Reservoir Geomechanics

In situ stress and rock mechanics applied to reservoir processes

Mark D. Zoback
Professor of Geophysics

Week 1 – Lecture 2
The Tectonic Stress Field
Section 1
• Basic Definitions
• Anderson’s Stress Classification
Scheme
• Stress Orientations Near Salt Domes

Section 2
• Stress Magnitudes at Depth
• HW -1 Calculating Sv

Section 3
• Measuring In-Situ Stress
• Regional Stress Patterns
• Local Stress Perturbations
Figure 1.1 – pg.6
 Components of a Geomechanical Model

Principal Stresses at Depth

Sv – Overburden
SHmax – Maximum horizontal
Sv principal stress
Shmin – Minimum horizontal
principal stress

Additional Components of a
Geomechanical Model
UCS Pp – Pore Pressure
Pp
UCS – Rock Strength (from logs)
Fractures and Faults (from Image
Shmin Logs, Seismic, etc.)
SHmax
4
Zoback and Zoback (1980, 1989)
 Generalized World Stress Map
180 270 0 90 180

70 70

35 35

0 0

SHmax in
-35 compressional
-35
domain
SHmax and Shmin
in strike-slip
domain
Shmin in
extensional
domain

180 270 0 90 180

9-2
Complex Stress State Surrounding Salt Domes
Salt Bodies in the Gulf of Mexico

Figure 1.10a – pg.25

Schematic Stress Contours

Figure 1.10b – pg.25

 Anderson Classification of Relative Stress Magnitudes

Sv
Normal

Shmin
SHmax
Tectonic regimes are
defined in terms of the
a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin
Sv relationship between
Strike-Slip
the vertical stress (Sv)
and two mutually
SHmax perpendicular
Shmin
horizontal stresses
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin
Sv (SHmax and Shmin)
Reverse

SHmax
Shmin
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv
 Relative Stress Magnitudes and
Faulting Regimes

Regime/Stress S1 S2 S3
Normal Sv SHmax Shmin

Strike-Slip SHmax Sv Shmin

Reverse SHmax Shmin Sv

Table 1.1 – pg.8

 Anderson 1 – Faulting Styles

Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal

b
Shmin
SHmax shmin

Sv > SHmax > Shmin Normal sv

a.
Sv Shmin SHmax
Strike-Slip

X
SHmax
Shmin
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin Strike-slip

Reverse Sv Shmin SHmax

sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse

Map View Cross-section Stereonet

 Anderson 1 – Faulting Styles

Sv Shmin SHmax
Normal

b
Shmin
SHmax
Geologic Structures Reflect s
s
Either hmin

a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin Normal v

Strike-Slip
Past
S v or Current
S Stress
Shmin
Fields (or Both)
Hmax

but
X

S hmin
In This Class We are Almost Always
S Hmax

b. Going
SHmax > Svto be Interested Strike-slip
> Shmin in the Current Stress State
Reverse Sv Shmin SHmax

sHmax
SHmax
Shmin sv
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv Reverse

Map View Cross-section Stereonet

Figures 5.1 a-d – pg.141
Variations of Regional Stress Magnitudes

Hurd and Zoback (in press)

Stress Orientations in North America
 Anderson 2 – Classification of Relative Stress
180 270 0 90 180

70 70

35 35

0 0

SHmax in
-35 compressional
-35
domain
SHmax and Shmin
in strike-slip
domain
Shmin in
extensional
domain

180 270 0 90 180

9-2
Section 1
• Basic Definitions
• Anderson’s Stress Classification
Scheme
• Stress Orientations Near Salt Domes

Section 2
• Stress Magnitudes at Depth
• HW -1 Calculating Sv

Section 3
• Measuring In-Situ Stress
• Regional Stress Patterns
• Local Stress Perturbations
 Anderson 3 – Critically Stressed Faults

As much of the crust is in a state of failure equilibrium,

stress magnitudes can be estimated (Chapter 4)

Earthquakes Triggered by Reservoir

Impoundment
Range of Stress Magnitudes at Depth

Hydrostatic Pp

Figure 1.4 a,b,c – pg.13

Range of Stress Magnitudes at Depth

Overpressure at Depth

Figure 1.4 d,e,f – pg.13

 Calculating the Vertical Stress, Sv

z
SV(z) = ∫ -
r(z)gdz ~ rgz
0

Considering water depth in offshore areas

z
Sv(z) = rwgzw + ∫
Z
-
r(z)gdz ~ rwgzw + rg(z-zw)
W

Equation (1.6) – pg. 9

Visund Field, Northern North Sea
 Anderson Classification of Relative Stress Magnitudes

Sv
Normal

Shmin Hydraulic Fractures

SHmax Always Propagate
a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin Perpendicular to the
Sv
Strike-Slip Least Principal
Stress, S3
SHmax In 1948, HF
Shmin
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin
Orientations Were
Reverse Sv Hotly Debated, Were
They Horizontal,
Vertical, Radial?
SHmax
Shmin
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv
 Anderson Classification of Relative Stress Magnitudes

Sv
Normal

Shmin Hydraulic Fractures

SHmax Always Propagate
a. Sv > SHmax > Shmin Perpendicular to the
Sv
Strike-Slip Least Principal
Stress, S3
SHmax What Happens when
Shmin
b. SHmax > Sv > Shmin
Shmin ~ Sv?
Sv
Reverse (SS/RF Stress Field)

SHmax
Shmin
c. SHmax > Shmin > Sv
Visund Field, Northern North Sea
Determining Overburden Stress from Density

Figure 1.3 – pg.11

Section 1
• Basic Definitions
• Anderson’s Stress Classification
Scheme
• Stress Orientations Near Salt Domes

Section 2
• Stress Magnitudes at Depth
• HW -1 Calculating Sv

Section 3
• Measuring In-Situ Stress
• Regional Stress Patterns
• Local Stress Perturbations
 Horizontal Principal Stress Measurement

Stress Orientation
Stress-induced wellbore breakouts (Ch. 6)
Stress-induced tensile wall fractures (Ch. 6)
Hydraulic fracture orientations (Ch. 6)
Earthquake focal plane mechanisms (Ch. 5)
Shear velocity anisotropy (Ch. 8)

Relative Stress Magnitude

Earthquake focal plane mechanisms (Ch. 5)

Absolute Stress Magnitude

Hydraulic fracturing/Leak-off tests (Ch. 7)
Modeling stress-induced wellbore breakouts (Ch. 7, 8)
Modeling stress-induced tensile wall fractures (Ch. 7, 8)
Modeling breakout rotations due to slip on faults (Ch. 7)

Table 1-2 p. 15
Visund Field Orientations
Stress Map of Northern North Sea

Figure 1.8 – pg.23

Ice Retreat Model
Modeled Shmin/Sv Compared to Observations

Figure 9.3 – pg. 272

Visund Field Orientations
Modeled SHmax Directions Compared to Observations
Seismotectonics of Northern S. America
 Stress State in Northern S. America

*Light blue arrow indicates relative motion of the Costa Rica-Panama block with respect to the central North Andean
block

Fig. 1.9 – p. 24
Regional Stress in Western California

Fig. 6.8a,b p. 182

Stress Map of Southern San Joaquin

Figure 1.6 – pg.21

Southern San Joaquin Valley
Complex Stress Field in the Elk Hills Field
Stress Orientation Rotation
Near Fault at 3100 meters
Modeling Fault-Induced Stress Perturbation
at the Wellbore Wall
Multi-Scale Stress Perturbations

Figure 11.10 – pg. 359

Fractal-like Stress Fluctuations

depth (m)

-90 0 90 -90 0 90 -90 0 90

S azimuth
Hmax