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Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of the Lower
Goru Formation in the Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan

Article  in  Geosciences Journal · July 2015

DOI: 10.1007/s12303-015-0028-z

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Geosciences Journal
DOI 10.1007/s12303-015-0028-z
ⓒ The Association of Korean Geoscience Societies and Springer 2015

Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of the
Lower Goru Formation in the Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan

Muhammad Naeem* Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh
11451, Saudi Arabia
Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Muhammad Kamran Jafri Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh
11451, Saudi Arabia
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Karachi, Karachi 75270, Pakistan
Sayed S.R. Moustafa Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh
11451, Saudi Arabia
National Research Institute of Astronomy and Geophysics (NRIAG), Cairo 11421, Egypt
Nassir S. AL-Arifi Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh
11451, Saudi Arabia
Shazia Asim Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Institute of Geophysics and Geomatics (IGG), China University of Geosciences (CUG), Wuhan
430074, China
Farhan Khan
Nisar Ahmed } Department of Geology and Geophysics, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh
11451, Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT: The Sinjhoro concession is prolific gas-producing block
situated on the eastern limb of the Lower Indus Basin in Pakistan.
It contains several development and production (D & P) leases, which
are producing gas from Cretaceous rocks. The present study aimed to
evaluate the structural and petrophysical properties of the Lower
Goru Formation using a 2D seismic and well-driven integrated study. A
seismic driven time structure map of the Lower Goru Formation
was generated, which depicted horst and graben structures oriented
predominantly in a NNW-SSE direction. These normal faults are deep
seated and potentially provide a vertical primary migration pathway
to hydrocarbon flow. A prospective lead of 20 ms was identified in
the northwestern portion of the structural map, which could be
explored further. Besides this, a RMS amplitude map was generated
within the target reservoir level to show the general sand body dis-
tribution within the reservoir. Our study revealed that the reser-
voir quality sands are deposited in the eastern portion of the study
area. The identified lead is also located on a fair to good level of
sand body which is producing from the well drilled to the south of
the prospective area. Additionally, it is strongly recommended to
conduct an infill seismic survey over and around the newly identified
prospect in order to validate its existence and aerial outspreads. Well
correlation, petrophysical data logs (PDLs) and cross-plot techniques
were adopted to predict the petrophysical properties of the reser-
voir level. During the petrophysical study, two prospective zone
were identified, with Zone-II showing more promising results for
hydrocarbon presence than Zone-I. The present research has shown
that integration of seismic attributes with petrophysical calcula-
tions can help to identify new prospective leads even in cases where
there is less seismic data coverage.
*Corresponding author: mnaeem595@gmail.com
Key words: structural analysis, petrophysical evaluation, well cor-
relation, Sinjhoro concession, Lower Indus Basin
1. INTRODUCTION
Geologically, Pakistan encompasses two main sedimen-
tary basins, the Indus Basin and Balochistan Basin, which
evolved through different geological episodes before being
finally tied together during the Cretaceous/Palaeocene along
the Ornach-Nal/Chaman Strike slip faults (Kadri, 1995). The
Indus Basin, also known as the Greater Indus Basin, extends
over most of eastern Pakistan and the westernmost part of
India, with an aerial extension of about 873000 km2. The
Greater Indus Basin, as a whole, is further divided into the
Lower, Middle and Upper Indus Basin, based on the struc-
tural regime and petroleum prospects (Fig. 1a) (Wandrey et
al., 2004).
The Lower Indus Basin is about 250 km wide and struc-
turally consists of fold belt and foreland regimes. It is bounded to
the north by the Middle Indus Basin, to the east by the Indian
Shield and by the marginal zone of the Indian plate to the
west. It comprises five main units, the Thar Platform, Kara-
chi Trough, Kirthar Fore-deep, Kirthar Fold Belt and offshore
Indus. According to Zaigham and Mallick (2000), the Lower
Indus Basin lies in the extensional regime caused by the
temporal divergence of the Indo-Pak subcontinent from
Gondwanaland during the Early Palaeozoic. Horst and gra-
ben structures are most common across the basin, with deep-
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed
seated conjugate normal faults that are considered to be con-
duits for hydrocarbon migration. The Lower Indus Basin is
generally considered as a gas province even though there have
also been significant oil discoveries (Kadri, 1995; Zaigham and
Mallick, 2000; Wandrey et al., 2004; Munir et al., 2011).
Multiple sandstone reservoirs from the Cretaceous to the
Palaeocene age are producing hydrocarbon in the Thar Slope
and Karachi Trough area of the Lower Indus Basin. Mostly,
the sands of Lower Goru, which are from the Early Cretaceous
age, are the most prolific reservoirs of the eastern portion of
the Lower Indus Basin (Hussain et al., 1991; Zaigham and
Mallick, 2000). These reservoirs have been producing for a
long period of time and therefore the operator companies
have a full understanding of lateral and vertical distribution
of these reservoir rocks.
Seismic reflection data is a key tool used for subsurface
structural interpretation in the oil and gas exploration sector
(Naeem et al., 2015). The interpretation of seismic data,
together with geological and tectonic models, provides the
framework for integrating borehole, micro-seismic, and produc-
tion data so as to develop a good reservoir model (Chopra
and Marfurt, 2012). In the last several years, seismic attri-
butes have been extensively used to explore the unexploited
potential prospects of production fields. A seismic attribute
Fig. 1. Location map of the study area. (a) shows the surface geology and structural basins of Pakistan, (b) shows the location of 2D
seismic lines and well data used in the current research.
is a power tool to aid qualitative and quantitative analysis of
seismic data. It allows earth scientists to visualize litholog-
ical facies, faults, channels and the depositional environ-
ment so as to build up an overall structural picture (Partyka,
2001; Chopra and Marfurt, 2006; Lazar, 2009; Naeem et al.,
2015). Out of many dozens of seismic attributes, the Root
Mean Square (RMS) amplitude attribute is used in the cur-
rent study to predict the lateral distribution of sands in the
Lower Goru Formation. RMS amplitude can help to identify chan-
nel and delta sands, hydrocarbon/fluid accumulation and uncon-
formities (DeAngelo and Wood, 2001; Sahoo et al., 2014).
Petrophysics can help interpreters to understand the behavior
of the reservoir and non-reservoir zones and to correct some
of the problems encountered in the well log data. The main
aim of the petrophysical analysis is to derive the model that
best fits with the rocks surrounding the well. Different lith-
ological classes can be identified using well and petrophys-
ical analysis and can be used as a guide for further exploration
(Bachrach et al., 2004; Gommesen et al., 2004).
2. STUDY AREA
The study area is located in the Sinjhoro concession oper-
ated by Pakistan’s national company, Oil and Gas Devel-
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation
opment Company Limited (OGDCL) (Fig. 1). The Sinjhoro
Exploration License covers an area of 180 km2. The Sin-
jhoro concession has a number of gas/condensate discoveries
(Baloch, Chak-2, Chak-63, Chak-63SE, Chak-66, Chak-66NE,
Chak-7, Hakeem Daho, LalaJamali and Resham) that are
producing from the Lower Goru Formation of the early Late
Cretaceous period (OGDCL, 2014). Presently, the average
cumulative daily production from the three discoveries in
the field is about 900 barrels of oil with 10 MMSCF/D of
gas. Phase I of the field development is completed, whereas
the completion of the phase II is underway (OPL, 2014).
3. STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK
Pakistan is located on the triple junction of the Indian,
Eurasian and Arabian plates. The north and northwestern
sides of Pakistan were intensely affected by Tertiary plate
convergence between the Indian and Eurasian continents.
The convergence of the Arabian oceanic plate with the Afghan
craton in the south and southwestern part of Pakistan resulted in
many structural regimes e.g., the Chagai arc and Makran-
flysch basin (Kazmi and Jan, 1997; Zaigham and Mallick,
2000).
During the Middle/Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous, the
Indian plate rifted away from Gondwanaland, forming an
island continent that drifted northwards into the Tethyan
Ocean. This tectonic event predominantly controls the struc-
tures and sedimentation of the Lower Indus Basin, which
possibly resulted in NE-SW to N-S rift systems. This tec-
tonic episode caused uplift and eastward tilting of the sed-
imentary strata. Mid to Late Cretaceous sinistral strike-slip
faulting was dominant in the region caused by the Mada-
gascar and Indian plates. Palaeocene–Eocene folding and
Oligocene to present day Himalayan collision are controlling
major structures in the western and northwestern portions of
the Lower Indus Basin (Kazmi and Jan, 1997).
The study area is located in the eastern part of the Lower
Indus Basin. Horst and graben structures are the most com-
mon structures in the study area. Deep-seated NNW-SSW
striking normal faults control the architecture of the reser-
voirs of the region. Tilted fault blocks and fault bounded
anticlines and stratigraphic pinch-outs are the main trapping
mechanisms of the area (Kadri, 1995). Cambrian to Perm-
ian age strata are missing because of the basin-wide hiatus
prevailing during that time (Wandrey et al., 2004). On the
regional scale, the sedimentary strata are dipping gently from
east to west. The deepest portion of the basin is the western
margin, known as the Karachi Fore-deep.
4. PETROLEUM PLAY OF THE STUDY AREA
The Petroleum prospectivity of an area depend heavily on
the five factors of source rock, reservoir rock, seal, trap,
adequate maturation of organic matter, and migration of
hydrocarbons. The lack of any one of these factors severely
degrades the prospectivity of a basin. In the current study
area, a well-established petroleum play is already defined
and is producing in many oil and gas fields in the basin.
Shale sequences of the Sember Formation (Early Creta-
ceous) and Lower Goru Formation (Middle Cretaceous) are
the proven source rocks of the study area (Hussain et al., 1991).
These shale sequences contain terrestrial organic matter with
a TOC range of 0.5–1.7%. Mostly, type III kerogen is pres-
ent in the area and these shales have been in the gas genera-
tion window since Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary periods
(Ahmad et al., 2012). A regional geochemical study con-
ducted by Wandrey et al. (2004), has developed an understand-
ing of the Total Petroleum System (TPS) outline for the
Sember-Goru/Ghazij Formation. The current research area
(the Sinjhoro Concession) also lies within the established
TPS of the Sember-Goru play (Wandrey et al., 2004). More-
over, Upper Palaeocene shales are considered to be the mature
source rocks in the region (Zaigham and Mallick, 2000).
Sandstone internals of both the Upper and Lower Goru
Formation (Cretaceous) are the main oil and gas producing
reservoirs in the study area (Wandrey et al., 2004). These
Late Mesozoic sandstone reservoir units were deposited in
a deltaic marine, strand plain and barrier bar shore-face to
offshore setting on the ramp (Ahmad et al., 2012). These sand
bodies are spatially localized and are inter-layered with
shale strata. Sands of the Lower Goru Formation are the most
promising in terms of hydrocarbon production in the pres-
ent study area. Hydrocarbon prospects are also present in the
Sember and Chiltan Limestone Formations of the Creta-
ceous and Jurassic period, respectively (Zaigham and Mal-
lick, 2000). The shales of the Upper Goru Formation are
considered to be the main seal rocks available for the Sem-
bar-Goru petroleum play in the Lower Indus Basin. More-
over, there is a very high probability of the transgressive
shales of Cretaceous (Sembar Formation) and Tertiary age
(Ranikot Formation) acting as seal rock. Additionally, the
thin layers of shales in the Lower Goru reservoir can also
act as a good seal rock for petroleum entrapment. The gen-
eration, expulsion, and migration of the hydrocarbons in the
region occurred mainly in the Early Palaeocene and the Late
Cretaceous–Early Tertiary period. Most of the fields discovered
in the Lower Indus Platform exploit the hydrocarbons gen-
erated from the Eocene and younger reservoirs (Zaigham
and Mallick, 2000; Wandrey et al., 2004; Ahmad et al., 2012).
5. STUDY MATERIAL
The dataset used in this study consists of thirteen 2D seis-
mic lines of approximately 235.5 line km in total. The seismic
data was recorded with a 4 ms sampling rate and the range
of the frequency of the recorded seismic data was approx-
imately 15–75 Hz with a dominant frequency of 30 Hz. The
temporal range of the recorded data was set up to 4000 ms.
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed
Since the study area is regionally flat and near to the shore,
the seismic reference datum (SRD) is set as mean sea level.
The quality of the seismic data is fair to good, with good
continuity of target reservoir level and with the structures
being clearly depicted. Although in some places (especially
if the area is traversed along a south to north direction) the
main signature of the graben blocks is not clear, making the
interpretation difficult. In order to develop a good understanding
of the subsurface geology, four wells were included in the study.
All basic suits of wireline logs are available in the included
wells.
6. PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY
The current study deals with the Cretaceous age Lower
Goru Formation, which is further subdivided into “A”, “B”,
“C”, and “D” intervals. Out of these four, the three sand inter-
vals (Fig. 2) of the Lower Goru Formation are proven res-
ervoirs with shale layers at the bottom of each interval.
These shales are proven seal rocks in the study area for the
Sembar-Goru play. The thickness of the Lower Goru is
more than 800 m and it is producing in many of the oil and
gas fields of the Lower Indus Basin. In the Sinjhoro con-
cession, the quality of the Lower Goru reservoir facies dete-
Fig. 2. Generalized stratigraphic column of the study area.
riorates laterally and changes westward with a structural tilt
in the east that can provide a combined structural and strati-
graphic trap (Ahmad et al., 2012). The main aim of this
study, therefore, is to evaluate the seismic and petrophysical
parameters of the Lower Goru sand intervals in the Sinjhoro
Field of Sindh province, Pakistan. For this purpose Petrel,
Interactive Petrophysics (IP) and Hampson-Russell (HRS9)
software were used for thorough interpretation of 2D seis-
mic and well data.
Figure 3 presents a flowchart summarizing the method-
ology adopted for the current research. In the first stage of
this study, the presence of favorable structures for hydro-
carbon storage was evaluated from the 2D seismic data at
the Lower Goru level. This was followed by a detailed rock-
physical study conducted to derive the petrophysical prop-
erties of the reservoir. All suits of available wells were used
to achieve the goals set for this study.
The seismic interpretation is critically dependents on the
quality of the horizon tops selected and this step is crucial
in the exploration phase of the field. Selecting the wrong
horizon picking contributes to a false subsurface structure
model that ultimately leads to failure. A number of synthetic
seismograms were therefore generated using the sonic and
density logs of respective wells. Additionally, to bridge the
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation
gap between the time and depth domain of seismic and well
data, checkshot data from each well was used to establish a
time-depth relationship. This checkshot time-depth curve was
used to differentiate the Lower Goru Formation from the
formations lying above it and beneath.
In the first stage of the present research, 235.5 line km of
2D seismic data were interpreted and multiple horizons were
traced across the whole survey area. Several faults were
interpreted and correlated to make the structural trend analy-
sis. A time structural map was generated near the top of the
Lower Goru Formation, and this was further used to identify
the prospective leads on the top of reservoir level. The RMS
seismic amplitude attribute was also derived from the seismic
data and was used to mark the potential sands of the Lower
Goru Formation.
The second step in the methodology entailed conducting,
wireline log analyses conducted on all four wells in the
area. The main aim of the petrophysical analysis was to dif-
ferentiate the reservoir zones from the non-reservoir lithol-
ogy on the one hand and to identify the hydrocarbon bearing
zone within the reservoir interval on the other hand. Many
geostatistical cross-plots were constructed between sonic
velocity, well driven acoustic impedance, porosity, density
and lithology. Careful interpretation of these relationships
can give a good understanding of the litho-facies of the res-
Fig. 3. Flowchart summarizing the
adopted methodology.
ervoir and can predict the fluid content. A single well cor-
relation was also performed in order to study the lateral and
vertical variation pattern of reservoir zones in the level of
interest. Petrophysical data logs (PDLs) were generated using
the prior petrophysical analysis, and high potential zones
identified in the well log analysis process were displayed on
these PDLs.
7. INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS
7.1. Seismic Structural Analysis
A very detailed time structure and an extracted Root Mean
Square (RMS) amplitude map was developed for both the
top of and within the productive sands of the Lower Goru
Formation (Lower Cretaceous age) respectively. Although,
these maps show a fair level of confidence regarding the
presence of structure and good quality sands, non-uniform
seismic and well data coverage has also affected the final results.
To precisely mark the lateral extends of the sand body in the
selected lead additional infill seismic survey is required.
7.1.1. Synthetic seismogram and formation signature
matching
In any seismic interpretation project, synthetic seismograms
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed

Fig. 4. Ricker wavelet with 90 degrees phase rotated used for synthetic seismogram generation. (a) Time spectrum of the wavelet; (b)
Frequency and phase spectrum.

Fig. 5. Synthetic seismogram of well Chak66-01.

are produced to identify seismic horizons and to rectify seismic well logs to surface seismic trace data. A number of synthetic
events in time and amplitude data. Synthetic seismograms seismograms have been generated within the study area for
are also a suitable tool to correlate the geological data from wells, which have sonic and density logs. A Ricker wavelet
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation
with 90° phase rotated, of 100 ms in length, and dominant
frequency of 30 Hz was used to generate the synthetic seis-
mograms (Fig. 4). Figure 5 shows the model synthetic seis-
mogram created for well Chak66-01 located on seismic line
17-SNJ-03 (Fig. 1b). To match the synthetic seismogram with
surface seismic data, ten traces were extracted from the
vicinity of the respective well locations and are displayed side
by side with synthetically derived traces. The match between
the synthetic traces and the original seismic data is of fair
quality. The synthetic seismogram shows that the top of the
Lower Goru Formation is marked by a small amplitude trough,
which is not so clearly developed in the area. The main reason
for this small amplitude trough near the top of the reservoir is
the presence of the thick shale sequence of the overlying
Upper Goru Formation. Additionally, the top portion of the
Lower Goru Formation also consists of a shale sequence (Fig.
2), and this combination results in a less distinct acoustic
impedance contrast across the top of the Lower Goru For-
mation. The synthetic seismogram shows a clear signature of
three to four strong reflections within the Lower Goru suc-
cession. These strong reflections most probably belong to the
interfaces lying between the multiple sand shale layers of the
Fig. 6. Interpreted seismic line (17-SNJ-03) shows the picked horizons and major faults of the study area.
Lower Goru Formation. Furthermore, the bottom of the Lower
Goru Formation shows a very high amplitude signature in
the seismic data. A plausible reason for this is the presence
of a huge acoustic impedance contrast between the (mas-
sive) sands of the Lower Goru Formation and the underly-
ing regional source rocks of Sembar shales dating from the
Lower Cretaceous period. Since the Lower Goru Formation
is well-established and has a thickness of more than 800 m in
the basin, it is easily delineated across the whole study area.
7.1.2. Time structural mapping
The main purpose of this research is to assess the presence
of prospective structures near the top and within the reser-
voir level. To accomplish this goal, horizons were initially
identified from a synthetic matching process on seismic
lines (Fig. 6) and then interpreted over the extent of the study
area. The final product of the horizon interpretation was to
generate a Two Way Travel Time (TWT) structure map. Figure
7 shows the time structure map for near the top of the Lower
Goru Formation, which was prepared using a minimum cur-
vature interpolation algorithm. The contour lines show the lat-
eral variation of the top of the Lower Goru Formation across
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed
the study area and the contour interval is of 20 ms. The TWT
structure map shows that, regionally, the Lower Goru For-
mation is dipping from an E to W direction. The Lower Cre-
taceous age succession was subjected to a long period of
extension forces that severely deformed the strata of the study
region. Subsequently, horst and graben structures were formed
and are signature features of the study area. Very deep-seated
regional level normal faults have been identified (discordant
with the reservoir) within, above, and below the reservoir
level. Since the formation of structures pre-dates the gen-
eration of hydrocarbon (Wandrey et al., 2004), these latterly
extended conjugate normal faults are significant for the
exploration prospects in two main ways. Firstly, these faults
are deep-rooted into the Sembar source shales, and therefore
they can act as conduits to primary hydrocarbon migration.
Secondly, these faults can act as a barrier and thus provide
a lateral seal to trap the hydrocarbons within the structure.
To evaluate whether these faults are a sealant, a fault seal
analysis should be conducted, although this is out of the
scope of present study. Figure 7 shows that the faults near
the top of the Lower Goru Formation are predominantly
oriented in a NNW to SSE direction. The southern limits of
these faults are not obvious due to a lack of seismic data in
Fig. 7. Time structural map generated at the reservoir level. Black rectangle marks the identified lead on seismic data.
the study region. Over-all, there are two major structural
highs (horst) present in the study area, which are surrounded by
structural lows (graben). These structures are largely oriented in
a NNW to SSE direction and are a part of the regional rift
system of the Lower Indus Basin. From the current time
structure map it can be concluded that there is one untested
prospect present in the northwestern portion of the study
area. This prospective lead is bounded to the west by a nor-
mal fault and have a vertical closure of approximately 20 ms.
The prospect is identified by a black rectangle in Figure 7.
7.1.3. Root Mean Square (RMS) amplitude and prospec-
tive area
Surface seismic amplitude information can identify channel
and deltaic sands, lithology, and hydrocarbon/fluid accumu-
lations. Amplitude anomalies can be attributed to a thin bed
tuning effect and/or to variations in net sand in a bed. The
Root Mean Square (RMS) amplitude is a post-stack surface
seismic attribute. The RMS amplitudes are sensitive to sand-
bearing depositional systems and help to define the spatial
distribution of genetically related depositional successions.
Such RMS amplitude maps can lead to the identification of
hitherto unexplored prospect leads in the exploration con-
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation
Fig. 8. Root Mean Square (RMS) amplitude map generated within the reservoir level.
cession. In the current study, a RMS amplitude map was
generated within the Lower Goru Formation, as shown in
Figure 8. On this map, a high surface seismic amplitude is
present in the northeastern portion of the study area, which
shows the Low stand sands at the edges of the Lower Goru
Formation (for the depositional setting of Lower Goru read-
ers are directed to Ahmad et al. (2012)). These sands are
producing in many of the wells in the study area and also
follow the structural highs that were developed after the
deposition of the low stand system tracts of the forma-
tion.
Similar to the time structure map, the RMS map reveals
the presence of a promising lead in the study area that has
not been exploited as yet. This lead is marked by a strong
RMS amplitude anomaly located on the up-thrown block of
the major normal fault and is marked by a black rectangle
in Figures 7 and 8. The fault associated with the lead has
a vertical throw of more than 50 ms, which is probably suf-
ficient to seal any hydrocarbon accumulations in the con-
nected structure. Given concordance between the RMS
data and seismic structural analysis in respect to this lead
it must be considered a high priority prospect for further
investigation.
7.2. Petrophysical Analysis
The general purpose of the petrophysical analysis is to
convert the raw wireline log data into estimated rock prop-
erties such as porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation. In
the current study, three wells (Chak63-01, Chak66-01, Chak5
DIM South-01) with conventional log suits were evaluated
petrophysically and a couple of zones of interest were selected.
7.2.1. M-N (Litho-Porosity) plot
M-N (Litho-Porosity) plots are conventionally used to
identify the major lithology (minerals) of a formation, with
pure rock minerals being represented by unique points on
the plot. The M attribute is derived from Sonic and Density
logs whereas N is obtained from Neutron porosity and Den-
sity logs. An M-N plot was prepared for the Lower Goru For-
mation in all three available wells and one model M-N plot
of Chak66-01 well is shown in Figure 9. This plot indicates
that the most dominant lithology in the studied reservoir
level is sandstone along with shale. The M-N plot also indi-
cates a gas effect, which is affirmed by the crossover effect
observed on Neutron Porosity (NPHI) and Bulk Density
(RHOB) logs (discussed in the next section).
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed
7.2.2. Wells correlation
A correlation of three wells (Fig. 10) was performed with
all of these wells being hanged on the top of the Lower
Goru Formation. Two sand zones with reservoir quality are
interpreted based on the individual log response. Zone-I is
a sand body that is correlate-able and well established across
the study area. A big peak on both Gamma Ray (GR) and
Sonic (DT) logs marks the start of Zone-I. At the start of this
zone, both of these logs show a gradual change but, in the
lower part of the zone, the response of the GR and DT logs
is very striking. Deep resistivity, Neutron Porosity (NPHI)
and Bulk Density (RHOB) logs do not show any characteristic
change in this zone. The GR and DT response, however,
indicates that the upper portion of Zone-I has a mixed sand-
shale lithology. While, on the other hand, the lower portion
of the zone consists of clean sand. The total thickness of
Zone-I is approximately 70 m and it dips to the east and
south-east direction. Zone-II is located in the deeper section
of the Lower Goru Formation, and is approximately 20 m
thick. This zone is marked by a sudden decrease in the GR,
RHOB and NPHI logs and an increase in Deep Resistivity
and DT log readings. This zone deepens from west to east
before again becoming shallow to the south of Chak66-01
well. The thickness of the sand body within Zone-II is less
in the Chak-63-01 well but increases in wells Chak66-01 and
Chak-5 DIM South-01. In conclusion, it is easily interpre-
table from the GR response that both zones’ sand facies are
fining upwards.
7.2.3. Log analysis and hydrocarbon potentiality
Cross-plot for lithology and fluid discrimination: A common
practice in well log analysis and interpretation is to cross-
plot various log driven rock properties to determine the for-
mation lithology, porosity and fluid content (Burke et al.,
1969; AlMuhaidib et al., 2012). These cross-plots and the
Fig. 9. M-N (lithology) plot of
Chak66-01 well.
calculations based on them are extremely useful, but sometimes
interpretation of these plots becomes ambiguous when the
lithology is complex. In the current research, Sonic, Density
and Neutron logs are used to identify the litho-facies of the
Lower Goru Formation and to predict the fluid type present
in the reservoir level. In order to make the job of discrim-
inating litho-facies easier, each cross-plot is colour coded
with the GR log values. Two zones (I & II) from Lower
Goru Formation are identified based on the well correlation,
as shown in the Figure 10. A cross-plot of the Sonic, Density
and Neutron logs was plotted for each well in these selected
zones. The results of the cross-plots for Chak66-01 and
Chak-05 DIM South-01 are displayed and discussed in the
following sections.
Density-neutron porosity cross-plot: The density-neutron
porosity cross-plots of Zone-I and II of the selected wells,
Chak66-01 and Chak-5 DIM South-01, are shown in Fig-
ures 11a, 12a, 13a, and 14a. Generally, the density and neu-
tron porosity log readings inversely relate to each other. In
some complex geological domains, however, this relation-
ship may change based on the prevailing conditions at and
after the deposition of the rocks. In the current cross-plot,
the density porosity readings are directly (positively) related
to each other due to the inverse density scale on the Y-axis.
The porosity range in both Zone-I and II varies approximately
from 5% to 35% in total. On average, the density range in
both zones is between 2.3 and 2.7. The trend in both zones
is very much different from each other, however. Since the
lithology in both zones is common, the most plausible rea-
son for the difference in trends is the presence of fluid (gas)
in the second zone (Figs. 13a and 14a) and its absence in the
first zone (Figs. 11a and 12a). In addition, the shale trend is
quite clear and the sands are slightly less dense in Zone-II.
The clustering of points with low GR values (Figs. 13a and
14a) in the second zones describes the general gas trend in
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation

Fig. 10. Stratigraphic correlation of the three wells.

 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed

the selected wells. This gas effect is also clear in the well
correlation (Fig. 10).
Sonic-density cross-plot: These relations are lithology dependent,
with two major trends of sand and shale lithologies being
clearly predictable. The standard Rock Physics Template
(RPT) curves overlaid on these cross-plots also indicate the
predominant sand lithology in the selected zones. In gen-
eral, low sonic transient time values are associated with
denser lithology and vice versa. Additionally, the low values
of GR (<50 API) are associated with low sonic travel time
(high velocity) and with higher density values. These rela-
tionships of Sonic, Density and GR suggest that sands have no
or low fluid content. Similarly, the sands which have hydro-
carbon as a pore fluid, tend to lie in the low density and rel-
atively higher sonic values range. Zone-I, as shown in Figure
10, is a transitional zone, which has shale in the top section,
but sand out in the bottom half of the zone. The cross-plot
of this zone in both wells (Figs. 11b and 12b), therefore, is
not distinctive in terms of lithology and no hydrocarbon
effect is present in it. Zone-II, meanwhile, is located deep in
both wells and has a predominant sand lithology with a minor
amount of shale. Beside the two distinct lithological trends

Fig. 11. Cross-plot of Zone-I at Check66-01 well, where (a) shows the Density-Neutron porosity plot, (b) shows the Sonic-Density plot,
(c) demonstrate the Sonic-Neutron Porosity plot.
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation

in the cross-plots (Figs. 13b and 14b), the clustering of points
in low density and relatively higher sonic values indicates the
gas effect. This gas effect is also confirmed from the cross-
over effect of Neutron and Density logs as shown in Figure 10.
Sonic-neutron porosity cross-plot: This type of cross-plot can
be used as an effective discriminating tool to identify the
dominant lithology and fluid content in the reservoir levels. Fig-
ures 11c, 12c, 13c, and 14c show the relationship of Sonic and
Neutron porosity logs, with GR as the third dimension, at
corresponding depths in the selected zones. A positive linear
relationship is observed in Zone-I and II for both wells. In
Zone-I (Figs. 11c and 12c), the points which are low in GR
and have less porosity values are related to the sand and the
remaining points belong to shale strata. Since this zone does
not have gas shows, no gas effect is observed. In Zone-II
(Figs. 13c and 14c), both the sand and shale trends are very
apparent with a clear clustering of points related to the gas
saturated portion of the well. The standard RPT curves
(Figs. 11c, 12c, 13c, and 14c) show that the average poros-
ity of shale in Zone-I is slightly higher than the shale porosity
in Zone-II. Besides that, the average porosity of the sands
in both zones is similar.

Fig. 12. Cross-plot of Zone-I at Check05 DIM South-01 well, where (a) shows the Density-Neutron porosity plot, (b) shows the Sonic-
Density plot, (c) demonstrate the Sonic-Neutron Porosity plot.
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed

Fig. 13. Cross-plot of Zone-II at Check66-01 well, where (a) shows the Density-Neutron porosity plot, (b) shows the Sonic-Density plot,
(c) demonstrate the Sonic-Neutron Porosity plot.

7.2.4. Petrophysical data logs (PDLs)
Petrophysical data logs (PDLs) are the final part of the
petrophysical analysis conducted at the Low Goru (reservoir)
level. These display a summary of all the key petrophysical
curves that can be used to identify the prospective zones. In
the current study, PDLs were generated for two wells (Chak66-
01 and Chak-5 DIM South-01) and both the identified
zones (Fig. 10) are shown in these PDLs (Figs. 15 and 16).
Figures 15 and 16 are selected to demonstrate the petro-
physical characteristics of the gas bearing sand reservoir. It
is apparent from the PDLs (Figs. 15 and 16) and the well
correlation plot (Fig. 10) that the interpreted zones (I & II)
are spatially well developed in the study area. The average
estimated reservoir parameters of Zone-I (70–72 m thick)
are, porosity ranges from 2 to 35%, shale volume 2 to 35%,
water saturation 91 to 100%, and hydrocarbon saturation vary-
ing between 0 and 10%. On the other hand, Zone-II (20–25 m
thick) shows good reservoir characteristics in terms of high
porosity (2 to 26%), low shale volume (3 to 10%), low water
saturation (15 to 40%), and high hydrocarbon saturation (60
to 85%). The crossover effect shown by NPHI and RHOB
against Zone-II in both wells indicates the possible presence
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation

Fig. 14. Cross-plot of Zone-II at Check05 DIM South-01 well, where (a) shows the Density-Neutron porosity plot, (b) shows the Sonic-
Density plot, (c) represent the Sonic-Neutron Porosity plot.

of hydrocarbon (Figs. 15 and 16). This crossover effect is
supported by high deep resistivity, low GR and low water
saturation. Additionally, the borehole condition is fairly stable
in Zone-II, which also favours the possibility of a hydrocarbon
presence in this zone. In contrast, the crossover effect shown in
Zone-I of well Chak-5 DIM South-01 is present in a section
of the zone where the water saturation is too high. Also, the
high GR reading and low resistivity does not indicate the
presence of any hydrocarbon in Zone-I. Although Zone-I is
well-developed spatially in the study area, the petrophysical
parameters suggest that Zone-II is highly prospective and
has a high hydrocarbon production potential. The petrophysical
results, therefore, show that the deeper section of the Lower
Goru Formation has a higher prospectivity than the shallow
portion.
8. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
The current study aimed to evaluate the petroleum pro-
spectivity of the Sinjhoro exploration block of the Lower
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed

Fig. 15. Petrophysical data log (PDL) of well Chak05-DIM South-01 with Zone-I and II.

Indus Basin in Pakistan. The Cretaceous age Lower Goru properties and their integration.
Formation was investigated and a new potential lead has 2D Seismic lines were initially interpreted and used to
been identified for further exploration. Reservoir formation generate the time structure map on the top of the Lower Goru
was evaluated using a variety of seismic and well log driven Formation. The TWT structure map of the Lower Goru
 Seismic and well log driven structural and petrophysical analysis of Lower Goru Formation

Fig. 16. Petrophysical data log (PDL) of well Chak66-01 with Zone-I and II.

level that was produced is interpreted to have been affected
by the extensional tectonics. This tectonic activity caused
regional level horst and graben structures with deep-seated
NNW-SSE trending regional normal faults. These normal
faults originate deep within the source rock (Sembar Shale)
and are discordant with the reservoir. The average vertical
throw of these faults is about 50 ms, which can be assumed
to be sufficient to provide a lateral seal for hydrocarbon
migration. Despite this, fault seal analysis is recommended
to enhance the confidence level regarding the presence of a
lateral seal across the faults. Multiples structural highs were
interpreted near the top of the Lower Goru Formation. A
prospective structural high of 20 ms was identified in the
northwestern portion of the study area which is bounded to
the west by a major normal fault (Fig. 7). Since the geo-
logical structures pre-dates the hydrocarbon migration in
the study area, the probability of finding hydrocarbons in
the structural lead is quite high. Additionally, the study area
lie within the mature petroleum play of the Sembar and
Lower Goru Formations, which increases the potential of
 Muhammad Naeem, Muhammad Kamran Jafri, Sayed S.R. Moustafa, Nassir S. AL-Arifi, Shazia Asim, Farhan Khan, and Nisar Ahmed
future exploration in this area (Wandrey et al., 2004). A
RMS amplitude map was derived from surface seismic data,
and this showed the variation of sands within the Lower
Goru Formation. A high reflection amplitude was observed
in the northeastern portion of the study area, which conform
with the known deposition system of the Lower Goru For-
mation. A high amplitude anomaly within the identified pro-
spective high on the time structural map makes the identified
lead more favourable for further exploration. Besides the
high level of prospectivity of the identified lead, it is also
recommended to acquire the infill seismic data in the sug-
gested lead purlieu to confirm its structural extent.
A comprehensive wireline log analysis was done on the
three wells for the Cretaceous age reservoir unit within the
study area. Key petrophysical parameters (porosity, volume
of shale, saturation of water and saturation of hydrocarbon,
etc.) were estimated and interpreted for the target reservoir
level. Based on the petrophysical analysis, it can be con-
cluded that the sands of the Lower Goru Formation are the
main gas producing reservoir in the study area. Correlation
with the well data is used to identify the two prospective
sand zones (I & II), which have good reservoir quality. The
detailed petrophysical analysis of the well log data shows
that Zone-I does not have hydrocarbons but has the poten-
tial to contain and produce hydrocarbons in the surrounding
fields of the basin. Whereas Zone-II, located in the deeper
portion of the target reservoir, shows a high probability of
hydrocarbon presence. Additionally, the same zone is also
producing gas in the studied wells. Zone-I sand sections have
a fair to good level of petrophysical parameters in that they
have a record of the effective porosity (2–35%) and shale
volume (2–30%), but the zone has a high water saturation
and no evident hydrocarbon shows. Zone-II, meanwhile, has
good effective porosity (2–26%), hydrocarbon saturation (Sh >
60%), and volume of shale (Vsh < 10%).
The petrophysical characteristics of the Lower Goru For-
mation are investigated through constructing and interpreting
a number of cross-plots between sonic travel time, neutron
porosity, density and GR. These relationships in terms of
sonic-density, sonic-neutron porosity, and density-neutron
porosity provided good differentiation between data points
from the gas-bearing sand zones and other shale layers. Fur-
thermore, the presence of GR as the third dimension enhanced
the discrimination and eased the interpretation of each cross-
plot in terms of demarcating clean sand zones from shale
layers. It also confirmed the presence of good reservoir
quality sand in both zones (I & II), whereas a gas effect was
observed in Zone-II only (Figs. 15 and 16).
In general, this integrated approach of seismic structural
and seismic amplitude attribute analysis helped to identify
the prospective structural highs and lateral distribution of
good quality sands in the study area. Additionally, the con-
current petrophysical study of available wells helped to
evaluate the hydrocarbon potential of the mapped reservoir
level. The present research findings showed that a collab-
orative study of seismic attributes integrated with petrophysics
can help to predict the unexploited zones of an already
developed field. In addition, the use of seismic attributes is
best suited to the identification of the distribution of the
litho-facies in the basin. Geoscientists, however, must know
the potential pitfalls of the attributes employed in order to
avoid misinterpretation of the results.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: The authors would like to extend their
sincere appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at the King
Saud University for funding this Research group (No. RG-1435-09).
Special recognition goes to the Directorate General of Petroleum Con-
cession (DGPC) of Pakistan, CGG, and Schlumberger for providing the
dataset and the software for current research project.
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Manuscript received December 11, 2014
Manuscript accepted May 17, 2015