Industrial Structural Geology: Principles, Techniques and Integration
The practical application of structural geology in industry is varied and diverse; it is relevant at all scales, from plate-wide screening of new exploration areas down to fluid-flow behaviour along individual fractures. From an industry perspective, good structural practice is essential since it feeds into the quantification and recovery of reserves and ultimately underpins commercial investment choices. Many of the fundamental structural principles and techniques used by industry can be traced back to the academic community, and this volume aims to provide insights into how structural theory translates into industry practice.
Papers in this publication describe case studies and workflows that demonstrate applied structural geology, covering a spread of topics including trap definition, fault seal, fold-and-thrust belts, fractured reservoirs, fluid flow and geomechanics. Against a background of evolving ideas, new data types and advancing computational tools, the volume highlights the need for structural geologists to constantly re-evaluate the role they play in solving industrial challenges.
3D characterization of fracture systems using Terrestrial Laser Scanning: an example from the Lewisian basement of NW Scotland
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Published:January 01, 2015
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CiteCitation
J. C. Pless, K. J. W. McCaffrey, R. R. Jones, R. E. Holdsworth, A. Conway, M. Krabbendam, 2015. "3D characterization of fracture systems using Terrestrial Laser Scanning: an example from the Lewisian basement of NW Scotland", Industrial Structural Geology: Principles, Techniques and Integration, F. L. Richards, N. J. Richardson, S. J. Rippington, R. W. Wilson, C. E. Bond
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Abstract
Fractured gneiss lithologies form a basement-cored high, the Rona Ridge in the Faroe–Shetland Basin. Basement structures are known to play an important role in the petroleum system for the overlying giant Clair Field. An onshore analogue exposure in the Lewisian Gneiss Complex at Kinlochbervie in NW Scotland provides an example of a hanging-wall damage zone of a large basement-hosted normal fault. In this study, we used remote sensing (2D), outcrop line sample methods (1D) and a virtual outcrop created by terrestrial laser scanning methods (3D) to characterize spatial variations of the fracture systems. Spacing distributions from 1D line samples collected from exposures and pseudo-wells constructed through the virtual outcrop show power-law distributions. The virtual outcrop data enable us to extend the scale-invariant description from 1 to 3 orders of magnitude. We developed a novel box-counting workflow to provide an assessment of 2- and 3D variations in the fracture properties. Fracture density and fractal dimension are elevated whereas the number of intersections is decreased within a 220 m-wide volume adjacent to the fault. We discuss how the methods and results from this study can aid the development of analogue for basement reservoirs in the offshore UK continental shelf.
- aerial photography
- Atlantic Ocean
- basement
- brittle deformation
- deformation
- Europe
- Faeroe-Shetland Basin
- fault planes
- faults
- field studies
- fluid flow
- fractals
- fractures
- geophysical methods
- Great Britain
- laser methods
- laser ranging
- Lewisian Complex
- North Atlantic
- one-dimensional models
- orientation
- outcrops
- Precambrian
- remote sensing
- reservoir properties
- Scotland
- Scottish Highlands
- spatial distribution
- spatial variations
- structural analysis
- style
- surveys
- three-dimensional models
- two-dimensional models
- United Kingdom
- Western Europe
- Clair Field
- Rona Ridge
- Rhiconich Terrane
- terrestrial laser scanning
- Loch Inchard Fault
- Kinlochbervie Scotland