Quantitative Analysis of the Dimensions and Distribution of Channelized Fluvial Sandbodies Within A Large Outcrop Dataset: Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation, Wasatch Plateau, Central Utah, U.S.A

Flood, Yvette S.; Hampson, Gary J.

doi:10.2110/jsr.2015.25

Cited by 38 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…2). Channelized fluvial sandbodies in the Blackhawk Formation display strikingly little vertical (stratigraphic) or lateral (palaeogeographical) organization, implying that their distribution is governed largely by autogenic behaviours such as avulsion (Hampson et al 2012(Hampson et al , 2013Flood & Hampson 2015). Hampson et al (2012) subdivided the Blackhawk Formation into four intervals, based on mapped and projected coal zones ('lower','upper 1','upper 2' and 'upper 3' Blackhawk Formation, see Fig.…”

Section: Geological Setting Of Outcrop Analoguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The positions of selected palaeo-shorelines, the stratigraphic positions of which are shown in Figure 2, are indicated by circled numbers 3, 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 (after Kamola & Huntoon 1995;Taylor & Lovell 1995;Hampson 2010;Hampson et al 2011). The inset map (top right) shows the location of the outcrop belt map on the western margin of the late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway (after Kauffman & Caldwell 1993). in the 'lower' and 'upper 1' intervals of the Blackhawk Formation, most probably reflecting deposition of these strata downstream of avulsion nodes near the apices of deltaic distributary channel networks (Flood & Hampson 2015). In the 'upper 2' and 'upper 3' intervals, sandbodies exhibit random or weakly defined regular spacing, the latter probably resulting from the compensational stacking of channel belts (Flood & Hampson 2015).…”

Section: Geological Setting Of Outcrop Analoguementioning

confidence: 99%

“…6, 2013. Each 'window' is rectangular in area, which has allowed straightforward application of spatial statistical tools that characterize sandbody distributions (Flood & Hampson 2015). Flood & Hampson (2015) measured the maximum thicknesses and apparent widths of channelized sandbodies in six panels from (Fig.…”

Section: Outcrop Analogue Data Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kraus 1996;Kraus & Wells 1999;Mohrig et al 2000;Jones & Hajek 2007;Straub et al 2009;Flood & Hampson 2014), and recent work on large-scale outcrops of fluvial strata suggests that avulsion and similar autogenic behaviours may result in non-random stratigraphic architectures that are at least partly independent of allogenic controls on stratigraphy and palaeogeography (e.g. sea level, tectonics, climate) (Hajek et al 2010;Wang et al 2011;Flood & Hampson 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Such spatial distributions are not commonly considered in current reservoir modelling workflows. Previous work has established the stratigraphic framework and context of the outcrop analogue (Hampson et al 2012), interpreted avulsion as the dominant control on stratigraphic architecture using internal sandbody architecture (Hampson et al 2013) and character of fine-grained floodplain deposits (Flood & Hampson 2014), and quantitatively described avulsion-generated patterns of sandbody distribution using spatial statistical tools (Flood & Hampson 2015). In this paper, we use concepts and data from this previous work to construct and analyse a suite of three-dimensional (3D), object-based reservoir models for different stratigraphic intervals and palaeogeographical locations in the play-scale outcrop analogue.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Object-based modelling of avulsion-generated sandbody distributions and connectivity in a fluvial reservoir analogue of low to moderate net-to-gross ratio

Villamizar

Hampson

Flood

et al. 2015

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Data from a large-scale outcrop analogue (Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation, Wasatch Plateau, central Utah, USA) were used to construct three-dimensional, object-based reservoir models of low to moderate net-to-gross (NTG) ratios (11-32%). Two descriptive spatial statistical measures, lacunarity and Ripley's K function, were used to characterize sandbody distribution patterns in the different models. Lacunarity is sensitive to sandbody abundance and NTG ratio, while Ripley's K function identifies clustered, random and regular spacing of sandbodies. The object-based modelling algorithm reproduces sandbody dimensions and abundances, but patterns of sandbody distribution generated by river avulsion are poorly replicated because pseudo-well spacing provides only limited constraint on sandbody positions.In common with previous studies, the connected sand fraction in the reservoir models increases with increasing NTG ratio and increasing range of sandbody orientations, but there is significant stochastic variation around both of these trends. In addition, low NTG reservoir models in which sandbodies exhibit strong clustering may also have a low connected sand fraction across the model volume because the sandbody clusters are widely spaced and, thus, tend to be isolated from each other. Consequently, connected sand fraction could be overestimated if avulsion-generated sandbody clusters are not identified and replicated in models of such reservoirs. Research article petgeo2015-004r esearch-articleResearch article10.1144/petgeo2015-004Object-based modelling of avulsion-generated sandbody distributions and connectivity in a fluvial reservoir analogue of low to moderate net-to-gross ratioCarlos

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Section: Geological Setting Of Outcrop Analoguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Setting Of Outcrop Analoguementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Outcrop Analogue Data Setmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Object-based modelling of avulsion-generated sandbody distributions and connectivity in a fluvial reservoir analogue of low to moderate net-to-gross ratio

Villamizar

Hampson

Flood

et al. 2015

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Linking the morphology of fluvial fan systems to aquifer stratigraphy in the Sutlej‐Yamuna plain of northwest India

et al. 2016

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The Indo-Gangetic foreland basin has some of the highest rates of groundwater extraction in the world, focused in the states of Punjab and Haryana in northwest India. Any assessment of the effects of extraction on groundwater variation requires understanding of the geometry and sedimentary architecture of the alluvial aquifers, which in turn are set by their geomorphic and depositional setting. To assess the overall architecture of the aquifer system, we used satellite imagery and digital elevation models to map the geomorphology of the Sutlej and Yamuna fan systems, while aquifer geometry was assessed using 243 wells that extend to ∼200 m depth. Aquifers formed by sandy channel bodies in the subsurface of the Sutlej and Yamuna fans have a median thickness of 7 and 6 m, respectively, and follow heavy-tailed thickness distributions. These distributions, along with evidence of persistence in aquifer fractions as determined from compensation analysis, indicate persistent reoccupation of channel positions and suggest that the major aquifers consist of stacked, multistoried channel bodies. The percentage of aquifer material in individual boreholes decreases down fan, although the exponent on the aquifer body thickness distribution remains similar, indicating that the total number of aquifer bodies decreases down fan but that individual bodies do not thin appreciably, particularly on the Yamuna fan. The interfan area and the fan marginal zone have thinner aquifers and a lower proportion of aquifer material, even in proximal locations. We conclude that geomorphic setting provides a first-order control on the thickness, geometry, and stacking pattern of aquifer bodies across this critical region.

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Identifying autogenic sedimentation in fluvial‐deltaic stratigraphy: Evaluating the effect of outcrop‐quality data on the compensation statistic

et al. 2017

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Stratigraphy preserves an extensive record of Earth‐surface dynamics acting over a range of scales in a variety of environments. To take advantage of this record, we first must distinguish depositional patterns that arise due to intrinsic (i.e., autogenic) landscape dynamics from sedimentation that results from changes in climate, tectonic, or eustatic boundary conditions. The compensation statistic is a quantitative tool that has been used to estimate scales and patterns of autogenic sedimentation in experimental deposits; it has been applied to a few outcrop studies, but its sensitivity to data limitations common in natural deposits remains unconstrained. To explore how the compensation statistic may be applied to outcrop data, we evaluate the sensitivity of the tool to stratigraphic data sets limited in extent and resolution by subsampling an autogenic experimental deposit to create pseudo‐outcrop‐scale data sets. Results show that for data sets more than 3 times thicker than a characteristic depositional element (e.g., channel or lobe), the compensation statistics that can be used reliably constrain the maximum scale of autogenic sedimentation even for low‐resolution data sets. Additionally, we show that autogenic sedimentation patterns may be characterized as persistent, random, or compensational using the compensation statistic when data sets are high resolution. We demonstrate how these measurements can be applied to natural data sets with comparative case studies of two fluvial and two deltaic outcrops. These case studies show how the compensation statistic can provide insight into what controls the maximum scale of autogenic sedimentation in different systems and how landscape dynamics can produce organized sedimentation patterns over long time scales.

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Quantitative Analysis of the Dimensions and Distribution of Channelized Fluvial Sandbodies Within A Large Outcrop Dataset: Upper Cretaceous Blackhawk Formation, Wasatch Plateau, Central Utah, U.S.A

Cited by 38 publications

References 61 publications

Object-based modelling of avulsion-generated sandbody distributions and connectivity in a fluvial reservoir analogue of low to moderate net-to-gross ratio

Object-based modelling of avulsion-generated sandbody distributions and connectivity in a fluvial reservoir analogue of low to moderate net-to-gross ratio

Linking the morphology of fluvial fan systems to aquifer stratigraphy in the Sutlej‐Yamuna plain of northwest India

Identifying autogenic sedimentation in fluvial‐deltaic stratigraphy: Evaluating the effect of outcrop‐quality data on the compensation statistic

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