cap rock
Reservoir's impermeable seal
Cap rock is a layer of harder or less permeable rock that overlies and protects softer formations beneath.
In petroleum geology, cap rock traps oil and gas by preventing upward migration: The limestone cap rock sealed the reservoir.
In geomorphology, it creates flat-topped landforms like mesas and buttes, where resistant cap rock shields the underlying material from erosion.
- sealAuthentication stamp or mark
- impermeableCannot be penetrated
- reservoirLarge water storage basin
- oilSlippery viscous fluid
- oil fieldUnderground crude deposit area
gas · carbon capture · shale · petroleum · natural gas · trap · geology · formation · salt dome · dome · salt · barrier · overlying · sedimentary · drilling · drilling rig · porosity · evaporite