Analysis of Natural Fracture System within the Cambro-Ordovician Sequence, SW Saudi Arabia

This Project will study the fracture system within Cambro-Ordovician sequence in Southwestern Saudi Arabia. This sequence is represented Wajid sandstone group . It crop out in area extend from Wadi Al-Dawasir area southward to Najran city and Abha city. it is the main groundwater reservoir in Wadi Al-Dawasir & Najran areas and it is consider as the surface analog of the hydrocarbon potential clastic reservoirs in Rub' Al-Khali basin. Furthermore, the presences of accessible and representative outcrops, and very pronounced fracture patterns gives more importance for Wajid sandstone group. The aim of this project is to characterize the fracture system of this sedimentology sequence and integrate the fracture data with sedimentological, stratigraphical and geomechanical characteristics to build a model to define the distribution of fracture patterns. Multidiscipline techniques will be used to conduct this project including; remote sensing technique( satellite images), fied investigation to collect rock samples and make description and measurement of fractures, sedimentology and stratigraphy, and Laboratory analysis including petrography and geomechanical analysis. The main results that expected from this project are characteristics of fracture network geometry and the conceptual model that will define the variation of the fracture network and their relationship with sedimentology , stratigraphy and geomechanical characteristics of the rock. The expected model can be used as analog model to predict the distribution of fracture pattern in the groundwater and hydrocarbon reservoirs.