Geowissenschaften

A Geostatistical Model of Facies-Architecture and Internal Heterogeneity of Rotliegend-Reservoirs developed from Outcrop-Analogues – Outcrop-Analogue Study Cutler Group (Utah/USA)

The aim of this DGMK study was the collection of data that document the distribution of facies units within mixed fluvial/aeolian deposits. The Cutler Group of southeastern Utah was chosen as an outcrop analog since it contains all major lithofacies common within such deposits (aeolian dunes and interdunes, fluvial channel-fills as well as lacustrine and Sabkha deposits). Because of the outstanding outcrop quality in this region, numerous detailed datasets could be collected, which allowed the visualization of size, distribution, and sedimentological inventory of the different facies in various „paleogeographical“ maps and diagrams. A genetic model, which explains the presence of correlative horizons and cyclic patterns of deposition, could be developed.