How to Constrain 3-D Fault Continuity and Linkage Using Reflection Seismic Data: A Geomechanical Approach

Spatial continuity and linkage of faults may substantially affect fluid flow either by compartmentalizing the reservoir or by increasing the tortuosity of flow pathways, whether the faults act as seals or conduits; therefore, understanding fault linkage geometry should improve reservoir flow simulation models and, in turn, significantly reduce the number of wells required to drain reserves.

[1]  J. Walsh,et al.  Analysis of the relationship between displacements and dimensions of faults , 1988 .

[2]  B. Freeman,et al.  Fault correlation during seismic interpretation , 1990 .

[3]  Patience A. Cowie,et al.  Physical explanation for the displacement-length relationship of faults using a post-yield fracture mechanics model , 1992 .

[4]  Rolf V. Ackermann,et al.  Geometry and scaling relations of a population of very small rift-related normal faults , 1996 .

[5]  David D. Pollard,et al.  Slip distributions on intersecting normal faults , 1999 .

[6]  D. Sanderson,et al.  Modeling tip zones to predict the throw and length characteristics of faults , 1997 .

[7]  M. Antonellini,et al.  Effect of Faulting on Fluid Flow in Porous Sandstones: Geometry and Spatial Distribution , 1995 .

[8]  P. Gillespie,et al.  Limitations of dimension and displacement data from single faults and the consequences for data analysis and interpretation , 1992 .

[9]  D. Sanderson,et al.  Displacements, segment linkage and relay ramps in normal fault zones , 1991 .

[10]  N. Kusznir,et al.  Modelling of near-field subsurface displacements for generalized faults and fault arrays , 1993 .

[11]  J. Watterson Fault dimensions, displacements and growth , 1986 .

[12]  Patience A. Cowie,et al.  Displacement-length scaling relationship for faults: data synthesis and discussion , 1992 .

[13]  John R. Rice,et al.  Three-Dimensional Crack Problems , 1976 .

[14]  B. Freeman,et al.  Analysis of fault geometry and displacement patterns , 1996, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[15]  E. Willemse Segmented normal faults: Correspondence between three‐dimensional mechanical models and field data , 1997 .

[16]  J. Byerlee,et al.  Permeability and strength of San Andreas Fault gouge under high pressure , 1981 .

[17]  Hiroshi Tada,et al.  The stress analysis of cracks handbook , 2000 .

[18]  D. F. Kluesner,et al.  Three-Dimensional Seismic Interpretation and Fault Sealing Investigations, Nun River Field, Nigeria , 1989 .

[19]  M. Antonellini,et al.  Effect of Faulting on Fluid Flow in Porous Sandstones: Petrophysical Properties , 1994 .

[20]  S. L. Crouch Boundary element methods in solid mechanics: With applications in rock mechanics and geological engineering , 1983 .

[21]  P. Szatmari,et al.  Least-squares palinspastic restoration of regions of normal faulting. Application to the Campos basin (Brazil) , 1993 .

[22]  David D. Pollard,et al.  Slip distributions on faults: effects of stress gradients, inelastic deformation, heterogeneous host-rock stiffness, and fault interaction , 1994 .

[23]  G. Yielding,et al.  Quantitative fault seal prediction : a case study from Oseberg Syd , 1997 .

[24]  David D. Pollard,et al.  Three-dimensional analyses of slip distributions on normal fault arrays with consequences for fault scaling , 1996 .

[25]  Joe Cartwright,et al.  High resolution fault displacement mapping from three-dimensional seismic data: evidence for dip linkage during fault growth , 1996 .

[26]  J. Walsh,et al.  Displacement Geometry in the Volume Containing a Single Normal Fault , 1987 .

[27]  A. Nicol,et al.  The shapes, major axis orientations and displacement patterns of fault surfaces , 1996 .

[28]  M. A. Chinnery The deformation of the ground around surface faults , 1961 .

[29]  R. Ravnås,et al.  Evolution of the Oseberg fault-block in context of the northern north sea structural framework , 1998 .

[30]  J. Walsh,et al.  Kinematic analysis of faults in a physical model of growth faulting above a viscous salt analogue , 1993 .

[31]  J. Rippon Contoured patterns of the throw and hade of normal faults in the Coal Measures (Westphalian) of north-east Derbyshire , 1984 .

[32]  R. Steel,et al.  Contrasting styles of Late Jurassic syn-rift turbidite sedimentation: a comparative study of the Magnus and Oseberg areas, northern North Sea , 1997 .