SANDSTONE RESERVOIRS

DAY 2 – Section 3(a) SINUOUS FLUVIAL

Petroskills OGCI, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Honorary Lecturer, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K.

(MSc Petroleum Geology and MSc Hydrocarbon Enterprise)

Honorary Lecturer, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K.

(MSc Oil and Gas Engineering)

Director, Deep Marine, 9 North Square, Aberdeen, Scotland, U.K.

bryan@deep-marine.com
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Third type: Anastomosing rivers – braided channels with long-lived braid bars
‘Fourth Type straight rivers – transitional, ‘reach specific’ channel type
• The three patterns were divided along an energy continuum, with braided rivers
occurring in the highest energy situations, straight channels in the lowest energy
situations and meandering channels in intermediate energy locations
Meandering
Channels
Walker Model for sinuous fluvial channels
Drumheller Point Bars (photo courtesy of Prof BPJ Williams)
Point Bar facies
Scroll bars form by the deposition of a ridge of sediment high up a point bar behind an obstacle
to flow, often vegetation or a fallen tree (Nanson, 1981). Sediment is deposited behind the obstacle
which protects the sediment from erosion. With time and the further lateral migration, this ridge becomes
progressively further from the active channel and less subject to possible erosion. It becomes established,
eventually passing on to the floodplain where it is part of ridge and swale topography.
Why?

The channel runs out of energy to erode its banks further – This may occur
because as the bend expands the channel path length between the inflow to the bend
and the outflow increases. This decreases the flow energy of the channel by
decreasing channel slope

A cutoff forms – A cutoff occurs when the channel adopts a new, shorter path. Usually
the old and new sections of channel coexist for a while before the older, longer and less
efficient channel is abandoned and the river reverts to a single channel.
 Causes of neck cut-off and chute cut-off

• Neck cutoffs occur when the channel becomes so sinuous that it

intersects itself, creating a short route bypassing the longer,
preexisting channel path.

• Chute cutoffs occur when the channel cuts a shorter path across a
wide point bar during a flood event. This cutoff mechanism generally
occurs in channels which are less sinuous than those dominated by
neck cutoffs, and which have wider, shallower channels with less
resistant banks (though you can still get chute cutoffs in highly
sinuous rivers)
Neck cutoff: outcrop photo, Wealdon I.O.W. (courtesy of Prof BPJ Williams)
Oxbow lake associated with a sinuous fluvial channel
(note also the chute cut-offs)
Chute Cut-offs, Alaska
 Avulsion may follow
the development of
a crevasse splay

The development from Time 1 to 2

can be viewed as the development
of the splay from Smith et al.
In Time 3 the expansion of the
new channel into the splay can
be seen to greatly influence splay
sediment preservation. Channel
belt deposits of the new channel
rework and replace splay sediments,
reducing the sedimentary record
of crevasse splay occurrence.
Point bars: connectivity?
Point bars –
Connectivity

Note how common

point bars and
oxbow lakes are
on the alluvial
plain
Overturned trough cross-bedding, Northumberland