Glacial sedimentology interpretation from borehole image log: Example from the Late Ordovician deposits, Murzuq Basin (Libya)

In the Murzuq Basin, the Late Ordovician glaciogenic succession forms a very complex clastic reservoir system. Although the structural setting is simple, the architecture of the stratigraphic succession is particularly intricate, and conventional wireline logs display rather homogeneous signatures. However, when exposed, the glaciogenic sedimentary succession indicates a very large range of depositional environments and clear stratigraphic changes. Based on high-quality processing and interpretation of wireline microresistivity image logs over a single well, our method allows the precise recognition of the internal sedimentary structures and supports the interpretation of the depositional environments within the Late Ordovician succession. During interpretation, it is possible to draw a descriptive sedimentological log, similar to a standard log fromcores or outcrops. The image log is interpreted like a regular sedimentary log and compared to an outcrop analog from the nearby outcrop area of Ghat. The success of the well analysis resides in the quality of the borehole image log, permitting the recognition of sandstone grain sizes, textures (facies), and sorting. In addition, crucial information is extracted from the identification of glacial surface and ice-flow orientations, which, combined with the recognition of major transgressive events, allows the recognition and correlation of glacial-type stratigraphy. As in the modern Pleistocene glaciation, stadial/interstadial and glacial/interglacial stages are identified from resistivity imaging of the Libyan Ordovician succession. In addition to the unprecedented potential of correlation between wells within the basin, the sedimentary information extracted from the borehole image log provides important insights on the paleogeographic context of the basin and thus on the exploration potential of the prolific Ordovician-Silurian petroleum system.