Submit your papersSubmit Now
For Enquiries: [email protected]
IIARD LogoIIARD

Integrated Rock Physics, Elastic Properties, and Geomechanical Characterization of Unconventional Reservoirs in the O-Field, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria

Oscar Uchechukwu Ibekwe, Ayomide Olumide Balogun, Tamunonengiyeofori Dagogo

Abstract

This study presents an integrated rock physics, elastic properties, and geomechanical characterization of unconventional reservoirs in the O-Field, Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria, using well logs (gamma ray, density, resistivity, neutron, and porosity) alongside derived elastic and geomechanical parameters, including Young’s modulus, bulk modulus, Poisson’s ratio, Lambda- Rho, Mu-Rho, unconfined compressive strength , and brittleness index, to enhance lithology and fluid discrimination. Rock physics cross-plot analysis effectively reduces uncertainty, with Lambda-Rho versus Mu-Rho plots, colour-coded by gamma ray and density, clearly distinguishing lithologies and fluid types. Lower λρ and μρ values correspond to gas- and oil-bearing sands, intermediate values to brine sands, and higher values to shale, while sand clusters are characterized by lower to moderate density and rigidity. The brittleness index versus gamma ray cross-plots, colour-coded by porosity, show an inverse relationship, separating brittle, porous sands at lower gamma ray values from less brittle, low-porosity shale intervals at higher gamma ray values. Geomechanical property relationships are consistent across both wells, with Young’s modulus increasing with UCS, indicating that stiffer rocks are also stronger. Bulk modulus shows an inverse relationship with UCS, particularly within shale intervals, while Young’s modulus decreases with increasing Poisson’s ratio, clearly distinguishing brittle sands from ductile shales. The results confirm reliable litho-fluid and geomechanical discrimination across the field. Brittle zones are identified as favourable for hydraulic fracturing, while ductile zones act as effective seals. This integrated approach provides a robust framework for evaluating unconventional reservoir quality and geomechanical behaviour.

Keywords

Rock PhysicsElastic PropertiesGeomechanicsUnconventional ReservoirsBrittleDuctile

References

Aadnøy, B. S., & Looyeh, R. (2019). Shale oil, shale gas, and hydraulic fracturing. In Petroleum rock mechanics (2nd ed., pp. 357–389). Gulf Professional Publishing. Agumagu, O. O., Marchant, R., & Stringer, L. C. (2025). Land use and land cover change dynamics in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria from 1986 to 2024. Land, 14(4), Article 765. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14040765 Alege, T. S., Omada, J. I., & Onimisi, M. (2020). Lithofacies and depositional environmental interpretation of well logs within Akos Field, coastal swamp depobelt of the Niger Delta. Petroleum Technology Development Journal, 10(1), 14–26. Asuaiko, E. R., Bassey, C. E., Harry, T. A., & Ekpo, A. E. (2024). Thermal maturity and hydrocarbon generation potential of shales: A case study of parts of Ini, Akwa Ibom State, southeastern Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria. Researchers Journal of Science and Technology, 4(4), 50–66. https://rejost.com.ng/index.php/home/article/view/130 Atari, A. (2024). Shale gas revolution: Impact on global energy supply and geopolitics. Oil & Gas Research, 10, 383. https://doi.org/10.4172/2472-0518.1000383 Bellani, J., Verma, H. K., Khatri, D., Makwana, D., & Shah, M. (2021). Shale gas: A step toward sustainable energy future. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology, 11, 2127–2141. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-021-01157-7 Brownfield, M. E. (2016). Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Niger Delta Province, Nigeria and Cameroon, Africa. In M. E. Brownfield (Ed.), Geologic assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources of Sub-Saharan Africa (U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series 69–GG, Chap. 5). U.S. Geological Survey. https://doi.org/10.3133/ds69GG Bui, B. T. (2023, May 28). Geomechanics in unconventional resource development (arXiv:2305.17642) [Preprint]. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2305.17642 Davies, D. H., Davies, O. A., & Horsfall, O. I. (2019). Determination of geomechanical properties of a typical Niger Delta reservoir rock using geophysical well logs. Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 3(1), 222–233. Doust, H., & Omatsola, E. (1990). Niger Delta. In J. D. Edwards & P. A. Santogrossi (Eds.), Divergent/passive margin basins (AAPG Memoir 48, pp. 239–248). American Association of Petroleum Geologists. Evamy, B. D., Haremboure, J., Kamerling, P., Knaap, W. A., Molloy, F. A., & Rowlands, P. H. (1978). Hydrocarbon habitat of tertiary Niger Delta. AAPG Bulletin, 62, 277–298. Feng, Z. Q., Hao, F., Tian, J. Q., Zhou, S. W., & Dong, D. Z. (2022). Shale gas geochemistry in the Sichuan Basin, China. Earth-Science Reviews, 232, 104141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2022.104141 Fisher, Q., Kaminskaite, I., & del Pino Sanchez, A. (2023). Shale barrier performance in petroleum systems: Implications for CO2 storage and nuclear waste disposal. Geoenergy, 1(1), Article geoenergy2023-006. https://doi.org/10.1144/geoenergy2023-006 Fu, C. Q., Du, Y., Song, W. L., Sang, S. X., Pan, Z. J., & Wang, N. (2023). Application of automated mineralogy in petroleum geology and CO2 sequestration: A review. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 151, 106206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2023.106206 Fu, C., Feng, Z., Xu, C., Zhao, X., & Du, Y. (2025). Geochemical characteristics of organic- enriched shales in the Upper Ordovician–Lower Silurian in southeast Chongqing. Minerals, 15(5), 447. https://doi.org/10.3390/min15050447 Guo, Z., Li, X.-Y., Liu, C., Feng, X., & Shen, Y. (2013). A shale rock physics model for analysis of brittleness index, mineralogy, and porosity in the Barnett Shale. Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, 10(2), 025006. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-2132/10/2/025006 Igbinigie, N. S., & Aigbadon, G. O. (2025). Application of micropaleontological and chemostratigraphic analyses: Insight into depositional environment and hydrocarbon prospectivity in the Niger Delta Basin, Nigeria. Results in Earth Sciences, 3, 100111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rines.2025.100111 Lawson-Jack, O., Uko, E. D., Tamunobereton-Ari, I., & Alabraba, M. A. (2019). Geomechanical characterization of a reservoir in part of the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Applied Science and Technology, 3(1), 10–30. Liang, M., Dong, M., Wang, Z., Zhang, K., Li, X., & Feng, X. (2025). Fractal analysis of organic matter nanopore structure in tectonically deformed shales. Fractal and Fractional, 9(4), 257. https://doi.org/10.3390/fractalfract9040257 Maju-Oyovwikowhe, E. G., & Osayande, A. D. (2023). Hydrocarbon evaluation and distribution in Well-X and Well-Y in the Niger Delta Basin: Findings and validation through porosity comparison. Scientia Africana, 22(1), 255–278. https://doi.org/10.4314/sa.v22i1.22 Mariscal-Romero, R. M., & Camacho-Velázquez, R. G. (2022). Three-dimensional fractal model of hydraulically fractured horizontal wells in anisotropic naturally fractured reservoirs. In Proceedings of the SPE/AAPG/SEG Unconventional Resources Technology Conference. https://doi.org/10.15530/urtec-2022-3724064 Mokhatab, S., Poe, W. A., & Mak, J. Y. (2019). Natural gas fundamentals. In Handbook of natural gas transmission and processing (4th ed., pp. 1–35). Gulf Professional Publishing. Muther, T., Qureshi, H. A., Syed, F. I., Aziz, H., Siyal, A., Dahaghi, A. K., & Negahban, S. (2022). Unconventional hydrocarbon resources: Geological statistics, petrophysical characterization, and field development strategies. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology, 12, 1463–1488. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-021-01404-x Nton, M. E., & Salami, R. (2016). Reservoir characteristics and palaeo-depositional environment of Duski field, onshore, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Global Journal of Geological Sciences, 14, 49–63. https://doi.org/10.4314/gjgs.v14i1.5 Nwafuluibeya, C. S., Ezealuma, N. A., & Okereke, R. C. (2023). Applications of geomechanics in petroleum reservoirs: A brief review. International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation, 10(10), Article 47. Nwokocha, C. O., Okujagu, C. U., & Enyinna, P. I. (2019). Effects of some meteorological parameters on visibility in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Physical Science International Journal, 21(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.9734/psij/2019/v21i130114 Ogbuagu, K. M., Ehirim, C. N., & Dagogo, T. (2025). Geomechanical characterization of a clastic reservoir in parts of Niger Delta, Nigeria. Discover Geoscience, 3, Article 11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44288-025-00119-4 Ojo, O. J., & Adekeye, O. A. (2019). Subsurface geology and hydrocarbon potential of Niger Delta Basin: A review. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology, 9(4), 3593–3613. Okoli, E. A., Onyekuru, S. I., Agbasi, O. E., & Abdulrazzaq, Z. T. (2018). Application of model- based inversion technique in a field in the coastal swamp depobelt, Niger Delta. International Journal of Advanced Geosciences, 6(1), 122–126. https://doi.org/10.14419/ijag.v5i2.7890 Onwumelu, C., Kolawole, O., & Nordeng, S. (2021). Maturation-induced modification of organic matter in shales: Implications for geological CO2 storage. Fuel Communications, 7, 100009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfueco.2021.100009 Pan, S., Zhang, Y., Lu, P., Yang, D., Huang, Y., Wu, X., He, P., & Guo, D. (2025). Environmental impacts of shale gas development on groundwater and produced water treatment management: A review. Sustainability, 17(11), 5209. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115209 Perez, R., & Marfurt, K. (2013). Calibration of brittleness to elastic rock properties via mineralogy logs in unconventional reservoirs. In AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, Cartagena, Colombia. Rahman, M. J., Johnson, J. R., Fawad, M., & Mondol, N. H. (2022). Characterization of Upper Jurassic organic-rich caprock shales in the Norwegian Continental Shelf. Geosciences, 12(11), 407. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences12110407 Raji, M., Gröcke, D. R., Greenwell, H. C., Gluyas, J. G., & Cornford, C. (2015). The effect of interbedding on shale reservoir properties. Marine and Petroleum Geology, 67, 154–169. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.03.009 Reijers, T. J. A. (2011). Stratigraphy and sedimentology of the Niger Delta. Geologos, 17(3), 133– 162. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10118-011-0008-3 Saberi, F., & Hosseini-Barzi, M. (2024). Effect of thermal maturation and organic matter content on oil shale fracturing. International Journal of Coal Science & Technology, 11, 16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40789-024-00666-0 Salami, R., & Nton, M. E. (2024). Fluid replacement dynamics: Evolving reservoir properties during hydrocarbon production in X-field, Niger Delta, Nigeria. Discover Geoscience, 2, 98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44288-024-00105-2 Scotchman, I. C. (2016). Shale gas and fracking: Exploration for unconventional hydrocarbons. Proceedings of the Geologists’ Association, 127(5), 535–551. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pgeola.2016.09.001 Short, K. C., & Stauble, A. J. (1967). Outline of geology of Niger Delta. AAPG Bulletin, 51, 761– 779. Sun, C., Nie, H., Dang, W., Chen, Q., Zhang, G., Li, W., & Lu, Z. (2021). Shale gas exploration and development in China: Current status, geological challenges, and future directions. Energy & Fuels, 35(8), 6359–6379. Syed, F. I., Muther, T., Dahaghi, A. K., & Negahban, S. (2022). CO2 EOR performance evaluation in an unconventional reservoir through mechanistic constrained proxy modeling. Fuel, 310, 122390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2021.122390 Tao, S. (2025). Exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas resources: Latest advances and prospects. Energies, 18(15), 3933. https://doi.org/10.3390/en18153933 U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences. (2024, August 15). Scientists characterize shale cap rocks at tiny scales. https://www.energy.gov/science/bes/articles/scientists-characterize-shale-cap-rocks-tiny- scales Udoh, A., & Udoh, M. (2020). Sequence stratigraphy of some parts of Niger Delta, Nigeria. LAP Lambert Academic Publishing. Xiao, Y., Jiang, W., & Liang, C. (2024). Data-driven multiscale geomechanical modeling of unconventional shale gas reservoirs: A case study of Duvernay Formation, Alberta, Western Canada Basin. Frontiers in Earth Science, 12, 1437255. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2024.1437255 Xu, H., Zhou, W., Xie, R., Da, L., Xiao, C., Shan, Y., & Zhang, H. (2016). Characterization of rock mechanical properties using laboratory tests and numerical interpretation model of well logs. Mathematical Problems in Engineering, 2016, Article 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4135760 Yuan, Y., & Yang, J. (2021). Temperature-driven hydrocarbon generation-expulsion and structural transformation of organic-rich shale assessed by in situ heating SEM. Frontiers in Earth Science, 9, 797760. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2021.797760 Zhang, Z. G., Liu, Y. B., Sun, H. T., Xiong, W., Shen, K., & Ba, Q. B. (2020). An alternative approach to match field production data from unconventional gas-bearing systems. Petroleum Science, 17, 1370–1388. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12182-020-00454-w

More Articles from RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PURE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Advances In NLP-Driven Analytics for Automated Detection of Regulatory Liabilities in High-Volume Contracts

Author: Ngonadi Uchechi, Michael Ominyi, Ngozi Samuel Uzougbo, Blessing Chika Jones,, USA

Resilient Test Automation Framework for Microservices: Addressing Integration, Scalability, and Reliability

Author: Awonowo Olusegun Oriyomi,, Anrinnle Qowiu Olaoluwa, Lawal Ahmed Oladimeji, Babayemi Temitayo Matthew, Azubuike Marvelous Onyedikachukwu, Olomu Ayomide Babatunde, Omitogun Ayomide Elijah