f The Role of High Resolution Biostratigraphy in Exploration and Development

Well interpretation and successful field modelling depend on the availability of high quality data and the identification of time-equivalent units and events. Biostratigraphy has been proven to provide the data neccessary for confidently constraining the age of depositional sequences and identifying and constraining stratigraphic hiatuses. Interpretation of biostratigraphic data can be achieved both by reference to established, regional zonations and by the construction of local schemes based on high definition quantitative analyses to identify very localised, correlative field scale changes in individual taxon occurrences and the representation of groups indicative of particular environmental factors. High resolution biostratigraphic monitoring at wellsite enables accurate placement of casing and coring picks, identifies small scale faultsand hiatuses, and can play a major role in geosteering horizontal wells with a high degree of accuracy over long distances.