A new GeoPOP paper entitled “Integrating petrophysical, geological and geomechanical modelling to assess stress states, overpressure development and compartmentalisation adjacent to a salt wall, gulf of Mexico“ has been recently published in Marine and Petroleum Geology. In such piece of work ParaGeo is used to perform both, geomechanical restoration and forward coupled simulations to investigate overpressure development and pressure compartmentalisation in the Magnolia field, GoM. The key modelling aspects of the paper are:
Overpressure generation mechanisms are investigated via both, log-based analysis and hydromechanical modelling
A geomechanical restoration is performed on a present-day geometry obtained from an interpreted seismic section of the Titan mini-basin. From such restoration depositional isopachs are derived, which are later calibrated to drive the sedimentation in the forward simulation.
The structural evolution of the mini-basin flank adjacent to a rising salt wall is captured, predicting a present-day geometry consistent with the seismic interpretation. Isolated sand channels representing the B-25 reservoir bounded within a mud-dominated sedimentary column are represented in the models.
Several coupled simulations were conducted to investigate:
The relative contribution of disequilibrium compaction and salt-related tectonic strain in the present-day overpressure, porosity and stress distributions.
The source and controls on the reservoir pressure compartmentalisation observed in the data.
