Sequence stratigraphy and depositional systems in the Upper Cretaceous (Cenomanian) Woodbine Group, Anderson and Cherokee Counties, Texas

Abstract

The Woodbine Group of the East Texas Basin has attracted considerable interest because of its remaining petroleum resource in the deeper Woodbine pay. Recent estimate of the remaining petroleum resources in the East Texas field is approximately 1.58 billion stock tank barrels (BSTB) (Wang et al., 2008). However, expected ultimate recovery is limited by reservoir compartmentalization controlled by a complex stratigraphic framework. The purpose of this study is to define depositional systems and construct the stratigraphic framework of the Woodbine Group in Anderson and Cherokee Counties to provide the geologic context for characterizing remaining reserves. This study integrates core data and log data from closely spaced wireline logs (~1000 wells), using a chronostratigraphic method, to define sequence stratigraphic units. The stratigraphic framework of the Woodbine succession in the study area is composed of a maximum of 14 cycles in the basin axis, decreasing to a minimum of 3 cycles eastward to the Sabine Uplift and a minimum of 6 cycles westward to the out crop belt. The Woodbine succession is overlain by impermeable deposits of the Eagle Ford Shale and the Austin chalk as hydrocarbon seals. The complexity and heterogeneity of sandstone bodies in the Woodbine Group are largely controlled by depositional origin. Woodbine highstand and lowstand sequences display great variations in the depositional systems. The highstand deposits are composed mostly of fluvial dominated delta deposits that consist of distributary-channel, crevasse-splay, and delta-front deposits. Gamma-ray and spontaneous potential responses for these highstand deposits are upward-coarsening and serrate. In contrast, Woodbine lowstand deposits are mainly composed of coarse-grained sandstones of incised valley fills, reflecting relative base-level fall. These lowstand deposits, truncate older highstand deposits and are inferred from planar-based and blocky serrate log responses. Furthermore, highstand and lowstand deposits are overlain by transgressive deposits. These transgressive deposits are characterized by upward-fining log response, reflecting relative base-level rise. Correlation of sequence stratigraphic surfaces, sandstone-body stacking patterns and reservoir complexity inferred from gross-sandstone maps can lead to new exploration targets in the Woodbine Group in the southern part of the East Texas Basin.