2. Carbonate sedimentology/2
• Interpretation techniques applied to clastic
reservoirs can also be applied to carbonate
depositional systems.
• Carbonates however, differ from clastics due to
the importance of biogenic processes and their
susceptibility to diagenetic modifications.
Carbonates versus clastics
7. Carbonate sedimentology/8
• All primary sedimentary structures recognised in
siliciclastic rocks can occur in carbonates
(e.g. cross-bedding in ooid shoals, slumps etc.)
• In addition there may be:
– Biogenic structures (reefs etc.)
– Diagenetic structures unique to carbonates
Sedimentary structures
15. Carbonate sedimentology/16
• Need to preserve resistivity or acoustic contrasts:
– Porous vs. non-porous foresets in cross-bedded ooid shoals
– Grainstone turbidites in deep water pelagic carbonates
– Clay lenses/organic rich partings in algal laminites
• Variations in physical roughness of the borehole wall etc.
related to primary fabric
• Differential cementation/replacement may facilitate imaging,
but…
• Large-scale diagenetic replacement/cementation may result in
homogeneous response.
Controls on image log response in carbonates
16. Carbonate sedimentology/17
Vertical well
Carbonate textures and structures - dissolution
Sharp irregular
base to rudist
grainstone
Resistive,
cemented
wackestones
Conductive patches
represent mouldic
porosity after rudists
Argillaceous
dissolution seams
17. Carbonate sedimentology/18
STATIC DYNAMIC
Carbonate textures and structures - porosity
Vertical well
Resistive base to
overlying succession
Well bedded interval
More conductive patches represent
vuggy porosity associated with high
permeability zone
Resistive base to succession with
conductive patches - probably
represents poorly interconnected
vuggy porosity
18. Carbonate sedimentology/19
Carbonate textures and structures - laminae
Vertical well
Well laminated horizon
Alternating relatively resistive and
conductive horizons corresponding to
fining-upward units. Conductive horizons
are the coarser, more porous packstone-
grainstone facies. Resistive horizons are
finer grained packstone to wackestone
facies.
STATIC DYNAMIC
20. Carbonate sedimentology/21
Conductive coarser,
more porous packstone-
grainstone facies.
Carbonate textures and structures – cross-bedding
Vertical well
High angle bedding,
possible cross-
stratification.
21. Carbonate sedimentology/22
Carbonate textures and structures - bioturbation
Vertical well
Burrowed bed contact.
Hardground and major
unconformity surface.
Large sub-vertical burrow
shafts.
Elevated resistivity response
possibly due to cementation
associated with unconformity
development.
Possible burrow
gallery.
24. Carbonate sedimentology/25
Carbonate textures and structures - stylolites
Horizontal well
Abundant
conductive/resistive
fractures
Stylolitic bed boundary
Abundant
conductive/resistive
fractures
25. Carbonate sedimentology/27
Carbonate textures and structures - stylolites
Horizontal well
Conductive fracture
Stylolitic bed boundary
Large, scattered
angular-subangular
resistive patches.
Possibly large
bioclasts.
26. Carbonate sedimentology/28
Abundant dark
conductive patches
interpreted as vuggy
porosity. There is likely
to be good connectivity
in this example. The
bright, resistive patches
are probably bioclasts.
Carbonate textures and structures - bioclasts
Horizontal well
28. Carbonate sedimentology/30
Transition from bedding
(orange) to oversteepened
bedding (brown) across a
faulted (magenta) interval.
Conductive fractures
(cyan) are also observed.
Carbonate textures and structures
29. Carbonate sedimentology/31
Laminated/Debris Flow Hardground
Transported
Silic. Tight Zone
Top Porous
Chalk
Mottled,
bioturbated marl
Marl - Laminated
Debris Flow Slumped
Slumped/Debris Flow
Marl - Laminated
Marl/Laminated
Conductive
mottling
Minor healed
fractures
Slump fold
mottled fabric
Lower
Cretaceous
Base Tor
Hardground
Chert Bands
Base
Ekofisk Debris flow
clasts
Laminations
minor
cemented fault
heavily mottled
fabric of indeterminate
transported chalk facies
Ekofisk
Formation
Tor
Formation
Chalk textures and structures
32. Carbonate sedimentology/34
CORE IS ESSENTIAL TO CALIBRATE BOREHOLE
IMAGE FACIES IN CARBONATES
• Open hole log response should be used to
determine lithology and porosity
• Image fabrics should be used carefully: the same
fabric may be caused by more than one process
Facies interpretation
34. Carbonate sedimentology/36
GR
NPHI
RHOB
Static Dynamic Core
Stacked fining-upward
units with packstone-
grainstone bases and
wackestone tops
Carbonate lithofacies
Vertical well
Resistive fracture
Conductive packstones-
grainstones
Resistive, mottled
wackestones
35. Carbonate sedimentology/37
Carbonate lithofacies – core calibration
Vertical well
Boundary between FMI facies FMI7 and FMI4. The
burrowed surface is clearly visible (arrowed) as are the
packstone-filled burrows below.
Burrowed contact (dashed line)
between FMIF7 and FMIF4. Burrows
(squares) are filled with packstone.
Possible hardground.
FMIF7
FMIF4
Static image Dynamic image Slabbed core
36. Carbonate sedimentology/38
Carbonate lithofacies – core calibration
Vertical well
Thin, very resistive horizon (FMIF11) corresponding to a
subtle lithological change in a mudstone-wackestone
succession (FMIF2). The resistivity contrast may be due
to differential cementation.
Thin mudstone unit with
matrix-supported
intraclasts (possible debris
deposit) within a
mudstone-wackestone
succession
FMIF11
FMIF2
FMIF2
Static image Dynamic image
Slabbed core
38. Carbonate sedimentology/40
• Fractures occur in carbonates in the same
manner as in clastics.
• However tension gashes associated with
stylolite bands are a common feature in
carbonates.
• The interpretation techniques used for clastic
sediment fractures are applied to carbonate
fractures.
Fractures in carbonates