Forward Model Applied to Channelized Turbidite Systems: A Case Study of the Benin Major Valley Fill

Abstract

Channelized turbidite systems are associated with extensive hydrocarbon reservoirs. Yet building realistic turbidite reservoir models is still a challenge. We take advantage of some similarities between fluvial and turbidite environments to transpose the Flumy model , initially dedicated to fluvial reservoirs (Lopez al., 2008), to channelized turbidite systems by simulating the main processes at play in the submarine realm : channel lateral migration, avulsion, aggradation, overflowing, flow stripping, and sediment transport (Lemay 2018). A flow compatible with the input channel geometry parameters is first built. This flow controls the channel evolution through time and thus the stratigraphic architecture of deposits, as well as their grain size. In this study, we present the application of Flumy to the case study of the Benin major valley .