Resolution of carbonate reservoirs at depth

Porous Smackover algal mounds associated with granite knobs produce oil throughout southwestern Alabama. This paper reports on a detailed gravity survey over Vocation Field demonstrates lateral density contrasts between reservoir and non-reservoir rocks that can be measured even when the reservoir depth exceeds 14,000 feet (4270 m). A similar gravity survey combined with standard seismic and subsurface interpretation methods could have drastically increased the success rate and lowered development costs