Geologic description of upper Miocene Chanac and lower Pliocene Etchegoin Formations. Part 1. Depositional environments, reservoir characteristics, and petrology, Kern Front Field, California

Conference · Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1986 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6931411

Link, M H; Helmold, K P; Long, W T

Twenty-four cores (221 ft) of the upper Miocene Chanac and lower Pliocene Etchegoin Formations from three wells in Kern Front field, California, were analyzed to determine their depositional environments and reservoir characteristics. The Etchegoin Formation is interpreted to be a progradational shoreface deposit consisting of a basal transgressive unit overlain by multistacked, storm or tidally influenced, foreshore sand ridges attached to the shoreline. These shoreface deposits are inferred to trend north-south, and are interbedded with and overlain by bioturbated units and marine channels. The Etchegoin is stratigraphically between the younger nonmarine Kern River and older Chanac Formations, both meandering stream units deposited on a relatively low-relief, narrow coastal plain. East-west-trending channel, interchannel, and sheetwash facies are recognized in the Chanac Formation. Log-derived data combined with porosity and permeability measurements indicate that these Miocene and Pliocene sandstones have excellent porosity (average 35%) and permeability (up to 8.5 darcys). The sandstones are poorly indurated, arkosic arenites and wackes composed of subangular, medium to coarse-grained, and poorly sorted detritus. Detrital modes for the sandstones are Q/sub 33/ F/sub 47/ L/sub 20/ and Q/sub 38/ P/sub 48/ K/sub 14/. Authigenic minerals are rare and include calcite, illite, calcium zeolite, and collophane. The best reservoir sandstones in the field are the Etchegoin marine foreshore and Chanac channel facies. The three main factors controlling reservoir quality appear to be: (1) the percentage of fines ranging from 11-12% in good reservoir facies to 22-45% in poorer quality reservoir facies; (2) the percentage of gravel or coarser grained fraction (sand or gravel), which ranges from 83 to 54%; and (3) sorting.

• Research Organization: Cities Service Oil and Gas Corp., Tulsa, OK
• OSTI ID: 6931411
• Report Number(s): CONF-8604187-
• Journal Information: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Vol. 70:4; Conference: American Association of Petroleum Geologist Pacific Section convention, Bakersfield, CA, USA, 16 Apr 1986
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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