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Mixed deep-water systems from the Permian Basin to offshore

Since Beaubouef et al.’s (1999) demonstration of the utility of Exxon sequence stratigraphy in the Guadalupian Brushy Canyon Formation (Fig. 1E), oil and gas explorers have been encouraged to think: “Do other stratigraphic intervals in the world follow this pattern of what is normal in deep-water systems?” Many do, but several formations like the Brushy Canyon Formation in the Permian Basin region contain unusual deposits that previous researchers were unable fit into the 20th century turbidite paradigm. These rocks, including some reservoir, carrier and seal intervals, are more complex than originally interpreted, and can be placed along a spectrum of sedimentary processes derived from fluid turbulence, to matrix strength, to large-scale mass- movements, and from downslope to along slope.

Prior to the last 5-10 years, the search for conventional turbidite reservoirs promoted a singular focus on deep-water sediment transport and depositional models dominated by downslope processes. Turbidites, debrites and transitional flow deposits were interpreted to be responsible for diverse submarine fan depositional systems comprised of elegantly interconnected canyon, channel, levee, splay and overbank environments. Today, along-slope as well as downslope (i.e., turbidity current) processes are interpreted to sculpt the modern seafloor (Fig. 2, Rotzien et al., 2022; Hernández-Molina et al., 2022). Ancient stratigraphic successions in revered outcrops such as the Annot Sandstone (Grès d’Annot) in France also reveal evidence of along-slope sediment transport and deposition. In response, wildcatters and academic researchers alike have refreshed interpretations and depositional models to communicate new observations on mixed deep-water sedimentary systems to scientific and industry communities as oil price remains high in the near term.

This presentation focuses on deep-water sedimentary processes and deposits, their predictive attributes and their 3D heterogeneity. While much of the global knowledge on deepwater has been generated through decades of oil and gas drilling (Fremin et al., 2022), a firm understanding of deep-water sedimentary processes is essential for many scientific and business endeavors that take place in the water column, at the seabed, and into the subsurface, as well as onshore projects that involve deep-water sedimentary intervals (Sears et al., 2022). Professionals and students in the fields of oil and gas exploration and production, carbon capture, use and sequestration, geothermal, wind, solar, aquaculture, mining, military, insurance and government are invited to participate in this discussion on the past, present and future of deepwater.

Figure 1. Depositional models have made great strides in accurately depicting the subsurface from decade to decade (1960s-2010s), featuring the following themes: A) the influence of sedimentary processes and distribution of the processes and deposits in the submarine landscape; B) facies distribution in deep-water areas; C) bedding type and lithofacies organization in less sinuous channel and gully systems; D) source-to- sink (S2S) linkages; E) axial and lateral variations in deep-water environments, and the implications for reservoir connectivity; F) salt, faults and uneven basin margins and seafloors. In 2020 and beyond, geologists are interested in an integrated understanding of deep-water processes and deposits to map new play types. Modified from Minken et al. (2022).

Figure 2. Marine and deep marine processes and deposits drawn by F. J. Hernández- Molina in Rotzien et al. (2022).

References:

Beaubouef, R. T., C. R. Rossen, F. B. Zelt, M. D. Sullivan, D. C. Mohrig, D. C. Jennette,

J. A. Bellian, S. J. Friedman, R. W. Lovell, and D. S. Shannon, 1999, Deepwater sandstones, Brushy Canyon Formation, West Texas. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Continuing Education Course Note Series 40, 48 pp.

Fremin, L., R. A. Sears, and C. Williams, 2022, Chapter 19: Technical (engineering) advancements enabling deepwater exploration and production, in Rotzien, J. R., C. A. Yeilding, R. A. Sears, F. J. Hernández-Molina, and O. Catuneanu, eds., Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Applications, 1st ed.: Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 600 pp.

Hernández-Molina, F. J., S. de Castro, W. de Weger, D. Duarte, M. Fonnesu, T. Glazkova, A. Kirby, E. Llave, Z. L. Ng, O. M. Muñoz, S. Rodrigues, F. J. Rodríguez- Tovar, A. Thieblemont, A. R. Viana, and S. Yin, 2022, Chapter 9: Contourites and mixed depositional systems: A paradigm for deepwater sedimentary environments, in Rotzien,

J. R., C. A. Yeilding, R. A. Sears, F. J. Hernández-Molina, and O. Catuneanu, eds., Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Applications, 1 st ed.: Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 600 pp.

Minken, J., D. W. Woodruff, D. D. Adams, Y. Gan, and J. R. Rotzien, 2022, Chapter 1: Introduction to Deepwater Sedimentary Systems, in Rotzien, J. R., C. A. Yeilding, R. A. Sears, F. J. Hernández-Molina, and O. Catuneanu, eds., Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Applications, 1st ed.: Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 600 pp.

Rotzien, J. R., F. J. Hernández-Molina, M. Fonnesu, and A. Thieblemont, 2022, Chapter 6: Deepwater Sedimentary Processes, in Rotzien, J. R., C. A. Yeilding, R. A. Sears, F.

J. Hernández-Molina, and O. Catuneanu, eds., Deepwater Sedimentary Systems: Science, Discovery and Applications, 1st ed.: Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 600 pp.

Sears, R. A., M. Leonard, T. Chisholm, B. Langin, and C. A. Yeilding, 2022, The Business of Deepwater: Past, Present, and Future: Strategic Panel for the International Meeting of Applied Geoscience and Energy (IMAGE ‘22), Houston, Texas, 30 Aug.