-
f Impact of pervasive faulting on fluid flows and heat transfers in the Anglo-Paris Basin
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 79th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2017 - Workshops, Jun 2017, cp-519-00115
- ISBN: 978-94-6282-219-1
Abstract
Based on new seismic interpretations, this work highlights the importance of vertical fractured zones in sedimentary piles in terms of fluid flows and heat transfers in the fractured zones. In addition to the anticline and faults observed in the Anglo-Paris Basin, recent reprocessing and interpretation of old seismic data have revealed the presence of zones extending vertically with characteristic low-energy seismic facies affecting the sedimentary pile. Such observations are known in other sedimentary contexts and are interpreted as fractured lithology. We consider their potential role with regard to fluid flows in different scenarios to explain major thermal variations in the Anglo-Paris Basin. Both the vertical and horizontal dimensions of these thermal heterogeneities are considered by coupling measurements from geothermal wells with temperature profiles. The major influence of geological structures such as faults and fractures on vertical flow and heat transfer is demonstrated. Different fault and fracture scenarios clearly show the contribution of these « fractured » conduits to the heterogeneity observed in the basin’s temperature field, which cannot be explained either by flows without vertical leakage via the faults or fractured zones affecting the sedimentary pile, nor by conductive phenomena with heterogeneous radiogenic heat production.