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Unconventional/complex reservoirs

Subsurface Data Reveal Pore-Pressure Variations in Shale Basins

Regional pore-pressure variations in the Leonardian and Wolfcampian-age producing strata in the Midland and Delaware basins are studied using a variety of subsurface data.

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February 1, 2025
Journal of Petroleum Technology
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Fig. 1—Pore-pressure-gradient cross section (structural cross section) from a 3D geomodel in the Midland Basin, showing vertical and lateral changes in pore pressure. The Spraberry Formation is underpressured, or close to normal pressure conditions, whereas the Wolfcamp Formation is mostly overpressured. Note that some uncertainties in pore pressure could exist toward the Eastern Shelf because of a lack of sufficient data.
Fig. 1—Pore-pressure-gradient cross section (structural cross section) from a 3D geomodel in the Midland Basin, showing vertical and lateral changes in pore pressure. The Spraberry Formation is underpressured, or close to normal pressure conditions, whereas the Wolfcamp Formation is mostly overpressured. Note that some uncertainties in pore pressure could exist toward the Eastern Shelf because of a lack of sufficient data.
Source: URTeC 4042140.

The authors study regional pore-pressure variations in the Leonardian and Wolfcampian producing strata (Wolfcamp, Bone Spring, Avalon, Dean, and Spraberry) in the Midland and Delaware Basins of West Texas and southeast New Mexico. Pore pressure is analyzed with a variety of subsurface data, including sonic logs and completions data. Results show that pore pressure is consistently higher in the Wolfcamp Formation (especially Wolfcamp B, C, and D) and Delaware Basin Bone Spring S3 than the Spraberry Formation in the Midland Basin.

Introduction

Over the years, several studies have been conducted on pore pressure in different shale reservoirs in the Permian Basin. A few recent studies used 3D seismic data to estimate and map pore pressure in the Permian.

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