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Advances in Temporal Fault Seal Analysis - A Case Study from the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 78th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2016, May 2016, Volume 2016, p.1 - 5
Abstract
Advances in fault seal analysis tools and workflows allows us to perform comprehensive studies of fault sealing capacity over a range of scales through geological time. Triangular juxtaposition diagrams have been modified to incorporate two wells with varying lithological thicknesses, giving a more representative ‘first-look’ at cross-fault juxtaposition and shale gouge ratio (SGR). 2D and 3D restoration workflows, incorporating differential cross-fault compaction on growth faults, have been integrated with high-resolution fault seal analysis tools to allow temporal analysis of fault seal capacity. In this study the Cape Egmont Fault, in New Zealand’s offshore Taranaki Basin is examined. The fault bounds the eastern margin of the giant Maui gas-condensate field. Charge of the Maui field is a subject of debate and present day juxtaposition and SGR on the Cape Egmont Fault means that cross-fault flow from the Maui sub-basin in the fault’s hanging wall is unlikely. We examine the temporal variability in the sealing capacity of the Cape Egmont Fault using the new techniques outlined above with respect to timing of trap formation and hydrocarbon expulsion in the Maui sub-basin to show that the Maui sub-basin is a valid, and indeed likely, source for the Maui gas-condensate field prior to ∼2 Ma.