The Control of Geomechanics and Lithofacies on Fracture and Fault Permeability in Carbonates – Examples from Maiella

Permeability in faulted carbonates is a key problem in exploration and production, and yet there is no existing rule base for its prediction. Fault zone properties are affected both by mechanical processes such as cataclasis and also by diagenetic processes, including precipitation and pressure solution. We have studied faults and associated fractures in a variety of limestone lithologies in the Maiella Mountain, Abruzzo, Italy and have used rock mechanical testing in order to better define the conditions of development of the faults. Combining this information with subsurface data from fractured carbonates, we propose a conceptual model for the development of carbonate fault rock permeability, based on the pore type and the loading history.