Fault seal processes: systematic analysis of fault seals over geological and production time scales

Fulljames, J.R.; Zijerveld, Leo; Franssen, Raymond

doi:10.1016/s0928-8937(97)80006-9

Cited by 107 publications

(77 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…clays and siltstones) into fault zones. This conclusion favours the application of shale smear algorithms in fault property modeling (Lindsay et al 1993;Fulljames et al 1997;Yielding et al 1997), a suggestion that will be returned to later in this paper.…”

Section: Fault Rock Permeabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 56%

“…This method has been applied to estimation of fault seal capacity (Fulljames et al 1997) and permeability prediction (Bentley & Barry 1991). These distance-weighted methods predict a minimum shale smear thickness, and therefore a maximum likelihood of smear disruption, midway Definition of fault permeability predictor: Childs et al between the source layer cutoffs on the footwall and hangingwall sides of a fault.…”

Section: Fault Property Algorithmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Definition of a fault permeability predictor from outcrop studies of a faulted turbidite sequence, Taranaki, New Zealand

Childs

Walsh

Manzocchi

et al. 2007

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Post-depositional normal faults within the turbidite sequence of the Late Miocene Mount Messenger Formation of the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand are characterized by granulation and cataclasis of sands and by the smearing of clay beds. Clay smears maintain continuity for high ratios of fault throw to clay source bed thickness (c. 8), but are highly variable in thickness, and gaps occur at any point between the clay source bed cut-offs at higher ratios. Although cataclastic fault rock permeabilities may be appreciably lower (c. two orders of magnitude) than host rock sandstone permeabilities, the occurrence of continuous clay smears, combined with low clay permeabilities (10s to 100s nD) means that the primary control on fault rock permeability is clay smear continuity. A new permeability predictor, the Probabilistic Shale Smear Factor (PSSF), is developed which incorporates the main characteristics of clay smearing from the Taranaki Basin. The PSSF method calculates fault permeabilities from a simple model of multiple clay smears within fault zones, predicting a more heterogeneous and realistic fault rock structure than other approaches (e.g. Shale Gouge Ratio, SGR). Nevertheless, its averaging effects at higher ratios of fault throw to bed thickness provide a rationale for the application of other fault rock mixing models, e.g. SGR, at appropriate scales.

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Section: Fault Rock Permeabilitiesmentioning

confidence: 56%

Section: Fault Property Algorithmsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Definition of a fault permeability predictor from outcrop studies of a faulted turbidite sequence, Taranaki, New Zealand

Childs

Walsh

Manzocchi

et al. 2007

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“…259 Several algorithms have been proposed to evaluate the fault sealing 260 properties quantitatively, either based on the continuity of clay/phyllosilicate 261 smears or average clay content within the fault zones, e.g., Clay Smear 262 Potential (CSP) (Bouvier et al, 1989;Fulljames et al, 1997), Shale Smear 263 Factor (SSF) (Lindsay et al, 1993), Shale Gouge Ratio (SGR) (Yielding et 264 al., 1997) and Scaled Shale Gouge Ratio (SSGR) (Ciftci et al, 2013). These 265 algorithms evaluate the fault sealing properties by considering the re-266 distribution of mudstone/shale beds or the clay/phyllosilicate content of the 267 beds in sheared fractures.…”

Section: Introduction 38mentioning

confidence: 99%

A review of fault sealing behaviour and its evaluation in siliciclastic rocks

Pei

Paton

Knipe³

et al. 2015

Earth-Science Reviews

113

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8Faults can be either conduits or retarders for fluid flow. As the presence of 9 faults increases the risks for hydrocarbon exploration, the sealing behaviour 10 of a fault zone has been a focus for geological studies in the past 30 years. 11Due to the widespread occurrence of fault zones, either in extensional or 12 contractional regimes, knowledge about the fault sealing behaviour is of 13 great importance to a wide spectrum of disciplines in geosciences, for 14 instance, structural geology, geochemistry, petroleum geology, etc. 15Geologists have extensively study the sealing properties of a fault zone over 16 the last decades, ranging from fault zone architecture, fault seal types, fault 17 seal processes, fault rock classification, research methods and controlling 18 factors.

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“…[2] The permeability structure of fault zones in siliciclastic deposits can vary as a function of burial depth [Fulljames et al, 1997;Fisher and Knipe, 1998;Rawling et al, 2001;Bense et al, 2003b], fault throw [Wieck et al, 1995;Mailloux et al, 1999], and secondary mineralization along the fault plane [e.g., Fisher and Knipe, 1998]. As a result, fault properties can significantly vary over geological time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Faults as conduit‐barrier systems to fluid flow in siliciclastic sedimentary aquifers

Bense

Person

2006

Water Resources Research

201

149

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[1] We argue that the observed conduit-barrier behavior of fault zones in siliciclastic sedimentary aquifer systems can be understood by considering a strongly anisotropic hydraulic structure in the fault. Hydraulic anisotropy in the fault is expected from a variety of mechanisms including clay-smearing, drag of sand, grain re-orientation and vertical segmentation of the fault plane. In this paper, we present an algorithm to predict fault zone width, lithological heterogeneity and hydraulic anisotropy. Estimation of these parameters is based upon the amount of fault throw and the clay-content of the lithologies flanking the fault zone. A suite of steady-state flow models are presented using an idealized stratigraphy consisting of alternating clay and sand-rich layers that are offset by a fault zone. These conceptual simulations show the impact of a fault zone on shallow (<500 m) fluid flow patterns and solute transport for different scenarios of fault throw. Fault width varies along the fault zone and increases from an average width of~2 m for a throw of 50 m to~8 m for a throw of 200 m. Hydraulic anisotropy in the fault zone in these scenarios is predicted to range between two to three orders of magnitude. Our results show that faults can form a preferential path way between aquifers at different depths over vertical distances of several hundreds of meters (that are otherwise separated by confining units) when fault permeability is strongly anisotropic. However, in the same scenario anomalously high hydraulic head gradients across the fault would still suggest that they act as an effective barrier to lateral groundwater flow. This has important implications for the assessment of the risk of a spread of contaminated groundwater or the reconstruction of hydrocarbon migration within sedimentary basins.

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Fault seal processes: systematic analysis of fault seals over geological and production time scales

Cited by 107 publications

References 2 publications

Definition of a fault permeability predictor from outcrop studies of a faulted turbidite sequence, Taranaki, New Zealand

Definition of a fault permeability predictor from outcrop studies of a faulted turbidite sequence, Taranaki, New Zealand

A review of fault sealing behaviour and its evaluation in siliciclastic rocks

Faults as conduit‐barrier systems to fluid flow in siliciclastic sedimentary aquifers

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