Sequential development of structural heterogeneity in the Granny Creek oil field of West Virginia

Conference · Sun Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:6694056

Wilson, T H; Zheng, L; Shumaker, R C ^[1]

---

1. West Virginia Univ., Morgantown, WV (United States)

Analysis of Vibroseis and weight-drop seismic data over the Granny Creek oil field in the Appalachian foreland of West Virginia indicates that the field's development has been effected by episodic Paleozoic reactivation of fault blocks rooted in the Precambrian crystalline basement. The imprint of structures associated with the Rome trough penetrates the overlying Paleozoic sedimentary cover. Reactivation histories of individual fault blocks vary considerably throughout the Paleozoic. In general, the relative displacement of these basement fault blocks decrease exponentially during the Paleozoic; however, this pattern is interrupted by periods of increased tectonic activity and relative inversion of offsets along some faults. The distribution of late-stage detached structures during the Alleghenian orogeny also appears, in part, to be controlled by mechanical anisotrophy within the detached section related to the reactivation of deeper structures in the crystalline basement. The net effect is a complex time-variable pattern of structures that partly controls the location of the reservoir and heterogeneity within the geometric framework of the reservoir. Structural heterogeneity in the Granny Creek area is subdivided on the basis of scale into structures associated with variations of oil production within the reservoir. Variations of production within the field are related, in part, to small detached structures and reactivated basement faults.

• OSTI ID: 6694056
• Report Number(s): CONF-930981-; CODEN: AABUD2
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 77:8; Conference: Eastern Section meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists: eastern energy, environment and education for the 21st century, Williamsburg, VA (United States), 19-21 Sep 1993; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
OIL FIELDS
TECTONICS
WEST VIRGINIA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCES
SURVEYS
USA
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration