Reservoir characterization of the middle Miocene Kareem sandstones, Southern Gulf of Suez Basin, Egypt

Abstract In this study, we have assessed the petrographical and petrophysical characteristics of the progradational, syn-rift Middle Miocene Rahmi sandstone gas reservoir (Lower Kareem Formation) from the East Matr and Amal hydrocarbon fields, southern Gulf of Suez by integrating sidewall cores and wireline logs. We interpreted a reservoir gas gradient of around 0.09 psi/ft from the downhole pressure measurements. Based on well log-based petrophysical analyses, we interpreted that the Rahmi reservoir in the East Matr field has a 0.10–0.18 v/v total porosity, 0.08–0.14 v/v effective porosity, 0.08–0.17 v/v shale volume along with water saturation ranging between 0.09 and 0.32 v/v. The correlated reservoir in the Amal field is observed to have higher porosities (0.17–0.22 v/v total porosity and 0.15–0.19 v/v effective porosity), although it exhibits higher water saturation (0.38–0.54 v/v). The reservoir consists of very fine to coarse grained, poorly to moderately sorted, subangular to subrounded, poorly cemented and moderately compacted sublithic, subarkosic and arkosic arenites with moderate to good intergranular porosity. Abundant lithic fragments and poor textural maturity of the Rahimi sandstones imply a high energy shoreface depositional environment in close proximity to the hinterland. Porosity reduction is attributed to dolomite cementation, kaolinite, formation of pseudomatrix by mechanical compaction of argillaceous lithics, and quartz overgrowth. Long and concavo-convex intergranular contacts indicate that silica needed for quartz cementation was derived by moderate degree of chemical compaction of the quartz grains. Partial to near-complete dissolution of the labile grains (feldspar and lithics) and dolomite attributed to the reservoir quality improvement. Scattered dolomite cements prevented more severe mechanical and chemical compaction.