North Oman Fault Geometries in Outcrops, Analogues and Sub-surface and their Implication on Fault Seal

North Oman offers an opportunity for making outcrop observations of faults developed in carbonate reservoirs. It is possible to examine faults and associated damage zones in great detail, both in map view and cross sections. From these observations, geometrical concepts and rules can be defined. These help to interpret faults on seismic as well as to build static models. It is also possible to demonstrate the potential impact of the simplifications inherent to the static modelling process and to decide whether they are acceptable or not to define the most suitable modelling strategy. The understanding and the modelling of the fault sealing properties are an important part of this process. The main objective of this paper is to share how we can take advantage of the North Oman outcrops, in combination with a database of sandbox analogue models and high quality seismic data, in order to develop conceptual geometrical models of faults. These can be used as a foundation to 3D fault frameworks and to address static and dynamic fault seal properties. The conceptual geometrical models are also used to develop interpretation and modelling strategies, as well as workflows for the elaboration of geo-cellular models designed for specific recovery mechanisms.