Fracture evaluation of the plutonic basement in the Upper Magdalena Basin: Implications for the development of naturally fractured reservoirs in the Northern Andes

Abstract

Plutonic rocks typically have negligible matrix porosity and permeability. However, fractures and mineral alterations create storage space and flow pathways that turn plutonic rocks into fluid reservoirs. Despite significant hydrocarbon discoveries, naturally fractured reservoirs in plutonic rocks have been poorly studied. In most Colombian basins, the crystalline basement has undergone multiple deformational events and is thrust over the Cretaceous to Cenozoic source and reservoir rocks of the conventional petroleum system. This structural configuration is ideal for the migration of oil into a fractured basement. A multiscale fracture analysis, including field, petrographical and petrophysical techniques was conducted on the Permian and Jurassic plutonic basement of Upper Magdalena Basin in order to understand the controls on brittle deformation, the development of fracture networks and their potential to form hydrocarbon reservoirs. The results indicate that protolith textures and structures, including magmatic and mylonitic foliation, favours fracturing. Dykes exhibit higher fracture density (7–48 fractures/m), porosity (mean = 0.4%) and permeability (mean = 125,818.75 mD) than the host rock (2–25 fractures/m; 0.23%; 12,066.09 mD). Intersection zones from regional faults, are characterized by the highest fracture and lineament intensity. Our results suggest that dyke swarms and interacting damage zones can significantly enhance the reservoir quality of plutonic rocks by providing storage in fractures and fluid pathways to the host rock.