Recognizing New Exploration Traps beyond Well-defined Structures in North Umm Gudair, Kuwait

Exploration focus over the last decade has shifted to challenging frontiers and subtle traps in Kuwait, which were previously considered to be of high risk. Such targets are generally characterized by poorly defined reservoir facies or the absence of well-defined traps. In south west Kuwait, the main productions from Jurassic reservoir are achieved from Umm Gudair, Abduliya-Dharif and Minagish fields. The areas beyond the main structures are assumed and also reported to be non-prospective for a prolong time owing to apparent absence of suitable traps. To investigate new exploration interests in the area, seismic expression of sub-seismic scale lineaments are generated through the understanding of structural, fault and shear systems by way of detailed mapping and robust attribute analysis. The resulting map with detailed fault framework helped to identify several compartmentalized fault bounded closures that opened up a vast area for exploration. The present paper discusses an integrated study with emphasis to north Umm Gudair area where a comprehensive structure and fault mapping led to identification of new exploration interest in the area.