Prediction of reservoir geometries in the Morrow of southeastern New Mexico

Conference · Thu Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5846785

Mazzullo, L J

The Morrow Formation of southeastern New Mexico is comprised of facies that were deposited in a complex of mixed siliciclastic and carbonate depositional environments. Reservoir geometries in gas-bearing sandstones are highly variable and identify a number of different depositional environments. In particular, environments identified within marginal marine facies tracts in the Morrow indicate that the shoreline was constantly shifting in response to relative sea level changes. Depositional processes were sensitive to varying sediment discharge rates as well sheltering by offshore carbonate mounds. Sandstone/carbonate sequences also indicate periodic reworking or drowning of marginal marine sediment throughout the Morrowan, which was especially prevalent in middle Morrowan time. The southern shelf of Belize, Central America, offers an excellent analog to depositional process that were operative during the Morrowan in southeastern New Mexico. Modern facies tracts along the Belizean shoreline respond to varying discharge rates of sediment from the Maya Mountains source area to the west and to sheltering from the Maya Mountains source area to the west and to sheltering from the offshore barrier reed and other carbonate mounds. Carbonates are actively developing upon drowned beach ridges and channel mouth bars, and there is evidence of drowned fluvial channels several miles from present-day shoreline. Depositional patterns in Belize are identical in scale to those believed to the operative in the Morrow and offer analogs that are useful as predictive tools for exploration and development.

• OSTI ID: 5846785
• Report Number(s): CONF-9109239--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 75:8
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030200* -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
BELIZE
CENTRAL AMERICA
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EVALUATION
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATIONS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOLOGY
LATIN AMERICA
LITHOLOGY
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NEW MEXICO
NORTH AMERICA
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
STRATIGRAPHY
USA
VARIATIONS