Thrust Faulted Cardium Sand Model 

The Cardium Reservoir at Sundance comprises a blanket-like sheet of fine-grained, marine sandstone. These reservoirs are typically capable of producing from 400 mcf/d to 1,000 mcf/d gas.

 The presence of low-angle thrust faults in the Cardium sandstone at Sundance, as apparent on 3D seismic and from well-control, not only has the added benefit of fracturing the reservoir to enhance permeability, but also provides repeat occurrences of the Cardium – essentially doubling the overall pay thickness. 

The permeability of the Cardium sandstone can be significantly enhanced by secondary fracturing produced by the compressive stresses related to the low angle thrust faulting. These naturally occurring fractures generally are parallel to the thrust plane and can often be many kilometers long. This fractured sandstone is very suitable for "fracing" to greatly improve productivity. Fracture enhanced Cardium wells can typically produce 2,000 to 6,000 mcf/d.

The faulted Cardium reservoirs can be delineated by 3-D seismic. In most cases 4 wells per section can be drilled – providing a significant increase in production.