Sedimentary Environment, Diagenesis, Sequence Stratigraphy, and Reservoir Quality of the Ilam Formation in Dezful Embayment and Abadan Plain in South-West Iran

TL;DR

This study investigates the sedimentary environment, diagenetic processes, sequence stratigraphy, and reservoir quality of the Ilam Formation in southwest Iran, revealing depositional environments, diagenetic influences, and identifying key flow units for hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Contribution

It provides a detailed microfacies and sequence stratigraphy analysis of the Ilam Formation, linking depositional environments to reservoir quality and diagenetic effects in the region.

Findings

Ilam Formation deposited in lagoon, shoal, and open marine environments.

Sequence stratigraphy indicates a third-order sedimentary sequence.

Flow unit five shows the best reservoir potential.

Abstract

The Ilam Formation Cenomanian to Santonian in age is considered one of the main rock reservoirs of the Bangestan Group in the southwest of Iran. This formation mostly consists of carbonate rocks. To examine the sedimentary environment, diagenesis, sequence stratigraphy, and reservoir quality of Ilam Formation in Dezful embayment and Abadan Plain, four subsurface sections in wells, were studied. The lithology of the Ilam Formation in the studied wells is limestone with interbedded shale and argillaceous limestone. Considering the abundance of allochems and various fabrics in these deposits, twelve microfacies and one shale petrofacies of the Ilam Formation were recognized in these four wells. These microfacies were deposited in three facies belts, namely lagoon, shoal, and open marine, in a homoclinal carbonate ramp setting. These deposits have been influenced by meteoric, marine, and burial diageneses. Sequence stratigraphy of the Ilam Formation reveals that the studied wells consist of a third-order sedimentary sequence. The sea-level fluctuations in this area are the same as the global sealevel fluctuations. During the study of the Ilam Formation reservoir quality based on the results of diagenesis, mainly porosity and permeability data in one of studied wells,six flow units were identified. Flow unit number five has the most potential reservoir quality, and flow unit number 6 has the undesirable flow unit.