Three-dimensional modeling of Arkansas River sedimentation

Conference · Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:7014592

Lee, Younghoon; Harbaugh, J W ^[1]; Haskell, N L; Butler, M L ^[2]

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1. Stanford Univ., CA (United States)
2. Amoco, Tulsa, OK (United States)

A case study is presented where a fluvial system is modeled in three dimensions and compared to data gathered from a study of the Arkansas River. The data are unique in that they document changes that affected a straight channel excavated within the river by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Historic maps, photographs, and crossections show that the channel underwent massive erosion and channel migration as it returned to a more natural, meandering path. These records illustrate that stability of a fluvial system can be disrupted either by catastrophic events such as floods or by subtle events such as the altering of a stream's equilibrium base level or sediment load. SEDSIM, Stanford's Sedimentary Basin Simulation Model, is used to model the Arkansas River and the geologic processes that changed in response to changing hydraulic and geologic parameters resulting from the excavation of the channel. Geologic parameters such as fluid and sediment discharge, velocity, transport capacity, and sediment load are input into the model. These parameters regulate the frequency distribution and sizes of sediment grains that are eroded, transported, and deposited. SEDISM experiments compare favorably with field data, recreating similar patterns of fluid flow and sedimentation. SEDSIM simulations provide insight for understanding the spatial distribution of sediment bodies in fluvial deposits and the internal sedimentary structure of fluvial reservoirs. SEDSIM can also be used to simulate depositional systems on a regional scale, providing applications to oil and gas exploration, where characterization of heterogeneities in reservoirs are important.

• OSTI ID: 7014592
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403-; CODEN: AABUD
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:3; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Dallas, TX (United States), 7-10 Apr 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
58 GEOSCIENCES
02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
ARKANSAS RIVER
EROSION
SEDIMENTATION
RESERVOIR ROCK
GEOLOGIC MODELS
WATERSHEDS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
ALLUVIAL DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RUNOFF
THREE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
ENVIRONMENTAL TRANSPORT
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MASS TRANSFER
MINERAL RESOURCES
RESOURCES
RIVERS
STREAMS
SURFACE WATERS
540310* - Environment
Aquatic- Basic Studies- (1990-)
580000 - Geosciences
020200 - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030200 - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration