Modelling fluid flow in the Glyde sub-basin
Understanding fluid flow pathways in sedimentary basins is critical for predicting the location of sediment-hosted mineral deposits. Fluid flow pathways are controlled by permeability, which is typically very heterogeneous and anisotropic due to the variation in sedimentary facies within a basin.
A new workflow: Geological information (e.g. well logs) constrains a stratigraphic forward model (here showing the distribution of shale), which in turn informs the permeability distribution in faults and sediments
Fluid flow on cross sections through the Glyde sub-basin
We used stratigraphic forward modelling to predict the distribution of sediment types in the Glyde sub-basin of the McArthur Basin (Northern Territory, Australia), then used the stratigraphic model to constrain the permeability distribution. From there we were able to predict where mineralising fluid may have moved from faults into the surrounding sediments.
This novel workflow enables geologists to predict permeability distributions and corresponding fluid flow pathways in the absence of dense drill hole data.