SPE-188944-MS

Link Between Microporous Limestones and Elastic Properties in Tight

Carbonates. A Case Study from the Lower Arab Formation Upper Jurassic,
Onshore United Arab Emirates

Matthieu Deville de Periere, Alexander Foote, and Meriem Bertouche, Badley Ashton and Associates Ltd.; Razza
Shah, Fatima al-Darmaki, and Wala bin Ishaq, Al Hosn Gas.

Copyright 2017, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition & Conference held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 13-16 November 2017.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents
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Abstract
The Lower Arab D Member (Kimmeridgian) in onshore UAE is typically characterised by a thick succession
of homogeneous mudstones with local cm-scale interbedded bivalve-rich floatstones, which are thought to
have been deposited in a low-energy mid-ramp setting. This sedimentological unit is located at the base of
a sour gas reservoir that includes the oolitic grainstones of the Upper Arab D Member.
The pore system in these micritic deposits is dominated by matrix-hosted microporosity, along with
open to partially cemented fractures, primary intraparticle macropores and rare biomoulds in the shell
beds, hence a poor to very good porosity and extremely poor to rarely excellent permeability. Variations
in porosity and permeability values appear to be strongly related to variations in the micritic fabric: both
porosity and permeability increase when the micritic fabric evolves from anhedral compact with coalescent
intercrystalline contacts (associated with very little and poorly connected micropores) to subrounded with
facial to subpunctic intercrystalline contacts (with locally well-developed micropores). Micritic fabrics
also clearly impact the elastic properties of the rock. Through analysis of elastic moduli calculated from
standard density, and shear/compressional sonic wireline logs, the relationship between micritic fabric,
porosity, permeability and geomechanical properties has been explored. With the evolution of micritic
fabric from anhedral compact to subrounded, Young's Modulus decreases with increasing porosity and
permeability, indicating a decrease in the overall stiffness of the mudstones. The implication of this
observation is fundamental for the development of natural fractures within the Arab D, which are used
as conduits for the vertical fluid flow. Indeed, stylolites with associated partially cemented tension gashes
are commonly observed at the rheological boundaries, providing further secondary macroporosity and
permeability anisotropy within the reservoir.
In this study, the observed link between micritic fabrics, log-derived porosity and elastic moduli within
cored intervals has been used to predict micron-scale micritic fabric distribution in uncored wells from
wireline logs only.
Key words:: limestones, microporosity, elastic moduli, Young's Modulus
2 SPE-188944-MS

Introduction
Microporous limestones have been the focus of abundant studies during the last four decades (e.g. Moshier,
1989; Budd, 1989; Lambert et al., 2006; Volery et al., 2010; Deville de Periere et al., 2011; Eltom et al.,
2013; Morad et al., 2016). Most of this work has been carried out in order to understand how microporosity
has been formed and preserved through geological processes (Hasiuk et al., 2016; Deville de Periere et al.,
2017 and reference therein), but also to evaluate how the development of microporosity within limestones
can affect petrophysical properties (e.g. Deville de Periere et al., 2011; Kaczmarek et al., 2015). It has been
proven that at the plug-scale, the variations of microporosity, and therefore, porosity and permeability in
microporous limestones are directly controlled by the type of micritic fabric. Recent studies have highlighted
the fact that micritic fabrics also control the propagation of acoustic waves and could be linked to elastic
properties (Baechle et al.,2008; Fournier & Borgomano, 2009; Fournier et al., 2011; Regnet et al., 2015).
Therefore, a link between the type of micrite fabric and the development of structural features, such as
fractures, should exist. Despite these recent developments, predicting the distribution of the various micritic
fabrics at the well-scale remains a key challenge. The main issue certainly lies in the intrinsic heterogeneity
of limestone deposits, which are very rarely sedimentologically homogeneous and always heterogeneous
in terms of porosity distribution.
With the increasing exploration and development of tight carbonate plays and unconventional resources,
understanding the distribution of microporous and tight micritic fabrics is critical. In the Middle East,
homogeneous microporous limestones are typically associated with deep marine intrashelf basins developed
during the Mezosoic (e.g. Diyab Fm., Lower Arab D Member, Bab Basin, Shilaif Fm.). As these
sedimentological units are typically either source rocks or reservoirs, they are a good target to evaluate
the predictability of microporous fabrics in rather homogeneous sedimentary systems. Furthermore, most
of these tight reservoirs are affected by fractures (either natural or stimulated during production), so
understanding how micritic fabrics, elastic properties and fracture distribution are related is of major interest.
The Upper Jurassic Arab D Member is known to host abundant microporous limestones that influence
reservoir production (see for example Cantrell & Hagerty, 1999; Al-Jaaidi et al., 2015). This study focuses
on the Lower Arab D Member within a sour gas reservoir of the United Arab Emirates and aims to: (1)
identify the various micritic fabrics that can develop within a sedimentologically homogeneous unit; (2)
to characterise the relationship between micritic fabrics, porosity/permeability data, but also log-derived
elastic properties and fractures; and (3) to predict the distribution of micritic fabrics and natural fractures
at the well-scale.

Geological setting
The sedimentary Rub Al Khali Basin developed during an extensional phase in association with the break-
up of Gondwana (Alsharhan and Nairn 1997). Continued rifting in the area led to the formation of restricted
grabens around the UAE at the time of deposition of the Arab Formation, which was in conjunction with
an overall shallowing towards the end of the Jurassic (Alsharhan and Nairn 1997; Ziegler, 2001). Major
structural changes occurred at the end of the Cretaceous with the start of regional compression due to the first
phases of the Alpine compressive regime, leading to thrusting and the emplacement of the Semail Ophiolite
complex in Oman during the Tertiary period. As a result, the field area is thought of as a foreland basin,
exhibiting asymmetrical folds related to thrusting (Alsharhan and Nairn 1997). The studied field is a gentle
asymmetrical NE-SW oriented anticline with a four-way dip closure, verging to the northwest, formed due
to reverse fault propagation and inversion of deeper basin structures.
In the offshore UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the Arab Formation comprises four carbonate units, each
capped by an anhydrite unit, which are designated as the D to A Members in stratigraphic order, the oldest
(D) Kimmeridgian in age, the youngest (A) Tithonian in age (Azer and Peebles 1998). In the onshore area
of the UAE, the Lower Arab D Member is dominated by relatively deep water mudstones (Fig. 01, A-B)
SPE-188944-MS 3

interpreted to represent distal, low-energy deposition within an outer to mid-ramp setting, locally interrupted
by cm-scale skeletal-rich beds (Fig. 01, C-D) interpreted as possible storm-induced deposits or internalites
(internal wave deposits - sensu Al-Awwad & Pomar, 2015). These deposits rapidly grade into oolitic shoal
grainstones of the Upper Arab D, the top of which displays a sharp transition into lagoonal to tidal flat,
partly dolomitised mudstones to wackestones interbedded with m-scale supratidal anhydrite horizons (Arab,
B and A). The Arab Formation merges upward with the overlying anhydritic Hith Formation (Cantrell &
Hagerty 1999, Hughes & Naji 2008).

Figure 01—Thin-section photomicrographs illustrating the various facies observed in the Lower Arab D.
(A-B) Mudstones hosting rare skeletal allochems (eg. benthic foraminifera, echinoderms debris). Note
the presence of disconnected primary intraparticle macropores within the benthic foraminifera. (C-D)
Examples of floatstone deposits characterised by abundant oyster fragments, benthic foraminifera and
gastropods. Cementation of fractures and mouldic macropores by calcite and dolomite is locally pervasive.

Dataset and methods

In order to characterise the Lower Arab D section sedimentologically, c.400ft of good quality cores have
been described in two wells (i.e. Well A and Well B). Log data including gamma-ray, neutron/density
and sonic logs were used to improve reservoir-scale correlations. 377 Conventional Core Analysis data
(CCA, including porosity and permeability data) for the two wells, as well as 15 mercury injection
capillary pressure data (MICP) were used for the reservoir quality analysis. A database of c.20 stained thin-
sections impregnated with blue-dyed epoxy resin were taken from plug off-cuts and described in terms
of microfacies and pore system. 85 SEM samples were selected from 2 wells to cover the spread of the
reservoir quality variations across the Lower Arab D and to characterise the influence of the micritic fabric
on the microporous network (following the workflow and classification published in Deville de Periere et
al. (2011)). Micropores, mesopores and macropores were assumed to have pore threshold diameters of <0.5
mm, 0.5-5mm and >5 mm, respectively (Hassal et al., 2004; Maliva et al., 2009). Macro and mesoporosity
(composed of pores with diameters more than 62 mm and between 62 mm and 10 mm, respectively (e.g.
Choquette and Pray, 1970; Cantrell and Hagerty, 1999; Lønøy, 2006).
4 SPE-188944-MS

Fracture data across seven cored wells in the Lower Arab D has been collected and assessed to describe
key structural trends. Each fracture has been recorded individually to produce a detailed log of depth,
morphology, size (length and width), orientation and mineralogical fill, while for stylolites, morphology
and amplitude have been recorded. The classification of fractures is primarily focused around mineral infill
thereby labeling them by their reservoir potential attributes. Furthermore, fractures and stylolites have been
integrated with the sedimentological and petrographical understanding to determine possible controls and
impact on the overall reservoir quality.
Using density (g/cc), compressional and shear sonic logs (μsec/ft), the Poisson's Ratio has been
calculated, from which, Shear Modulus, Young's Modulus and Bulk Modulus have been derived.

Reservoir characterisation and influence of the micritic fabric

This section deals with the characterisation of the porosity and permeability data along with core-based
sedimentological and structural observations, but also in comparison with the variations of the micritic
fabrics. Note that for confidentiality reasons, the absolute porosity and permeability values cannot be
provided in this paper.

Reservoir considerations.
The variations of the porosity and permeability data have been compared with the sedimentological and
structural descriptors. Key observations are documented in Figure 02, with the main observations and
interpretations being presented in the paragraphs below.

Figure 02—Reservoir characterisation of the Arab D Member

SPE-188944-MS 5

The available plug measurements in the Lower Arab D support poor to very good porosity and extremely
poor to rarely excellent permeability. Variations in porosity and permeability are thought to be the result of
the presence of microporosity hosted within micritic and skeletal-rich facies, as well as moulds and vugs
created by dissolved skeletal allochems. It is essential to note that fractures have a strong influence on
permeability measurements, but less so for porosity values (Figure 02).
Given the rather homogeneous sedimentological make-up of the Lower Arab D, the high variability
in reservoir properties appears largely independent of sedimentological textures and depositional
environments (Fig. 02), as they are very homogeneous at the core-scale (see previous sections). However,
it has to be noted that, at the core-scale, shell beds can host abundant large vugs that certainly influenced
porosity, but due to their cm-scale vertical extension they are usually not captured by the incremental plug
section (i.e. a plug every foot).
At both core and plug-scales, fractures are likely to be the main diagenetic factor improving permeability
(and to a lesser extent porosity) within the micritic and skeletal deposits. The various stages of dissolution
recorded in thin-sections are likely to enhance the macropore and micropore volume via the dissolution
of the susceptible allochems. Subsequent to these phases of dissolution and fracturing are several phases
of pore-filling cements (including calcite, dolomite and anhydrite), which locally pervasively occluded
primary and secondary macroporosity, hence destroying the pore system (see Hollis et al., 2017, in press,
for the detailed diagenetic history of the Arab D Member in this field).
Initially, the low to locally moderate-energy conditions prevailing in the mid to outer ramp setting
controlled the deposition of micrite-prone deposits, which were likely to host reasonably good microporosity
(porosity up to c.40% in actual aragonite muds - Lucia & Loucks, 2013), but potentially only limited
reservoir potential (e.g. permeability likely to be <10mD at depositional time) due to small pore throats
(Lucia & Loucks, 2013). The occurrence of skeletal beds locally improves the overall porosity due the
presence of large benthic foraminifera hosting primary intraparticle macropores. However, during the
diagenetic history the pervasive recrystallisation of the micritic matrix is likely to decrease both porosity
and permeability drastically within the micritic deposits (Lambert et al., 2006; Deville de Periere et al.,
2011). Such preservation of the matrix-hosted micropore system is likely to be of great importance for the
storage capacities of the Lower Arab D and the connectivity between the natural fractures. The influence
of the micritic matrix on reservoir quality will be described and discussed in the next section of this paper.

Variations in micrite microtextures and influence on the reservoir properties

In the Lower Arab D of the study Field, the fabric of the micritic matrix varies from anhedral compact
to polyhedral/subrounded (sensu Deville de Periere et al., 2011). Key examples of the various fabrics are
illustrated in Figure 03. The micritic fabrics are obviously end-member, and mixed fabrics are common,
complicating the understanding of the reservoir quality variations.
6 SPE-188944-MS

Figure 03—SEM photomicrographs illustrating the various micritic fabrics observed in the Lower Arab D Member.

Out of the 85 SEM samples, dominantly polyhedral micrites (including polyhedral and mixed polyhedral/
subrounded fabrics) are the more abundant (c.48% of the dataset), while anhedral compact and mixed
anhedral compact / polyhedral represent c.30% and c.22% of the samples, respectively. There is no specific
link between micritic fabrics and depositional texture and/or depositional environment. However, note
that this may be due to sampling bias as mudstones have been preferably plugged and therefore selected
for petrographical observations. Intercrystalline contacts range from coalescent to facial in the anhedral
compact and mixed fabrics, evolving to facial to subpunctic (sensu Loreau, 1972 and Lambert et al., 2006)
in the dominantly polyhedral fabrics.
During deposition, micrite crystals were likely to be euhedral in the absence of microbial activity, as
calcite naturally precipitates as rhombic to scalenohedral crystals. Diagenetic processes then modified the
fabric, either by cementation/compaction destroying the micropore network (i.e. towards a more anhedral
compact fabric), or by dissolution increasing the micropore volume (i.e. towards a subrounded fabric).
Detailed diagenetic processes affecting the micritic matrix of the Lower Arab D are poorly understood at
this stage, although based on bulk isotope data published by Holis et al. (in press), cementation within conate
marine fluids, compaction and burial dissolution during Thermochemical Sulfate Reduction (TSR) may be
responsible for most of the diagenetic modifications of the micritic matrix.
As diagenetic processes modified the micropore volume, in the Lower Arab D, there is a good correlation
between the micron-scale variations of the micritic fabrics and the development of porosity and permeability
(Figure 04).
SPE-188944-MS 7

Figure 04—Influence of the various micritic fabrics on the variations of porosity and permeability in the
Lower Arab D. The brown envelope highlights the distribution of the anhedral compact micrites, while
the green blurb shows the distribution of the polyhedral and polyhedral/subrounded micritic fabrics.

As expected, anhedral compact micrite associated with coalescent to facial intercrystalline contacts host
very poor porosity and permeability values. High permeability values associated with low porosity (i.e.
outside of the brown envelope in Figure 04) are affected by fractures and failed permeability measurements,
which is a classic feature in carbonate reservoirs. Dominantly polyhedral fabrics host a wider range of
porosity and permeability, which is in line with previous work on microporous micritic limestones (see
Deville de Periere et al., 2011 and reference therein). These fabrics also appear less affected by failed
measurements. The variations reservoir properties are explained by a drastic changes in the fabric and
intercrystalline contacts, controlling the distribution and the average size of the pore throat radii in the
micritic matrix, which is clearly visible in the SEM pictures provided in Figure 03.
During the development of the geological model of the Arab D, a porosity cut-off has been applied in
the current geological model in an attempt to separate rocks prone to fracturing and failed permeability for
which the standard porosity/permeability transforms do not apply. This cut-off, which was purely model
and porosity driven, fits perfectly with the change from anhedral compact to dominantly polyhedral micritic
fabrics. In detail, c.92% of the anhedral compact micrites fall below this cut-off, while c.98% of the
dominantly polyhedral fabrics have a porosity value above the cut-off (Figure 04).

Structural aspects and elastic properties of the Arab D

The structural features in the Lower Arab D are dominated, in this field, by fractures and tension gashes
(Figure 05A, B) related to stylolite formation along rheologically contrasting boundaries (Figure 05B)
attributed to the presence of skeletal debris, facies changes and micritic fabric variations (Ehrenberg et al.,
2016). The stylolites vary in amplitude from millimetre to decimetre-scale with associated fractures that are
contained within the stylolite plane being confined to centimetre length tension gashes or antithetic fractures
propagating into the host rock. Multiple phases of cementation of both calcite and dolomite are observed
8 SPE-188944-MS

within these stylolites and fractures indicating progressive mineralisation throughout stylolite development
(Figure 05). In several cases mineralisation is not complete with varying degrees of vuggy macropores
contained within the stylolite plane and tension gashes providing fluid flow potential (Figure 05C, D).
Therefore, it is important for the understanding of reservoir quality controls in the Lower Arab D that these
fractures are integrated into predictive models.

Figure 05—Core pictures (A-B; the white arrow indicate the top of the core) and thin-section
photomicrographs (C-D) illustrating the key structural features observed within the Lower Arab D.
SPE-188944-MS 9

A key observation underpinning the use of elastic properties in the characterisation of the Arab D is
that with decreasing porosity, rock stiffness increases. After calculation of the elastic moduli, preliminary
coding reveals a large spread in the data due to log shoulder effects across sharp zone boundaries. This is
true when looking at plug and log derived porosity. For an effective summary of the Arab D, the geomean
of log responses in each reservoir zone are calculated to produce a single, representative Young's Modulus
value. It should be noted that this smoothes internal heterogeneity in Young's Modulus within each reservoir
zone. Overall, the Young's Modulus of the Lower Arab D is, as is to be expected within a rather tight micritic
limestone, quite high. When directly compared, the reservoir zones of the Lower Arab D separate along the
trend line in Well A to a greater extent than Well B (Figure 06).

Figure 06—Comparisons between log-derived porosity and elastic properties for each reservoir zone defined in
both studied wells. The good, ok and bad coding corresponds to the overall reservoir quality of the reservoir zone.
10 SPE-188944-MS

Furthermore, the compressibility of the micritic matrix in Well A appears to show a distinct split in
Poisson's Ratio between the reservoir zones, however the same result is not as clear cut in Well B. The
exception here is a unit in the uppermost section of Well A, which shows a high Young's Modulus and
lower Poisson's Ratio as a result of extensive dolomitisation, further showing the impact of mineralogy and
diagenetic make-up on the elastic properties of the Lower Arab D.

Discussion. Prediction of micritic fabrics and fractured intervals

Having discussed the variations of porosity, permeability, micritic fabrics and fracture distribution in the
previous sections, the following paragraphs will discuss the possibility to predict the distribution of micritic
fabrics and fractures at the well-scale using plug and log-derived data (e.g. porosity, Young's Modulus).

Prediction of the micritic fabric distribution

Acoustic and seismic properties of micrites have recently been shown to be controlled by fabric and pore
type (Regnet et al,. 2015 and authors found therein). These parameters have also been shown to impact
sonic wireline logs in micrites, particularly in relation to micrite cementation (Japsen et al., 2004; Fabricius
et al., 2007; Gommesen et al., 2007; Fournier et al., 2011; Regnet et a., 2015). In the previous sections, it
has been proved that the various micritic fabrics observed within the Lower Arab D control the variations
of plug porosity, and that log-derived porosity was directly correlatable to changes in log-derived Young's
Modulus. As such, these paragraphs describe the relationship between elastic properties and micritic fabrics
(Figure 07) as a platform for the well-scale prediction of the micritic fabrics.

Figure 07—Links between micritic fabrics, log-derived Young's Modulus and porosity values in the Lower Arab D.
SPE-188944-MS 11

As a first step, core plug data have been shifted to log depth and the log-derived properties have been
calculated for each plug. Although a direct reading of log data for core samples is always tentative given the
differences in the scales of observations, mainly for heterogeneous deposits, it is possible to do it with high
confidence in the Lower Arab D given the homogeneous nature of the facies. Log-derived Young's Modulus
has then been compared with plug porosity and micritic fabrics (Figure 07). There is a clear link between
micritic fabrics, porosity variations and Young's Modulus. In detail, anhedral compact micrites that host the
lowest porosities are proven to be the stiffest as highlighted by high Young's Modulus value. Dominantly
polyhedral micrites that have highest porosity values are associated with lowest Young's Modulus values,
indicating more plastic rocks. When log-derived porosity data are used, the relationship does not appear as
straight forward as if plug porosity data are used. This is partially expected as log-derived porosity curves
(e.g. XPOR, v/v) are mathematical interpretations of the log data and not a direct measurement on the rock
itself. However, when the model-based porosity cut-off is used, c.84% of the anhedral compact micrites fall
below this porosity cut-off, and c.85% of the dominantly polyhedral micrites are above this cu-off, which
still highlights a very strong relationship between these parameters, despite the slightly lower correlation
compared to the CCA measurements.
These results were expected based on work carried out by Regnet and co-authors (2015), who highlighted
the direct influence of micritic fabrics on porosity and p-wave velocities at the plug-scale. However, to our
knowledge, this is the first time that log-derived data are successfully compared with micron-scale SEM
observations. The main outcome of this comparison lies in the identification of a clear Young's Modulus
cut-off. When the bulk of the data is compared with the established Young's Modulus cut-off, c.75% of
the anhedral compact have a Young's Modulus value superior to the cut-off, and 100% of the dominantly
polyhedral micrites lies below it. Obviously, this Young's Modulus cut-off is likely to be specific to each
study and might only be applicable to reservoirs with clearly contrasting micritic fabrics. As an example,
the Young's Modulus cut-off used in this study clearly separates the anhedral compact from the polyhedral
micrites (Figure 07). However, despite an obvious difference in porosity, which would require the creation
of another ‘rock-type’, Young's Modulus (in this case) does not discriminate between polyhedral and mixed
polyhedral/subrounded micrites.
Based on the previous observation, it appears clear that combining both porosity and Young's Modulus
cut-offs should allow a good prediction of the micritic fabrics using well logs. In order to test this hypothesis,
the data from Well A have been used to run a prediction test and verify if micritic fabrics could be predicted
at the well-scale (Figure 08). To achieve this, three scenarios have been tested: (1) using the porosity cut-
off only, (2) using the Young's Modulus cut-off only, and (3) combining both cut-offs. The results of this
test are provided in Figure 08.
12 SPE-188944-MS

Figure 08—Results of the micritic fabric prediction test in Well A.

The number of ‘wrong’ results compared to the actual 59 available SEM samples in this well has been
counted for each scenario with the following prediction accuracy results:

• Scenario 1 (using porosity only) shows a predictive accuracy of c.73%, with 16 ‘wrong’ predictions
for anhedral compact and polyhedral micrites only. This can be explained by a minor discrepancy
between measured plug porosity (used to establish the porosity cut-off) and the calculated log
porosity (see Figure 07).
• Scenario 2 uses only the Young's Modulus cut-off to differentiate anhedral compact and polyhedral
micrites. Prediction accuracy is of c.83%, with 10 ‘wrong’ predictions. This is explained by the
fact that ‘only’ c.75% of the anhedral compact micrites fall above the cut-off value.
• Scenario 3, which combines porosity and Young's Modulus cut-offs, allow the prediction of
the mixed fabrics (i.e. mixed anhedral compact / polyhedral), increasing the complexity of the
prediction. The prediction accuracy is the highest, with 85% and 9 ‘wrong’ predictions.
SPE-188944-MS 13

Based on the above results, Young's Modulus appears to be a very reliable proxy to predict the distribution
of the micritic matrix at the well-scale in this particular field. It becomes an even more powerful predictive
tool if associated with a calibrated log-derived porosity curve.

Fracture prediction
To facilitate the prediction of fractures, the use of calculated elastic properties that describe the mechanical
behavior of the Lower Arab D is used to establish rheological contrasts that have been shown in core
to focus stylolite development. Primary observations show that while fractures are common at bed-scale
heterogeneities, the highest fracture densities occur where Young's Modulus across a boundary changes
significantly (Figure 09). The focus of this prediction method is that of the differential values in Young's
Modulus, where heavily fractured stylolites are present. Over these fractured intervals (more than 10
fractures per foot), Young's Modulus drops in the region of 1-2Mpsi, supporting the concentration of stress,
and therefore, fracture formation.

Figure 09—Fracture density compared to log-derived Young's Modulus in Well A.

14 SPE-188944-MS

Summary and conclusions

This study focused on the characterisation and prediction of micritic fabrics and fracture networks within
the Lower Arab D Member (Upper Jurassic) of a sour gas field in the onshore area of Abu Dhabi. Using
a combination of plug measurements, core and SEM observations and log-derived elastic properties (e.g.
Young's Modulus), important results for the understanding of tight carbonates and unconventional reservoirs
have been highlighted. These key observations and conclusions are summarised as follow:

• The Lower Arab D in this particular field is sedimentologically very homogeneous, but SEM
observations clearly show that it encompasses several different micritic fabrics, which range from
anhedral compact to polyhedral and subrounded. These various fabrics control the distribution of
the porosity, permeability and pore throat radii.
• Micritic fabrics have been grouped into two main ‘rock-types’, having their own properties:

◦ Anhedral compact fabric shows coalescent to facial intercrystalline contacts and thus very little
micropores. This fabric is typically associated with low porosity, very low permeability and
high Young's Modulus values, providing stiff rocks, potentially prone to fracturing.
◦ Dominantly polyhedral micrites are characterised by a wider range of intercrystalline contacts
(from facial to subpuntic) and then host a variable amount of preserved microporosity. These
fabrics are generally associated with higher porosity and permeability values, the latter being
related to enhanced pore throat radii. Young's Modulus is lower than for the anhedral compact
fabric, suggesting more plastic rocks.
• Natural fractures are, for the most part, concentrated around stylolites, and are therefore, tied to
rheological boundaries between skeletal beds as well as micritic fabrics. Investigation of these
boundaries in relation to Young's Modulus shows that this is not a straightforward relationship
with statistical modeling being required to predict accurately relative changes in Young's Modulus
that promote natural fracture formation. Furthermore, the relationship between Poisson's Ratio and
Young's Modulus should be included in developing any prediction method to describe relative
compressibility across any given boundary. As this technique is reliant on relative changes of
Young's Modulus values, it becomes a separate layer to the prediction model presented here
for the micritic fabrics. Future work will concentrate on trying to establish relationship between
fracture distribution with other wireline logs and/or elastic parameters (e.g. Poisson's ratio) and to
analyse the relationships between the Young's Modulus variations and the asymmetric or symmetric
distribution of fractures below and above the stylolites.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper is part of an ongoing collaboration between Al Hosn Gas and Badley Ashton and Associates.
The authors would like to thank ADNOC, Al Hosn Gas and OXY for the permission to present and publish
this work. This study strongly benefitted from the continuous support of Stan Stearns (OXY/Al Hosn Gas).
Daniel Clay (Badley Ashton & Associates) is thanked for the preparation of the SEM samples and his magic
excel skills.

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