Fracture characteristics and distribution in exposed cretaceous rocks near the Umiat anticline, North Slope of Alaska

Abstract

Umiat oil field in the southeast part of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska is a shallow, thrust-related anticline in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range and was one of the earliest discovered oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska. Despite significant reserves of light oil, Umiat has remained undeveloped because the reservoirs are located at shallow depths within the permafrost. Recent development of horizontal drilling techniques could provide access to this shallow reservoir with a minimal surface footprint, and has caused industry to take a second look at Umiat. Fracture networks are valuable in petroleum systems because they can enhance both porosity and permeability in a reservoir and they act as migration pathways from source rocks to reservoir. At Umiat, natural fractures, if open, could enhance reservoir permeability or, if filled with cement or ice, could impede fluid flow. In order to determine the potential of fractures at Umiat, I examined core from older Umiat wells and surveyed fractures at four exposed anticlines similar to Umiat anticline. Three fracture sets were observed in the surface anticlines: an early north-south set of calcite-filled regional extension fractures that predate folding and are interpreted as due to elevated pore pressures during burial and under north-south compression; east-west oriented, unfilled hinge-parallel extension fractures that formed during folding due to outer arc tangential longitudinal strain in fold hinges; and a set of unfilled, vertical conjugate shear fractures oriented perpendicular to fold hinges that is interpreted as having developed on the fold limbs. Several natural fractures were identified in unoriented core from Umiat wells. These natural fractures dip steeply with respect to bedding and are calcite cemented and/or open. Lack of orientation data precludes assigning these fractures directly to a fracture set observed in surface exposures, but the presence of, calcite cement suggest that these fractures belong to the early, north-south oriented calcite-filled fracture set seen in nearby surface exposures. These observations suggest that production in horizontal legs could vary depending on the azimuth of the borehole. North-south, calcite-filled fractures could serve as permeability baffles and reduce flow in north-south oriented legs. Alternatively, horizontal legs that encounter the open hinge-parallel fractures or hinge perpendicular conjugate set could experience early water breakthrough or loss of circulation.