Pool characterization of Ordovician Midale field: Implication for Red River play in northern Williston basin, southeastern Saskatchewan, Canada.

The Upper Ordovician Midale field is located in the northern Williston basin in southeast Saskatchewan, Canada. Hydrocarbons are hosted mainly in the dolomite reservoirs with burrowed textures in the upper Yeoman Formation. These reservoirs are characterized by intercrystalline porosity in the dolomitized matrix, with variable amounts of vugs and fractures, and can be divided into four zones. Reservoir zones 1 and 2, typically 6--10 m (20--33 ft) thick in total, are situated in the upper part of the traps and commonly bear oil. Although the underlying zones 3 and 4 are thicker, they commonly contain only water because they are located below the spillpoint of the hydrocarbon traps. The seismic reflection of the Red River reservoirs in the Midale field is characterized by a weak- to medium-amplitude trough immediately above the positive reflection of the Winnipeg shale. Where all four zones are present, an additional peak occurs on the seismic profile above the original reservoir reflection. This additional peak, however, disappears where reservoir zones 3 and 4 pinch out. Where there is an increase in the thickness of reservoir zones 1 and 2 or amalgamation of zone 1 with zone 2, the Red River reservoirs are characterized by high-amplitude and high-frequency reflections on seismic profiles. The Ordovician oil pools in the Midale area are associated with low-relief anticline structures. These low-relief structures are interpreted as the compactional drape of Red River strata over local Precambrian basement highs. The source of hydrocarbons in the Red River reservoirs is Ordovician kukersites. A wide range of API fractions for the oils from the Midale pools suggests a mixing of low-maturity oils,... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]