FORMATION EVALUATION

BASED ON LOGGING DATA

Pradyut Bora
Senior Geologist
Geology & Reservoir Deptt.
 Outline

Objective
Quick look log interpretation
Deterministic log analysis method
Shale effects
Shaly sand models
 Formation Evaluation & Objective

The fundamental questions that has to find

answers during Formation evaluation

What kind of rock is present ?

reservoir or non-reservoir rock?

If Reservoir rock exists.

Are any hydrocarbon present ?

Type of hydrocarbon present

whether oil or gas?

How much hydrocarbon is there ?

(pay thickness, porosity, saturation etc. and finally
the estimation of reserve)
 Formation Evaluation & Objective

Well logs contains key information about the formation

drilled in different petrophysical measurements. i.e.

Prospective zones of hydrocarbon.

Reservoir type and thickness.
Estimation of Porosity, permeability.
Fluid type present in the pores and saturation level.

Objective: To economically establish the existence of

producible hydrocarbon reservoirs (oil & gas).
 Basic Logging Tools and their Measurements

Electrical Logs: measure the electrical properties of the formation

alongwith the formation fluids.
Gamma Ray Logs: measure the natural radioactivity of the
formation.
Self Potential Log: measures the potential difference in milli-volts
between an electrode in the borehole and a grounded electrode at
surface.
Density Logs: measure electron density of the formation which is
related to formation density.
Neutron logs: measure hydrogen index of the formation.
Sonic Logs: measure the elastic or (sound) wave properties of the
formation.
Caliper Logs: measure the size or geometry of the hole.
 Basic Logging Tools & Interpretable
Parameters
Log Type Physical Derived Interpreted
Measurement Parameter Parameter
Resistivity
-Induction Voltage (V) Rt Sw
-Laterolog V and Current (I) Rt Sw
-Micro Laterolog Current Rxo Sxo
Acoustic
- Sonic Transit Time PHIs, ITT Lithology
Nuclear
- Density Electron RHOB, PHID Lithology
- Neutron Hydrogen PHIN Lithology
Auxiliary
-Natural GR Natural Radioactivity None Vsh
-Self Potential mV None Vsh
-Caliper (in) Dh, Volume
 Petrophysical Interpretation

Qualitative: Assessment of reservoir

properties, fluid type form log pattern.

Quantitative: Numerical estimation of

reservoir properties viz. % of oil, water etc.
Identification of Reservoir and Non-Reservoir Rocks
From SP & GR logs

RESERVOIR ROCKS
Low Gamma Ray
Good SP development

NON RESERVOIR ROCKS-

High Gamma Ray
Flat SP development

Reservoir Rocks: Porous & Permeable rock

Sand Sand
grain grain Sand
Shale
 Qualitative Interpretation Of Well Logs
Quick-look hydrocarbon detection
Composite Log
Gamma Ray
Caliper
Resistivity
Density
Neutron RHOB-NPHI
SHOWS VERY
GOOD CROSSOVER
INDICATING
GAS
Low GR
SP Deflection G
Indicates A
Reservoir S
Rocks
High Resistivity

G
A
S

O
I
L
Rgas>Roil>Rwater
 Qualitative
Interpretation Of Well Logs

Sand Top
G Rgas>Roil>Rwater
A
S
O
Gas-Oil contact
I
L
Oil-Water contact
W
A RHOB-NPHI
T GOOD CROSSOVER
INDICATE GAS
E
R Integration of drill-cutting sample ,
Side-wall core data, nearby well
data is important to confirm the
predication of fluid type.

Advanced logging tools are also

used to record sometimes to
ascertain the fluid type.
 Quantitative Interpretation of Well logs

Estimation of effective porosity & permeability.

Estimation of volume of clay fraction.

Estimation of hydrocarbon saturation.

Determination of the depth and thickness of

net pay.

Estimation of reserves of hydrocarbon.

Estimation of Porosity
From Neutron, Density and Sonic Logs

POROSITY () = VOL. OF PORE SPACE / BULK VOL. OF

ROCK

EFFECTIVE POROSITY (e) = VOL. OF INTERCONNECTED

PORE SPACE / VOL. OF ROCK

Inter particle Porosity

Estimation of Porosity
From Neutron, Density and Sonic Logs
Estimation of Porosity By using Cross-plots
From Neutron, Density and Sonic Logs
 Estimation of Hydrocarbon Saturation
Can not be measured directly but inferred from determination of
WATER SATURATION (Sw) from RESISTIVITY and POROSITY
logs.

Sw Fraction of pore space occupied by water.

Sh Fraction of pore space occupied by hydrocarbon.

Sw+Sh=1 or Sh=1-Sw

oil

water
 Water Saturation Estimation
Objective: whether the pores of the formation is completely saturated
with formation water or the pore space is partially saturated with
oil/gas.
Sw = 100%

Current travels along the

path of least resistance
which is measured as wet
resistivity (Ro). Ro
As the porosity changes
the value of Ro consistently
changes.
Sand grains
Rw : Formation water resistivity
water
 Water Saturation Estimation

Rw
Sw= 100%, Rt= Ro Sw<100%, Rt>Ro

Ro = Resistivity of the formation with pores 100% saturated with water

Rt = Actual resistivity of formation measured

Water saturation can be expressed as a function of Rw, Ro, Rt and

porosity.
Archies Equation
For Water Saturation (Sw) Estimation

1/2
a x Rw
Sw = m x Rt
 Formation Water Resistivity (Rw) Estimation

Measured various ways:

Direct laboratory measurements of
formation water sample.
From water salinity value by using chart.
From Self Potential log.
From resistivity log using Archies
equation.
Rw Estimation: From salinity & temperature chart
Resistivity of NaCl Solution (at certain temperature)

Given
(1)Salinity= 10000 ppm @ 70 0 F

Enter salinity at Y-axis (right)

Temerature at X-axis
Resistivity value at Y-axis(left)

Resistivity= 0.6 0hm.m

(2) Salinity= 10000 ppm @ 150 0 F

Resistivity= 0.3 0hm.m

 Rw Estimation: From Self Potential Log

SP current develop due to difference in

salinity between formation fluid and the
borehole fluid (Mud).
Liquid Junction Potential
Membrane Potential

The movement of ions, which causes the

SP phenomenon is possible only in
Clean sand line
formation having a certain minimum
permeability.
Shale Base line

SP Curve The first step is to compute the Static

SP (SSP), which is the ideal SP
response for thick clean water bearing
zone (shale free).
Sand

Shale SP scale is 15 mV/div.

SSP= -45 mV
 Rw Estimation: From SP Log
Total Electrochemical emf (Ec) for the two phenomena:
SSP = -K Log aw/amf -----1
SSP= Static SP
aw, amf = chemical activities of formation water & mud filtrate
respectively
K= a constant =71 at 77F, varies directly proportion to absolute
temperature

For NaCl solutions, Chemical activities are inversely proportional to

resistivity, but not for all type of waters.

So terms Rweq & Rmfeq are used, which, by definition

aw/amf=Rmfe/Rwe

Hence, SSP = -K Log Rmfeq/Rweq -----2

Calculation of Rmfeq:
if Rmf>0.1 ohm m at 75 F, then Rmfeq = 0.85 Rmf
if Rmf< 0.1 ohm m at 75 F, the use Chart SP-2 to find Rmfe
Estimating Rw from SP-Basic parameters
Rw Estimation: From SP Log
Rweq
Ohm-m

0.025

Rweq=0.025 ohm-m

Rw = 0.31 ohm m
 Rw Estimation: From Resistivity Log

Archies equation solve for Rw

Rw= (Rt x Sw2)/ 2

G
A
S
O
For clean water bearing sand: I
L
Sw=1 W
A
Hence, Rw = Rt x 2 Sw= 1
T
Ro= Rt

E
R

Read Rt from log.

Calculate porosity () from porosity log.
Find Rw.
Quicklook Summary of Estimation of Water saturation
(Sw) by using Archies Equation
Clean (Shale Free) Formation
 Shaly Formation
No sand/ reservoir is practically clean and free of any clay or
other fine minerals.
When the volume of clay is >15%, formation is termed as shaly.
Shale contains water that affects Sw evaluation because its
reduce the true resistivity of the formation.
Porosity and permeability is also affected due to presence of
shale.
SHALE DISTRIBUTION
Clean Formation (No Shale
Increase of Rt with the increase of Oil saturation
Shaly Formation
Decrease of Rt with the increase of Shaliness at
constant saturation.
 Steps of Shaly Sand Analysis

1. Determination of volume of shale (Vsh).

2. Determination of effective porosity (phie).

3. Calculation of effective water saturation (Swe)

using corrected porosities and shaly sand
water saturation equation.
Gamma ray Log - Shale volume evaluation
GRShale
Gamma ray log is an indicator of
shaliness of sand

GRLog
GRlog- GRClean
V Shale =
GRShale- GRClean

80- 20
V Shale =
180- 20

GRClean
Self Potential Log - Shale volume evaluations
SP log is an indicator of shaliness of sand

SPLog

SPShale

SPClean
Vsh Correction- Effective porosity Estimation
Effective Porosity from Density porosity

b = e* f +Vcl*clay+(1- e-Vcl)* ma e, f
ma - b ma - sh Vsh , sh
e= Vsh
ma - f ma - f
1- e-Vsh
ma

Effective Porosity from Neutron porosity

e= N Vsh* sh

where, cl is the neutron porosity against clean shale

 Shale and Saturation Evaluation

The Archie equation has changed to take into

account the shale effect.

To estimate the volume of clay in the reservoir

rock to eliminate their effect in porosity and
water saturation computation.

There are many equation for shaly formation

evaluation has developed.
Saturation Estimations Equations for Shaly Sand
 Building Petrophysical Model
(Elan plus Software)
Reconstruction of subsurface rock formations along with fluid
saturation using log data.

Initially Petrophysicist make a preliminary assumption of possible

rock type & fluid present from the log response
Low GR, High density(2.7), low porosity(<0.3) --- ? Limestone
Low GR, very low density, very high porosity ---- ? Coal
High GR, moderate neutron porosity, high density --- ? Shale
High resistivity zone sitting over low resistivity zone against a
sand --- Oil above water ?
Density Neutron crossover ---- ? Gas

Finally the modeling software solve a model using the input data. The
model shows the Lithology and Fluid saturation in quantitative terms.
 Petrophysical Interpretation

Inputs Model generation Outputs

Measurements
Rsistivity, Density Sand%
GR, SP Model Clay%
e %
Satisfactory
Sw (% of )
Parameters Model Oil (% of e)
Rw, Rmf, MW, BHT Generation Gas (% of e)
Model
Doubtful
Volumes (variables)
Quartz, Clay, coal
Oil, water, gas
Interpreted Model

Outputs:
Lithology
Reservoir thickness
Porosity
Gas/oil/water %
 Some definitions
Gross thickness: Thickness of a zone between two geological
Horizons or markers
Net Thickness: Thickness of certain facies, say sand , within
that zone (thickness after GR or Vclay cut-off)
Net Reservoir Thickness: Thickness of that part of net
thickness which have certain amount of porosity
to be a reservoir (thickness after Vclay & Phie
cutoff)
Net Pay thickness: Thickness of that part of net reservoir
which have certain amount of oil saturation to be
termed as pay (thickness after Vclay & Phie & Sw
cutoff)
 CUT OFF TO ESTIMATE NET PAY

H1

Net reservoir
Net thickness

Net pay
Gross Thickness

H2
0----------Vcl-----------1 0-----------Phie- -----0.5 1-----------Sw----- -----0

Cut off values Vclay>0.4 Phie<0.10 Sw>0.6

 Well to Well Correlation: Sand Correlation
Well-A Well-B Well-C Well-D Well-E

-Lateral extent of sand body

-Sand development pattern
 Reserve of Hydrocarbon

Reserve (OIP)

= Area X Net pay thickness X Average Porosity X (1-water saturation)

 Conclusion
Preliminary assumption of rock and fluid type form
well logs helps in building effective Petrophysical
model of a formation.

Effective use of these Formation Evaluation

techniques require high level of integration.

Use of Shaly sand method is primarily important, if

not performed it may possible to overlook a
productive reservoir.
Shaly Formation Equations
Shaly Formation Equations
 Permeability Estimation
Permeability generally controlled by matrix grain size and
resulting pore throat diameters.
For same porosity, smaller the grain size, greater the
surface area => decrease in permeability
All lithologies exhibit increasing permeability with
increasing porosity
Logs cannot measure permeability of formation directly
Permeability is measured in laboratory using core plug or
from well test data
Relationship can be obtained between log derived porosity
and permeability
 Permeability Estimation
Since irreducible water saturation increases with internal surface
area, Willie and Rose (1950) proposed a relationship between
permeability, porosity & irreducible water saturation:

PQ P, Q, R = constants to be calibrated from core

K= S R measurements
wi
Most widely used version of above equation for
sandstone is Timur Equation (1968)
0.5 2.25
K = 100 S
wi

Calibration is required for log derived Swi and

computed K with core measurements to effectively
use such equation
Permeability Estimation
Permeability Estimation
NET PAY MAP (OIL ISO PAY MAP)
Mud Invasion Profile
Due to the effect of
drilling fluid (mud).

The hydrostatic pressure

of the mud column is
always kept higher than
the formation pressure.

This creates invasion of

the mud filtrate into the
formation around
borehole.

Depth of invasion mainly

depends on the
permeability of the
formation
 Estimation of Movable HC

For un-invaded zone:

Sw= [FRw/Rt]0.5
Sh= 1-Sw-------A

For invaded zone:

Sxo= [FRmf/Rxo]0.5
Shr= 1-Sxo-------B

Movable hydrocarbon saturation:

Shm= A-B
= Sh-Shr
= [1-Sw]-[1-
Sxo]
= Sxo-Sw
Spontaneous Potential Logs: Principles

SP current develop due to difference in

salinity between formation fluid and the
borehole fluid (Mud)

The SP curve is a recording vs. depth of the

difference between potential of a movable
electrode in the borehole and the fixed
potential of surface electrode
 SP Log: Principle
Electrochemical Component : Membrane Potential
Less saline Borehole
fluid: Low NaCl Soln.
Shale: Acts as a
membrane* permits
Shale: Impervious
movements of Na+
(Cataions)
Na+

High saline
Porous & Permeable bed
formation water :
High NaCl
Mud
concentration

Due to layered clay structure and charges on the layer, Shales are
permeable to Na+ cations but impervious to Cl- anions
When shale separates NaCl solution of different salinities, Na+ cations
(+ve charges) move through the shale from more concentrated to the
less concentrated solution.
This movement of charged ion is an electric current and the force
causing them to move constitutes a potential across the shale.
 SP Log: Principle
Liquid Junction Potential
Na+ & Cl- ions can transfer from
either solution to the other
In the edge of the invaded zone, mud
filtrate and formation water are in
direct contact.

Since Cl- ions have more mobility than Na+,

the net result is a flow of ve charges from
more concentrated soln. to less concentrated
soln.
It is equivalent to current flow in opposite
direction

Total Electrochemical emf Ec for the two phenomena:

Ec= -K log aw/amf
Aw & amf are chemical activity of the two soln. at formation temp. Chemical activity of
soln. is roughly proportional to its salt content (i.e conductivity)
K= Coefficient proportional to absolute temp; for NaCl mud filtrate and formation water
condition, K= 71 @ 25 C
Resistivity log: Focusing Electrode Logs
Dual Laterolog
Current path is focused as a horizontal sheet into the formation
One electrode send an electric current from on the sonde
directly into the formation.
The return electrodes are located either on surface or on the
sonde itself.
Two guard electrodes focus the current into the formation and
prevent current lines from fanning out or flowing directly to the
return electrode through the borehole fluid.
The voltage at the main electrode is constantly adjusted during
logging in order to maintain a constant current intensity. This
voltage is therefore proportional to the resistivity of the
formation.
 Resistivity log: Focusing Electrode Logs

Laterolog Dual Laterolog

LLS LLD
 Induction Logging
Required when mud is non conductive
(OBM)
High frequency alternating current is
sent through a transmitter coil
It creates a alternating magnetic field
which creates a secondary current in
the formation
This current flow in circular ground
loop path co-axial with the transmitter
coil
The ground loop current induce
magnetic field which induce signal in
the receiver coil
Receiver signal is proportional to the
conductivity of the formation
 Sonic Log

It is measurement of time (t) taken

by compressional sound wave to
travel 1 foot in the formation

The basic configuration of the tool

consist of one transmitter (emits
compresional sound wave) & two
receivers
 Porosity Measurements: Sonic Log
Sonic travel time gives idea of porosity in
the formation
Density measured by log is the density of t
the fluids in the pores + density of the
matrix

tlog = *tfluid + (1- )* tmatrix

1-
tlog - tmatrix
=
tFluid - tmatrix Fluid
(t Fluid) Matrix (t matrix)
 Porosity from Density Log:
Hydrocarbon Correction in clean sand
Since the density tool reads the flushed Sxo, 1-Sxo,
zone, Water saturation= Sxo w h

Hydrocarbon saturation is 1-Sxo 1- 1-

ma

The hydrocarbon corrected density porosity Clean Sand Model

is
ma - b
b== (1-Sxo)h + *Sxo*w+(1- )*
ma [(1-Sxo) h + Sxo*w]
ma
 GAMMA RAY LOG

Gamma Rays are high-energy electromagnetic waves which are emitted by atomic nuclei as a form
of radiation
Gamma ray log is measurement of natural radioactivity in formation verses depth.
It measures the radiation emitting from naturally occurring U, Th, and K.
It is also known as shale log.
GR log reflects shale or clay content.
Clean formations have low radioactivity level.
Correlation between wells,
Determination of bed boundaries,
Evaluation of shale content within a formation,
Mineral analysis,
Depth control for log tie-ins, side-wall coring, or perforating.
Particularly useful for defining shale beds when the sp is featureless
GR log can be run in both open and cased hole
 Spontaneous Potential Log (SP)

The spontaneous potential (SP) curve records

the naturally occurring electrical potential
(voltage) produced by the interaction of
formation connate water, conductive drilling
fluid, and shale
The SP curve reflects a difference in the
electrical potential between a movable
electrode in the borehole and a fixed reference
electrode at the surface
Though the SP is used primarily as a lithology
indicator and as a correlation tool, it has other
uses as well:
permeability indicator,
shale volume indicator
porosity indicator, and
measurement of Rw (hence formation
water salinity).
 Neutron Logging

The Neutron Log is primarily used to evaluate

formation porosity, but the fact that it is really
just a hydrogen detector should always be kept
in mind
It is used to detect gas in certain situations,
exploiting the lower hydrogen density, or
hydrogen index
The Neutron Log can be summarized as the
continuous measurement of the induced
radiation produced by the bombardment of that
formation with a neutron source contained in
the logging tool which sources emit fast
neutrons that are eventually slowed by
collisions with hydrogen atoms until they are
captured (think of a billiard ball metaphor where
the similar size of the particles is a factor). The
capture results in the emission of a secondary
gamma ray; some tools, especially older ones,
detect the capture gamma ray (neutron-gamma
log). Other tools detect intermediate
(epithermal) neutrons or slow (thermal)
neutrons (both referred to as neutron-neutron
logs). Modern neutron tools most commonly
count thermal neutrons with an He-3 type
detector.
 The Density Log

The formation density log is a porosity log that measures electron

density of a formation

Dense formations absorb many gamma rays, while low-density

formations absorb fewer. Thus, high-count rates at the detectors indicate
low-density formations, whereas low count rates at the detectors indicate
high-density formations.

Therefore, scattered gamma rays reaching the detector is an indication

of formation Density.
Scale and units:

The most frequently used scales are a range of 2.0 to 3.0 gm/cc or 1.95
to 2.95 gm/cc across two tracks.

A density derived porosity curve is sometimes present in tracks #2 and

#3 along with the bulk density (rb) and correction (Dr) curves. Track #1
contains a gamma ray log and caliper.
 Resistivity Log

Basics about the Resistivity:

Resistivity measures the electric properties of the formation,

Resistivity is measured as, R in W per m,
Resistivity is the inverse of conductivity,
The ability to conduct electric current depends upon:
The Volume of water,
The Temperature of the formation,
The Salinity of the formation

The Resistivity Log:

Resistivity logs measure the ability of rocks to
conduct electrical current and are scaled in units of
ohm-
meters.
The Usage:
Resistivity logs are electric logs which are used
to:

Determine Hydrocarbon versus Water-bearing zones,

Indicate Permeable zones,
Determine Resisitivity Porosity.
 Acoustic Log
Acoustic tools measure the speed of sound waves in
subsurface formations. While the acoustic log can be
used to determine porosity in consolidated formations, it
is also valuable in other applications, such as:

Indicating lithology (using the ratio of compressional

velocity over shear velocity),
Determining integrated travel time (an important tool for
seismic/wellbore correlation),
Correlation with other wells
Detecting fractures and evaluating secondary porosity,
Evaluating cement bonds between casing, and formation,
Detecting over-pressure,
Determining mechanical properties (in combination with
the density log), and
Determining acoustic impedance (in combination with
the density log).
 Electrical tools widely used today
FMI
Pad with
25 buttons
Microresistivity
imaging portion of Alternate pads
STAR tool offset from each
other

6 alternately offset
electrical imaging pads

Powered standoff
centralises tool

CBIL is attached to
lower end of tool
string

STAR EMI
Understanding Depositional facies :Integration of Core and Image Log Information

Core Image Log 2d View 3D View

Field Development : Sand Correlation
 FIELD DEVELOPMENT
PRACTICES:PETROPHYSICS
Petrophysical Analysis
Barekuri -
Detailed Petrophysical Analysis for Reservoir
1
Characterization
HC Fluid typing
Re-visiting Old Wells for possible Upsides
FIELD DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES

Clay Typing Analysis

Facies Analysis using Core

Major Inputs for Reservoir

Modelling
 Resistivity of Common Rocks & Fluids
Though earth material is composed of a whole lot of rock forming minerals, in
sedimentary rock, the number of minerals actually encountered mainly are few.

Resistivity of few rock forming minerals are

Quartz 1010 ohm m

Calcite 107 ohm m
Dolomite 108 ohm m

Clay minerals 1-10 ohm m

Clays are good conductor by virtue of cation exchange on their
surfaces and their resistivity varies as a function of mineral species and
size of surface area

Formation water resistivity controlled by salt concentration and

temperature:

200 ppm NaCl (Drinking water) 26 ohm-m

35000 ppm NaCl (Sea water) 0.18 ohm-m
150000ppm NaCl 0.055 ohm m
Oil/gas 108 ohm m
Porosity from Neutron Log
N against Clay Change of Neutron porosity in the same sand
due to change in fluid type

N against Gas bearing sand( 6%)

N against Light oil bearing sand ( 10%)

N against water bearing sand ( 17%)

 Porosity from Density Log

blog = * f+ (1- )* ma

ma - blog
= ma - f

From Log, blog =2.2 gm/cc

ma=2.65 for sandstone

f=1 gm/cc for water

2.65 2.2 blog 2.2 gm/cc

=
2.65 - 1
0.45
=
1.65

d= 0.27 = 27%
Porosity & Lithology from Density & Neutron Cross Plot
 Porosity Measurements: Sonic Log
Sonic travel time gives idea of porosity in
the formation.
t

Wyllie time average equation

tlog = *tfluid + (1- )* tmatrix

1-
tlog - tmatrix
=
tFluid - tmatrix Fluid
(t Fluid) Matrix (t matrix)
Study of Depositional
Environment
Log Signature Analysis
 Estimation of Hydrocarbon Saturation

F=1/m (m=2 , 2.15)
(Sonic, density, Neuton
logs)

Rw
(SP or Resistivity log)
Sw=(F*Rw)/Rt
Rt
(Laterolog, Induction log)

Sh= 1-Sw
 Borehole Structure
Sedimentology image applications
Petrophysics
- Facies analysis - Structural dip - Porosity typing
- Ichnofabric - Fault detection - Permeability
analysis heterogeneity
- Fracture
- Depositional description - Flow baffles /
environment barriers
- In situ stress
- Palaeocurrents - Diagenetic
- Correlation effects
- Sandbody
geometry - Integration with - Net sand & thin
seismic beds
- Sequence
stratigraphy - Input to
reservoir models
Core Analysis Data & Its Application:
Supplementary Tests
Data Use

Vert. Permeability Define coning probability and gravity

drainage potential

Core-Gamma log Define lost core and depth relation of core

with down-hole Gamma Ray logs

Grain Density Refine density log calculations

Water Chloride Define connate water salinity in OB cores

and degree of flushing in WB cores

Oil Gravity Estimate reservoir gravity from correlations

based on retort oil gravity
General Log Response of Different
Formations of Upper Assam
 DEPTH (M) FORMATION LITHOLOGY
UNCONSOLIDATED
0 - 1700 ALLUVIUM SAND/CLAY
SOFT MOTTLED CLAY
1700 2100 GIRUJANS WITH THIN SANDSTONE
BANDS

TIPAMS & MEDIUM TO FINE

2100 2600 GRAINED SANDSTONE
SURMA

MUDSTONE, COAL AND

Sub Surface Geology FINE GRAINED
2600 3000 BARAILS SANDSTONE.
Upper Assam Basin OIL BEARING

SPLINTERY SHALE WITH

3000 - 3400 KOPILIS VERY FINE GRAINED
SANDSTONE

3400 3470 PRANGS LIMESTONE

SPLINTERY SHALE AND

3470 3530 NARPUHS SILTSTONE
LIMESTONE,
SANDSTONE, HARD
3530 - 3640 LAKADONG SHALE AND
CARBONACEOUS SHALE
COARSE GRAINED
SANDSTONE WITH
3640 - 3700 LANGPAR SHALE
OIL BEARING
GRANITE BASEMENT
3700 - BASEMENT ROCK
Girujan

Tipams
Barails
Kopilis

Prang
Narpuh

Lakadon
g
Langpar
 Girujan Formation

Lithology is mainly Clay with thin sand bands

GR serrated but helps to identify lithology

Mixed type clay, high in montmorillonite

Thickness varies, increases in SE direction

Low formation water salinity (200-600 ppm)

Low Density (2.2 gm/cc)

Girujan Log Response
 Tipam Formation
Lithology is mainly thick sand (>100m) with intervening
shale, sands are silty

Abundance of radioactive material

Difficult to differentiate lithology from GR log

Shales are made up of mainly montmorrilonite, kaolinite clay

Illite present at deeper zone

Formation water salinity increases downwards (1000 to 2000

ppm)
Tipam Log response
 Barail Formation
Barail is divided into two
Upper Argillaceous unit

Argillaceous Unit
Mainly Shale facies
High density calcareous bands
Kaolinitic /Illite type of clay
Coal bands
Thin channel sands
Lower Arenaceous unit
Thick sand with fining up sequence

Arenaceous Unit
Kaolinite dominant clay
Formation water salinity- 2500-3500
ppm
Barail Log response (Argillaceous)
Barail Log response (Arenaceous)
 Kopili Formation

Monotonous shale, splintary in nature, deposited in shallow

marine condition

Thin silty sand present

Regionally extensive

Characterized by high GR, Mixed type of clay

Highly enlarged borehole due to unstable nature of the

formation

Formation water salinity 3600-4000 ppm

Kopili Log response
 Prang Formation

Limestone bands with splintary shale and siltstone.

Low GR, no SP deflection, high resistivity

Low neutron porosity, high density (2.71 gm/cc)

Laterally continuous, good marker bed

Prang Log Response
 Narpuh Formation

Lithology similar to Kopili formation

Splintary shale and siltstone (sand facies in type area)

More sandy towards NE part of the basin (Baghjan Mechaki)

Kaolonite Illite dominant clay.

Narpuh Log Response
 Lakadong Member

Highly variable lithology

Broadly subdivided to three distinct units:
Upper calcareous zone
Middle sandy zone
Bottom carbonaceous zone
Clay type is mainly kaolinite
Sands are clean low GR
Shales are Hot at bottom zone! GR upto 200 API
Formation water salinity 3500-4000 ppm
Thickness varies from 120-160m
Lakadong Log Response
 Lakadong
Top calcareous zone
 Lakadong
Middle Sand zone
 Lakadong
Bottom Carbonaceous zone
 Langpar Formation
Development of thick sand body

Blocky to fining up sequence

Fluvial to near shoe facies

Shales show high resistivity

Devoid of coal / carbonaceous shale

Thickness increases to east & southeast direction

Langpar Formation
Geological Time Scale
 DEPTH (M) FORMATION LITHOLOGY
UNCONSOLIDATED
0 - 1700 ALLUVIUM SAND/CLAY
SOFT MOTTLED CLAY
1700 2100 GIRUJANS WITH THIN SANDSTONE
BANDS

TIPAMS & MEDIUM TO FINE

2100 2600 GRAINED SANDSTONE
SURMA

MUDSTONE, COAL AND

Sub Surface Geology FINE GRAINED
2600 3000 BARAILS SANDSTONE.
Upper Assam Basin OIL BEARING

SPLINTERY SHALE WITH

3000 - 3400 KOPILIS VERY FINE GRAINED
SANDSTONE

3400 3470 PRANGS LIMESTONE

SPLINTERY SHALE AND

3470 3530 NARPUHS SILTSTONE
LIMESTONE,
SANDSTONE, HARD
3530 - 3640 LAKADONG SHALE AND
CARBONACEOUS SHALE
COARSE GRAINED
SANDSTONE WITH
3640 - 3700 LANGPAR SHALE
OIL BEARING
GRANITE BASEMENT
3700 - BASEMENT ROCK
Girujan

Tipams
Barails
Kopilis

Prang
Narpuh

Lakadon
g
Langpar
 Girujan Formation

Lithology is mainly Clay with thin sand bands

GR serrated but helps to identify lithology

Mixed type clay, high in montmorillonite

Thickness varies, increases in SE direction

Low formation water salinity (200-600 ppm)

Low Density (2.2 gm/cc)

Girujan Log Response
 Tipam Formation
Lithology is mainly thick sand (>100m) with intervening
shale, sands are silty

Abundance of radioactive material

Difficult to differentiate lithology from GR log

Shales are made up of mainly montmorrilonite, kaolinite clay

Illite present at deeper zone

Formation water salinity increases downwards (1000 to 2000

ppm)
Tipam Log response
 Barail Formation
Barail is divided into two
Upper Argillaceous unit

Argillaceous Unit
Mainly Shale facies
High density calcareous bands
Kaolinitic /Illite type of clay
Coal bands
Thin channel sands
Lower Arenaceous unit
Thick sand with fining up sequence

Arenaceous Unit
Kaolinite dominant clay
Formation water salinity- 2500-3500
ppm
Barail Log response (Argillaceous)
Barail Log response (Arenaceous)
 Kopili Formation

Monotonous shale, splintary in nature, deposited in shallow

marine condition

Thin silty sand present

Regionally extensive

Characterized by high GR, Mixed type of clay

Highly enlarged borehole due to unstable nature of the

formation

Formation water salinity 3600-4000 ppm

Kopili Log response
 Prang Formation

Limestone bands with splintary shale and siltstone.

Low GR, no SP deflection, high resistivity

Low neutron porosity, high density (2.71 gm/cc)

Laterally continuous, good marker bed

Prang Log Response
 Narpuh Formation

Lithology similar to Kopili formation

Splintary shale and siltstone (sand facies in type area)

More sandy towards NE part of the basin (Baghjan Mechaki)

Kaolonite Illite dominant clay.

Narpuh Log Response
 Lakadong Member

Highly variable lithology

Broadly subdivided to three distinct units:
Upper calcareous zone
Middle sandy zone
Bottom carbonaceous zone
Clay type is mainly kaolinite
Sands are clean low GR
Shales are Hot at bottom zone! GR upto 200 API
Formation water salinity 3500-4000 ppm
Thickness varies from 120-160m
Lakadong Log Response
 Lakadong
Top calcareous zone
 Lakadong
Middle Sand zone
 Lakadong
Bottom Carbonaceous zone
 Langpar Formation
Development of thick sand body

Blocky to fining up sequence

Fluvial to near shoe facies

Shales show high resistivity

Devoid of coal / carbonaceous shale

Thickness increases to east & southeast direction

Langpar Formation
Geological Time Scale