A geostatistical approach to the simulation of stacked channels

Turbiditic channels evolve continuously in relation to erosion-deposition events. They are often gathered into complexes and display various stacking patterns. These patterns have a direct impact on the connectivity of sand-rich deposits. Being able to reproduce them in stochastic simulations is thus of significant importance. We propose a geometrical and descriptive approach to stochastically control the channel stacking patterns. This approach relies on the simulation of an initial channel using a Lindenmayer system. This system migrates proportionally to a migration factor through either a forward or a backward migration process. The migration factor is simulated using a sequential Gaussian simulation or a multiple-point simulation. Avulsions are performed using a Lindenmayer system, similarly to the initial channel simulation. This method makes it possible to control the connectivity between the channels by adjusting the geometry of the migrating areas. It furnishes encouraging results with both forward and backward migration processes, even if some aspects such as data conditioning still need to be explored.