Fluid overpressure as a control on sandstone reservoir quality in a mechanical compaction dominated setting: Magnolia Field, Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The reservoir quality (porosity and permeability) of deeply buried hydrocarbon reservoir sandstones in sedimentary basins is significantly affected by burial diagenesis. Many deep reservoirs develop anomalous fluid overpressures during burial. Previous studies on the effect of fluid overpressure on reservoir quality in these deep reservoirs have been inconclusive because of the difficulty in constraining the individual contributions of various porosity preserving factors that are simultaneously active in these reservoirs. Owing to its rapid burial and low burial temperatures, the Neogene gravity-flow sandstone reservoirs from the Magnolia Field, Gulf of Mexico, offers a unique opportunity to investigate in isolation the effect of fluid overpressure on reservoir quality. Examination of petrography, pore pressure and routine core analysis datasets showed a positive correlation between high fluid overpressure and enhanced reservoir quality. This study confirms that fluid overpressure preserves reservoir quality in deeply buried sandstone reservoirs in compaction dominated, high sedimentation basin settings.

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