Modern Analogs:
Facies Modeling of Isolated, Carbonate Platform with Remote Sensing
Hicks, Melissa1, Nils Andresen1,
Kelley Steffen2, Shawn Fullmer1, Stephen Kaczmarek3
(1) ExxonMobil, Houston, TX (2) Exxonmobil, Houston, TX (3) N/A, N/A,
In this study, multiple LandSat 7 scenes
(28.5-m resolution) of the Great Bahamas Bank, the Little Bahamas Bank (Caribbean Sea), and the Maldives Islands (Indian Ocean) were used to delineate
facies, characterize their relationships, and illustrate controls on facies distribution.
A quantitative approach using cluster analysis that utilizes multiple TM bands
and custom algorithms was used to create predictive facies maps for each of
these locations. The use of satellite imagery for remote sensing is not new,
but this quantitative approach provides predicted facies maps that agree with
published facies maps, while also providing information on areas with little
data control. Additionally, quantitative information on size, shape, area, and
percentages of facies on a platform are documented.
Both the Bahamas and the Maldives are archipelagos with
numerous isolated platforms, but their tectonic history, antecedent topography,
size, and shape are distinctly different. This provides the perfect opportunity
to test the cluster analysis method on many different modern carbonate
environments with many different tectonic, hydrodynamic, and climatic controls.
If fundamental differences can be observed and commonalities documented, then
predictive facies maps can be used as analogs to ancient systems that contain
similar tectonic, size/shape, and climate attributes.
Ancient carbonates contain over half of
the Earth's oil reservoirs (~55%), therefore,
predictive maps that illustrate the geometries and distribution of facies on
isolated platforms of varying tectonic histories, size, shape, and climate will
provide important data for higher resolution reservoir characterization and
modeling.