3D PROPERTY MODELING OF SAND-FILLED SUBMARINE CHANNELS IN NORTH MIDWAY FIELD, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

The Potter sand member of the Reef Ridge Formation in North Midway field, Kern County, California, represents some of the highest quality reservoir rocks in the field. These sands were deposited near the margin of a deep water marine basin. The mode of fan deposition included a wide variety of mass-flow processes that produced a widespread complex of submarine fans and channels in late Miocene time. Locally, well data suggest variation in the distribution of these sand-filled submarine channels and fans influenced by paleo-slope and distance to source. We attempt to identify the probability of the sand bodies existing at a particular location by using a stochastic distribution method that honors the spatial relationship established by the existing well data. To test the capability of the model to predict the location of the sand-filled submarine channels and fans we limit the initial number of wells used in the property distribution. The results of this test allow us to constrain the uncertainty in predicting sand body location for future well placements and how to optimize the infill drilling pattern for successful submarine channel/fan targeting.