Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2015, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (1): 111-117.doi: 10.11743/ogg20150114

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Lithofacies and architectural characteristics of sandy braided river deposits:a case from outcrops of the Middle Jurassic Yungang Formation in the Datong Basin, Shanxi Province

Chen Bintao1,2, Yu Xinghe3, Wang Tianqi1, Ma Fengliang1, Li Shunli3, Yang Lisha1   

  1. 1. Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development-Northwest (NWGI), PetroChina, Lanzhou, Gansu 730020, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Reservoir Description, CNPC, Lanzhou, Gansu 730020, China;
    3. School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2013-12-11 Revised:2014-10-17 Online:2015-02-08 Published:2015-02-11

Abstract:

Sandy braided river deposits have excellent physical properties, thus are important oil/gas reservoirs.In order to demonstrate the lithofacies and architectural characteristics of the sandy braided river reservoirs, and quantify the geometric properties and physical properties of architectural units, a systematic study for outcrops of sandy braided river deposits in the Middle Jurassic Yungang Formation in the Datong Basin has been conducted on the basis of outcrop observation, detailed interpretation of architectures, and laboratory analysis.Seven types of lithofacies in five associations have been identified.Five typical architectural units were identified in the sandy braided river deposits, including channel (CH), channel bar (CB), point bar (PB), abandoned channel (ACH), and overflowing sediments (OF).Among these architectural units, the channel and channel bar are the main architectural units with accumulative distribution frequency up to 78%.The thickness of channels ranges from 2.5 m to 6.5 m, width/thickness ratio is about 25-30, and the average porosity is 7.1%.The thickness of channel bars ranges from 2.5 m to 7.0 m, width/thickness ratio is about 30-35, and the average porosity is 7.8%.During the same depositional period, four basic combination types of the architectural units developed in the sandy braided river, namely CH-OF, CH/ACH-PB, CH-CB-CH, and CH/ACH-PB-OF.The spatial distribution of the architectural units in the different depositional periods is characterized by superposition or repetition of these four basic combination types in vertical and lateral.Channel and channel bar are the major reservoir types in the sandy braided river deposits, but the scale and physical properties of the later are better than the former.

Key words: architectural unit, oil/gas reservoir, reservoir property, sandy braided river, lithofacies, outcrop, Datong Basin

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