Browsing by Author "Mwaipopo, Stephen Meck"

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    Fault analysis in the boskoop gas field (Netherlands) and its implication for hydrocarbon exploration
    (University of Dar es Salaam, 2017) Mwaipopo, Stephen Meck
    The propagation and slip history of faults and hence their growth and evolution in the Boskoop gas field, the Netherlands, may be complex and is poorly understood. During its evolution, both rifting, uplifting and inversion have largely attributed to the present structural configuration dominated by narrow, asymmetrical fault bounded horst structures. Despite the fact that, the regional tectonic history has been well documented, a number of problems have been encountered in understanding the propagation and slip history of faults in relation to the development of hydrocarbon traps. Constraining faults development, a considerable amount of subsurface geological information was used to critically analyze the propagation and slip history of faults. This project makes use of the integrated data set of stratigraphic surfaces, fault cuts, well logs and well tops to construct, using Petrel, a detailed 3D structural framework model that illustrates faults geometry, fault linkage and syn-sedimentary fault activities in relation to the timing of traps development. Using the 3D structural framework model, a series of geological cross sections, log-log scatter plots of fault length against throw, throw profiles, thickness variation profiles and rose net diagrams were constructed and used to constrain fault geometry, fault growth and evolution in the Boskoop gas field. The log-log scatter plots and throw profiles show faults with both single and segmented characters. This implies that, at some points through time, some faults in the Boskoop area radially propagated and some were at different stages of overlap and linkage. Some faults through time, displays both regular and irregular patterns of hanging wall thickness profiles. This suggests that, during early stages of their development, some faults evolved via hard linkage and some did not. Both geological cross sections and thickness variations profiles display significant thickness variation of all units across the faults. This indicates syn-depositional fault activity, and implies that faults were active during the onset of hydrocarbon maturity. The timing of early linkage and the presence of both syn-depositional and juxtaposed faults, provides potential hydrocarbon traps within the Boskoop gas field and its adjacent areas.