Ghawar: The Anatomy

of the World’s Largest

Oil Field
Abdulkader M. Afifi
Saudi Aramco
Acknowledgements

Dave Alexander, Mohamed Ameen, Scott Amos, Dave

Cantrell, Greg Gregory, Chris Heine, Wyn Hughes, Tom
Keith, Maher Al-Marhoon, John Melvin, Ali Al-Muallem,
Abdulla Al-Naim, Han Sibon, Aus Al-Tawil, Kamal Al-Yahya,
Hong Bin Xiao.
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs
ƒ Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
 Ghawar Field

Size 174 x 16 miles,

area ~ 2050 miles2
~ 1.3 million acres. Berri

Oil discovery: 1948 Dhahran

On stream: 1951 Bahrain

Peripheral water injection: 1965. Abqaiq
Shedgum
Ghawar
Oil production ~ 5 million B/D Field Qatar

from Jurassic Arab-D. ‘Uthmaniyah

Riyadh Hawiyah

Gas production 8 billion SCF/D,

Associated gas ~ 2 BSDFD, Haradh

Non-associated gas ~ 6 BSCFD

from Paleozoic reservoirs.
Oil
Gas 0 100
Gas Plants Kilometers
Ghawar Size
Comparison
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs
ƒ Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
 22nd
nd
Haradh
Haradh
1949
1949
55th
th No
Hawiyah
Hawiyah rth
(1953)
(1953)

11stst
‘Ain
‘Ain DarDar
1948
1948
33rd
rd
‘Uthmaniyah
‘Uthmaniyah
(1951)
(1951)
44th
th
Shedgum
Shedgum
(1952)
(1952)

Jurassic Arab-D
structure showing Oil
Discoveries Abqaiq
Abqaiq
 Khamees
Khamees Ernie
Ernie Berg
Berg
Field Mapping ibn
ibn Rimthan
Rimthan
The Innovation of Early structural map
Structural Drilling for of Ghawar

Exploration
Max Steineke
Chief Geologist
&
AAPG Powers
Medalist
Ghawar Delineation 1948-1955
1952
1954
1955
 22nd
nd:: Permian
Permian Khuff
Khuff
(1975)
(1975)

33rd
rd:: Khuff
Khuff &
& Devonian
Devonian
Jauf
Jauf (1980)
(1980)

44th
th:: Khuff
Khuff (1980)
(1980)
No
rth

66th
th:: Devonian
Devonian Jauf
Jauf flank
flank
play
play (1994)
(1994)

11stst:: Permian
Permian Khuff
Khuff
(1971)
(1971) 55th
th:: Permo-Carb.
Permo-Carb.
Unayzah
Unayzah (1982)
(1982)
Permian Khuff
Structure
showing Gas
Discoveries in
Paleozoic Reservoirs
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs
ƒ Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
Regional E-W Cross Section
 E-W Seismic Depth Section,
South Ghawar

Depth
(feet)
Top
Cretaceous

5,000

Top Jurassic Jurassic

Triassic 10,000

Top Permian
Top Carb,
Hercynian 15,000
Unconformity
Top
Ordovician
Basement 20,000
 Deep Ghawar Structure

D
Base Silurian dip magnitude
U D
D D
D U
U
D U U
D D

D U
D

North
D
Eroded D
D D
D U
U
D U U
D D

D U
Permian-Silurian isochron D
 Ghawar
Stress Field

PPrrin
C
Coom incc
mppr iippaall
re
SSttrr essssiivve
eesss e
s
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs
ƒ Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
Regional
Arab-D
Depositional
Environments
Regional Jurassic Stratigraphy
(After Murris, 1980)
Main Arab-D Lithofacies
Up-section

Lime Intraclast oncoid Coral stromatoporoid Cladocoropsis

mudstone rudstone wackestone wackestone
 Main Arab-D Lithofacies
Up-section

Ooid - coated grain Nodular

grainstone anhydrite
(top seal)
 feet Gamma Sonic Neutron & Reservoir
Typical
Density Zone
0 80 0.35
Neutron Porosity
(c/s)

6800
Sonic Log Bulk Density
140 (uS) 40 2.11 (g/cc) 2.71

Profile of the 1

Jurassic 2A
Arab-D 6900
Reservoir
2B

7000
3A

3B
7100

7200
 Ghawar Oil Production &
Water Management

12.5
12.5 50
50
Day
per Day

10.0
10.0 40
40
Rate
Oil Rate

Water - Cut

%
Barrels per

Cut %
7.5
7.5 30

Water -- Cut
30
Million Barrels
Average Oil

Oil Rate
Average

Water
5.0
5.0 20
20
Million

2.5
2.5 10
10

0.0
0.0 00
1993
1993 1995
1995 1997
1997 1999
1999 2001
2001 2003
2003
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs

• Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
Generalized Paleozoic Stratigraphy

Unayzah Fm: Khuff Fm:

Continental Carbonates &
Clastics Hercynian Orogeny Evaporites

Jauf Fm: Shallow

Marine Sands
Qusaiba Fm:
Deep Marine
shales

Saq Fm:
Continental
Clastics Hormuz Fm:
Mila Fm: Marine Oil Reservoir
Evaporites
Carbonates Gas Reservoir
Source Rock
 Khuff A
Permian Khuff Reservoir
Gas
Reservoirs
Khuff B
Reservoir

3 stacked carbonate reservoirs, with

250 feet
separate G/W contacts
Source: Silurian Qusaiba hot shale
Seals:
1- Intra-Khuff dolomite & anhydrite.
2- Overlying Triassic shale. Khuff C
Reservoir
Charge: Laterally, from the north
 Permian Khuff Reservoir Facies

Burrowed Protected/Storm Washout High Energy

Exposure/ Tidal Flat Shallow Subtidal Low-Angle X-Beds Tidal Bar/Shoal Complex
Paleosol Complex (Porous dolomite) (Porous dolomite) (Porous dolomitic limestone)
(Tight Dolomite)

S.L.

M
Lagoon
(Tight Limestone)

0.5 mm 0.5 mm

Microcrystalline Dolomite
Facies Oomoldic Facies
Seismic Impedance – Porosity in Khuff C
Reservoir, Central Ghawar

LOG OF FREQUENCY
POROSITY (%)

ACOUSTIC IMPEDANCE
 Average H2S and Reservoir
Temperature (°C) in the
Khuff Reservoirs
180
160 160
% H2S
120 140 180

4
160
3

140
Gas Charge into the Khuff B Reservoir

Ghawar
Ghawar
N
Abqaiq
Abqaiq
Qatif
Qatif

Abqaiq
Ghawar
Qatif
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs

• Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
Permo- Late Permian
Carboniferous Khuff

Unayzah
Reservoir Early
Permian
Unayzah A
Reservoir

Reservoir: Eolian & fluvial

sandstone

300 FT
Source: Silurian Shales
Seals: Basal Permian Khuff
shale & anhydrite
Charge: from below
Unayzah B
Reservoir

Hercynian Unconformity
Silurian Qusaiba Shale
Unayzah Reservoir Facies Lacustrine

Eolian

Lacustrine
sandstone
Outline

• History of discoveries

• Structure

• Oil Reservoirs

• Jurassic Arab-D

• Gas Reservoirs
ƒ Permian Khuff
ƒ Permo-Carboniferous Unayzah
ƒ Devonian Jauf

• Summary
 Devonian Jauf

250 FT
Reservoir

Jauf
Reservoir
Reservoir: Estuarine and coastal
sandstone
Source: Silurian Shales
Seals: Intraformational shale or basal
Khuff shale & anhydrite
Charge: From below

Devonian Tawil
Formation
Fault-Unconformity Gas Trap in the
Devonian Jauf Sandstone, Ghawar E
Flank
East
Bounding
Fault

Jauf
Sandstone
Deep Sandstone Diagenesis
Devonian Jauf Sandstone

HWYH 201 , 14,734 ft HWYH 207 , 13,745 ft

Illite grain coatings retard Extensive quartz
quartz cementation, cementation
preserving porosity
Summary

• Ghawar is a large Hercynian basement horst, which was

reactivated episodically, particularly during the Late Cretaceous.

• The Arab-D carbonate reservoir contains the world’s largest oil

reserves due to the combination of large structure, prolific source,
excellent reservoir quality & effective anhydrite seal. Production ~
5 million B/D under peripheral water drive.

• Ghawar contains large non-associated gas reserves in the deeper

Paleozoic Khuff carbonates and the Permo-Carb & Devonian
sandstones. The main challenge to deep gas exploration &
development is to predict areas of good reservoir quality.
……..The End