A Sequence-Stratigraphic Approach to Constructing Earth Models of Shale Gas Systems

Shale successions are typically heterogeneous at various vertical and lateral scales. The construction of earth models (basin and reservoir models) requires a detailed analysis of rock properties within a sequence stratigraphic framework that typically integrates observations at mm- to m- to km-scales. Earth models (basin and reservoir models) that capture the appropriate level of heterogeneity allow for a systematic evaluation of shale gas resources. Here we present an earth model of the Mowry Shale Formation in the Powder River Basin, WY to illustrate the workflows and simulation results.