ABSTRACT A robust set of modal composition data (238 samples) for Eocene to Pliocene sandstone from the Cook Inlet forearc basin of southern Alaska reveals strong temporal trends in composition, particularly in the abundance of volcanic lithic grains. Field and petrographic point-count data from the northwestern side of the basin indicate that the middle Eocene West Foreland Formation was strongly influenced by nearby volcanic activity. The middle Eocene to lower Miocene Hemlock Conglomerate and Oligocene to middle Miocene Tyonek Formation have a more mature quartzose composition with limited volcanic input. The middle to upper Miocene Beluga Formation includes abundant argillaceous sedimentary lithic grains and records an upward increase in volcanogenic material. The up-section increase in volcanic detritus continues into the upper Miocene to Pliocene Sterling Formation. These first-order observations are interpreted to primarily reflect the waxing and waning of nearby arc magmatism. Available U-Pb detrital zircon geochronologic data indicate a dramatic reduction in zircon abundance during the early Eocene, and again during the Oligocene to Miocene, suggesting the arc was nearly dormant during these intervals. The reduced arc flux may record events such as subduction of slab windows or material that resisted subduction. The earlier hiatus in volcanism began ca. 56 Ma and coincided with a widely accepted model of ridge subduction beneath south-central Alaska. The later hiatus (ca. 25–8 Ma) coincided with insertion of the leading edge of the Yakutat terrane beneath the North American continental margin, resulting in an Oligocene to Miocene episode of flat-slab subduction that extended farther to the southwest than the modern seismically imaged flat-slab region. The younger tectonic event coincided with development of some of the best petroleum reservoirs in Cook Inlet.

Abstract The Middle Devonian Geneseo Formation and its lateral equivalents in the Northern Appalachian Basin are regarded as crucial secondary targets to the extensively explored Marcellus subgroup. High-resolution sedimentology, stratigraphy, and petrography have yielded differentiation of genetically related packages, comprised of distinct lithofacies with characteristic physical, biological, and chemical attributes. In addition, argon ion milling and nanoscale scanning electron microscopy of shale sections has shown that the pore structure of the Geneseo derives from pores defined by phyllosilicate frameworks, carbonate dissolution, and within organic matter. Intervals of silt-rich mudstones and muddy siltstones occur in multiple facies types and “interrupt” facies, reflecting background sedimentation. These deposits and their sedimentary features are interpreted as products of high-density fluvial discharge events. Pore morphology and distribution correlates with distinct mudstone lithofacies as a result of small-scale compositional and textural characteristics. Phyllosilicate framework pores are small triangular openings (100-1500 nm wide) and are the dominant pore type observed in hyperpycnites. Organic matter porosity is common (10-500 nm pore size) and dominates the organic-rich facies that represents “background” sedimentation with high organic content. Carbonate dissolution pores (50-500 nm wide) are observed in calcareous intervals and reflect partial dissolution of carbonate grains during catagenetic formation of carboxylic/phenolic acids.

Abstract This course is designed to emphasize the following topics: (1) Historical perspective on previous and current empirical, and geochemical methods of reservoir quality prediction; (2) Overview of diagenetic processes which significantly impact reservoir quality and those factors which act as major controls on those processes; (3) Proper design of a comprehensive or limited-focus predictive analysis of reservoir quality; (4) Methodologies for the accurate measurement of all major dependent and independent variables; (5) Data analysis techniques involved in quality control and the assessment of variability prior to performing multivariate regression; (6) Steps involved in the generation of a multivariate regression to insure that the model developed provides maximum accuracy using a minimum number of independent variables; (7) Case histories from a variety of settings illustrating application of the recommended approach to reservoir quality prediction.

Abstract Predictions of reservoir rock quality and distribution are commonly one ofthe major uncertainties in wildcat drilling. The need for improved prediction of reservoir quality has been documented by Rose (1987) and Sluijk and Parker (1984). Rose notes, in one of the few reported examples of assessment of wildcat failures, that incorrect prediction of commercial reservoir rock was the main reason for 40% ofthe dry holes analyzed. Interestingly, the geologists involved in reservoir quality assessment correctly perceived this factor as the prime geologic uncertainty 79% of the time. Comparison of predrill predictions with postdrill results by Shell (Sluijk and Parker) indicated that, in general, reservoir parameters were seriously overestimated, whereas hydrocarbon charge and retention were reasonably well predicted. In addition to the reduction of exploration risk, there are other potential applications for this course. Examples include basin analysis, where improved porosity and permeability estimation will allow for more detailed assessment of large scale fluid flow patterns, and in hydrocarbon production, where predrill predictions may assist in the recognition of impaired productivity related to formation damage. Although the concepts, techniques, and examples presented in this course relate almost entirely to clastic rocks, there is no reason the approach advocated here cannot be successfully applied to carbonates. Geochemical models of the various physical and chemaical mechanisms of diagenesis are only rarely linked quantitatively to levels of porosity and permeability. Consequently, attempts to use such models to predict reservoir parameters do not yet have the ability to provide meaningful quantitative estimates in other than