Determining the role of lineaments in underground hydrodynamics using Landsat 7 ETM+ data,case of the Chott El Gharbi Basin (western Algeria)

This paper attempts an overview of the application of remote sensing to groundwater studies. Its objective is to define the role of the geological features in the underground hydrodynamic in the aquifer system of the Chott El Gharbi Basin (Algerian western high plains) and identify a link between the fracturing and the meteoric water supply of this deep aquifer. The methodology followed consists to study the fracturing map of studied area which is obtained after Landsat 7 ETM+ processing images. It is based on structural lineaments mapping. The obtained map has been validated by geophysical results and geological map. Statistical analysis of the lineaments network shows the presence of about 537 lineaments divided into four families oriented according to the following directions NE-SW, NW-SE, N-S, and E-W. The lineament analysis of the studied basin provides important information on subsurface fractures that may control the circulation and storage of groundwater. These fractures have an undeniable hydrogeological interest because of their size, a priori favorable for the aquifers recharge in the region. The probable link between the Chott El Gharbi implementation and the presence of mega fractures which some of them correspond actually to Wadis is confirmed. The correlation between the productivity of high debit drillings and the closest lineament confirms that these lineaments are surface traces of regional discontinuities and act as main groundwater flow paths.     

The geometric configuration of the newly discovered Abu Deleig sedimentary sub-basin,Central Sudan,using remote sensing,structural analysis,and geophysical survey

Abu Deleig area is a transitional area between the Butana basement terrain to the east; and the Khartoum and Shendi sedimentary basins to the west and northwest directions, respectively. The existence of sedimentary basins within this region of Sudan was previously unknown. Landsat images have been used for delineation of lineaments and drainage system, followed by a structural analysis and geophysical investigations including gravity and resistivity methods. The interpretation of the remotely sensed data revealed that the drainage pattern is structurally controlled. The structural analysis defined the trends of the shear and tensional fractures. The structural analysis revealed that Wadi Al Hawad is the southern continuation of the Keraf Shear Zone. The related minor fractures in a NE–SW direction exhibit normal faults governing the geometry of the Abu Deleig sub-basin. The geophysical investigations confirmed the findings of structural analysis and portrayed the subsurface geometry of the sub-basin. The newly discovered sub-basin has a prism-like shape with its apex occurring at Abu Deleig town and extends to 40 km in NW direction. The depth to the basement increases from 20 m at Abu Deleig in step form to more than 300 m, where it is linked with the Shendi Basin in the northwestern part. The results of this study, however, did not confirm any link of Abu Deleig sub-basin with Atbara Basin to the NE or Khartoum Basin to the west as have been previously suggested.     

Geological applications potential of DEM,ETM+, and gravity data in arid and semi-arid regions with special reference to south Western Desert,Egypt

The study area comprises the southeastern part of the Western Desert of Egypt. The aims of the present study are to delineate the major surface and subsurface structures and to evaluate tectonic framework of the study area. Surface studies of the present work are based mainly on data from two different types of remote sensing systems: 15 cloud-free Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) images and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) DEM data. The remote sensing data were used to recognize and extract geological lineaments by calculating and interpreting DEM derivatives, including shaded relief maps, slope maps, and traverse profiles. A Bouguer anomaly map (scale 1:500,000) was used to delineate a detailed picture of the subsurface structure in the study area. The analysis of surface data, including SRTM DEM and ETM+, was combined with subsurface data, including Bouguer anomaly map, and gave new insight into the tectonic and structure patterns of the study area.     

Lineament extraction from multi-resolution satellite imagery: a pilot study on Wadi Bani Malik, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The study of structural lineaments is important for mineral exploration, geotectonic and geotechnical studies, and for the mitigation of geologic hazards. The present work deals with the extraction of lineaments from satellite imageries of different spatial resolutions as well as the analysis of these extracted lineaments. Wadi Bani Malik area located to the east of Jeddah city on the Red Sea coastal plain is chosen for such a study. Six types of digital satellite imagery data were used in the present study. These comprise satellite imagery of low spatial resolution (LSR) including Landsat MSS of 80-m resolution, Landsat TM of 30-m resolution, and Landsat TM of 25-m resolution; satellite imagery of moderate spatial resolution (MSR) including Landsat ETM+ panchromatic of 15-m resolution and SPOT panchromatic of 10-m resolution; and satellite imagery of high spatial resolution (HSR) including the Indian Remote Sensing satellite IRS data of 5-m resolution. As expected, the analysis of the extracted lineaments from different data sets shows that the imagery data of HSR of the Indian IRS data give the highest frequency of the extracted structural lineaments (N?=?3,235), while the imagery data of LSR of the Landsat MSS data give the lowest frequency of the extracted lineaments (N?=?89). The imagery data of MSR give moderate frequency (N?=?1,643) in average. Due to the present study, it is recommended to use the imagery data of HSR and MSR for the extraction of structural lineaments for detailed and regional studies, respectively. The imagery data of LSR are not recommended for such studies due to the fact that most of the real structural lineaments framework cannot be extracted; accordingly, it is not useful in the analyses of lineaments for geological purposes.     

Extraction and analysis of geological lineaments of Kolli hills,Tamil Nadu: a study using remote sensing and GIS

The aim of the present study is to investigate the lineaments of Kolli hills of Tamil Nadu State for which CARTOSAT-1 satellite’s DEM output has been made use of. The extracted lineaments were analysed using ArcGIS and Rockworks software. The total number and length of lineaments are 523 and 943.81 km, respectively. Shorter lineaments constitute about 3/4th of the total number of lineaments. The density of the lineaments varies from 0 to 7.41 km/km², and areas of very high to high density are restricted to the south central, central and north eastern parts, and these areas reflect the high degree of rock fracturing and shearing which makes these areas unsuitable for the construction of dams and reservoirs. However, these areas could be targeted for groundwater exploitation as they possess higher groundwater potential. The lineaments are oriented in diverse directions. However, those orienting in ENEWSW, NE-SW and NW-SE are predominating followed by those oriented in sub E-W and sub N-S directions. These orientations corroborate with results of previous regional studies and with orientations of prominent geological structures and features of the study area. Distinct variation in the predominant orientations of lineaments of varied sizes is observed, while the shorter ones are oriented in either NW-SE or NNW-SSE directions, the longer ones are oriented in either NE-SW or ENE-WSW. A comparative analysis of lineament datasets of the eight azimuth angles and the final lineament map underlines the need to extract lineaments from various azimuth angles to get a reliable picture about the lineaments.     

Fault pattern delineation and structural interpretation of the Gafsa trough (onshore central Tunisia) using gravity data

The purpose of this investigation was to identify subsurface lineaments in Gafsa trough (onshore central Tunisia) after gravity data analysis. The Bouguer and residual gravity maps show a gravity values decrease from west to east associated with subsidence variation and confirmed by a regional seismic reflection profile. The deep structural map of the study area is elaborated after the application of two methods: (1) the automatic lineament tracing after horizontal gravity gradient and (2) 3D Euler method. The dominant trends show approximately NW–SE, E–W, and NE–SW directions. Some of these trends are well correlated with the major faults systems. We can qualify the deep structuration model as a mosaic of quadratic blocks bounded by significant deep flower fault corridors. The elaborated structural map of the study area constitutes also a useful document for rationalizing the future petroleum exploration in the Gafsa trough.     

Rock physics template (RPT) analysis of well logs and seismic data for lithology and fluid classification in Cambay Basin

The Cambay Basin is 450-km-long north–south-trending graben with an average width of 50 km, having maximum depth of about 7 km. The origin of the Cambay and other Basins on the western margin of India are related to the break up of the Gondwana super-continent in the Late-Triassic to Early-Jurassic (215 ma). The structural disposition of the Pre-Cambrian basement—a complex of igneous and metamorphic rocks exposed in the vicinity of the Cambay Basin—controls its architecture. The principal lineaments in the Basin are aligned towards NE-SE, ENE-WSW and NNW-SSE, respectively. Rock physics templates (RPTs) are charts and graphs generated by using rock physics models, constrained by local geology, that serve as tools for lithology and fluid differentiation. RPT can act as a powerful tool in validating hydrocarbon anomalies in undrilled areas and assist in seismic interpretation and prospect evaluation. However, the success of RPT analysis depends on the availability of the local geological information and the use of the proper model. RPT analysis has been performed on well logs and seismic data of a particular study area in mid Cambay Basin. Rock physics diagnostic approach is adopted in the study area placed at mid Cambay Basin to estimate the volume in the reservoir sands from 6 wells (namely; A, B, C, D, E and F) where oil was already encountered in one well, D. In the study area, hydrocarbon prospective zone has been marked through compressional (P wave) and shear wave (S wave) impedance only. In the RPT analysis, we have plotted different kinds of graphical responses of Lame’s parameters, which are the function of P-wave velocity, S-wave velocity and density. The discrete thin sand reservoirs have been delineated through the RPT analysis. The reservoir pay sand thickness map of the study area has also been derived from RPT analysis and fluid characterization. Through this fluid characterization, oil-bearing thin sand layers have been found in well E including well D. The sand distribution results prove that this methodology has able to perform reservoir characterization and seismic data interpretation more quantitatively and efficiently.     

Analysis of lineaments within the Wajid Group,SW Saudi Arabia,and their tectonic significance

The Wajid Group is a Cambro-Permian sedimentary succession in southwest Saudi Arabia. This group is a well-known groundwater aquifer in the Wadi Al-Dawasir and Najran areas. The group also represents siliciclastic hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Rub' Al-Khali Basin. The Wajid Group is exposed in an area extending from Wadi Al-Dawasir southward to Najran city. This study aims to map and characterize the lineament traces of the Wajid Group outcrops. Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS satellite images with 30-m resolution, Spot-5 satellite images with 2.5-m resolution and SRTM digital elevation models (DEM) with 30-m resolution were used for lineament trace detection. Those lineament traces supplemented by aeromagnetic lineaments detected from reduced to pole magnetic anomaly map of the studied outcrop. Multi-scale lineament trace maps were generated, and the lineament datasets, including orientation and length, were analyzed statistically. Eight lineament trace trends were identified including NW-SE, NNW-SSE, N-S, NNE-SSW, NE-SW, ENE-WSW, E-W, and WNW-ESE. The northerly, northwesterly, and northeasterly trending lineament traces are predominant. The lineament trace lengths are generally followed the power law distribution. The lineament trace trends were validated through field investigation of the Wajid Group outcrop. The reported outcrop fracture trends are consistent with major lineament trace trends. Lineaments within the Wajid Group outcrop are also consistent with those of the southern portion of the Arabian Shield. The results of this study provide insight into the tectonic origin of the Wajid Group outcrop lineaments, and understanding of the lineaments distribution which can help to predict the fluid flow behavior within the groundwater fractured aquifers or hydrocarbon fractured reservoirs in Rub’ Al-Khali Basin.     

Tectonic architecture through Landsat-7 ETM+/SRTM DEM-derived lineaments and relationship to the hydrogeologic setting in Siwa region, NW Egypt

Fracture zones on the Earth’s surface are important elements in the understanding of plate motion forces, the dynamics of the subsurface fluid flow, and earthquake distributions. However, good exposures of these features are always lacking in arid regions, characterized by flat topography and where sand dunes extensively cover the terrain. During field surveys these conditions, in many cases, hinder the proper characterization of such features. Therefore, an approach that identifies the regional fractures as lineaments on remotely-sensed images or shaded digital terrain models, with its large scale synoptic coverage, could be promising.In the present work, a segment tracing algorithm (STA), for lineament detection from Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery, and the data from the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) 30 m digital elevation model (DEM), has been applied in the Siwa region, located in the northwest of the Western Desert of Egypt. The objectives are to analyze the spatial variation in orientation of the detected linear features and its relation to the hydrogeologic setting in the area and the underlying geology, and to evaluate the performance of the algorithm applied to the ETM+ and the DEM data.Detailed structural analysis and better understanding of the tectonic evolution of the area could provide useful tools for hydrologists for reliable groundwater management and development planning. The results obtained have been evaluated by the structural analysis of the area and field observations. Four major vertical fracture zones were detected corresponding to two conjugate sets of strike-slip faults that governed the surface, and subsurface environments of the lakes in the region, and these correlate well with the regional tectonics.     

Event tree analysis for room and pillar mining affecting permeability beneath surface bodies of water

Underground mining and oil and gas drilling have increasingly encroached on public water reservoirs and dams because of the overwhelming demand for energy combined with the growing population. Cases of surface water reservoirs and mine waste impoundments being drained, as well as dam infrastructure being damaged, due to accidents have been documented. The methods used by regulators and industry for determining mining or drilling offset distances are based primarily on three approaches and studies performed in the early 1970s. The former US Bureau of Mines Information Curricular 8741 was the culmination of these studies and continues in use for determining offset distances for underground mining with respect to dams and reservoirs. This study used analytical and empirical methods based on subsidence effects to recommend offset distance extents specifically for miners' safety. A major limitation of the previous studies is that they did not detail the affect mining operations have on changes in groundwater flow due to soil and overburden permeability changes triggered by vertical ground surface subsidence that could lead to increased risk hazards for a reservoir or dam infrastructure. This paper presents a review of international literature related to mining under surface bodies of water (reservoirs) and presents a risk-based event tree analysis quantifying the probability of changes in subsurface permeability due to overburden strain changes. A sensitivity analysis quantifying probabilities of increased subsurface permeability in terms of offset distances from a reservoir is presented and discussed. Empirical results indicate the probability of permeability changes at a 350 ft (107 m) deep mine located at offsets of: 200, 400, and 600 ft (61, 122, and 183 m) were at 41, 0.66, and 0.0067%, respectively.     

An integrative geothermal resource assessment study for the siliciclastic Granite Wash Unit,northwestern Alberta (Canada)

This study explores the siliciclastic Granite Wash Unit in northwestern Alberta as a potential geothermal reservoir. The approach covers regional 3D structural geological modelling of a 90 km × 70 km area based on well log and legacy 2D seismic data. The fault strike was interpreted from lineaments, which were identified with the refined trend surface analysis method. The stress state of the Granite Wash reservoirs was determined by an integrated approach of 3D fault modelling, stress ratio definition based on frictional constraints, and slip tendency analysis. The results show that the best site for a geothermal application is located in the southwestern study area, where the highest temperatures (above 70 °C) coincide with the largest thickness (above 20 m) and zones of elevated porosity and permeability. The integrated stress analysis indicates an in situ stress regime from normal to strike-slip faulting maintaining a non-critically stressed reservoir or faults therein, assuming a friction coefficient of 0.7. The granite wash reservoirs could be used for heating of greenhouses, domestic warm water provision and district heating.     

根据储层沥青和流体包裹体综合判识油气成藏期:以黄骅坳陷北大港古生界潜山为例

渤海湾盆地潜山油气资源较丰富,近期黄骅坳陷古生界潜山油气勘探取得重大进展,但油气藏的形成时期及期次尚不明确.以黄骅坳陷北大港古生界潜山为例,综合利用储层沥青、流体包裹体观察、测温、拉曼光谱及红外光谱分析等地球化学分析手段,结合烃源岩生烃史,对其油气成藏期进行了系统研究.结果表明:研究区古生界发育碳质、胶质-沥青质、油质3种沥青,经历了生物降解和氧化作用等多种次生改造过程,结合研究区的构造演化及生烃史,推测早侏罗世中期之前存在油气充注;古生界潜山发育两期烃类包裹体,第一期包裹体发黄褐色荧光,主要分布于石英颗粒表面及方解石脉内,均一温度峰值区间为75~80℃,第二期包裹体包括黄色、蓝绿色荧光两类,分布在石英颗粒内裂缝、穿石英颗粒裂缝及方解石脉内,均一温度峰值范围分别为85~90℃和95~100℃;综合古生界潜山储层沥青及包裹体特征,结合烃源岩生烃史,确定古生界存在两期油气充注,分别为中三叠世（235~223 Ma）和新近纪-第四纪（22~0 Ma）,且以晚期成藏为主.      

层序地层学应用于陆相湖盆中隐蔽油气藏的成因解释

研究表明 ,赋存于沉积地层中的油气藏与各种级别的层序地层界面存在着密切的联系。陆相盆地中油气受层序界面、初次湖泛面、最大湖泛面以及更次级的层序地层界面的影响与控制 ,形成不同类型的隐蔽型油气藏。因此 ,从层序地层和沉积过程的角度解剖含油气盆地中不同构造和古地理单元岩性—地层油气藏形成的机理和油气藏类型 ,分析主要层序地层界面对沉积地层中油气藏形成和分布的控制作用 ,具有重要的理论和现实意义。本文从层序地层和沉积过程的角度解剖陆相盆地中不同古地理、古地貌单元隐蔽油气藏形成的机理和油气藏类型 ,阐述主要层序地层界面对油气藏形成过程和分布规律的影响与控制作用 ,并进一步对不同成因类型的油气藏提出简要的分类方案。     

Outcrop gamma-ray logging and its applications: examples from the German Triassic

Gamma-ray logging of outcrops is a quick and simple, yet powerful technique to better correlate well data with surface geology. It is particularly useful for integrated sequence stratigraphic analysis and for reservoir and aquifer characterisation using outcrop analogues.Three examples from the Triassic of the cratonic German Basin are discussed: (1) shallowing-upward cycles in the Upper Muschelkalk carbonate ramp with retrogradational and progradational stacking patterns; (2) evaporite-to-red bed cycles of the Gipskeuper; (3) fluvial architecture across the terminal alluvial plain system of the Stubensandstein.Such outcrop analog studies help: (1) to calibrate subsurface well log data; (2) to evaluate the heterogeneity of subsurface reservoirs (and aquifers); and (3) to provide improved data for quantitative reservoir modelling.     

Reservoir potential of carbonate rocks in the Kutai Basin region,East Kalimantan,Indonesia

Fifteen percent of the exploration wells drilled in the Kutai Basin region were targeted for stratigraphic play-types. Carbonate reservoirs comprise almost 70% of the objectives in these stratigraphic plays. There was need for a better understanding of the carbonate reservoir potential in the region. Accordingly, this study was carried out. The distribution, depositional environment as well as factors controlling the quality of carbonate reservoirs are reviewed and analyzed. Carbonate reservoirs in the study area can be found sparsely throughout the Kutai Basin. Carbonates range in age from Oligocene (Bebulu limestone) to Late Miocene (Dian limestone). The main constituents of these carbonate build-ups are platy-corals, encrusting red algae and larger benthonic foraminifera. Most of the carbonates were deposited in a shallow marine environment (inner to middle shelf) during rises in relative sea level. Highstand system tracts are characterized by well-developed carbonate facies-belts. The carbonate build-ups generally occur as isolated bedded mounds, from a few feet up to 1000 ft in thickness. The preservation of primary porosity is generally poor due to diagenetic processes during burial history, particularly the infilling of pores by non-ferroan calcite cement. The development of secondary porosity is limited, due to the retardation of subsurface fluid flow by non-permeable layers, and the absence of solution effects due to sub-aerial exposure and karstification. Preserved porosities are mainly present as vugs, best developed in coarse-grained shelf-margin facies, which may not have subsequently been completely filled by calcite cement. Early hydrocarbon migration may retard the diagenetic processes and preserve the primary carbonate porosity.     

Analysis of subsurface magnetic features of the southeast of Al-Muwayh quadrangle,Saudi Arabia,using aeromagnetic data

Aeromagnetic data have been utilized to investigate the subsurface features of the southeast of Al-Muwayh quadrangle. Several techniques have been comprehensively used in an integrative way to reach the goals. Local phase and normalized standard deviation filters are used in this study as edge detectors, showing the possible occurrences of structural lineaments/faults in the quadrangle. Magnitude magnetic transform filters are used to produce anomalies that are closer to the true horizontal position of magnetic sources to enhance the interpretation. Among these transforms, a transform which has been used as edge detectors and the other two transforms are used to show the shallow and the shallowest magnetic sources within the study area. Tilt angle is mainly used to delineate the main magnetic contacts (faults), their locations, and their expected depths. The integration between these different filters show clearly the possible occurrences of edges (contacts/faults), the direction of these lineaments, the source locations of magnetic anomalies, the shallow and the shallowest causative targets, and the location and the depths of the main faults deduced from the tilt angle approach.     

Deformation mechanisms of deeply buried and surface-piercing Late Pre-Cambrian to Early Cambrian Ara Salt from interior Oman

We compared microstructures of Late Pre-Cambrian to Early Cambrian Ara Salt diapirs from the deep subsurface (3.5–5 km) of the South Oman Salt Basin and from surface-piercing salt domes of the Ghaba Salt Basin. Laterally, these basins are approximately 500 km apart but belong to the same tectono-sedimentary system. The excellent data situation from both wells and outcrops allows a unique quantification of formation and deformation mechanisms, spanning from sedimentation to deep burial, and via re-activated diapir rise to surface piercement. Microstructures of gamma-irradiated and etched thin sections indicate dislocation creep and fluid-assisted grain boundary migration as the main deformation mechanisms operating in the deep subsurface. Microstructures from the surface are characterised by large ‘old’ subgrain-rich crystals. These ‘old’ grains are partly replaced by ‘new’ subgrain-free and subgrain-poor crystals, which show gamma irradiation-decorated growth bands and fibrous microstructures, indicative of pressure solution creep and static recrystallisation, most likely due to surface piercement and exposure. Using subgrain size piezometry, the maximum differential stresses for the subsurface salt is 1.7 MPa and those for the surface-piercing salt is 3.4 MPa, the latter value displaying the high stress conditions in the diapir ‘stem’ as the salt rises on its way to the surface.     

Correlation of lineaments and groundwater quality in Dasht-e-Arjan Fars,SW of Iran

The NE-oriented Dasht-e-Arjan graben is located 65 km west of Shiraz and has resulted from the active Kare-e-Bas fault segmentations. This extensional graben bounded by two fault system east-Arjan and west-Arjan to the Shahneshin and Salamati anticline. In these study using Landsat 7 ETM images with resolution 2.5 m and directional filtering in the four azimuths and semi-automatic technique for linear structure in the study area. Using the obtained data from extracted lineaments, the rose diagrams of the main strike lineaments are well confirm with field measurements of faults with N56° ± 4°E direction. The structural lineaments of the study area show that the Dasht-e-Arjan area is underlain by the limestone, sandstone, and marl. LANDSAT imagery of the area has been analyzed and interpreted in order to determine the lineament and groundwater quality across the area. The fracture is structurally controlled and mostly influences both the groundwater and surface water pollution and flow directions in the Dasht-e-Arjan. Using visual interpretation, determining the lineaments on the satellite image is very difficult and subjective, and it requires an experienced interpreter. In this study, the lineament analysis is undertaken to examine the orientation of the lineament, the relationship between lineaments and tectonic features and groundwater quality. Lineament density maps show that the lineament density is high around areas. Areas having high lineament density represent areas with relatively high groundwater pollution. Field observations agreed with the results from the analysis of the imagery.     

四川盆地磨溪地区龙王庙组储层特征、类型及成因分析

利用四川盆地磨溪地区12口井岩心、8口井成像测井资料、14口井的测井评价等资料,系统分析磨溪地区龙王庙组储层特征,划分了储层类型,探讨了储层形成主控因素,预测了优质储层展布。结果表明：1）川中磨溪地区龙王庙组储层主要岩石类型为中粗晶砂屑白云岩,储层中小洞发育,见到大量的构造缝和水平缝,整体表现为中低孔、中-高渗特征;2）龙王庙组储层类型可划分为溶蚀孔洞型、溶蚀孔隙型和基质孔隙型3种类型,其中高角度构造缝、水平缝、网状成岩缝和缝合线4种裂缝与3种储集类型形成整体连通的缝洞体系;3）优质储层主要在中细晶砂屑白云岩颗粒滩相中发育,颗粒滩后期经历3期岩溶作用,特别是表生期“顺层”溶蚀使溶蚀孔、洞型储层横向叠置连片,大面积分布,延伸5～20 km,井间连通性好,形成了孔洞发育的优质储层。     

Microstructures in the Cretaceous Bima Sandstone,Upper Benue Trough,N.E. Nigeria: Implication for hydrocarbon migration

Faulting related to movements along major fault zones in the Upper Benue Trough during Albian times, with evidence of deformation in the Cretaceous Bima Sandstone are common especially around the Kaltungo, Gombe, Zambuk and Teli lineaments. Conjugate extensional systems of deformation bands show increased siliceous cementation of the sandstones adjacent to these lineaments. During the Late Cretaceous compressional event, the deformation bands and faults in the Upper Benue Trough were reactivated, resulting into dilational opening of fractures believed to have acted as fluid conduits and/or barriers. These deformation bands which decrease in density away from the major faults are characterized with increasing porosity and permeability in the host sandstone abruptly away from the tectonic barrier. It is proposed here that the master faults of the Benue Trough, linking it with the Anambra Basin and the Niger Delta probably served as conduits for the migration of hydrocarbons into the Cretaceous reservoirs of the Upper Benue Trough and by extension into the Niger Delta.