Lorenzo Lipparini

Seismo-stratigraphic Study of the Plio-pleistocene Deposits of the Central Adriatic Sea, Italy

An integrated 3D Seismo-Stratigraphic Study was carried out on a portion of the Central Adriatic Sea (Italy), offshore the coast of the Abruzzo region, aimed to define and understand in detail the Plio-Pleistocene stratigraphic succession, the evolution of this area through this specific geological time, and the implication from and E&P perspective. The study is based on good quality 3D data, wells and regional 2D seismic lines. The stratigraphic succession of the foredeep Plio-Pleistocene deposits presented in this work, shows a general shoaling up trend in which the vertical evolution from deep water deposits into deltaic and nearshore strata is related to the progressive displacement of the main depocentres eastward produced by thrust propagation toward the outer margin of the foredeep basin. In this note, in particular, the Middle/Upper Pliocene and Pleistocene part is described in its main seismo-stratigraphic characteristics. A detailed 3D seismic facies analysis has infact allowed to identify, interpret and understand from a depositional point of view several interesting geological “objects” at different scale: in particular, possibly for the first time in this area, well developed sediment drifts, related to bottom currents and associated to deep water channel complexes, were described.

Oil distribution in outcropping carbonate-ramp reservoirs (Maiella Mountain, Central Italy): Three-dimensional models constrained by dense historical well data and laboratory measurements

Heavy oil and bitumens have been exploited in Italy during the past, in particular over the Maiella Mountain’s northwest flank (Central Italy), where relatively undeformed, hydrocarbon-bearing carbonate-ramp reservoirs of the Bolognano Formation crop out. These reservoirs represent the exhumed analog of a wider petroleum system that has been investigated also in the subsurface by exploration activities, both onshore and offshore (Central Adriatic). Here we present, for the first time, a historical data set composed of 180 shallow wells drilled over the area in 1942 by a company named Azienda Lavorazione Bitumi Asfalti; we digitally reconstructed this data set, integrating it with field observations, laboratory measurements, and thin-section analysis. Using Petrel (mark of Schlumberger) three-dimensional software, we modeled the reservoir and the hydrocarbon distribution, also calculating volumes of hydrocarbons in place. In our work, we demonstrate the presence of these quite homogeneous, porous carbonate reservoirs over the whole region, and we identify internal reservoir geometries characterized by clinoforms, likely resulting from a large-scale depositional cross-bedding and progradation. We also infer a different function of faults in the hydrocarbon accumulations: major faults were able to create independent compartments during migration, whereas minor, more recent elements did not control hydrocarbon accumulation, likely postdating a main lower-Pliocene migration phase. We believe that the observations derived from our work can represent a good analog for carbonate-ramp reservoirs elsewhere, may help in identifying appropriate modeling solutions, and can be used as calibration for future renewed exploration efforts in the region, both onshore and offshore.