Publications

Permeable fracture zones can be the major fluid conduits in carbonate reservoirs. Yet, assessing fracture patterns is not an easy task as most fracture analyses rely on cores/bore walls or twodimensional outcrop analogs. Fractures like faults and deformation bands are, however, threedimensional features. A newly developed acquisition system of full-resolution 3D Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and subsequent migration of the data allow, to image faults and deformation bands networks in three dimensions. Moreover, Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) has the potential to help establish the mechanical-stratigraphic relationships. Some of the crucial elements of the full-resolution 3D GPR acquisition are a) a rotary laser positioning system for centimeter precise positioning of the antenna, b) the simultaneous acquisition of 100 and 200 MHz antenna, and c) a regular and dense grid acquisition (10 and 20 cm) of GPR profiles for the high resolution characterization of fractured carbonates. In the Madonna della Mazza quarry, Maiella Mountain-Italy, near- vertical deformation bands and the cross-cutting relationships are clearly visible in the GPR data to a depth of 13 m in Late Cretaceous rudist grainstones. The 3D GPR data reveal bedding and sedimentary structures that are not visible on the quarry wall. Likewise, the six sets of faults and deformation bands observed in the quarry are imaged by the 3D GPR with great clarity. In addition, the “Ant Tracking fracture analysis shows an important result of relationship between stratigraphic facies and fracture distribution and density (mechanical stratigraphy). A significant difference in fracture density is observed among the strata. Deformation bands are more denselydistributed in the massive grainstone lithofacies. This facies contains almost twice the density of deformation bands from the adjacent strata below.