Oman Fracture Research

Most hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Gulf region and in Oman occur at depth in fractured carbonate anticlines. Geophysical and geological datasets directly acquired from the field are often insufficient on their own to build realistic reservoir models; more constraints are needed to improve hydrocarbon recovery. Anticlines exposed in the Adam foothills in northern Oman provide excellent analogues to many of the neighbouring buried fields: they are made of similar rocks and have been shaped by similar deformation events; furthermore exhumation has not affected their potential as excellent analogues. Detailed original field observations on fracture distribution, kinematics and attributes are an inexpensive and very reliable key source of information to constrain reservoir models.

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Regional Expertise

CASP fracture research was initiated in 2002 when fieldwork was carried out on well-exposed carbonate anticlines in the foothills of the Oman Mountains. The work focused on describing the detailed geometries of major anticlinal structures, the controlling parameters on fracture distribution in carbonate folds and the relationship between the timing of structural development and the tectonomechanical evolution of folds. Information gathered in the field included the collection of statistical data on fracture orientation, spatial distribution and other attributes of fracture and fault arrays in key “reservoir” intervals such as the Natih and Shu’aibah formations.

Most Recent Reports

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