MIOCENE RESERVOIRS OF THE GULF COAST – INCISED VALLEY FILL (IVF) SANDS AND THEIR POTENTIAL FOR COMMERCIAL CO2 STORAGE

Lower Miocene-age reservoirs of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast have been extensively studied due to their hydrocarbon potential primarily offshore. Where not charged, these sandstone reservoirs could serve as significant saline reservoirs for CO₂ sequestration. These Lower Miocene sandstones have potential for CO₂ sequestration due to their favorable geologic properties and their proximity to industrial emitters that generate large quantities of CO₂. Deposition of these basal sands through incised valley fill (IVF) create a complex architecture both laterally and vertically of meandering-river–floodplain deposits or a combination of basal braid plain deposits overlain by meandering-river–floodplain deposits. This creates a system of reservoir/caprock units suitable for sequestering and sealing quantities of CO₂. For this reason, an integrated approach must be applied to fully characterize and understand these reservoirs in the subsurface. Abundant subsurface geologic data available including thousands of wells, 2D and 3D seismic, and core data, allow for a regional understanding of the lateral extent and variability of these sands within this region. This study will focus on the reservoir characterization and CO₂ storage capacity of Lower Miocene–age reservoirs by integrating public data with a specific focus on the basal sands deposited through incised- valley fill.