1887

Abstract

Summary

This work illustrates the importance of capitalizing on hydrocarbon column heights trapped against active faults for evaluating the hydraulic and mechanical properties of faults. This is crucial for understanding fault behavior, evaluating CO2 containment and risks associated with fault reactivation and leakage.

A method allowing to determine the strength of active faults, or faults close to critical stress is presented, based on case studies evaluating hydrocarbon column heights in fault-bounded traps from the East African Rift and the Niger Delta. This method consists in comparing the in-situ hydrocarbon fluid pressure data with a theoretical fault slip threshold calculated using Mohr-Coulomb theory to determine the static friction coefficient best fitting the maximum pressure trend. The values determined match those obtained in laboratory shearing experiments on fault gouge material with a range of compositions, supporting this method for determining in-situ mechanical fault properties.

This work is directly applicable to CO2 storage screening studies for potential site selection where the trapping mechanism is a fault-bounded structure. It also helps in better understanding the hydraulic and mechanical processes involved in faulting by providing access to more realistic static fault properties to be used as input parameters in geomechanical models for CO2 storage containment.

© EAGE Publications BV
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/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202532017
2025-09-14
2026-02-15

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References

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/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202532017
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Testing Up-Fault Leakage Criteria and Critical Stress Limits from Hydrocarbon Column Data in Active Tectonic Contexts
Conference Proceedings 2025, 1 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.202532017
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202532017
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202532017
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