Rock-physics modeling guided by depositional and burial history in low-to-intermediate-porosity sandstones

Abstract

We present a new rock-physics modeling approach to describe the elastic properties of low-to-intermediate-porosity sandstones that incorporates the depositional and burial history of the rock. The studied rocks have been exposed to complex burial and diagenetic history and show great variability in rock texture and reservoir properties. Our approach combines granular medium contact theory with inclusion-based models to build rock-physics templates that take into account the complex burial history of the rock. These models are used to describe well log data from tight gas sandstone reservoirs in Saudi Arabia, and successfully explain the pore fluid, rock porosity, and pore shape trends in these complex reservoirs.