Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-019-00112-5(0123456789().,-volV)
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Application of well log analysis to estimate the petrophysical

parameters and evaluate the reservoir quality of the Lower
Goru Formation, Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan
S. M. Talha Qadri . Md Aminul Islam . M. R. Shalaby

Received: 25 November 2018 / Accepted: 1 May 2019

 Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

Abstract The present study deals with the petro-
physical evaluation using well log data of Lower Goru
Formation from five selected wells namely Nara-1,
Kadanwari-3, Kadanwari-4, Gajwaro-1 and Mehrab-1
in the Lower Indus Basin. Various cross plots indicate
that the formation of interest is mainly composed of
sandstone, shale and carbonates. In addition, clay
content is also analysed using potassium versus
thorium and PEF versus Th/K ratio plots. Interactive
Petrophysics (IP-2013) software is used to assess the
petrophysical parameters. The volume of shale has
been estimated between 6.1% and 14.07% from the
studied wells. Similarly, the total porosity is observed
between 14.6% and 18.02% while the effective
porosity ranges 12.5–16.5%. The water saturation is
quite low and exhibits between 14.05% and 31.58%.
Moreover, the hydrocarbon saturation ranges
68.42–85.95% in the studied wells. 23 pay zones of
variable thickness and significant hydrocarbons pres-
ence have been identified within the studied wells,
thus proving the Lower Goru Formation as a promis-
ing reservoir. The study also indicates Nara-1 Well as
S. M. T. Qadri (&)  Md A. Islam  M. R. Shalaby
Physical and Geological Sciences, Faculty of Science,
Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link,
Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
e-mail: talhaqadri_uos@hotmail.com
S. M. T. Qadri
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Sargodha,
Sargodha, Pakistan
the most prolific in terms of high hydrocarbon
saturation and low water saturation. The study method
can be used within the vicinity of Lower Indus Basin
and similar basin elsewhere in the globe to quantify
petrophysical properties of oil and gas wells and
comprehend the reservoir potential.
Keywords Lower Goru Formation  Lower Indus
Basin  Petrophysical parameters  Net pay zones  Net
to gross thickness  Effective porosity  Hydrocarbon
saturation
1 Introduction
The Lower Indus Basin is one of the most productive
basins located in Sind province of Pakistan (Fig. 1)
and is almost 250 km wide. Multiple techniques have
been used globally to understand the reservoir char-
acter (Islam 2009; Qadri et al., 2017; Jumat et al.,
2018). Well log analysis and interpretation are one of
the most useful techniques to evaluate the petrophys-
ical parameters of the reservoir. These petrophysical
parameters include estimation of shale volume, net to
gross thickness, total and effective porosities, water
and hydrocarbon saturation and identification of pay
zones with their approximate thickness. Well logs
have been used quite frequently to get more informa-
tion and accuracy in evaluating a reservoir and are also
used to calculate the thickness (Abd El-Gawad 2007).

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Fig. 1 Tectonic map of Pakistan displaying the study area. Modified after Sultan (2015)
Numerous studies have been conducted in various
dimensions and on different fields and wells of Middle
and Lower Indus Basin with special emphasis on the
Lower Goru Formation (e.g. Quadri and Shuaib 1986;
Hussain et al. 1991; Zaigham and Mallick 2000; Munir
et al. 2011; Sahito et al. 2013; Khan et al. 2013; Abbas
et al. 2015; Nisar et al. 2016; Naeem et al. 2016;
Naseer et al. 2017; Siyar et al. 2017; Azeem et al.
2017). The well log analysis was conducted on the
clastic sediments of Lower Goru Formation selected
from five wells namely Nara-1, Kadanwari-3, Kadan-
wari-4, Gajwaro-1 and Mehrab-1. The current study
not only focuses lithological and mineralogical anal-
ysis of the Lower Goru Formation but also highlights
petrophysical analysis to improve our understandings
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Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
of the reservoir parameters such as volume of shale,
porosity, water and hydrocarbon saturation, thickness
of net pay zones and net to gross thickness. The study
may help further explanation and development of the
fields within the vicinity of Lower Indus Basin and
similar basins elsewhere in the globe.
2 Geological settings
Geologically, Pakistan comprises of two major sedi-
mentary basins, the Indus Basin and Baluchistan Basin
(Kadri 1995). The Indus Basin covers most of the
eastern parts of Pakistan and Westernmost parts of
India with an aerial extension of approximately
Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
873,000 sq.km (Naeem et al. 2016). The Indus Basin is
further segmented into the Lower, Middle and Upper
Indus basin based on structural styles (Wandrey et al.
2004). The five analysed wells lie within the Lower
Indus Basin. The study area is bounded to the north by
Central Indus Basin and by the Kirthar Fold Belt Basin
from the southwest (Khan et al. 2013). The Lower
Indus Basin dominantly indicates the extensional
regime resulted because of the divergence of Indo-
Pak sub-continent from Gondwanaland during Palaeo-
zoic era. The study area is characterized by horst and
graben structures together with a system of transcur-
rent faults (Zaigham and Mallick 2000).
The Lower Goru Formation of Early Cretaceous
age is the most productive reservoir in the eastern part
of Lower Indus Basin (Hussain et al. 1991). The shales
of Upper Goru Formation act as main seal rock while
the underlying Sember Formation acts as source rock.
The detailed stratigraphic succession is shown in the
Fig. 2. The study area indicates that major trapping
mechanism is observed as structural traps, which is
indicated by the presence of tilted fault blocks along
with fault bounded anticlines (Kadri 1995).
The burial and thermal history helps to understand
the tectonic processes in the study area (Qadri et al.
2016). The burial history model for the Kadanwari-3
Well has been generated by Schlumberger PetroMod
2013 1D software to model sediment burial and geo
histories as shown in Fig. 3. The model indicates
burial histories for various stratigraphic horizons
while focussing the Lower Goru Formation as the
main horizon. The Lower Goru Formation was on the
surface 120 Ma ago started subsiding because of the
deposition of Late Cretaceous to Miocene successions.
From 120 Ma to 90 Ma the Lower Goru Formation
deposited with an average sedimentation rate of 32 m/
Ma. The Lower Goru Formation is presently at a depth
of 2496 m and is present day thickness is 984 m in
Kadanwari-3 Well. The top of the Lower Goru
Formation is exposed to a temperature of 125 C
while the base is exposed to a temperature of 147 C in
the studied well.
3 Materials and methods
Log based petrophysical analysis were conducted on
the data from five wells located in the Lower Indus
Basin namely Kadanwari-3, Kadanwari-4, Nara-1,
Gajwaro-1 and Mehrab-1 to understand the reservoir
properties and characteristics. The well log data
comprises of conventional logs such as neutron,
density, sonic, gamma ray and resistivity (shallow
and deep). These data sets were provided by Oil and
Gas Development Corporation Limited-Pakistan.
Petromod 2013.2 was used for developing the burial
history model while the Interactive Petrophysics 2013
established by LR Senergy was used to conduct
qualitative and quantitative reservoir evaluation.
Lithological and mineralogical composition of the
reservoir formation was identified based on Schlum-
berger charts such as neutron vs. density, neutron vs.
gamma ray, neutron-sonic and M–N cross plots. Clay
mineral types were identified by using thorium vs.
potassium and PEF vs. Th/K cross plots. The impact of
these identified clay minerals on the reservoir quality
was also analysed. The present study makes use of
sonic, neutron, density and combination of these logs
to evaluate porosity. Moreover, neutron density-initial
model was used to derive the total and effective
porosities. A 10% porosity cut-off was applied to
identify more porous and promising zones within the
reservoir (El-Din et al. 2013). The density porosity
was calculated by using Wyllie’s equation (Wyllie
1963) while the neutron porosity was estimated based
on response given by the neutron tool.
£D ¼ ðqma  qb Þ=ðqma  qf Þ ð1Þ
where ØD is density porosity, qma is the matrix density,
qb is the bulk density and qf is the mud filtrate density.
The difference between two types of porosities i.e.
intergranular or secondary porosity in the reservoir
formation was identified by sonic porosity versus
Neutron-Density porosity cross plots. The sonic
porosity was calculated using the equation proposed
by Wyllie (1963).
£s ¼ ðDTlog  DTma Þ=ðDTf  DTma Þ ð2Þ
£ND ¼ ½ð£2D þ £2N Þ=21=2 ð3Þ
where Øs = sonic porosity, DTlog = values from sonic
log, DTma = sonic transit time from matrix material,
DTf = sonic transit time from fluid, ØND = Neutron-
density porosity, ØD = density porosity and ØN-
= Neutron porosity.
Gamma-ray, neutron porosity, neutron-density
porosity and resistivity were used as a cross check to
estimate the shale content and its distribution within
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Fig. 2 General stratigraphic succession of the lower Indus
Basin-Pakistan (after Zaigham and Mallick 2000)
the sand reservoirs. The arithmetic averages of shaly
contents from both single and double indicators were
considered as the shale content approximately equal to
its actual value (Hakimi et al. 2017). Moreover, it is
essential to determine the type of shale distribution
within the reservoir. Neutron porosity versus Density
porosity cross plot was used to determine the shale
habitat in the Lower Goru Formation. In the present
study Kadanwari-3, Kadanwari-4, Nara-1, Gajwaro-1
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Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
and Mehrab-1 were subjected to dual water saturation
model (Clavier et al. 1984). In addition, a 50% cut-off
was applied to differentiate between sandy and shaly
zones. It means that rocks displaying more than 50%
of shale concentration were considered as non-reser-
voir rock while the rocks with equal or less than 50%
of shale were considered as promising reservoir.
The water saturation of uninvaded zone (Sw) in the
Lower Goru Formation was estimated by using Dual
water equation while the hydrocarbon saturation (Sh)
was estimated by the equation given below (Rider
1996).
Sh ¼ 1  Sw ð4Þ
In addition, residual hand movable hydrocarbon
saturations were also calculated by following equa-
tions (Asquith and Krygowski 2004).
Shr ¼ 1  Sxo ð5Þ
Shm ¼ Sxo  Sw ð6Þ
Moreover, bulk volume of water in uninvaded and
flushed zones was calculated by multiplying Sw and
Sxo with the effective porosity Øe using the equations
below (Asquith and Krygowski 2004):
BVW ¼ Sw  £e ð7Þ
BVSXO ¼ Sxo  £e : ð8Þ
A 50% water saturation cut off was applied to
distinguish between water wet and hydrocarbon
bearing zones.
4 Results and discussion
4.1 Lithological and mineralogical interpretation
Lithological and mineralogical components of Goru
Formation within the selected wells was identified
using different cross plots (Figs. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.) where
different types of matrix were observed by integrating
different well logs (Table 1).
4.1.1 Neutron (NPHI) versus Density (RHOB) cross-
plot
The neutron (NPHI) versus density (RHOB) cross-plot
shows that the Lower Goru Formation within the
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Fig. 3 Burial history diagram of Kadanwari-3 Well representing the burial depth of the reservoir formation and corresponding
temperatures
selected wells appears to be dominantly composed of
sandstone with carbonates (limestone and dolomite) as
shown in Fig. 4. The NPHI vs. RHOB cross plot also
indicates the presence of subordinate shales. This
cross plot also helps in estimating a relationship
between different lithology and porosity types
(Hakimi et al. 2017; Al-Qayim and Rashid 2012).
Since the cross plot indicates the presence of both
sandstones and carbonates which also indicates the
presence of both intergranular and secondary porosi-
ties with an equal proportion.
4.1.2 Neutron versus Gamma ray cross plot
The neutron vs. gamma ray cross plot shows the
presence of scattering data points which indicates that
the Lower Goru Formation exhibits varied lithology.
Five clusters of data points are identified in the Fig. 5,
namely carbonates, clean sandstone, shaly sandstone,
sandy shale and shale rich contents. Low Gamma ray
(up to 45 API) and intermediate neutron values
indicate the clean sandstone while the medium gamma
ray (45–75 API) and neutron values indicate the shaly
sandstone. Sandy shale is indicated by the Gamma ray
values from 75–90 AP with neutron values lesser than
0.20. The intermediate gamma ray values but higher
neutron values i.e. greater than 0.20 indicate the
presence of carbonates (limestone and dolomite). The
shale rich contents are identified with high gamma
values (greater than 90 API). This classification is
conducted based on the works carried out by different
scientists (e.g. El-Din et al. 2013; Hakimi et al. 2017).
The Fig. 5 shows that the Lower Goru Formation is
composed of sandstone intercalated with carbonates
and shales. The clusters indicating sandstone and
carbonates are dense as compared to the shale rich
clusters of data points. The presence of shaly contents
within the sandstone also causes the data point to
cluster more towards limestone and dolomite line
(Qadri and Islam 2019; Jumat et al. 2018).
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4.1.3 Neutron (NPHI) versus Sonic (DT) cross-plot
The neutron versus sonic porosity cross plot shows
that the Lower Goru Formation is dominantly com-
posed of sandstone and carbonates. The cross plot
indicates that concentration of limestone is dominant
among the carbonates while the dolomite is a subor-
dinate member of the carbonates. The cross plot also
reveals that the shale rich content appears to be low
within the reservoir formation (Fig. 6). The results
inferred from Fig. 6 are consistent with findings of
Fig. 4 but somewhat different from Fig. 5 in terms of
shale contents.
4.1.4 M–N cross-plot
The M–N cross plot is helpful in identifying the binary
and ternary mixtures of the minerals by using neutron,
Fig. 4 Neutron vs. Density cross plot showing the lithological composition of Lower Goru Formation
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Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
density and sonic logs (Burke et al. 1969). The M–N
cross-plot shown in Fig. 7 reveals that majority of the
data points appear as sandstone while rest of the data
points seems to be carbonates. In addition to sand-
stones and carbonates few points show the downward
movement and indicate the shale effect. The findings
of the M–N cross plot are consistent with the findings
of the NPHI vs. RHOB and NPHI vs. DT cross plots.
4.1.5 Potassium (K) versus Thorium (Th) cross-plot
The K vs. Th cross plot helps to identify the clay
mineralogy within the reservoir formation (Tiyan and
Ayers 2010). Figure 8 shows that the reservoir
formation within the studied wells has got a variety
of clay minerals. In general data points show the
varied clay minerals by the presence of glauconite,
illite, mica, mixed clay layers, kaolinite, chlorite and
Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
Fig. 5 Neutron vs. gamma ray cross plot displaying the lithological composition of Lower Goru Formation within the selected studied
wells
montmorillonite. Kadanwari-3 Well shows the pres-
ence of glauconite, illite, mica, mixed clay layers,
kaolinite, chlorite and montmorillonite. The data
points from Kadanwari-4 do not indicate presence of
glauconite and mica rather show the domination of
chlorite, kaolinite and montmorillonite. Similarly, the
data points in Nara-1 Well seem to lie mostly within
the chlorite, montmorillonite and kaolinite zones
along with a small cluster of data points within the
mixed clay layers zone. The data points from Nara-1
Well do not show any movement towards the
glauconite, illite and mica zones. The data points
from Gajwaro-1 Well indicate the presence of kaolin-
ite, chlorite and montmorillonite. Trace amount of
data points lie in mica, illite and mixed clay layers
zones while the data points did not show any
movement towards glauconite. Moreover, the data
points from Mehrab-1 Well also do not lie in
glauconite zone while the mica and illite zone
indicates a trace amount of data points. The data
points are mostly present within the chlorite, kaolinite,
montmorillonite and heavy minerals zones. Some data
points are also observed in the mixed clay layer zone.
4.1.6 PEF versus Th/K ratio cross-plot
The findings from the Potassium vs. Thorium cross
plot is cross checked by the photo electric factor vs.
thorium/potassium ratio (Fig. 9). The PEF vs. Th/K
cross plot also reveals a varied clay mineralogy as the
data points from the studied wells indicate the
presence of glauconite, illite, mica, mixed clay layers,
kaolinite, chlorite and montmorillonite. The data
points also indicate an upward movement due to the
presence of barite as shown in Fig. 9. Most of the data
point from all studied wells show dense clusters in
kaolinite, chlorite montmorillonite and biotite. The
Figs. 8 and 9 also show that the presence of glauconite
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Fig. 6 Neutron vs. sonic cross plot displaying the lithological composition of Lower Goru Formation within the selected studied wells
is only associated with the data points from Kadan-
wari-3 Well. Table 2 briefly describes the presence of
various clay minerals in the studied wells. The findings
from the PEF vs. Th/K cross plot is consistent with the
results inferred from Th vs. K cross plot.
4.2 Petrophysical analysis
Petrophysical properties such as shale volume, total
and effective porosity and fluid saturation (both oil and
water) were derived by well log analysis to understand
the hydrocarbon potentiality of the reservoir formation
in Nara-1, Kadanwari-3, Kadanwari-4, Gajwaro-1 and
Mehrab-1 wells.
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Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
4.2.1 Shale Volume estimation
In order to evaluate the reservoir potential, it’s
indispensable to calculate the shale volume content
which in turn helps to identify between reservoir and
non-reservoir rock (Abd El-Gawad 2007; El-Din et al.
2013; Hakimi et al. 2017). In addition, a 50% cut off is
also applied to differentiate between shaly and sand
zones within the reservoir. The results indicate that the
reservoir formation shows an overall low shale
volume. Table 3 describes that the Vsh within the
reservoir formation of studied wells ranges from 6.1 to
14.73%. The lowest shale volume is observed in
Gajwaro-1 well, while the highest shale volume is
observed in Mehrab-1 well. The Neutron porosity
versus density porosity cross plot has been used to
identify the shale habitat as shown in Fig. 10. The data
points from the studied wells mostly reveal the
Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.

Fig. 7 M-N cross plot

indicating lithological
composition of the reservoir
formation

Fig. 8 Thorium vs.

Potassium cross plot
indicating different clay
minerals within the reservoir
formation

dispersed nature of shale while a small data cluster
shows the laminated nature. The data points which
indicate the laminated shale habitat belong to mostly
Kadanwari-3 Well with trace amount of data points
from Kadanwari-4 Well. Moreover, another major
cluster of data points show an upward movement
indicating the gas effect or the organic matter of the
shale interbedded within the Lower Goru Formation
(Fig. 10). Since the presence of dispersed shale habitat
affects the fluid saturation calculation therefore it is

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Table 1 List of available well log data of the Lower Goru Formation in the studied wells, Lower Indus Basin
Well name Top depth (m) Bottom depth (m) Thickness (m) Available well Logs

Nara-1 3015.5 3645.4 629.87 GR-CALI-LLS-LLD-MSFL-DT-RHOB-NPHI-PEF

Kadanwari-3 2496 3486.7 990.75 GR CALI-LLS-LLD-MSFL-DT-RHOB-NPHI-PEF
Kadanwari-4 2535 3549.63 1014.63 GR CALI-LLS-LLD-MSFL-DT-RHOB-NPHI-PEF
Gajwaro-1 2500 3700 1200 GR CALI-LLS-LLD-MSFL-DT-RHOB-NPHI-PEF
Mehrab-1 3389.3 3852.37 462.99 GR CALI-LLS-LLD-MSFL-DT-RHOB-NPHI-PEF

Fig. 9 PEF vs. Th/K to

identify various clay
minerals within the Lower
Goru Formation

essential to apply corrections (El-Din et al. 2013;
Hakimi et al. 2017). That is why the dual water
saturation model has been applied to boost up
confidence for water saturation calculation.
4.2.2 Log derived porosity estimation
In this study total and effective porosity were
estimated using Interactive Petrophysics 2013 soft-
ware. The results show that the Lower Goru Formation
has low volume of shale, indicating that pore spaces
are filled with water or oil. The total and effective
porosities have been calculated by using neutron and
density logs (Table 3). Based on porosity classifica-
tion devised by Levorsen (1972), the Lower Goru
Formation within the studied wells show a fair to good
total and effective porosity. The total and effective
porosities range from 14.6 to 19.03% and 12.5 to
18.6% respectively (Table 3). The type of porosity
within the reservoir formation has been estimated by
neutron-density log vs. sonic log cross plot as shown in
Fig. 11. The reservoir formation shows the presence of
both intergranular and secondary porosity. The pres-
ence of secondary pore type can be a result of partial or
complete dissolution of feldspar or carbonates within
the reservoir formation during various diagenetic
phases.
4.2.3 Fluid saturation estimation
The fluid saturation is important to estimate the types
and concentrations of fluids present in the pore spaces

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Table 2 The list of Well name Clay minerals identified

identified clay minerals
observed in the Lower Goru
Formation, within the
studied wells
Nara-1 Kaolinite, Chlorite, Montmorillonite
Kadanwari-3 Glauconite, Micas, Illite, Biotite, Barite
Kadanwari-4 Chlorite, Kaolinite, Barite, Montmorillonite
Gajwaro-1 Biotite, Barite, Chlorite, Montmorillonite
Mehrab-1 Muscovite, Illite, Montmorillonite, Kaolinite, Biotite

(El-Din et al. 2013). The results indicate that water
saturation (Sw) is low and ranges 14.05–31.58%. The
lowest water saturation is observed in Nara-1 Well
while the highest water saturation is observed in
Kadanwari-4 Well. Although it is important to calcu-
late the water saturation, yet the more essential part is
to estimate the hydrocarbon saturation using Eq. (4).
The average water saturation for flushed zones (Sxo)
ranges 22.5–58% for the studied wells. The results
indicate that the Lower Goru Formation exhibits a
moderate to high hydrocarbon saturation (Sh) ranging
85.95–68.42%. Moreover, Sw and Sxo can also help to
estimate residual hydrocarbon saturation (Shr) and
movable hydrocarbon saturation (Shm) using Eqs. 5
and 6. The residual hydrocarbon saturation (Shr)
ranges 41.98–77.5% while the movable hydrocarbon
saturation (Shm) ranges 3.42–31.22%. The bulk vol-
ume of water (BVW) in uninvaded zone and bulk
volume of water (BVSXO) in flushed zone can also be
estimated by using the Sw and Sxo values. The both
types of water volume were estimated by multiplying
water saturation with effective porosity as shown in
Eqs. 7 and 8. The results indicate that bulk volume of
water (BVW) in uninvaded zone ranges 0.017–0.052
while the bulk volume of water in invaded zone ranges
0.028–0.093. Table 4 describes the values of fluid
saturations for each well in detail. The results indicate
that studied wells show low water saturation and
higher hydrocarbon saturation. All the studied wells
are oil producing while Nara-1 Well is considered as
most prolific in terms of hydrocarbon saturations.
4.2.4 Net Pay thickness and Net/Gross thickness
estimation
Net pay is an important parameter when it comes to
evaluate the reservoir potential as it identifies the
zones having enough hydrocarbon volumes and acting
as producing intervals (Worthington 2010). Net pay is
a subinterval within the gross thickness and is
quantified by applying petrophysical cut-offs to well
log data i.e. Phi \ 10%, Vsh [ 50%, Sw [ 50%. In the
present study a total twenty-three net pay subintervals
have been identified within in Kadanwari-3 (8 pay
zones), Kadanwari-4 (6 pay zones), Nara-1(2 pay
zones), Gajwaro-1 (4 pay zones) and Mehrab-1 (3 pay
zones) Wells. The highest number of pay zones (8 pay
zones) have been identified in Kadanwari-3 Well
while the lowest number of pay zones have been
identified in Nara-1 Well (2 pay zones). Figures 12
and 13 show Nara-1 and Mehrab-1 indicating the pay
zones and variations in the petrophysical parameters.

Table 3 Summary of the petrophysical parameters for Lower Indus Basin in the studied wells
Well name Thickness (m) Porosity (%)
Top Bottom Gross thickness Net sand thickness Net reservoir Net pay PHIT PHIE Vsh

Nara-1 3015.5 3645.4 629.87 365.68 170.23 39.41 14.6 12.5 14.7
Kadanwari-3 2496 3486.7 990.75 237.03 119.13 89.53 17.83 16.08 8.03
Kadanwari-4 2535 3549.63 1014.63 195.01 63.25 36.76 18.02 16.5 12.54
Gajwaro-1 2500 3700 1200 166.63 88.8 56 15 14 6.1
Mehrab-1 3389.3 3852.37 462.99 209.4 161.09 140.06 19.03 18.6 14.73
Cut-offs used for net pay: Phi \ 10%, Vsh [ 50%, Sw [ 50%; PHIT: Total Porosity; PHIE: Effective Porosity; Sw water saturation
and Vsh volume of shale

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Fig. 10 Neutron porosity

vs. Density porosity
indicating the shale habitat
within the reservoir
formation

Fig. 11 Neutron-Density (porosity) vs. Sonic (porosity) cross plot indicating type of porosities observed within the Lower Goru
Formation

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These pay zones have been aggregated into a total net
pay zone for each analysed well. The results indicate
that the total net pay thickness for studied wells range
between 36.76 and 140.06 m. The lowest total net pay
thickness is observed for Gajwaro-1 Well and the
highest total net pay thickness is observed for Mehrab-
1 Well.
Conventionally net to gross thickness can be
described in three forms i.e. net/gross sand, net/gross
reservoir and net/gross pay (Worthington 2003). In the
present study all the three above-mentioned net/gross
forms have been calculated. The net/gross sand for the
studied wells ranges 6–58%. The lowest net/gross
sand thickness is observed for Kadanwari-4 while the
highest net/gross sand thickness is observed for Nara-
1. Similarly, the net/gross reservoir thickness for the
studied wells ranges 32.4–77%. The Kadanwari-4
Well shows the lowest net/gross reservoir thickness
while Mehrab-1 shows the highest net/gross reservoir
thickness. Moreover, the net/gross pay thickness
ranges 23.2–87%, Nara-1 Well indicates the lowest
net/gross pay thickness while Mehrab-1 Well shows
the highest net/gross pay thickness. Table 4 highlights
the net/gross thickness percentage in detail for each of
the studied well.
4.3 Implication on reservoir quality
The results indicate that the Lower Goru Formation is
not a clean sandstone rather it indicates the interca-
lations of carbonates and shaly contents. The petro-
physical analysis consider clay minerals as the
dominant constituents of shale (Deer et al. 1998).
Clay mineral cements are smaller in volume but have
an enormous impact on petrophysical properties of the
reservoir e.g. porosity and permeability (Deer et al.
1998; Worden and Burley 2003; Worden and Morad
2003). The results inferred from the study indicates the
presence of kaolinite, chlorite, montmorillonite (se-
mectite), illite, glauconite, muscovite and biotite
(mica), mixed clay layers and barite. The presence
of these clay minerals is ubiquitous in the reservoir
zones (Jiang 2012). Kaolinite is observed in the form
of book shape crystals and even forms vermiform
masses filling the pore spaces. The studies conducted
by Warren and Curtis reveal that illite is an entirely
burial authigenic clay which is formed during tem-
perature rising to 70 C (Warren and Curtis 1989).
Illite grows as flakes, ribbon like filament or hair shape
crystals on the surface of detrital grains and has the
normal tendency to substitute the Kaolinite at greater
depth (Hancock and Taylor 1978). Chlorite is
observed in reduced marine environment while glau-
conite cement occurs in iron rich, oxidized shallow
marine waters (Odin and Matter 1981). Chlorite
cement usually grows as radial coating that normally
protects detrital grains from further diagenesis (Wor-
den and Burley 2003). Montmorillonite belongs to the
semectite family and develop as tiny crystals which
line intergranular pores and substitute grains contain-
ing magnesium and iron for its growth (Worden and
Burley 2003). Mixed layers of clay minerals as formed
because of the inter-layering of various clay minerals
in a single structure (Srodón 1999). These mixed clay
layers are mostly composed of illite-semectite and
chlorite-semectite but because of burial diagenesis
illite-semectite transforms to illite rich while chlorite-
semectite transforms to chlorite rich (Worden and
Morad 2003). In the present study PEF vs. Th/K and
Th vs. K cross plots indicate the concentration of

Table 4 Average values describing in detail the petrophysical parameters namely Net/Gross Thickness, Water Saturation (Sw, Sxo,
BVW, BVWxo) and Hydrocarbon Saturation (Sh, Shm, Shr)
Well name Net/gross (%) Water saturations Hydrocarbon saturations (%)
N/G sand N/G reservoir N/G Pay Sw (%) Sxo (%) BVW Bvwxo Sh (%) Shr (%) Shm (%)

Nara-1 58.0 46.5 23.2 14.05 22.5 0.01 0.028 85.95 77.5 7.9
Kadanwari-3 23.9 50.3 75.2 26.78 58.0 0.04 0.093 73.2 41.98 31.22
Kadanwari-4 6.0 32.4 58.1 31.58 35.0 0.052 0.057 68.43 65.0 3.42
Gajwaro-1 13.8 53.4 63.1 29.9 34.9 0.041 0.048 70.1 64.9 5.2
Mehrab-1 45.22 77.0 87 24.23 41.7 0.045 0.077 75.7 58.3 16.87

123
 Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.

Fig. 12 The litho-saturation plot explaining the vertical variations in the petrophysical characteristics of the Lower Goru Formation in
the Nara-1 Well

chlorite cement is higher than illite which implies that
the mix clay layer is dominantly composed of chlorite-
semectite.
The clay minerals are generally considered disad-
vantageous when it comes to evaluate the sandstone
reservoir quality (Jiang 2012). The clay minerals
reduce the porosity and permeability as they can block
the pore throats in numerous ways thus decreasing the
reservoir quality. For oil and gas exploration we
anticipate finding a high-quality reservoir. Although

123
Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
Fig. 13 The litho-saturation plot explaining the vertical variations in the petrophysical characteristics of the Lower Goru Formation in
the Mehrab-1 Well
the burial diagenetic phenomenon causes a significant
reduction in porosity and permeability yet there are
other diagenetic processes which increase the porosity
by creating secondary pores including fractures,
cement dissolution. The results show that the reservoir
formation exhibits a fair to good total and effective
porosities and therefore not influenced by the presence
of clay minerals. The results inferred from present
study also highlights that reservoir formation is having
abundance of secondary pores thus reducing the
impact of clay minerals blocking the pore throat. In
addition, the positive impact of clay authigenesis
cannot be neglected as the presence of clay minerals
does not always mean to decrease the reservoir quality
123

it can also work for enhancing the reservoir quality
(Bloch et al. 2002; Taylor et al. 2004). The present
study shows an abundance of chlorite which can
protect and conserve the reservoir quality by coating
the sand grain and preventing it by the quartz
cementation. Similarly, the presence of abundant
kaolinite is observed from the results, this can
sometimes indicate the presence of high porosity
zones. The reason is that pore spaces are created
during to the acid dissolutions of feldspar to produce
kaolinite. These results agree with the findings of
(Heald and Larese 1974; Jiang et al. 2010; Jiang 2012).
However, for better understanding the reservoir qual-
ity, core based petrographic study is highly desirable
which is unfortunately not available here due to lack of
access to the core samples.
5 Conclusions
Based on all the results derived from the well log
petrophysical analysis following conclusion have been
made.
• The Lower Goru Formation is dominantly com-
posed of sandstone interbedded with carbonates
and shale.
• Presence of clay minerals such as chlorite, kaolin-
ite, montmorillonite, glauconite, illite and mica
have been observed within the reservoir which may
cause reduction in the reservoir quality of the
Lower Goru Formation.
• The Lower Goru formation also indicates fair to
good total and effective porosities, (14.6–19.03%
and 12.5–18.6% respectively) thus proving capa-
bility of acting as a good reservoir. Intergranular
and secondary porosities have been observed
within the Lower Goru Formation which can play
a vital role in storing the fluids within the reservoir.
• Volume of shale (Vsh) is low i.e. 6.1–14.73%
showing that pore spaces are not much occupied
with the shale contents rather filled with fluids
(water and hydrocarbons).
• Water Saturation is also low i.e. 14.05–31.58% and
therefore Lower Goru Formation indicates the
higher hydrocarbon saturations (68.43–85.95%)
and highlights itself as a prolific reservoir.
123
Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour.
• Net/Gross thickness ratio within the studied wells
also indicates the Lower Goru Formation as a good
reservoir.
• 23 pay zones have been identified with variable
thickness and with hydrocarbon saturations, which
also indicate the reservoir potential of the Lower
Goru Formation.
• The study reveals that the analysed wells have a
potential for further development.
• Further study is recommended using core based
petrophysical analysis. However, the present study
can play a pioneer role to understand the reservoir
characters of Lower Goru Formation within the
vicinity of Lower Indus Basin.
• This study also can be used as reference elsewhere
in similar basin waiting for further exploration and
development. The study can supplement non-
coring section of well or fully devoid of coring.
Acknowledgements Authors are grateful to Oil and Gas
Cooperation Limited Pakistan (OGDCL) for providing the data
sets. Authors are also thankful to Department of Physical and
Geological Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam for
supporting with the technical and administrative facilities
required to complete the research.
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