Abstract

Carbonate reservoir characterization has always placed a premium on the geoscientist’s ability to visualize complex 3D facies architecture and to understand its relationship to fluid flow and hydrocarbon recovery. Recently developed LIDAR mapping tools that produce a very-high-resolution digital elevation model of the earth’s surface are allowing us to re-examine well-known outcrop analogs with tools and questions identical to those employed by subsurface modelers. The result is a more quantitative documentation of fundamental parameters including cyclicity, facies continuity, facies and depositional object dimensions, vertical facies proportion, and image resolution (Figure 1).

Models have now been constructed from (1) deep-water basin-floor fans, turbidite aprons, and debris flows from the Leonardian Bone Springs Formation of Victorio Canyon, Sierra Diablo Mountains, (2) cyclic carbonate ramp-crest grainstone complexes and associated facies from the Guadalupian San Andres Formation of Lawyer Canyon, Algerita Escarpment, (3) foreshore-shoreface and tidal inlet systems of the Albian Devils River Formation at Painted Canyon, Pecos River, and (4) rudist buildups of the Albian Glen Rose Formation at Pipe Creek (Table 1). Additional models underway include the Holder Formation in the Dry Canyon area of the Sacramento Mountains, the El Paso Group paleokarst of the southern Franklin Mountains, the Windjana Limestone shelf-margin reef at Windjana Gorge, Australia, the San Andres Formation of Last Chance Canyon, and the Mississippian of the Alamo Canyon area (Table 1).

Each outcrop model consists of the LIDAR-based DEM, basic geologic data including mapped surfaces (cycles and sequence boundaries, etc.), measured section data, and in some cases petrophysical data, ground-penetrating radar, and synthetic seismic models. These models are currently contained in a geocellular modeling package but elements can be exported to a range of tools to allow comparison with analogous subsurface data.