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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
AAPG Bulletin
Abstract
AAPG Bulletin, V.
2009. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.
DOI:10.1306/04020908115
Structural controls of
fracture
orientations, intensity, and connectivity, Teton anticline, Sawtooth Range, Montana
fracture
orientations, intensity, and connectivity, Teton anticline, Sawtooth Range, Montana
Kajari Ghosh,1 Shankar Mitra2
1School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; [email protected]
2School of Geology and Geophysics, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma 73019; [email protected]
ABSTRACT
The Teton anticline is a multiple hinge anticline containing fractured Mississippian–Devonian carbonates in the frontal part of the Sawtooth Range in Montana. The structure serves as a good surface analog for
fracture
patterns and connectivities within subsurface-folded carbonate reservoirs. The primary
fracture
sets are longitudinal and transverse relative to the axis of the fold, although two additional oblique sets are also present. The length and density of the longitudinal
fracture
sets are strongly controlled by position relative to multiple hinges. The transverse fractures are related to changes in fold plunge and exhibit less variation in
fracture
density.
Fracture
connectivity is dependent on the number of
fracture
sets, their orientations and dispersions, and the densities of the
fracture
sets. The connectivity is measured using two parameters: the fractional connected area (FCA), which represents the fraction of the total sample area that is connected by fractures, and the distribution of clusters of different sizes in any given area. Because the longitudinal fractures represent the dominant
fracture
set and also show the most variation with structural position, the
fracture
connectivity, as measured by both the FCAs and the distribution of cluster sizes, is greater in the vicinity of the fold hinges. The results and approaches used in the study have some important implications for subsurface-folded fractured carbonate reservoirs. The
analysis
of sparsely distributed
fracture
data from wells must be integrated with an understanding of the controls of the macroscopic structure on
fracture
parameters to effectively simulate
fracture
patterns and connectivities around subsurface structures.
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