Field Trip

Tight Gas Reservoirs, Sultanate of Oman

3–5 February

Leaders: John F. Aitken & William Walton

The Cambro-Ordovician Haima Supergroup of north Oman hosts the majority of the Sultanate’s gas and condensate resources, commonly in tight reservoirs at great depth. Equivalent strata are increasingly becoming exploration targets elsewhere in the Gulf Region. They are unusual reservoirs, from a global perspective, simply because of their age. In many places, such old deposits have undergone intense diagenesis and metamorphosis so that they cannot act as hydrocarbon reservoirs and seals. Sedimentologically, they are of great interest because they developed in a world where there was no life (animal or plant) on land, although there was abundant life in the oceans. This simple fact had a significant impact on depositional processes and the resultant deposits.

The lowermost stratigraphic units of the Haima Supergroup outcrop in the Haushi-Huqf High on the eastern continental margin of Arabia in central Oman. The outcrops to be visited on this fieldtrip are located on and around the Buah Anticline in the central part of the Huqf High.

Key reservoir and stratigraphic units covered during the field trip, include:

• The Middle Cambrian Miqrat Formation deposited in a semi-arid sheetflood and playa/lacustrine setting
• The Early Cambrian arid to semi-arid Amin Formation deposited in a mixed alluvial, sabkha and aeolian environment

Limited and highly weathered outcrops of the Permo-Carboniferous, glaciogenic Al Khlata Formation that unconformably overlies the Cambro-Ordovician successions may also be visited en route (time dependent).

The field trip will address the sedimentology, depositional environments, reservoir architecture and heterogeneity of the outcrops and the implications for exploration and development of these complex reservoirs will be discussed.

Note: The outcrops lie in a sensitive environment, just to the north of the world-acclaimed Arabian Orxy Sanctuary, and particular care must be taken not to disturb the natural environment.

Travel Details

• The field trip will be based on camping at the outcrop with all logistics and camping facilities supplied. Registrants will receive full details about emergency response procedures, what to bring, etc.
• Since the area is a remote desert environment, it is potentially hot and water is limited to what we bring in, so only limited washing is possible.
• The trip requires walking over rugged terrain (c.2 km max.), moderate fitness is required.

Who should attend?

• Petroleum geoscientists and engineers working in equivalent-aged and/or tight reservoir successions
• Geoscientists and academics with an interest in ancient continental to marginal marine and marine deposition

What does it cost?

Cost is $2000. The registration cost includes transport, food and catering, camping equipment, etc.

How do I register?

To register for the field trip or for more information, contact William Walton at William.walton@pdo.co.om or +968.246.74296.