From fractures to flow: A field-based quantitative analysis of an outcropping carbonate reservoir

Agosta, Fabrizio; Alessandroni, Mauro; Antonellini, Marco; Tondi, Emanuele; Giorgioni, Maurizio

doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2010.05.005

Cited by 175 publications

(100 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…11b), networks of macrofractures that are interconnected and uncemented are interpreted to be an important contribution to flow along fault zones. Additionally, the authors interpret systematic Riedel-and fault-parallel fractures with highest lengths as features with higher permeabilities, which is supported by Agosta et al (2010) and Jourde et al (2002) who show significant channelling of flow into focused flow paths along major, fault-parallel fractures.…”

Section: Discussion Generation and Hydrogeological Significance Of Famentioning

confidence: 54%

“…Agosta et al 2010Agosta et al , 2012Caine et al 1996;Faulkner et al 2010;Jourde et al 2002;Mitchell and Faulkner 2012;Shipton and Cowie 2003;Shipton et al 2006;Wibberley and Shimamoto 2003;Wibberley et al 2008). In shallow crustal depths, primary deformation mechanisms such as cataclasis, deformation banding, brecciation and fracturing are similar for crystalline, siliciclastic and carbonate rocks, but water-rock interaction in carbonates has the potential to generate completely different permeability characteristics impacting fluid flow in aquifers (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Agosta and Kirschner 2003;Agosta et al 2007;Agosta 2008;Billi and Di Toro 2008;Storti et al 2003). In the damage zone, porosity and permeability are expected to increase and are controlled by connectivity and anisotropy of fracture networks (Agosta et al 2010;Billi 2005b) and/or breccia zones (e.g. Billi 2005a; Hausegger et al 2010;Tarasewicz et al 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Statistical analysis of fractures using scan line techniques (e.g. Agosta et al 2010;Billi 2005b;Guerriero et al 2010;Guerriero et al 2013;Korneva et al 2014) show that fracture arrays in unfaulted host-rocks are usually more isotropic, whereas fracture arrays within fault damage zones are characterized by anisotropies. Fracture aperture and fracture connectivity is controlling the permeability in fractured media, resulting in either extremely channelized or more distributed flow paths (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hydrogeological properties of fault zones in a karstified carbonate aquifer (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)

2016

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This study presents a comparative, field-based hydrogeological characterization of exhumed, inactive fault zones in low-porosity Triassic dolostones and limestones of the Hochschwab massif, a carbonate unit of high economic importance supplying 60 % of the drinking water of Austria's capital, Vienna. Cataclastic rocks and sheared, strongly cemented breccias form low-permeability (<1 mD) domains along faults. Fractured rocks with fracture densities varying by a factor of 10 and fracture porosities varying by a factor of 3, and dilation breccias with average porosities >3 % and permeabilities >1,000 mD form high-permeability domains. With respect to fault-zone architecture and rock content, which is demonstrated to be different for dolostone and limestone, four types of faults are presented. Faults with single-stranded minor fault cores, faults with single-stranded permeable fault cores, and faults with multiple-stranded fault cores are seen as conduits. Faults with single-stranded impermeable fault cores are seen as conduit-barrier systems. Karstic carbonate dissolution occurs along fault cores in limestones and, to a lesser degree, dolostones and creates superposed highpermeability conduits. On a regional scale, faults of a particular deformation event have to be viewed as forming a network of flow conduits directing recharge more or less rapidly towards the water table and the springs. Sections of impermeable fault cores only very locally have the potential to create barriers.

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Section: Discussion Generation and Hydrogeological Significance Of Famentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Hydrogeological properties of fault zones in a karstified carbonate aquifer (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)

2016

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“…Following examples such as that of Mannino et al (2010), we perceive further opportunities to integrate numerous studies of carbonate outcrops in central -southern Italy (e.g. Agosta et al 2010;Cilona et al 2012;Petrachinni et al 2013;Antonellini et al 2014). In this volume, Welch et al (2014) compare fault and fracture systems in two distinct chalk outcrops.…”

Section: Selected Advancesmentioning

confidence: 85%

Fundamental controls on fluid flow in carbonates: current workflows to emerging technologies

Agar

Geiger

2014

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The introduction reviews topics relevant to the fundamental controls on fluid flow in carbonate reservoirs and to the prediction of reservoir performance. The review provides research and industry contexts for papers in this volume only. A discussion of global context and frameworks emphasizes the value yet to be captured from compare and contrast studies. Multidisciplinary efforts highlight the importance of greater integration of sedimentology, diagenesis and structural geology. Developments in analytical and experimental methods, stimulated by advances in the materials sciences, support new insights into fundamental (pore-scale) processes in carbonate rocks. Subsurface imaging methods relevant to the delineation of heterogeneities in carbonates highlight techniques that serve to decrease the gap between seismically resolvable features and well-scale measurements. Methods to fuse geological information across scales are advancing through multiscale integration and proxies. A surge in computational power over the last two decades has been accompanied by developments in computational methods and algorithms. Developments related to visualization and data interaction support stronger geoscience-engineering collaborations. High-resolution and real-time monitoring of the subsurface are driving novel sensing capabilities and growing interest in data mining and analytics. Together, these offer an exciting opportunity to learn more about the fundamental fluid-flow processes in carbonate reservoirs at the interwell scale.

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Statistical methods of fracture characterization using acoustic borehole televiewer log interpretation

et al. 2017

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Acoustic borehole televiewer (BHTV) logs provide measurements of fracture attributes (orientations, thickness, and spacing) at depth. Orientation, censoring, and truncation sampling biases similar to those described for one‐dimensional outcrop scanlines, and other logging or drilling artifacts specific to BHTV logs, can affect the interpretation of fracture attributes from BHTV logs. K‐means, fuzzy K‐means, and agglomerative clustering methods provide transparent means of separating fracture groups on the basis of their orientation. Fracture spacing is calculated for each of these fracture sets. Maximum likelihood estimation using truncated distributions permits the fitting of several probability distributions to the fracture attribute data sets within truncation limits, which can then be extrapolated over the entire range where they naturally occur. Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Schwartz Bayesian Criterion (SBC) statistical information criteria rank the distributions by how well they fit the data. We demonstrate these attribute analysis methods with a data set derived from three BHTV logs acquired from the high‐temperature Rotokawa geothermal field, New Zealand. Varying BHTV log quality reduces the number of input data points, but careful selection of the quality levels where fractures are deemed fully sampled increases the reliability of the analysis. Spacing data analysis comprising up to 300 data points and spanning three orders of magnitude can be approximated similarly well (similar AIC rankings) with several distributions. Several clustering configurations and probability distributions can often characterize the data at similar levels of statistical criteria. Thus, several scenarios should be considered when using BHTV log data to constrain numerical fracture models.

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From fractures to flow: A field-based quantitative analysis of an outcropping carbonate reservoir

Cited by 175 publications

References 59 publications

Hydrogeological properties of fault zones in a karstified carbonate aquifer (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)

Hydrogeological properties of fault zones in a karstified carbonate aquifer (Northern Calcareous Alps, Austria)

Fundamental controls on fluid flow in carbonates: current workflows to emerging technologies

Statistical methods of fracture characterization using acoustic borehole televiewer log interpretation

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