine site highwall mapping. |
Richard J. Murphy received his BSc (Hons) degree from University College London, London, UK, in 1988 and PhD degree from the University of Reading, Berkshire, UK, in 1993. At the University of Reading, his research was on the effects of vegetation on the hyperspectral signature of soils and minerals. At Plymouth Marine Laboratory in the UK his contribution to the Land–Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS), from 1993–95, was to develop algorithms to derive measures of water quality from remotely sensed data of coasts and estuaries. Appointed to the position of Scientist with the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere, New Zealand, he developed and led New Zealand’s Ocean Colour Programme, from 1995–99. Richard is presently a Senior Research Fellow with the University of Sydney, NSW, where he has developed multispectral and spectroscopic methods for quantifying and characterising intertidal biofilms in situ. His most recent work at the Australian Centre for Field Robotics, University of Sydney, involves the use of field-based hyperspectral sensors for geological applications. Member: IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society. |
Atefeh Sansoleimani received her MSc degree in economic geology at the Mahallat University, Iran. She has mainly worked on gold-copper mineral exploration in the Urumieh-Dokhtar Volcanic arc (western Iran), developing expertise in remote sensing and GIS data management. In 2015 Atefeh joined the University of Queensland as a research technician, strengthening her hyperspectral skills and developing her skills using the TSGTM software for Hylogger™ data processing and interpretation. |
Valeria Bianchi has expertise in facies analysis and stratigraphy of siliciclastic systems with a petroleum geology background. In particular she focuses on factors capable to trigger changes in siliclastic basin architectures, such as tectonic and climatic forcing. |
Joan Esterle is a coal geologist with a PhD from the University of Kentucky (1990). Following a career with CSIRO (1992–2008) and GeoGAS Runge (2008–10), she joined the University of Queensland full time, taking up the chair of the Vale-UQ Coal Geoscience Program. The group has grown to more than six senior researchers and some 20 undergrad and post-graduate students working across a range of projects in 2015. Her main research questions focus on geological controls on the origins and distribution of coal and gas in coal, gas and coal production, overburden geotechnical variability, and coal material properties. These applied research projects are underpinned by a fundamental understanding of peat and coal formation. Joan’s projects are supported through the Australian Coal Association, the Centre for Coal Seam Gas, Australian Low Emissions Coal fund, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, and a suite of companies. |
References
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