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reservoir rock
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Cross-sectional diagram showing three principal types of petroleum traps: an anticline trap with oil and gas beneath a cap rock, a fault trap where gas accumulates along a fault line, and a stratigraphic trap where gas is trapped in permeable limestone beneath impermeable rock layers. Labels identify geological features and fluid locations.
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reservoir rock

geology
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Cross-sectional diagram showing three principal types of petroleum traps: an anticline trap with oil and gas beneath a cap rock, a fault trap where gas accumulates along a fault line, and a stratigraphic trap where gas is trapped in permeable limestone beneath impermeable rock layers. Labels identify geological features and fluid locations.
petroleum traps Principal types of petroleum traps.

A reservoir rock is a permeable rock that holds a significant amount of oil or gas. These hydrocarbons, which include natural gas and liquid petroleum, are generated in source rocks and then migrate to reservoir rocks. This migration occurs because hydrocarbons are less dense than the surrounding fluids.12

For a rock to be a good reservoir, it must have high porosity and permeability. High porosity means it has a large number of open pore spaces, allowing it to store a substantial amount of petroleum. Permeability refers to the interconnectedness of these pores, which is crucial for the oil or gas to be extracted once the rock is drilled.2

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2 Britannica Sources
  1. reservoir rock
  2. sedimentary rock - Oil and natural gas

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