Predicting the Depositional Environments of Mishrif Formation from Seismic Isopach Map in the Dujaila Oil Field, Southeast-Iraq

Abstract

In this paper, we attempt to predict the depositional environments with associated lithofacies of the main reservoir of the late Cretaceous Mishrif carbonate Formation, depending on the analysis of the created seismic isopach map by integrating seismic and well data. The isopach map was created from a 3D-seismic reflection survey carried out at the Dujaila oil field in southeastern Iraq, which is of an area of 602.26 Km2, and integrated with the data of the two explored wells. Based on the interpretation of the seismic isopach map, the diagram of the 3D-depositional environment model of Mishrif Formation was constructed. It showed three distinguished depositional environments, which were graduated from a back reef lithofacies of a shallow open marine (shelf) environment in the west and NW, to a shoal environment of isolated Rudist reefal buildup in the middle, and a fore reef lithofacies of the deep open marine basin environment in the SE of the field. A 3D-instantaneous frequency model was generated to verify the capability of the seismic isopach map of predicting the depositional environments, which in turn showed that the low frequency was restricted in the region of the high thickness of Rudist reefal buildups (porous reservoir facies) in the vicinity of the productive well Dujaila-1.