Diagenesis and reservoir quality of Paleocoene sandstones in the Kupe South field, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

Journal Article · Fri Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1994 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:6943652

Martin, K R ^[1]; Baker, J C ^[2]; Hamilton, P J ^[3]; Thrasher, G P ^[4]

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1. K.R. Martin Pty. Ltd., Kenmore, Queensland, (Australia)
2. Univ. of Queensland (Australia)
3. Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre and Division of Petroleum Resources, New South Wales (Australia)
4. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Ltd., Lower Hutt (New Zealand)

The Kupe South field, Taranaki basin, New Zealand is a gas condensate and oil field offshore in the southern Taranaki basin. Its Paleocene reservoir sandstones contain a diagenetic mineral assemblage that records major shifts in pore-water composition during the burial history of the basin. Early calcite formed a shallow burial largely from meteoric depositional pore waters, whereas later chlorite/smectic records the downward passage of marine pore waters into the sandstones from overlying, marine mudrocks prior to significant sandstone compaction during the late Miocene. Late calcite and ferroan carbonates may record the presence of connate meteoric water expelled upward from nonmarine sedimentary rocks of the underyling Cretaceous sequence, whereas later kaolinite and secondary porosity formation are related to localized meteoric influx resulting from late Miocene to early Pliocene uplift and erosion of the reservoir section. Hydrocarbon entrapment occurred during further Pliocene to Holocene sediment accumulation. Labile-grain alteration has been less severe in the lower part of the hydrocarbon-bearing section than in the upper sands with the result that the lower sands contain mainly chlorite/smectite and the upper sands contain mainly ferroan carbonates and kaolinite formed by extensive alteration of labile grains and earlier formed chlorite/smectite. Reservoir quality in the lower sands is controlled mostly by grain size and the presence of chlorite/smectite, but in the upper sands, the presence of kaolinite is the single most important cause of poor reservoir quality. 36 refs., 13 figs., 3 tabs.

• OSTI ID: 6943652
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Vol. 78:4; ISSN 0149-1423; ISSN AABUD2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
AUSTRALASIA
CALCITE
CALCIUM CARBONATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE MINERALS
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONATES
CENOZOIC ERA
CLAYS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
DIAGENESIS
FERROAN
GAS CONDENSATE FIELDS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGIC TRAPS
GEOLOGY
GRAIN SIZE
GROUND UPLIFT
GROUND WATER
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
IRON CARBONATES
IRON COMPOUNDS
KAOLINITE
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
METEORIC WATER
MICROSTRUCTURE
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS FIELDS
NEW ZEALAND
OIL FIELDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
POROSITY
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SIZE
SMECTITE
TERTIARY PERIOD
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
WATER