Seismic Expression of the Clinton interval and Utica Formation in Wayne County, Ohio

Scott Bey¹, Doyle R. Watts¹, Ernest C. Hauser¹, Steven McCrossin³, Tom McGovern³, and Phil Zbasnik⁴
¹Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Wright State University, Dayton, OH, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]
²Precision Geophysical, Millersburg, OH, [email protected]
³Seismic Earth Resources Technology, LLC. Parker, CO, [email protected]
⁴Dominion East Ohio Co, Canton OH, [email protected]

We recently acquired 2D vibroseis reflection data over the Dominion East Ohio Gabor gas storage field near Canton, Ohio. Seismic attributes from these data may be related to the character of the Silurian Clinton interval and the Ordovician Utica Formation.

The “Clinton interval” is a term used by drillers in northeastern Ohio for Silurian deposits of interbedded sandstone and shale between the Queenston Shale and Dayton Formation. The Clinton interval has produced oil and gas for over a century, but has been converted locally to gas storage. The Clinton interval commonly exhibits compartmentalized reservoirs partly due to the discontinuous nature of sandstones resulting from deltaic deposition, but also is influenced by fractures. Seismic methods have not conventionally been considered useful for Clinton interval exploration. However, it appears that variations in the Clinton interval can be detected in our seismic data because of the laterally varying interference of seismic wavelets associated with changes in the composition and thickness of sandstone and shale layers. We find that the instantaneous frequency attribute correlates with high initial gas production as determined from wells now converted to storage.

The deeper Utica Formation is currently the focus of much development. It is identified on the seismic data using sonic and density logs from a single deep test well in the nearby Stark-Summit storage field of Dominion East Ohio. A low-velocity and low-density zone within the upper part of the Utica Formation results in a seismic signature that is easily identified on the 2D seismic data from the Gabor field as it is immediately above the very prominent Curdsville (Trenton) reflection. The Utica reflection clearly exhibits strong lateral variability, implying rapid changes potentially associated with variations in velocity and density possibly related to organic or fluid content.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90154©2012 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, 22-26 September 2012