Synergetic study of Silurian-Niagaran pinnacle reef belt around the Michigan Basin for exploration and production of oil and gas. Volumes 1 and 2

Thesis/Dissertation · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:6289779

Aminian, K

The Silurian-Niagaran pinnacle reef occur on a belt which encircles the entire Michigan Basin including areas presently covered by the Great Lakes Huron and Michigan. Two different structural settings existed in the Michigan Basin during the Silurian Period. This resulted in formation of pinnacle reefs with somewhat different characteristics in the northern and southern parts of the basin. The pinnacles of the northern trend occur at depths of 4000 to 7000 ft, are up to 700 ft thick, and average about 100 acres in area. The southern pinnacles occur at depths of 2000 to 3000 ft, are shorter, about 300 ft, and attain larger areas. The majority of the hydrocarbon reserves of the northern trend are concentrated in pinnacles which occur on a band 3 to 4 miles wide inside the middle of the trend. There exists a regional partitioning of oil and gas in the northern pinnacle reefs which can be best explained by Gussaw Theory of migration and differential entrapment. A probabilistic model for exploration in play was found applicable in mature areas of the northern trend. The results were extended to other parts of the northern trend based on similar reef density and size distribution. In the southern trend where the reef density and size distribution is entirely different, the model was tested against limited data and results of future exploration were predicted. The effectiveness of exploration on the reef belt, based on seismic surveys, is 8 to 10 times better than random drilling. The reserves of the reef belt is in excess of 7 bbl of oil and 15 trillion ft/sup 3/ of natural gas originally in place. The oil primary and secondary recovery factors are 20 and 30%, respectively.

• OSTI ID: 6289779
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS
EXPLORATION
RESERVES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
EXPLORATORY WELLS
GREAT LAKES
SILURIAN PERIOD
SYNERGISM
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
LAKES
MINERAL RESOURCES
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESOURCES
SURFACE WATERS
WELLS
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030200 - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
020100 - Petroleum- Reserves- (-1989)
030100 - Natural Gas- Reserves- (-1989)