Structural exploration workflow

Exploring for Oil and Gas Traps
Series	Treatise in Petroleum Geology
Part	Predicting the occurrence of oil and gas traps
Chapter	Exploring for structural traps
Author	R.A. Nelson, T.L. Patton, S. Serra
Link	Web page
Store	AAPG Store

This section suggests a flow of tasks to help explorationists define a drill location, moving from the regional scale to the drill site. The discussion is from the perspective of a full-cycle exploration play, where we have a play concept and are looking for a drill location to test it.

The workflow

We begin by envisioning a structural play concept based on the thrust belt play of the U.S. Rocky Mountains area. The following workflow discussion tracks this play concept from inception to drill location through a “normal” structural exploration process, as shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Play concept from inception to drill location through a “normal” structural exploration process.

Effects of scale

Figure 2 Different techniques and tools used for structural interpretation.

The technical tasks we identify are often related to the scale of our observation, from regional to microscopic. Figure 2 summarizes where the different techniques and tools described in structural interpretation techniques and tools can be applied. This sequence of tasks, in varying degrees, applies to any structural play.

We limit or reduce the number of structural techniques applied by the inherent maturity of the basin or play. In general, those techniques involving data and data generation on a large or reconnaissance scale (left half, Figure 2) are most important to perform early in a frontier basin or play. More detailed analyses requiring more detailed data (right half, Figure 2) are appropriate only to more mature basins and development studies/plays.

These are depicted in the table below by a common basin/play maturity classification.

Maturity Level	Very Important*
Frontier	1, 2, 3, 7, reconnaisance 5
Emergent	4, 5, 7, 8 stratigraphic, 10
Established	6, 9, 11, 13, 14
Mature	6, 8 (rock properties), 9, 13, 15

^{* For number reference, see Figure 2}

See also

• Tectonic setting
• Structural domains
• Structural fairway prospectivity
• Structural lead and prospect delineation
• Structural exploration:location selection
• Structural exploration: thrust belt example
• Data and techniques that delineate structural styles
• How different structural philosophies govern techniques

External links

find literature about Structural exploration workflow

• Original content in Datapages
• Find the book in the AAPG Store