Stratigraphic evolution and depositional mechanisms of deep-marine silicilastic rocks

随着石油价格的上涨，生产者和消费者都希望未来的石油价格保持在合理的、可承受的水平。对于生产商来说，这需要维持目前的产量，而这又需要用新的储备来替代生产。然而，目前，新的“大象”油田（即那些能够大量生产常规石油和天然气的油田）出现在深海浊流系统中，这些浊流系统位于非常深的水中，通常超过2 500米，远离现代大陆边缘，如加拿大的东部和北方海岸。在这些地区，勘探和生产成本极高，因此需要仔细考虑和关注经济问题。为了使这些储备经济，公司必须增加成功的机会和每口井的体积产量。对这些具有经济意义的参数影响最大的变量是地质框架及其如何控制储层产状和动态。然而，要详细了解储层结构和性能，需要了解次地震尺度特征，因此需要进行野外露头和实验研究。本研究以新元古代温德米尔超群为基础，部分研究深海盆地底部至斜坡硅质岩序列的相组成和地层几何学。此外，一个配套实验方案将调查沉积物浓度对形成深海沉积记录的水流沉积特征的影响。

With the rising cost of petroleum, producers and consumers alike are hoping that future oil prices remain at a reasonable, affordable level. For producers this requires maintaining the current volume of production, which in turn requires replacing production with new reserves. Presently, however, the new "elephant" fields (i.e. those capable of high-volume conventional oil and gas production) occur in deep-marine turbidite systems situated in very deep water, commonly more than 2500 m, off modern continental margins, like the eastern and northern coasts of Canada. In these areas exploration and production costs are extreme, and as a consequence necessitates careful economic consideration and concern. In order to make these reserves economic, companies must increase their chance of success and the volumetric output from each well. The variable that most impacts these economically significant parameters is the geological framework and how it controls reservoir occurrence and performance. A detailed understanding of reservoir architecture and performance, however, requires and understanding of sub-seismic-scale features, which therefore requires field-based outcrop and experimental investigation. Based on the Neoproterozoic Windermere Supergroup, part of this research will study the facies composition and stratal geometry of a deep-marine basin floor to slope siliciclastic succession. In addition, a companion experimental program will investigate the influence of sediment concentration on the characteristics of deposition from the very flows that build-up the deep-marine sedimentary record.