Pioneer Drive Baptist Church
701 South Pioneer Drive
Abilene, Texas 7960 5
Download Registration Form
Controls on Carbonate Play D evelopment in the Paleozoic of West Texas and New Mexico
Presented by
Jeffrey J. Dravis
Dravis Geological Services
Dravis Interests, Inc.
A carbonate play is the juxtaposition of a limestone or dolostone rese rvoir facies sealed by a carbonate or shale facies, with its hydrocarbons sourced from a nearby organic-rich carbonate or siliciclastic mudstone. Un derstanding the controls on carbonate play type distribution and geometry is critical to more successful exploration in any basin. As such, delineat ing potential carbonate plays from seismic or wireline logs requires a sou nd understanding of the depositional and diagenetic controls that create t he reservoir facies, but it must be obtained within the context of geologi cal age and physiographic setting. \;Specifically, one must appreciate the environmental controls on carbonate facies development, and potential pathways for diagenesis and porosity evolution. For this reason, strategi es employed in the search for sandstone or mudstone reservoirs never work for carbonate sequences, including application of sequence stratigraphic m odels that assume sea level changes overridingly control carbonate facies and sequence evolution.
This one-day short course reviews the key c ontrols on carbonate facies occurrence and distribution, and demonstrates the strong influence of physiographic setting, both at the global and loca l scale. Because most carbonate reservoirs were developed within tropical or subtropical settings, paleotrade winds often were a major influence on their occurrence and distribution. In addition, the key controls influenci ng limestone diagenesis and dolomitization are reviewed, but with focused emphasis on how porosity and permeability evolve. The diagenesis discussio n also will stress how to resolve the relative timing of secondary porosit y development in these carbonates, which is key to exploiting regional por osity trends. The diagenesis discussion will further evaluate the role tha t deep-seated faulting often plays in carbonate diagenesis and development of reservoir quality, as well as hydrocarbon entrapment.
This shor t course culminates with a discussion relating carbonate play type occurre nce, geometry and distribution to geological age, but in the context of ph ysiographic setting (platform versus ramp). This approach will be supporte d by case studies from different basins, and then applied to Paleozoic pla y type examples from West Texas and New Mexico.
Topics Discussed
< ul>Pioneer D rive Baptist Church \;
Conference Center
701 S. Pioneer Dr.< br />Abilene, TX 79605
Texas Christian University
Kelly Alumni Center \;
2820 Stadium Dr.,
Ft Worth, TX 76129 \;
\;
Jeffrey J. Dravis
Jeff Dravis is a consultant in Carbonate Sedimentology and Marine Geology, primarily focused on searching for oil and gas deposits, or help ing to develop them once they are discovered.
Jeff's academic train ing in geology was purposely designed to gain experience with both modern environments and processes and ancient sedimentary sequences. He received his BS degree in Geology from St. Mary's University San Antonio, Texas, in 1971. He received a Master of Science degree in Marine Geology from the U niversity of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences in 1977. Dr. Harold R. Wanless was his thesis supervisor. His thesis was e ntitled "Holocene Sedimentary Depositional Environments on Eleuthera Bank, Bahamas."
In the summer of 1976, Jeff entered Rice University to b egin work under Dr. James Lee Wilson on ancient deep-water carbonates. In 1980, he was awarded a Ph D from Rice University, Houston, Texas. His diss ertation was entitled " Sedimentology and Diagenesis of the Upper Cretaceo us Austin Chalk Formation, South Texas and Northern Mexico."
In 197 8, Jeff began his professional career with Exxon Production Research Compa ny in Houston where he conducted applied research on carbonate facies, dia genesis and porosity evolution, and headed up Exxon's worldwide training e fforts in carbonates.
In 1986, he started his own consulting practi ce in Houston. In 1988, he founded Dravis Interests, Inc. to provide techn ical expertise and training in applied carbonate petroleum geology to the oil and gas industry. In May of 2000, Dravis Geological Services was creat ed to handle all technical consulting projects\; Dravis Interests, Inc. is now responsible for all training activities. Jeff has been involved in te chnical projects worldwide, working in sequences ranging in age from Cambr ian to Tertiary. He has presented over 183 applied seminars. His clients a re domestic and foreign oil companies, both majors and independents.
< p>Jeff has been an adjunct Professor of Geology at both Rice University an d the University of Miami, Florida, since 1987. He teaches at both schools , takes students into the field, and periodically serves on thesis committ ees.