Stratigraphic evolution and depositional mechanisms of deep-marine silicilastic rocks

随着石油成本的上升，石油生产商和消费者都希望未来的油价能保持在一个合理的、可承受的水平。对于生产商来说，这需要维持目前的产量，而这反过来又需要用新的储量来取代产量。然而，目前，新的“大象”油田（即那些能够大批量生产常规油气的油田）出现在深水浊积岩系统中，通常超过2500米，远离现代大陆边缘，如加拿大的东部和北部海岸。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。为了使这些储量具有经济效益，公司必须增加成功的机会和每口井的产量。对这些具有经济意义的参数影响最大的变量是地质格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，需要了解亚地震尺度的特征，因此需要基于现场的露头和实验研究。本研究将以新元古代温德米尔超群为基础，研究深海盆地底坡硅屑序的相组成和地层几何特征。此外，一个配套的实验项目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.