Sandstone deposited in deep marine environments form important hydrocarbon reservoirs in many basins throghout the world. However, very few applied studies at a reservoir scale have been published. This publication has arisen from the perceived needs of the academic and industrial communities to understand the controls on the architecture and geometry of deep marine clastic reservoirs. It highlights some of the current avenues and potential ways forward in the study of deep marine clastic systems, particularly with application to hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Marine Clastic reservoirs provides an integrated perspective to sandstone reservoir description and analysis. It combines analog-oriented methods fromsequence stratigraphy with rigorous stratigraphic and sedimentological description of cores and outcrops to develop a process-based analysis of sandstone facies. Twelve chapters, divided into 3 sections, first describe the specific use of sequence stratigraphy to catalog, identify, andpredict marine clastic reservoir facies. Next they examine the importance ofrigorous sedimentological and geomorphic description. Finally, marine depositional environments from delta systems to deep-sea fans arereviewed to give examples of these improved descriptive and analytical techniques

Deep-water (below wave base) processes, although generally hidden from view, shape the sedimentary record of more than 65% of the Earth’s surface, including large parts of ancient mountain belts. This book aims to inform advanced-level undergraduate and postgraduate students, and professional Earth scientists with interests in physical oceanography and hydrocarbon exploration and production, about many of the important physical aspects of deep-water (mainly deep-marine) systems. The authors consider transport and deposition in the deep sea, trace-fossil assemblages, and facies stacking patterns as an archive of the underlying controls on deposit architecture (e.g., seismicity, climate change, autocyclicity). Topics include modern and ancient deep-water sedimentary environments, tectonic settings, and how basinal and extra-basinal processes generate the typical characteristics of basin slopes, submarine canyons, contourite mounds and drifts, submarine fans, basin floors and abyssal plains.

Deep-water (below wave base) processes, although generallyhidden from view, shape the sedimentary record of more than 65% ofthe Earth’s surface, including large parts of ancientmountain belts. This book aims to inform advanced-levelundergraduate and postgraduate students, and professional Earthscientists with interests in physical oceanography and hydrocarbonexploration and production, about many of the important physicalaspects of deep-water (mainly deep-marine) systems. The authorsconsider transport and deposition in the deep sea, trace-fossilassemblages, and facies stacking patterns as an archive of theunderlying controls on deposit architecture (e.g., seismicity,climate change, autocyclicity). Topics include modern and ancientdeep-water sedimentary environments, tectonic settings, and howbasinal and extra-basinal processes generate the typicalcharacteristics of basin slopes, submarine canyons, contouritemounds and drifts, submarine fans, basin floors and abyssalplains.

Accompanying CD-ROM includes additional illustrations and material.

This book presents a comprehensive assessment of clastic sedimentology and its application to reservoir geology. It covers the theoretical foundations of the topic and its use for scientists as well as professionals in the field. Further, it addresses all aspects of reservoir sedimentology, clastic sequence stratigraphy, sedimentation, reservoir diagenesis and heterogeneity, as well as depositional systems (alluvial, fluvial, lacustrine, delta, sandy coast, neritic, deep-water) in detail. The research team responsible for this book has been investigating clastic sedimentology for more than three decades and consists of highly published and cited authors. The Chinese edition of this book has been a great success, and is popular among sedimentologists and petroleum geologists alike.

This chapter has summarized the important characteristics of deepwater deposits and reservoirs. These reservoirs are quite complex and variable. An understanding of the different architectural elements and their interrelations is critical to hydrocarbon recovery, because the elements exhibit different external geometries, sizes, spatial orientations, and internal sedimentary and stratigraphic features. Because of these differences, the volume of hydrocarbons and the anticipated recovery efficiency will vary by architectural element (). There are many new and awaiting opportunities for deepwater reservoirs both onshore and offshore. The US Gulf of Mexico and many other parts of the world are hot spots or emerging areas for exploration and development of vast resources of oil and gas (Fig. 11.93).