Modeling of Depositional Environments: Shoreline Trajectory – The Link Between Sequence Stratigraphy and Truncated Gaussian Fields

Abstract

The key to understanding the reservoir and fluid properties of any hydrocarbon system, clastic or carbonate, is to understand the depositional environment. The distribution of sediments, reservoir quality, as well as source and seal is controlled by well-understood geological processes that can be interpreted and described. By understanding these processes, it is possible to make qualified predictions of the consequential distribution of sediments by proactive geostatistical modeling. This paper directly links the main components of the depositional systems, in a sequence stratigraphic context, to the controlling parameters of the Truncated Gaussian Fields algorithm and uses this to predict sediment distribution in time and space. The approach is demonstrated at several scales, all the way from seismic-scale basin models to reservoir models, ensuring a systematic geological modeling approach to the entire value chain, from exploration, through appraisal, field development, and into production.