On the origin of the southern Permian Basin, Central Europe.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Wees, J.D.A.M.; Stephenson, R.A.; Ziegler, P.A.; Bayer, U.; McCann, T.; Dadlez, R.; Gaupp, R.; Narkiewicz, M.; Bitzer, F.; Scheck, M.

2000-01-01

A detailed study of the structural and stratigraphic evolution of the Southern Permian Basin during latest Carboniferous to Early Jurassic times, supported by quantitative subsidence analyses and forward basin modelling for 25 wells, leads us to modify the conventional model for the

Regional summary and recommended study areas for the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-12-01

This report summarizes the regional geologic and environmental characterizations that have been completed for the Permian region of study, and describes the procedure used to identify study areas for the next phase of investigation. The factors evaluated in the Permian region fall into three broad areas: health and safety, environmental and socioeconomic, and engineering and economic considerations. Health and safety considerations included salt depth and thickness, faults, seismic activity, groundwater, salt dissolution, energy and mineral resources, presence of boreholes, and interactive land uses. Salt depth and thickness was the key health and safety factor, and when mapped, provded to be a discriminator. The evaluation of environmental and socioeconomic conditions focused primarily on the presence of urban areas and on designated land uses such as parks, wildlife areas, and historic sites. Engineering and economic considerations centered primarily on salt depth, which was already evaluated in the health and safety area. The Palo Duro and Dalhart basins are recommended for future studies on the basis of geology. In these two basins, salt depth and thickness appear promising, and there is less likelihood of past or future oil and gas exploratory holes. Environmental and socioeconomic factors did not preclude any of the basins from further study. 66 references, 16 figures, 2 tables

Correlation of structural lineaments with oil discoveries in Potwar sub-basin, Pakistan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iqbal, M.; Ali, S.M.

2001-01-01

The Potwar sub-basin is located in the foothills of western Himalayas. It is developed as a result of continent collision between the Indian and Eurasian plates. This sub-basin is one of the major oil and gas producing-region of the country. Clastics of Cambrian, Permian, Jurassic, Paleocene, and carbonates of Permian, Paleocene, and Eocene are producing reservoir. Fractured and eocene carbonate reservoirs (Sakesar and Chorgali) are the main producing horizons in the region. Shale of infra-Cambrian-Cambrian and Paleocene are the main source rocks in the area. Interpretation of satellite data for lineament analysis coupled with stress models indicate that 63% of oil and gas fields fall along and 37% within 2-5 km radius of extensional lineaments and their corresponding open fractured zones developed due to various stress regimes. It is therefore suggested that exploration for hydrocarbon may be targeted in the strike extension of the mentioned lineaments in areas where optimum conditions for hydrocarbon generation exist. (author)

78 FR 16569 - Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, Permian Basin Railways, and San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad-Corporate...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-15

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35721] Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, Permian Basin Railways, and San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad--Corporate Family Transaction... subsidiaries Permian Basin Railways (PBR) and San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad (SLRG), and Massachusetts Coastal...

Geochemical characteristics of Carboniferous-Permian coal-formed gas in Bohai Bay Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shipeng Huang; Fengrong Liao; Xiaoqi Wu [PetroChina, Beijing (China). Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development

2010-03-15

Coal-formed gas reservoirs have been found in several depressions in Bohai Bay Basin. The gas was mainly generated by the Carboniferous-Permian coal measures, which are good source rocks. The exploration of coal-formed gas has a broad prospect. The main reservoirs of the coal-formed gas are Ordovician, Carboniferous-Permian, and Paleogene stratum. Coal-formed gas in the Bohai Bay Basin is chiefly composed of hydrocarbon gases. The percentage content of carbon dioxide is more than that of the nitrogen gas. The stable carbon isotope values of the hydrocarbon gases of different depressions and different reservoirs usually reversed. The reversed values of gas samples account for 52.1% of all the samples. Reversion values of the carbon isotope are mainly because of the mixing of gases from same source rocks but with different maturity. Among the three main reservoirs, coal-formed gas preserved in Paleogene stratum has the heaviest carbon isotope, the second is the gas in Carboniferous-Permian stratum, and the Ordovician gas possesses the lightest carbon isotope. Based on the analysis of the characteristics of carbon isotope of hydrocarbon gases in well Qishen-1 and the distribution of the Carboniferous-Permian coal measures, the gas of the well is derived from the high-matured Carboniferous-Permian coal measures.

OIL RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION AND CO2 INJECTION MONITORING IN THE PERMIAN BASIN WITH CROSSWELL ELECTROMAGNETIC IMAGING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Michael Wilt

2004-02-01

Substantial petroleum reserves exist in US oil fields that cannot be produced economically, at current prices, unless improvements in technology are forthcoming. Recovery of these reserves is vital to US economic and security interests as it lessens our dependence on foreign sources and keeps our domestic petroleum industry vital. Several new technologies have emerged that may improve the situation. The first is a series of new flooding techniques to re-pressurize reservoirs and improve the recovery. Of these the most promising is miscible CO{sub 2} flooding, which has been used in several US petroleum basins. The second is the emergence of new monitoring technologies to track and help manage this injection. One of the major players in here is crosswell electromagnetics, which has a proven sensitivity to reservoir fluids. In this project, we are applying the crosswell EM technology to a CO{sub 2} flood in the Permian Basin oil fields of New Mexico. With our partner ChevronTexaco, we are testing the suitability of using EM for tracking the flow of injected CO{sub 2} through the San Andreas reservoir in the Vacuum field in New Mexico. The project consisted of three phases, the first of which was a preliminary field test at Vacuum, where a prototype system was tested in oil field conditions including widely spaced wells with steel casing. The results, although useful, demonstrated that the older technology was not suitable for practical deployment. In the second phase of the project, we developed a much more powerful and robust field system capable of collecting and interpreting field data through steel-cased wells. The final phase of the project involved applying this system in field tests in the US and overseas. Results for tests in steam and water floods showed remarkable capability to image between steel wells and provided images that helped understand the geology and ongoing flood and helped better manage the field. The future of this technology is indeed bright

Regional summary and recommended study areas for the Texas panhandle portion of the Permian Basin. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-10-01

This report summarizes the regional geologic and environmental characterizations that have been completed for the Permian region of study, and describes the procedure used to identify study areas for the next phase of investigation. The factors evaluated in the Permian region fall into three broad areas: health and safety, environmental and socioeconomic, and engineering and economic considerations. Health and safety considerations included salt depth and thickness, faults, seismic activity, groundwater, salt dissolution, energy and mineral resources, presence of boreholes, and interactive land uses. Salt depth and thickness was the key health and safety factor, and when mapped, proved to be a discriminator. The evaluation of environmental and socioeconomic conditions focused primarily on the presence of urban areas and on designated land uses such as parks, wildlife areas, and historic sites. Engineering and economic considerations centered primarily on salt depth, which was already evaluated in the health and safety area. The Palo Duro and Dalhart basins are recommended for future studies on the basis of geology. In these two basins, salt depth and thickness appear promising, and there is less likelihood of past or future oil and gas exploratory holes. Environmental and socioeconomic factors did not preclude any of the basins from further study

Identification of the Early Permian (Autunian) in the subsurface of the Ebro Basin, NE Spain, and its paleogeographic consequences

OpenAIRE

Arche, A.; Díez, J.B.; López-Gómez, José

2007-01-01

[EN] The Early Permian (Autunian) has not been identifi ed up to now in the subsurface of the Tertiary Ebro Basin because of the scarcity of oil well boreholes reaching the Variscan basement and the systematic attribution of a Carboniferous age, without any paleontological data, to the unmetamorfosed siliciclastic sediments found at the base of some of them, clearly above the Early Paleozoic basement. Grey and black shale samples recovered from cores preserved in the REPSOL-YPF archi...

The flora of Early Permian coal measures from the Parana Basin in Brazil: A review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iannuzzi, Roberto

2010-01-01

This paper presents an updated overview integrating both previous and newly published data on the most important floras found associated with Early Permian coal seams in the Parana Basin, Brazil. These floras occur within the Rio Bonito Formation and correspond to the Gondwana ''Glossopteris Flora.'' For this review, five floras are selected, in ascending stratigraphic order: the ''Sao Joao do Triunfo,'' ''Figueira,'' ''Quiteria,'' ''Morro do Papaleo'' and ''Irapua Bed'' floras. They are the best-known floras of the basin in terms of taxonomic composition, paleoecology and environments of deposition. An early-mid Sakmarian to earliest Artinskian age is indicated for the Rio Bonito Formation based on absolute radiometric and relative biostratigraphic ages. Integration of available information about the selected floras allows evaluation of taphonomic and paleoecological factors to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the Early Permian floral record in the Parana Basin. The variation observed in both the taxonomic composition of individual floras and in the frequency of occurrence of different plant groups is due to the broad range of environmental/edaphic conditions that prevailed in the many different depositional settings represented in the Rio Bonito Formation. A more precise age determination obtained for the plant-bearing deposits permits the establishment of a more confident correlation between the Early Permian floral succession in the Parana Basin and other Early Permian floral successions in other basins. The Sakmarian global warming favored the appearance of pecopterid and sphenopterid ferns amongst the spore-producing plants, and the glossopterids amongst the pollen-producing plants. (author)

Major factors controlling fracture development in the Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation tight oil reservoir, Junggar Basin, NW China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Chen; Zhu, Deyu; Luo, Qun; Liu, Luofu; Liu, Dongdong; Yan, Lin; Zhang, Yunzhao

2017-09-01

Natural fractures in seven wells from the Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation in the Junggar Basin were evaluated in light of regional structural evolution, tight reservoir geochemistry (including TOC and mineral composition), carbon and oxygen isotopes of calcite-filled fractures, and acoustic emission (AE). Factors controlling the development of natural fractures were analyzed using qualitative and/or semi-quantitative techniques, with results showing that tectonic factors are the primary control on fracture development in the Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation of the Junggar Basin. Analyses of calcite, dolomite, and TOC show positive correlations with the number of fractures, while deltaic lithofacies appear to be the most favorable for fracture development. Mineral content was found to be a major control on tectonic fracture development, while TOC content and sedimentary facies mainly control bedding fractures. Carbon and oxygen isotopes vary greatly in calcite-filled fractures (δ13C ranges from 0.87‰ to 7.98‰, while δ18O ranges from -12.63‰ to -5.65‰), indicating that fracture development increases with intensified tectonic activity or enhanced diagenetic alteration. By analyzing the cross-cutting relationships of fractures in core, as well as four Kaiser Effect points in the acoustic emission curve, we observed four stages of tectonic fracture development. First-stage fractures are extensional, and were generated in the late Triassic, with calcite fracture fills formed between 36.51 °C and 56.89 °C. Second-stage fractures are shear fractures caused by extrusion stress from the southwest to the northeast, generated by the rapid uplift of the Tianshan in the Middle and Late Jurassic; calcite fracture fills formed between 62.91 °C and 69.88 °C. Third-stage fractures are NNW-trending shear fractures that resulted from north-south extrusion and thrusting in a foreland depression along the front of the Early Cretaceous Bogda Mountains. Calcite fracture

Geochemistry of formation waters from the Wolfcamp and “Cline” shales: Insights into brine origin, reservoir connectivity, and fluid flow in the Permian Basin, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Engle, Mark A.; Reyes, Francisco R.; Varonka, Matthew S.; Orem, William H.; Lin, Ma; Ianno, Adam J.; Westphal, Tiffani M.; Xu, Pei; Carroll, Kenneth C.

2016-01-01

Despite being one of the most important oil producing provinces in the United States, information on basinal hydrogeology and fluid flow in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico is lacking. The source and geochemistry of brines from the basin were investigated (Ordovician- to Guadalupian-age reservoirs) by combining previously published data from conventional reservoirs with geochemical results for 39 new produced water samples, with a focus on those from shales. Salinity of the Ca–Cl-type brines in the basin generally increases with depth reaching a maximum in Devonian (median = 154 g/L) reservoirs, followed by decreases in salinity in the Silurian (median = 77 g/L) and Ordovician (median = 70 g/L) reservoirs. Isotopic data for B, O, H, and Sr and ion chemistry indicate three major types of water. Lower salinity fluids (100 g/L), isotopically heavy (O and H) water in Leonardian [Permian] to Pennsylvanian reservoirs (2–3.2 km depth) is evaporated, Late Permian seawater. Water from the Permian Wolfcamp and Pennsylvanian “Cline” shales, which are isotopically similar but lower in salinity and enriched in alkalis, appear to have developed their composition due to post-illitization diffusion into the shales. Samples from the “Cline” shale are further enriched with NH4, Br, I and isotopically light B, sourced from the breakdown of marine kerogen in the unit. Lower salinity waters (3 km depth), which plot near the modern local meteoric water line, are distinct from the water in overlying reservoirs. We propose that these deep meteoric waters are part of a newly identified hydrogeologic unit: the Deep Basin Meteoric Aquifer System. Chemical, isotopic, and pressure data suggest that despite over-pressuring in the Wolfcamp shale, there is little potential for vertical fluid migration to the surface environment via natural conduits.

Petroleum geological atlas of the southern permian basin area -Overview SPB-atlas project-organisation and results

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Doornenbal, J.C.; Abbink, O.A.; Pagnier, H.J.M.; Wees, J.D. van

2009-01-01

The Southern Permian Basin (also referred to as Central European Basin) is Europe s largest sedimentary basin. It is a typical intracontinental basin that evolved from latest Carboniferous to recent times and extends from eastern England to the Belarussian-Polish border and from Denmark to South

Geology of the Pennsylvanian and Permian Culter Group and Permian Kaibab Limestone in the Paradox Basin, southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Condon, Steven M.

1997-01-01

The Cutler Formation is composed of thick, arkosic, alluvial sandstones shed southwestward from the Uncompahgre highlands into the Paradox Basin. Salt tectonism played an important role in deposition of the Cutler in some areas. In the northeast part of the basin, more than 8,000 ft, and as much as 15,000 ft, of arkose was trapped between rising salt anticlines - this arkose is thin to absent over the crests of some anticlines. In the western and southern parts of the basin, the Cutler is recognized as a Group consisting of, in ascending order: the lower Cutler beds, Cedar Mesa Sandstone, Organ Rock Formation, White Rim Sandstone, and De Chelly Sandstone. The aggregate thickness of these formations is less than 2,000 ft. The formations of the Cutler Group were deposited in a complex system of alluvial, eolian, and marine environments characterized by abrupt vertical and lateral lithologic changes. The basal Cutler is Pennsylvanian in age, but the bulk of the Group was deposited during the Permian. The Cutler is conformably underlain by the Pennsylvanian Hermosa Group across most of the basin. It is overlain unconformably by the Permian Kaibab Limestone in the western part of the Paradox Basin. The Cutler or Kaibab are overlain unconformably by the Triassic Moenkopi or Chinle Formations.

Oil and gas potential of the Korotaikha Depression in the Timan-Pechora basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.V. Stoupakova

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Prospects for the growth of hydrocarbon (HC reserves in the Timan-Pechora basin are associated with poorly explored areas, which include the Korotaikha Depression, which is a very difficult region for oil and gas exploration. Analysis and reinterpretation of both old and new seismic data made it possible to identify a number of anticlinal structures within the region, as well as to identify possible lithological HC traps, such as reefing bodies of late Devonian-Early Carboniferous age and delta sand formations of the Permian-Triassic age. The wide stratigraphic range of the sedimentary cover makes it possible to select several hydrocarbon systems in the basin of the Korotaikha Depression. Basin modeling has shown that there are all conditions for НС generation and accumulation in the Korotaikha Basin. Based on the results of the simulation, Korotaikha Basin should be considered as a potentially promising oil and gas area, where the main oil and gas accumulations are located in the side parts of the basin, and also within the inversion highs and saddles. The total booked geological resources of hydrocarbons may amount to about 1.7 billion tons standard fuel. Korotaikha Depression and its aquatorial continuation can be referred to the category of major oil-gas search regions.

Permian and Triassic microfloral assemblages from the Blue Nile Basin, central Ethiopia

Science.gov (United States)

Dawit, Enkurie L.

2014-11-01

Palynological investigation was carried out on surface samples from up to 400 m thick continental siliciclastic sediments, here referred to as “Fincha Sandstone”, in the Blue Nile Basin, central Ethiopia. One hundred sixty species were identified from 15 productive samples collected along a continuous road-cut exposure. Six informal palynological assemblage zones have been identified. These assemblage zones, in ascending order, are: “Central Ethiopian Permian Assemblage Zone - CEPAZ I”, earliest Permian (Asselian-Sakmarian); “CEPAZ II”, late Early Permian (Artinskian-Kungurian); CEPAZ III - Late Permian (Kazanian-Tatarian); “CETAZ IV”, Lower Triassic (Olenekian Induan); “CETAZ V”, Middle Triassic (Anisian Ladinian); “CETAZ VI”, Late Triassic (Carnian Norian). Tentative age ranges proposed herein are compared with faunally calibrated palynological zones in Gondwana. The overall composition and vertical distribution of miospores throughout the studied section reveals a wide variation both qualitatively and quantitatively. The high frequency of monosaccate pollen in CEPAZ I may reflect a Glossopterid-dominated upland flora in the earliest Permian. The succeeding zone is dominated by straite/taeniate disaccate pollen and polyplicates, suggesting a notable increase in diversity of glossopterids. The decline in the diversity of taeniate disaccate pollen and the concomitant rise in abundance of non-taeniate disaccates in CEPAZ III may suggest the decline in Glossopteris diversity, though no additional evidence is available to equate this change with End-Permian extinction. More diverse and dominant non-taeniate, disaccate, seed fern pollen assignable to FalcisporitesAlisporites in CETAZ IV may represent an earliest Triassic recovery flora. The introduction of new disaccate forms with thick, rigid sacci, such as Staurosaccites and Cuneatisporites, in CETAZ V and VI may indicate the emergence of new gymnospermous plants that might have favourably

Permian fauna of the Krkonoše Piedmont Basin (Bohemian Massif, Central Europe)

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Zajíc, Jaroslav

2014-01-01

Roč. 70, 3/4 (2014), s. 131-142 ISSN 0036-5343 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : faunal lists * palaeogeography * palaeoenvironment * stratigraphy * Early Permian * Krkonoše Piedmont Basin * Bohemian Massif Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

Pumping test and fluid sampling report, Mansfield No. 1 well, Palo Duro Basin: Report of the Geologic Project Manager, Permian Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-07-01

This report describes pumping test and fluid sampling activities performed at the Mansfield No. 1 well in Oldham County about 10 miles north of Vega, Texas. The well site was selected by TBEG and is located along the northern margin of the Palo Duro Basin in an area of active dissolution with the Permian salt sections. The objectives of the pumping test and fluid sampling program were to collect data to determine the hydrologic characteristics (formation pressure and permeability) of deep water bearing formations, and to obtain formation fluid samples for analyses (gas and fluid chemistry) in order to evaluate fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. 4 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs.

Pumping test and fluid sampling report, Mansfield No. 1 well, Palo Duro Basin: Report of the Geologic Project Manager, Permian Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-07-01

This report describes pumping test and fluid sampling activities performed at the Mansfield No. 1 well in Oldham County about 10 miles north of Vega, Texas. The well site was selected by TBEG and is located along the northern margin of the Palo Duro Basin in an area of active dissolution with the Permian salt sections. The objectives of the pumping test and fluid sampling program were to collect data to determine the hydrologic characteristics (formation pressure and permeability) of deep water bearing formations, and to obtain formation fluid samples for analyses (gas and fluid chemistry) in order to evaluate fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. 4 refs., 8 figs., 2 tabs

Organic geochemistry of oils and condensates in the Kekeya field, southwest depression of the Tarim Basin (China)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maowen Li; Snowdon, L.R. [Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary (Canada); Renzi Lin; Peirong Wang [Jianghan Petroleum Institute, Hubei (China); Yongsheng Liao; Peilong Li [Shengli Petroleum Administrative Bureau, Shandong (China)

1999-07-01

This study shows that the oils and condensates in the Kekeya Field in the Tarim Basin, NW China, belong to a single family, most likely derived from marine shale source rocks deposited under oxic-suboxic conditions with mixed terrigenous and algal-bacterial organic inputs. The maturity data clearly indicate that the paraffinic condensates were not formed by thermal cracking of oil during late catagenesis (R{sub o} > 1.2%). Both the oils and condensates were generated within the normal oil window, whereas addition of gaseous hydrocarbons from a separate source resulted in migration fractionation and hence spuriously high heptane indices. Age specific biomarkers show that the oils and condensates were not generated from the Mesozoic-Cenozoic strata, but from the Carboniferous-Permian sections. 1D basin modelling results are consistent with this interpretation, suggesting that the Mesozoic-Eocene strata are currently immature with respect to hydrocarbon generation and expulsion. Deep-seated faults may have provided routes for upward fluid migration at the time of active deformation during several pulses of the Himalayan orogeny. The favoured targets for further petroleum exploration in front of the Kunlun Mountains include the deep structures within the Carboniferous-Permian strata for indigenous petroleum accumulations and anticlines and stratigraphic traps within the Mesozoic-Cenozoic sections that are cut by deep-seated thrust faults where secondary petroleum accumulations most likely occurred. (author)

Uranium potential in outcropping Permian basins in France and their extensions beneath mesozoic and tertiary cover

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hery, B.

1990-01-01

About a third of metropolitan France's uranium production is from Permian deposits located in the Lodeve and, to a lesser extent, Bourbon-l'Archambault basins. Of the Autun, west Vanoise, St-Affrique, Rodez, Brive and Var basins investigated in this study, only those of Rodez and Var have been shown to contain significant deposits. Some of the basins contain potentially interesting targets, often removed from the areas of known mineral occurrences, that have never been investigated. Geophysical exploration and drilling have shown that the Permian extends over a vast area beneath the cover of the large Mesozoic and Tertiary basins. However zones within reach of mineral exploration, ie. those less than 500 m deep, are only found in a few areas. To reach the distant targets down-dip in the outcropping basins or beneath the Mesozoic and Tertiary cover, a detailed study of the basin must be undertaken beforehand. To define and locate targets that are obviously more costly to investigate, direct methods of investigation need to be used such as drilling and geochemistry, and indirect methods such as remote sensing, geophysics and well-logging [fr

Early Permian intrusions in the Paleozoic sediments of the Eastern North Sea area

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, O.R.; Andresen, Katrine Juul; Rasmussen, Jens Andreas

in the Northern Permian Basin which in the eastern North Sea is separated from the Southern Permian Basin by the Ringkøbing-Fyn High. The Permian basins were initiated during thermal subsidence following a late Carboniferous- early Permian rifting phase associated with extensive igneous activity recorded across...... the entire North Sea Basin. The easternmost intrusions and extrusions have been associated to the “Skagerrak-Centered Large Igneous Province” that has an early Permian age of c. 297 Ma. Compared to the Southern Permian Basin which historically has been intensely investigated because of the known presence...... of hydrocarbons within the Paleozoic sediments, the Northern Permian Basin has gained much less interest outside the hydrocarbon producing Mesozoic graben systems. This is mainly due to an apparent lack of potential source rocks. A major E-W striking northward dipping fault system characterizes the study area...

Possible Involvement of Permian Phosphoria Formation Oil as a Source of REE and Other Metals Associated with Complex U-V Mineralization in the Northern Bighorn Basin?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anita L. Moore-Nall

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The origin of V, U, REE and other metals in the Permian Phosphoria Formation have been speculated and studied by numerous scientists. The exceptionally high concentrations of metals have been interpreted to reflect fundamental transitions from anoxic to oxic marine conditions. Much of the oil in the Bighorn Basin, is sourced by the Phosphoria Formation. Two of the top 10 producing oil fields in Wyoming are located approximately 50 km west of two abandoned U-V mining districts in the northern portion of the basin. These fields produce from basin margin anticlinal structures from Mississippian age reservoir rock. Samples collected from abandoned U-V mines and prospects hosted in Mississippian aged paleokarst in Montana and Wyoming have hydrocarbon residue present and contain anomalous high concentrations of many metals that are found in similar concentrations in the Phosphoria Formation. As, Hg, Mo, Pb, Tl, U, V and Zn, often metals of environmental concern occur in high concentrations in Phosphoria Formation samples and had values ranging from 30–1295 ppm As, 0.179–12.8 ppm Hg, 2–791 ppm Mo, <2–146 ppm Pb, 10–490 ppm Tl, 907–86,800 ppm U, 1240–18,900 ppm V, and 7–2230 ppm Zn, in mineralized samples from this study. The REE plus Y composition of Madison Limestone- and limestone breccia hosted-bitumen reflect similar patterns to both mineralized samples from this study and to U.S. Geological Survey rock samples from studies of the Phosphoria Formation. Geochemical, mineralogical and field data were used to investigate past theories for mineralization of these deposits to determine if U present in home wells and Hg content of fish from rivers on the proximal Crow Indian Reservation may have been derived from these deposits or related to their mode of mineralization.

A Review on Permian to Triassic Active or Convergent Margin in Southeasternmost Gondwanaland: Possibility of Exploration Target for Tin and Hydrocarbon Deposits in the Eastern Indonesia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amiruddin Amiruddin

2014-06-01

Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.17014/ijog.vol4no1.20094An active convergence of continental margin is probably generated in Gondwanaland during Permian to Triassic period which is characterized by the presence of magmatic and volcanic belts and back-arc ba- sins occupied respectively by Permian to Triassic rocks. The magmatic belt is occupied by peraluminous granitic plutons showing characteristics of S- type granite and is considered as tin-bearing granites. The back-arc basins are occupied by the Southern Papua and Galille-Bowen-Gunnedah-Sydney Basins. Those large basins are respectivelly filled by fluvial, fluvio- deltaic to marine Permian-Triassic sediments, which are unconformably overlain by the Jurrassic-Cretaceous marine succession. The paleomagnetic data, confirmed by flora content found in Australia and Papua, indicate that those areas initially belong to the Gondwanaland before part of them were drifted and rotated into the present day position. Tectonically, the presence of those Permian-Triassic magmatic-volcanic belts and back-arc basins in behind, indicates that at the time there were huge compressive activities: convergence of paleo-oceanic Pasific Plate moving westward, collided and subducted into the Southeastern Gondwana Continental Plate, moved relatively eastwards. This phenomenon resembles to the formation of Sumatera Tertiary tectonic zones producing back-arc basins, i.e. South Sumatera, Central, and North Sumatera Basins including the Tertiary Magmatic Arc. Concerning the similarity of Permian-Triassic geological condition of the magmatic arc and back-arc basins in Eastern Indonesia and Eastern Australia including paleoposition, paleotectonic setting, strati- graphic succession, and lithologic composition, it is suggested to carry out an increase in a more intens- ive tin exploration in the Eastern Indonesia, e.g. Bird Head area and Banggai Sula Island, and also for hydrocarbon target (coal, coalbed methane, oil and gas, and oil

A review of the petroleum geochemistry of the Precaspian Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pairazian, V.V. [All-Russian Geological Oil Research and Prospecting Inst. (VNIGNI), Moscow (Russian Federation); ENI-AGIP, San Donato Milanese (Italy)

1999-11-01

On the territory of the former Soviet Union more than 30- oil and gas-bearing basins have been defined. Among them the Precaspian basin is one of the most prolific in terms of oil and gas exploration and production. The basin is situated in the southeastern part of the East European Platform and covers an areas of about 500 000 km{sup 2}. There are a number of source rocks of different ages, among which the principal ones are Lower Permian, Middle Carboniferous and Middle Devonian marine shales and carbonates. The post-salt Mesozoic sources are of less significance. Geological and geochemical data interpretation allows the main oil/gas accumulation zones and new exploration prospects to be defined. Two main petroleum systems are recognised in the Palaeozoic sequence of the basin, containing 90% of the recoverable hydrocarbon resources: Lower Permian-Middle Carboniferous and Lower Carboniferous-Upper Devonian. The new exploration targets are deep Middle Devonian clastic reservoirs on the passive continental margins and Middle Carboniferous (Bashkirian) carbonates in the Caspian offshore part of the basin. (Author)

Permian salt dissolution, alkaline lake basins, and nuclear-waste storage, Southern High Plains, Texas and New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reeves, C.C. Jr.; Temple, J.M.

1986-01-01

Areas of Permian salt dissolution associated with 15 large alkaline lake basins on and adjacent to the Southern High Plains of west Texas and eastern New Mexico suggest formation of the basins by collapse of strata over the dissolution cavities. However, data from 6 other alkaline basins reveal no evidence of underlying salt dissolution. Thus, whether the basins were initiated by subsidence over the salt dissolution areas or whether the salt dissolution was caused by infiltration of overlying lake water is conjectural. However, the fact that the lacustrine fill in Mound Lake greatly exceeds the amount of salt dissolution and subsidence of overlying beds indicates that at least Mound Lake basin was antecedent to the salt dissolution. The association of topography, structure, and dissolution in areas well removed from zones of shallow burial emphasizes the susceptibility of Permian salt-bed dissolution throughout the west Texas-eastern New Mexico area. Such evidence, combined with previous studies documenting salt-bed dissolution in areas surrounding a proposed high-level nuclear-waste repository site in Deaf Smith County, Texas, leads to serious questions about the rationale of using salt beds for nuclear-waste storage

Origin, distribution, and movement of brine in the Permian Basin (U.S.A.). A model for displacement of connate brine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bein, A.; Dutton, A.R.

1993-01-01

Na-Cl, halite Ca-Cl, and gypsum Ca-Cl brines with salinities from 45 to >300 g/L are identified and mapped in four hydrostratigraphic units in the Permian Basin area beneath western Texas and Oklahoma and eastern New Mexico, providing spatial and lithologic constraints on the interpretation of the origin and movement of brine. Na-Cl brine is derived from meteoric water as young as 5-10 Ma that dissolved anhydrite and halite, whereas Ca-Cl brine is interpreted to be ancient, modified-connate Permian brine that now is mixing with, and being displaced by, the Na-Cl brine. Displacement fronts appear as broad mixing zones with no significant salinity gradients. Evolution of Ca-Cl brine composition from ideal evaporated sea water is attributed to dolomitization and syndepositional recycling of halite and bittern salts by intermittent influx of fresh water and sea water. Halite Ca-Cl brine in the evaporite section in the northern part of the basin differs from gypsum Ca-Cl brine in the south-central part in salinity and Na/Cl ratio and reflects segregation between halite- and gypsum-precipitating lagoons during the Permian. Ca-Cl brine moved downward through the evaporite section into the underlying Lower Permian and Pennsylvanian marine section that is now the deep-basin brine aquifer, mixing there with pre-existing sea water. Buoyancy-driven convection of brine dominated local flow for most of basin history, with regional advection governed by topographically related forces dominant only for the past 5 to 10 Ma. 71 refs., 11 figs

Exploratory shaft conceptual design report: Permian Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-07-01

This conceptual design report summarizes the conceptualized design for an exploratory shaft facility at a representative site in the Permian Basin locatd in the western part of Texas. Conceptualized designs for other possible locations (Paradox Basin in Utah and Gulf Interior Region salt domes in Louisiana and Mississippi) are summarized in separate reports. The purpose of the exploratory shaft facility is to provide access to the reference repository horizon to permit in situ testing of the salt. The in situ testing is necessary to verify repository salt design parameters, evaluate isotropy and homogeneity of the salt, and provide a demonstration of the constructability and confirmation of the design to gain access to the repository. The fundamental purpose of this conceptual design report is to assure the feasibility of the exploratory shaft project and to develop a reliable cost estimate and realistic schedule. Because a site has not been selected and site-specific subsurface data are not available, it has been necessary to make certain assumptions in order to develop a conceptual design for an exploratory shaft facility in salt. As more definitive information becomes available to support the design process, adjustments in the projected schedule and estimated costs will be required

Advanced Oil Recovery Technologies for Improved Recovery from Slope Basin Clastic Reservoirs, Nash Draw Brushy Canyon Pool, Eddy County, New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murphy, Mark B.

1999-01-01

The overall objective of this project is to demonstrate that a development program based on advanced reservoir management methods can significantly improve oil recovery at the Nash Draw Pool (NDP). The plan includes developing a control area using standard reservoir management techniques and comparing its performance to an area developed using advanced reservoir management methods. Specific goals are (1) to demonstrate that an advanced development drilling and pressure maintenance program can significantly improve oil recovery compared to existing technology applications and (2) to transfer these advanced methodologies to oil and gas producers in the Permian Basin and elsewhere throughout the U.S. oil and gas industry

The terminal Permian in European Russia: Vyaznikovian Horizon, Nedubrovo Member, and Permian-Triassic boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Lozovsky, V. R.; Balabanov, Yu. P.; Karasev, E. V.; Novikov, I. V.; Ponomarenko, A. G.; Yaroshenko, O. P.

2016-07-01

The comprehensive analysis of the data obtained on terrestrial vertebrata, ostracods, entomologic fauna, megaflora, and microflora in deposits of the Vyaznikovian Horizon and Nedubrovo Member, as well as the paleomagnetic data measured in enclosing rocks, confirms heterogeneity of these deposits. Accordingly, it is necessary to distinguish these two stratons in the terminal Permian of the East European Platform. The combined sequence of Triassic-Permian boundary deposits in the Moscow Syneclise, which is considered to be the most complete sequence in the East European Platform, is as follows (from bottom upward): Vyatkian deposits; Vyaznikovian Horizon, including Sokovka and Zhukovo members; Nedubrovo Member (Upper Permian); Astashikha and Ryabi members of the Vokhmian Horizon (Lower Triassic). None of the sequences of Permian-Triassic boundary deposits known in the area of study characterizes this sequence in full volume. In the north, the Triassic deposits are underlain by the Nedubrovo Member; in the south (the Klyazma River basin), the sections are underlain by the Vyaznikovian Horizon. The Permian-Triassic boundary adopted in the General Stratigraphic Scale of Russia for continental deposits of the East European platform (the lower boundary of the Astashikha Member) is more ancient than the one adopted in the International Stratigraphic Chart. The same geological situation is observed in the German Basin and other localities where Triassic continental deposits are developed. The ways of solving this problem are discussed in this article.

The Tunas Formation (Permian) in the Sierras Australes foldbelt, east central Argentina: evidence for syntectonic sedimentation in a foreland basin

Science.gov (United States)

Lopez-Gamundi, O. R.; Conaghan, P. J.; Rossello, E. A.; Cobbold, P. R.

1995-04-01

The Tunas Formation, extensively exposed in the Sierras Australes foldbelt of eastern central Argentina, completes the sedimentation of the Gondwanan (Late Carboniferous-Permian) sequence, locally known as the Pillahuincó Group. The underlying units of the Group show an integrated depositional history which can be explained in terms of glaciomarine sedimentation (Sauce Grande Formation) and postglacial transgression (Piedra Azul and Bonete Formations). This succession also has a rather uniform quartz-rich, sand-sized composition indicative of a cratonic provenance from the Tandilia Massif to the northeast. Early to Late Permian deformation folded and thrusted the southwestern basin margin (Sierras Australes) and triggered the deposition of a 1,500 m — thick, synorogenic prograding wedge, the Tunas Formation, in the adjacent foreland basin (Sauce Grande or Claromecó Basin). Sandstone detrital modes for the Tunas deposits show moderate to low contents of quartz and abundant lithics, mostly of volcanic and metasedimentary origin. Paleocurrents are consistently from the SW. Tuffs interbedded with sandstones in the upper half of Tunas Formation (Early — early Late? Permian) are interpreted as being derived from volcanic glass-rich tuffs settled in a body of water. Extensive rhyolitic ignimbrites and consanguineous airborne tuffaceous material erupted in the northern Patagonian region during that period. The age constraints and similarities in composition between these volcanics and the tuffaceous horizons present in the Sauce Grande, Parana and Karoo Basins suggest a genetic linkage between these two episodes. The intimate relationship between volcanic activity inboard of the paleo-Pacific margin, deformation in the adjacent orogenic belt and subsidence and sedimentation in the contiguous foreland basin constitutes a common motif in the Sauce Grande and Karoo Basins of southwestern Gondwana.

Rock mechanics evaluation of potential repository sites in the Paradox, Permian, and Gulf Coast Basins: Volume 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-09-01

Thermal and thermomechanical analyses of a conceptual radioactive waste repository containing commercial and defense high-level wastes and spent fuel have been performing using finite element models. The thermal and thermomechanical responses of the waste package, disposal room, and repository regions were evaluated. four bedded salt formations, in Davis and Lavender Canyons in the Paradox Basin of southeastern Utah and in Deaf Smith and Swisher counties in the Permian Basin of northwestern Texas, and three salt domes, Vacherie Dome in northwestern Louisiana and Richton and Cypress Creek Domes in southeastern Mississippi, located in the Gulf Coast Basin, were examined. In the Paradox Basin, the pressure exerted on the waste package overpack was much greater than the initial in situ stress. The disposal room closure was less than 10 percent after 5 years. Surface uplift was nominal, and no significant thermomechanical perturbation of the aquitards was observed. In the Permian Basin, the pressure exerted on the waste package overpack was greater than the initial in situ stress. The disposal room closures were greater than 10 percent in less than 5 years. Surface uplift was nominal, and no significant thermomechanical perturbation of the aquitards was observed. In the Gulf Coast Basin, the pressure exerted on the waste package overpack was greater than the initial in situ stress. The disposal room closures were greater than 10 percent in less than 5 years. No significant thermomechanical perturbation of the overlying geology was observed. 40 refs., 153 figs., 32 tabs

An appraisal of the Permian palaeobiodiversity and geology of the Ib-River Basin, eastern coastal area, India

Science.gov (United States)

Goswami, Shreerup; Saxena, Anju; Singh, Kamal Jeet; Chandra, Shaila; Cleal, Christopher J.

2018-05-01

The Ib-River Basin situated in the east coastal area of India, in Odisha State is a south-eastern part of the Mahanadi Master Basin. A large number of plant macrofossils belonging to the Glossopteris flora were described and documented between 2006 and 2010 from various localities of the Barakar and Lower Kamthi formations of this basin. The floral components representing leaves, roots and fructifications in these assemblages belong to the Lycopodiales, Equisetales, Sphenophyllales, Filicales, Cordaitales, Cycadales, Ginkgoales, Coniferales and Glossopteridales. In the present study, all the available data pertaining to the biological remains, petrological analyses as well as the geology of this basin are reviewed and analyzed to deduce and reconstruct the biostratigraphy, palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironment and the landscape of this basin during Permian time in general and during the deposition of Barakar (Artinskian - Kungurian) and Lower Kamthi (Lopingian) formations in particular. The floral composition suggests the prevalence of a temperate climate with a slight change from warm moist to warm dry conditions during the deposition of the Barakar Formation and warm and humid during the deposition of Lower Kamthi sediments. Distribution of various plant groups in the Barakar and Lower Kamthi formations have been shown to depict the biodiversity trends. Vegetational reconstructions during the deposition of the Barakar and Lower Kamthi formations around the Ib-River Basin have also been attempted based on all the fossil records from this area. The status of unclassified Barakar and Kamthi formations has been redefined. Apart from megafloristics, the palynology of the basin is also discussed. Possible marine incursions and marine marginal environment in the Ib-Basin during Permian are overtly summarized on the basis of records of acritarchs, typical marine ichnofossils and evidences of wave activity in Lower Gondwana sediments of this Basin.

Late Permian (Zechstein) carbonate-facies maps, the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geluk, M.C.

2000-01-01

The Late Permian Zechstein carbonates in the Southern Permian Basin were deposited under marine conditions. The carbonates form part of a largely progradational infill, with a gradual northward facies shift. The paleogeography of the Zechstein carbonate deposits has been reviewed recently on the

Climatic and biotic changes around the Carboniferous/Permian boundary recorded in the continental basins of the Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Opluštil, S.; Šimůnek, Z.; Zajíc, Jaroslav; Mencl, V.

2013-01-01

Roč. 119, č. 1 (2013), s. 114-151 ISSN 0166-5162 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : biotic change * Bohemian Massif * Carboniferous-Permian transition * continental basin Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 3.313, year: 2013

Stratigraphy and paleogeographic significance of a Late Pennsylvanian to Early Permian channeled slope sequence in the Darwin Basin, southern Darwin Hills, east-central California

Science.gov (United States)

Stevens, Calvin H.; Stone, Paul; Magginetti, Robert T.; Ritter, Scott M.

2015-01-01

The complex stratigraphy of late Paleozoic rocks in the southern Darwin Hills consists of regionally extensive Mississippian and Early to Middle Pennsylvanian rocks overlain by latest Pennsylvanian to Early Permian rocks, herein called the Darwin Hills sequence. Deposition of this latter sequence marked the beginning of the Darwin Basin. In Mississippian time, a carbonate platform prograded westward over slightly older slope deposits. In the Late Mississippian this platform was exposed to erosion and siliciclastic sediments were deposited. In Early to Middle Pennsylvanian time the area subsided, forming a west-facing ramp that was subjected to deformation and erosion in Middle or early Late Pennsylvanian time. Later this area was tilted westward and deep-water sediments were deposited on this slope. In latest Pennsylvanian to earliest Permian time, a major channel was cut through the older Pennsylvanian rocks and into the Upper Mississippian strata. This channel was gradually filled with increasingly finer grained, deep-water sediment as the area evolved into a basin floor by Early Permian (Sakmarian) time. Expansion of the Darwin Basin in Artinskian time led to a second phase of deposition represented by strata of the regionally extensive Darwin Canyon Formation. The geology in this small area thus documents tectonic events occurring during the early development of the Darwin Basin.

Petroleum geology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rose, P.R.

1986-03-01

The Palo Duro Basin, Permian Basin, Texas is an asymmetric, relatively shallow, intracratonic basin in the southern Texas Panhandle filled mostly by Mississippian, Pennsylvanian, and Permian sedimentary rocks. Although deeper and prolific prolific petroleum-producing basins adjoin it on the north (Anadarko Basin), south (Midland Basin), and east (Hardeman Basin), the Palo Duro Basin has produced remarkably small amounts of oil and gas to date. This is all the more noteworthy because the sedimentary sequence and rock types of the basin are similar to those of the adjacent basins. Analyses of the stratigraphic succession and structural configuration of the Palo Duro Basin suggest that adequate reservoir rocks, top-seals, and geologic structures are present. Most of the structures formed early enough to have trapped hydrocarbons if they were migrating in the rock column. Although additional work is under way to properly address the question of the petroleum source rocks, generation, and migration, the general absence of production in the basin may relate to an overall deficiency in hydrocarbon generation within the basin. Geologic information in this report will form part of the basis for further analysis and conclusions on hydrocarbon potential in the Palo Duro Basin

Progress on the palynostratigraphy of the Permian strata in Rio Grande do Sul State, Paraná Basin, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Souza Paulo A.

2005-01-01

Full Text Available A review of published papers and results of analysis of new material have allowed improvements on the palynostratigraphy of the Permian strata of the Paraná Basin in Rio Grande do Sul State. Based on first and last occurrences of certain species of pollen taxa, two palynozones are formalized, these are the Vittatina costabilis and Lueckisporites virkkiae Interval Zones, in ascending order. The Vittatina costabilis Interval Zone is subdivided into two units, in ascending order the Protohaploxypinus goraiensis and the Hamiapollenites karrooensis Subzones, and is recognized from the glacial (Itararé Group and post-glacial sequence (Rio Bonito Formation and the base of the Palermo Formation. The Lueckisporites virkkiae Interval Zone occurs from the uppermost Rio Bonito Formation, through the Palermo and Irati formations, and into the Serra Alta and Teresina formations. The main characteristics and reference sections are established, as well as additional criteria to recognize biostratigraphical units, in accordance with the International Stratigraphic Guide. Palynostratigraphical correlation suggests that the Vittatina costabilis Zone concerns the Early Permian (early Cisuralian, while the Lueckisporites virkkiae is regarded as late Early Permian to early Middle Permian (late Cisularian to early Guadalupian.

Prolonged Permian Triassic ecological crisis recorded by molluscan dominance in Late Permian offshore assemblages.

Science.gov (United States)

Clapham, Matthew E; Bottjer, David J

2007-08-07

The end-Permian mass extinction was the largest biotic crisis in the history of animal life, eliminating as many as 95% of all species and dramatically altering the ecological structure of marine communities. Although the causes of this pronounced ecosystem shift have been widely debated, the broad consensus based on inferences from global taxonomic diversity patterns suggests that the shift from abundant brachiopods to dominant molluscs was abrupt and largely driven by the catastrophic effects of the end-Permian mass extinction. Here we analyze relative abundance counts of >33,000 fossil individuals from 24 silicified Middle and Late Permian paleocommunities, documenting a substantial ecological shift to numerical dominance by molluscs in the Late Permian, before the major taxonomic shift at the end-Permian mass extinction. This ecological change was coincident with the development of fluctuating anoxic conditions in deep marine basins, suggesting that numerical dominance by more tolerant molluscs may have been driven by variably stressful environmental conditions. Recognition of substantial ecological deterioration in the Late Permian also implies that the end-Permian extinction was the climax of a protracted environmental crisis. Although the Late Permian shift to molluscan dominance was a pronounced ecological change, quantitative counts of 847 Carboniferous-Cretaceous collections from the Paleobiology Database indicate that it was only the first stage in a stepwise transition that culminated with the final shift to molluscan dominance in the Late Jurassic. Therefore, the ecological transition from brachiopods to bivalves was more protracted and complex than their simple Permian-Triassic switch in diversity.

Late Permian Palynology and depositional environment of Chintalapudi sub basin, Pranhita-Godavari basin, Andhra Pradesh, India

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Neerja; Pauline Sabina, K.; Aggarwal, Neha; Mahesh, S.

2014-01-01

The present study deals with the palynological dating, correlation and depositional setting of the sediments from bore cores MGP-11 and MGP-4 from Gauridevipet area of Chintalapudi sub-basin of Godavari master basin, south India. On the basis of palynological studies, three palynoassemblages have been identified, one in bore core MGP-11 a Faunipollenites (=Protohaploxypinus) and Striasulcites assemblage and two in bore core MGP-4; one is characterized by the dominance of striate bisaccates and Densipollenites and the other by Striatopodocarpites and Cresentipollenites palynoassemblages. The other stratigraphically significant taxa include Guttulapollenites hannonicus, Lunatisporites noviaulensis, Lunatisporites pellucidus, Densoisporites contactus, Chordasporites australiensis, Goubinispora spp., Lundbladispora microconata, Lundbladispora raniganjensis and Klausipollenites schaubergeri. The recovered taxa suggest a Late Permian, Lopingian age for these rocks. This interpretation is based on the correlation of the assemblages with similar assemblages from previous Gondwana studies chiefly Densipollenites magnicorpus Zone of Damodar Basin, India and Late Permian palynoassemblages from Africa, Antarctica, Australia and South America. On the basis of palaeobotanical affinity of the identified microflora it has been inferred that the peat forming plant community was composed mainly of gymnosperm pollen attributable to glossopterids, that includes striate and non-striate bisaccates and paucity of cordaites which includes monosaccates. Spores are subordinate and are derived from lycopsids (Lundbladispora, Densoisporites), sphenopsids (Latosporites) and filicopsids (Horriditriletes, Lophotriletes, Verrucosisporites, Osmundacidites, Leiotriletes, Callumispora, Brevitriletes and Microbaculispora) occurring in variable proportions. The dominance of subarborescent/arborescent vegetation suggests a development in a forest swamp probably in a small distant marginal part of the

Structural changes of marine communities over the Permian-Triassic transition: Ecologically assessing the end-Permian mass extinction and its aftermath

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Tong, Jinnan; Liao, Zhuo-Ting; Chen, Jing

2010-08-01

The Permian/Triassic (P/Tr) transition is ecologically assessed based on examining 23 shelly communities from five shallow platform, ramp and shelf basin facies Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) sections in South China. The shelly communities have undergone two major collapses coinciding with the two episodes of the end-Permian mass extinction. The first P/Tr extinction event devastated shelly communities in all types of settings to some extent. The basin communities have been more severely impacted than both platform and ramp communities. The survival faunas have rebounded more rapidly in shallow niches than in relatively deep habitats. The second P/Tr crisis destroyed the survival communities in shallow setting and had little impact on the basin communities in terms of community structures. The early Griesbachian communities are overall low-diversity and high-dominance. The governorship switch from brachiopods to bivalves in marine communities has been facilitated by two pulses of the end-Permian mass extinction and the whole takeover process took about 200 ka across the P/Tr boundary. Bivalve ecologic takeover initially occurred immediately after the first P/Tr extinction in shallow water habitats and was eventually completed in all niches after the second P/Tr event. Some post-extinction communities have the irregular rarefaction curves due to the unusual community structures rather than sampling intensities.

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province, Russia, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Moore, Thomas E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-15

The Timan-Pechora Basin Province is a triangular area that represents the northeasternmost cratonic block of east European Russia. A 75-year history of petroleum exploration and production in the area there has led to the discovery of more than 16 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and 40 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG). Three geologic assessment units (AUs) were defined for assessing the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources in the province: (1) the Northwest Izhma Depression AU, which includes all potential structures and reservoirs that formed in the northwestern part of the Izhma-Pechora Depression, although this part of the basin contains only sparse source and reservoir rocks and so was not assessed quantitatively; (2) the Main Basin Platform AU, which includes all potential structures and reservoirs that formed in the central part of the basin, where the tectonic and petroleum system evolution was complex; and (3) the Foredeep Basins AU, which includes all potential structures and reservoirs that formed within the thick sedimentary section of the foredeep basins west of the Uralian fold and thrust belt during the Permian and Triassic Uralian orogeny.For the Timan-Pechora Basin Province, the estimated means of undiscovered resources are 3.3 BBO, 17 TCFG, and 0.3 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids (BBNGL). For the AU areas north of the Arctic Circle in the province, the estimated means of undiscovered resources are 1.7 BBO, 9.0 TCFG, and 0.2 BBNGL. These assessment results indicate that exploration in the Timan-Pechora Basin Province is at a mature level.

Geochemical characteristics of the Permian sedimentary rocks from Qiangtang Basin: Constraints for paleoenvironment and paleoclimate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Junjie Hu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Qiangtang Basin is expected to become important strategic petroleum exploitation area in China. However, little research has been done on the Permian strata in this area. This paper presents Lower Permian Zhanjin Formation geochemical data from the Jiaomuri area, reconstructing the paleo-depositional environment and providing information for further petroleum exploration. The geochemical characteristics of 19 samples were investigated. These geochemical samples show a developed mud flat characteristic with light rich clay content. The geological data were used to constrain the paleoredox environment, which proved that these sediments were deposited mainly beneath a slightly oxic water column with relatively low paleoproductivity as evidenced by the P/Ti (mean of 0.07 and Ba/Al (mean of 20.5. Palaeoclimate indexes such as the C-value (0.24-1.75 and Sr/Cu (1.28-11.58 reveal a humid climatic condition during Zhanjin Formation sediment deposition. The ω(LaN/ω(YbN ratio values indicate a fast sedimentary rate during the deposition period.

Shahejie-Shahejie/Guantao/Wumishan and Carboniferous/Permian Coal-Paleozoic Total Petroleum Systems in the Bohaiwan Basin, China (based on geologic studies for the 2000 World Energy Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey)

Science.gov (United States)

Ryder, Robert T.; Qiang, Jin; McCabe, Peter J.; Nuccio, Vito F.; Persits, Felix

2012-01-01

This report discusses the geologic framework and petroleum geology used to assess undiscovered petroleum resources in the Bohaiwan basin province for the 2000 World Energy Assessment Project of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Bohaiwan basin in northeastern China is the largest petroleum-producing region in China. Two total petroleum systems have been identified in the basin. The first, the Shahejie&ndashShahejie/Guantao/Wumishan Total Petroleum System, involves oil and gas generated from mature pods of lacustrine source rock that are associated with six major rift-controlled subbasins. Two assessment units are defined in this total petroleum system: (1) a Tertiary lacustrine assessment unit consisting of sandstone reservoirs interbedded with lacustrine shale source rocks, and (2) a pre-Tertiary buried hills assessment unit consisting of carbonate reservoirs that are overlain unconformably by Tertiary lacustrine shale source rocks. The second total petroleum system identified in the Bohaiwan basin is the Carboniferous/Permian Coal–Paleozoic Total Petroleum System, a hypothetical total petroleum system involving natural gas generated from multiple pods of thermally mature coal beds. Low-permeability Permian sandstones and possibly Carboniferous coal beds are the reservoir rocks. Most of the natural gas is inferred to be trapped in continuous accumulations near the center of the subbasins. This total petroleum system is largely unexplored and has good potential for undiscovered gas accumulations. One assessment unit, coal-sourced gas, is defined in this total petroleum system.

High-Resolution Zircon U-Pb CA-TIMS Dating of the Carboniferous—Permian Successions, Paraná Basin, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Griffis, N. P.; Mundil, R.; Montanez, I. P.; Isbell, J.; Fedorchuk, N.; Lopes, R.; Vesely, F.; Iannuzzi, R.

2015-12-01

The late Paleozoic Ice Age (LPIA) is Earth's only record of a CO2-forced climatic transition from an icehouse to greenhouse state in a vegetated world. Despite a refined framework of Gondwanan ice distribution, questions remain about the timing, volume, and synchronicity of high-latitude continental ice and the subsequent deglaciation. These questions ultimately preclude our understanding of linkages between ice volume, sea level, and high- and low-latitude climate. Poor constraints on the timing and synchronicity of glacial and interglacial transitions reflect a lack of high-resolution radioisotopic dates from high-latitude, ice-proximal Carboniferous-Permian successions. The Rio Bonito Fm in Rio Grande do Sul State of southern Brazil hosts the oldest non-glaciogenic Carboniferous- Permian deposits of the Paraná Basin, thus recording the icehouse-to-greenhouse transition. Despite a widespread effort over the last two decades to constrain these deposits in time by means of U-Pb zircon geochronology, published data sets of the Candiota and Faxinal coals of the Rio Bonito Fm host discrepancies that may reflect post- eruptive open system behavior of zircon and analytical artifacts. These discrepancies have hindered the correlation of the Candiota and Faxinal sediments within the larger Gondwanan framework. Here we present the first U-Pb ages on closed system single zircons using CA-TIMS techniques on Permo-Carboniferous ash deposits of the Paraná Basin. Preliminary results indicate two major and distinct coal-forming periods that are separated by ca 10 Ma. Our results and conclusions are not in agreement with multi- crystal U-Pb TIMS and SIMS ages that suggest coeval deposition of the Candiota and Faxinal coals. CA-TIMS analyses applied to zircons from additional ash deposits are aimed at constructing a robust chronostratigraphic framework for the Carboniferous- Permian succession of the Paraná Basin, which will facilitate a better understanding of the timing and

CO{sub 2} huff-n-puff process in a light oil shallow carbonate reservoir. Annual report, January 1, 1996--December 31, 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prieditis, J.; Wehner, S.

1998-01-01

The application of cyclic CO{sub 2}, often referred to as the CO{sub 2} Huff-n-Puff process, may find its niche in the maturing waterfloods of the Permian Basin. Coupling the CO{sub 2} H-n-P process to miscible flooding applications could provide the needed revenue to sufficiently mitigate near-term negative cash flow concerns in the capital intensive miscible projects. Texaco Exploration & Production Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy have teamed up in an attempt to develop the CO{sub 2} Huff-n-Puff process in the Grayburg and San Andres formations; a light oil, shallow shelf carbonate reservoir that exists throughout the Permian Basin. A significant amount of oil reserves are located in carbonate reservoirs. Specifically, the carbonates deposited in shallow shelf (SSC) environments make up the largest percentage of known reservoirs within the Permian Basin of North America. Many of these known resources have been under waterflooding operations for decades and are at risk of abandonment if crude oil recoveries cannot be economically enhanced. The selected site for this demonstration project is the Central Vacuum Unit waterflood in Lea County, New Mexico. Miscible CO{sub 2} flooding is the process of choice for enhancing recovery of light oils and already accounts for over 12% of the Permian Basin`s daily production. There are significant probable reserves associated with future miscible CO{sub 2} projects. However, many are marginally economic at current market conditions due to large up-front capital commitments for a peak response which may be several years in the future. The resulting negative cash-flow is sometimes too much for an operator to absorb. The CO{sub 2} H-n-P process is being investigated as a near-term option to mitigate the negative cash-flow situation--allowing acceleration of inventoried miscible CO{sub 2} projects when coupled together.

The earliest Permian shark fossils from Texas and their implications for later marine faunas

Science.gov (United States)

Shell, R.; Ciampaglio, C. N.

2017-12-01

Complex marine vertebrate faunas from lower Permian rocks are incredibly rare. Recent research suggests that the composition of what few communities can be found varied wildly, especially in regard to the presence or absence of Hybodontiform sharks. Early Permian marine faunas in Texas are generally richer in Hybodont sharks than similarly aged communities in Russia and Bolivia, but the cause of this variation is unknown. A fossil hybodont spine fragment from just above the Pennsylvanian/Permian boundary in Texas, however, suggests that that regional climatic events allowed Hybodont sharks to migrate into the Permian Basin at the outset of the Permian itself. As the Basin evolved tectonically and sedimentologically, these sharks likely evolved to fill new niches as they opened up- which may have resulted in the increased number of Hybodont species in the Permian of Texas: a major factor to consider in the faunal evolution of the Western Interior Seaway during the Mesozoic and beyond.

Isotope shifts in the late Permian of the Delaware Basin, Texas, precisely timed by varved sediments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Magaritz, M.; Oregon Univ., Eugene; Anderson, R.Y.; Holser, W.T.; Saltzmann, E.S.; Garber, J.

1983-01-01

Closely spaced samples (285 in number) of varved sediments from the Upper Permian in Delaware Basin, Texas, have been analyzed for delta 13 Csub(carb), delta 13 Csub(org), delta 18 Osub(carb), Csub(org), Csub(carb) and calcite/dolomite. delta 13 C records a dramatic rise from -2.8 to + 5.7per mille in only 4400 years, detected in three sections across the basin, extrapolating smoothly through a 600-year interruption by a local (west side of the basin) fresh-water inflow evidenced by low delta 18 O. This continuity and low Csub(org) within the basin, both indicate that the excess net deposition of Csub(org), necessary to generate the rise in delta 13 C, took place in the ocean external to the Delaware Basin, Correlation with similar records from the Zechstein Basin suggest that the event was world-wide, although this poses obvious difficulties for the carbon cycle. The rate of rise of delta 13 C, and its sustained high level, must imply conversions of oxidized carbon to reduced carbon that are very large depending on which reservoirs were involved. (orig.)

Revised models for hydrocarbon generation, migration and accumulation in Jurassic coal measures of the Turpan basin, NW China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li Maowen; Stasiuk, L.D. [Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, Alberta (Canada); Bao Jianping [Jianghan Petroleum University, Hubei (China); Lin, R. [Petroleum University (Beijing), Changping (China); Yuan Mingsheng [PetroChina Tu-Ha Oilfield Company, Xingjiang (China)

2001-07-01

Whether or not the Lower-Middle Jurassic coal measures in the Turpan basin of NW China have generated commercial quantities of liquid petroleums is a problem of considerable importance that remains contentious as it has not yet been resolved unequivocally. This study provides evidence against the Jurassic humic coals as the only major source for the oils discovered in the Taibei depression of this basin and suggests additional significant contributions from the Upper Permian and Middle-Lower Jurassic lacustrine source rocks. The Carboniferous-Permian marine source rocks may have been important also in limited locations along the major basement faults. Molecular and petrographic data indicate that the majority of the Middle Jurassic strata are currently immature or marginally mature with respect to hydrocarbon generation. Within the major depocenters, the Middle-Lower Jurassic coal-bearing strata of the Baodaowan and Xishanyao formations has reached the conventional oil window (i.e. with vitrinite reflectance >0.7 per cent Ro). Pre-Jurassic (Upper Permian in particular) derived hydrocarbons appear to be widespread in extracts of fractured Jurassic coal and fine-grained rocks. Large differences have been observed in the absolute concentrations of biomarker compounds in rock extracts of various source intervals. Thus, 'coaly' biomarker signatures of the oils most likely resulted from mixing and migration contamination when hydrocarbons derived from mature source rocks migrated up through highly fractured coal seams along deep-seated faults. In addition to conventional exploration targets, revised petroleum generation and accumulation models predict that the focus in the Turpan basin should also include deep structures within the Carboniferous-Permian strata and subtle, low magnitude anticlines and stratigraphic traps within thr Triassic-Jurassic sections. (author)

Summary of the stratigraphy, sedimentology, and mineralogy of Pennsylvanian and permian rocks of Oklahoma in relation to uranium-resource potential

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olmsted, R.W.; Hanson, R.E.; May, R.T.; Owens, R.T.

1976-01-01

Pennsylvanian-Permian strata in Oklahoma were deposited in environments which ranged from deep marine to alluvial fan. The former was most common in the Ouachita geosyncline during Early Pennsylvanian, but parts of the Anadarko basin were also relatively deep water during Middle and Late Pennsylvanian. Alluvial-fan deposits in Oklahoma are related primarily to the Amarillo-Wichita-Criner, Arbuckle, and Ouachita uplifts. As a result of erosion of the Wichita and Arbuckle areas during the Pennsylvanian-Permian, Precambrian and Cambrian felsic igneous rocks were exposed and became sources of significant quantities of feldspar in the sandstones and conglomerates, especially those on the flanks of the uplifts, and possibly sources of significant uranium concentrations in basinal waters. The Ouachita uplift, Sierra Grande-Apishapa uplift to the northwest, and possibly the Appalachian system also furnished feldspar to form the rather common subarkoses in the Upper Pennsylvanian-Permian. Feldspar is an apparent source of uranium which is present in the alluvial-fan deposits associated with the Wichita and Arbuckle uplifts, the Permian sandstones on oil-producing structures in southern Oklahoma, the lenticular sandstones on the Muenster-Waurika arch, and the tidal-flat sandstone-siltstones in western Oklahoma and possibly in north-central Oklahoma. Radioactive anomalies associated with Cherokee sandstones may be related to the Desmoinesian phosphatic shales, local depositional environments of deltaic complexes which influenced diagenetic conditions, and/or the pre-Pennsylvanian unconformity with respect to the radioactive Woodford Shale

CO2 Huff-n-Puff process in a light oil shallow shelf carbonate reservoir. Annual report, January 1, 1995--December 31, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wehner, S.C.; Boomer, R.J.; Cole, R.; Preiditus, J.; Vogt, J.

1996-09-01

The application of cyclic CO{sub 2}, often referred to as the CO{sub 2} Huff-n-Puff process, may find its niche in the maturing waterfloods of the Permian Basin. Coupling the CO{sub 2} H-n-P process to miscible flooding applications could provide the needed revenue to sufficiently mitigate near-term negative cash flow concerns in the capital intensive miscible projects. Texaco Exploration & Production Inc. and the U.S. Department of Energy have teamed up in an attempt to develop the CO{sub 2} Huff-n-Puff process in the Grayburg/San Andres formation; a light oil, shallow shelf carbonate reservoir within the Permian Basin. This cost-shared effort is intended to demonstrate the viability of this underutilized technology in a specific class of domestic reservoir. A significant amount of oil reserves are located in carbonate reservoirs. Specifically, the carbonates deposited in shallow shelf (SSC) environments make up the largest percentage of known reservoirs within the Permian Basin of North America. Many of these known resources have been under waterflooding operations for decades and are at risk of abandonment if crude oil recoveries cannot be economically enhanced. The selected site for this demonstration project is the Central Vacuum Unit waterflood in Lea County, New Mexico.

Prelude of benthic community collapse during the end-Permian mass extinction in siliciclastic offshore sub-basin: Brachiopod evidence from South China

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Huiting; He, Weihong; Weldon, Elizabeth A.

2018-04-01

Analysis of the Permian-Triassic palaeocommunities from basinal facies in South China provides an insight into the environmental deterioration occurring in the prelude to the mass extinction event. Quantitative and multivariate analyses on three brachiopod palaeocommunities from the Changhsingian to the earliest Triassic in basinal facies in South China have been undertaken in this study. Although the end-Permian extinction has been proved to be a one-stepped event, ecological warning signals appeared in the palaeocommunities long before the main pulse of the event. A brachiopod palaeocommunity turnover occurred in the upper part of the Clarkina changxingensis Zone, associated with a significant decrease of palaeocommunity diversity and brachiopod body size. During this turnover the dominant genera changed from Fusichonetes and Crurithyris (or/and Paracrurithyris) to the more competitive genus Crurithyris (or/and Paracrurithyris). The brachiopod palaeocommunity turnover was supposed to be triggered by the decreased marine primary productivity and increased volcanic activity. Moreover, such early warning signals are found not only in the deep-water siliceous facies, but also in the shallow-water clastic facies and carbonate rock facies in South China.

Preliminary study of uranium in Pennsylvanian and lower Permian strata in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming and Montana, and the Northern Great Plains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dunagan, J.F. Jr.; Kadish, K.A.

1977-11-01

Persistent and widespread radiometric anomalies occur in Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian strata in the subsurface of the northern Great Plains and the Powder River Basin. The primary host lithology of these anomalies is shale interbedded with sandstone, dolomite, and dolomitic sandstone. Samples from the project area indicate that uranium is responsible for some anomalies. In some samples there seems to be a correlation between high uranium content and high organic-carbon content, which possibly indicates that carbonaceous material acted as a trapping mechanism in some strata. The Pennsylvanian and Permian rocks studied are predominantly marine carbonates and clastics, but there are rocks of fluvial origin in the basal Pennsylvanian of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota and in the Pennsylvanian and Permian deposits on the east flank of the Laramie Mountains. Fine-grained clastic rocks that flank the Chadron arch in western Nebraska are possibly of continental origin. The trend of the Chadron arch approximately parallels the trend of radiometric anomalies in the subsurface Permian-Pennsylvanian section. Possible source areas for uranium in the sediments studied were pre-Pennsylvanian strata of the Canadian Shield and Precambrian igneous rocks of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains

Thermomechanical analyses of conceptual repository designs for the Paradox and Permian Basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loken, M.C.; Callahan, G.D.; Svalstad, D.K.; Wagner, R.A.

1987-11-01

The potential repositories are designed to accommodate all waste forms emplaced at various thermal loadings; specifically, commercial high-level waste (30 W/m 2 ), spent fuel (15 W/m 2 ), defense high-level waste (20 W/m 2 ), and remote-handled and contact-handled transuranic nonheat-generating waste. The study evaluates the design parameters, primarily thermal loading, based on a comparison of calculable thermomechanical parameters with prescribed performance constraints. This evaluation was accomplished by numerical simulation using finite element techniques of the canister, disposal room, and repository regions of each potential site. Important thermal and thermomechanical results were compared with their prescribed constraint or limit value. All of the performance constraints were satisfied at the Davis Canyon site in the Paradox Basin for commercial high-level waste, spent fuel, and defense high-level waste at areal thermal loadings of 20 W/m 2 , 15 W/m 2 , and 20 W/m 2 , respectively. Similarly, for the Deaf Smith County site in the Permian Basin, commercial high-level waste, spent fuel, and defense high-level waste thermal loadings of 13.5 W/m 2 , 8.5 W/m 2 , and 6.0 W/m 2 , respectively, satisfied all of the performance constraints. 89 refs., 64 figs., 22 tabs

Oil and gas in the Ogaden Basin, Ethiopia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du Toit, S.R.; Kurdy, S. [Alconsult International, Calgary, AB (Canada); Asfaw, S.H.; Gessesse, A.A. [Petroleum Operations Dept., Ministry of Mines and Energy, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

1997-09-01

To date, many of the 47 exploration and development wells drilled in the Ogaden Basin in Ethiopia have exhibited natural oil seeps and oil and gas shows. The Calub gas field and the Hilala oil field occurs in the central part of the 350,000 sq. km. basin. The various units within the basin consist of continental sediments, a regional organic-rich interval close to the Permo-Triassic boundary, organic-rich marine sediments and carbonates. The Ogaden Basin is dissected by several faults that are related to the Ethiopian Rift and may form a component of traps in the Calub-Hilala area.

Problems and challenges in detection of pre-Mesozoic maar volcanoes: example from the Principálek Volcano in the Permian Krkonoše Piedmont Basin

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Valenta, Jan; Rapprich, V.; Stárková, M.; Skácelová, Z.; Fojtíková, Lucia; Staněk, František; Balek, Jan

2014-01-01

Roč. 59, č. 3 (2014), s. 169-181 ISSN 1802-6222 Institutional support: RVO:67985891 Keywords : diatreme * geophysics * volcanology * Permian * Krkonoše Piedmont Basin Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 1.405, year: 2014 http://www.jgeosci.org/detail/jgeosci.170

A 25 million year macrofloral record (Carboniferous-Permian) in the Czech part of the Intra-Sudetic Basin, biostratigraphy, plant diversity and vegetation patterns

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Opluštil, S.; Šimůnek, Z.; Pšenička, J.; Bek, Jiří; Libertín, M.

2017-01-01

Roč. 244, SEP 2017 (2017), s. 241-307 ISSN 0034-6667 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP210/12/2053 Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Early Permian * floral zonation * Intra-Sudetic Basin * Pennsylvanian * plant diversity * plant taphonomy * vegetation patterns Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy OBOR OECD: Paleontology Impact factor: 1.817, year: 2016

A Resource Assessment Of Geothermal Energy Resources For Converting Deep Gas Wells In Carbonate Strata Into Geothermal Extraction Wells: A Permian Basin Evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erdlac, Richard J., Jr.

2006-10-12

Previously conducted preliminary investigations within the deep Delaware and Val Verde sub-basins of the Permian Basin complex documented bottom hole temperatures from oil and gas wells that reach the 120-180C temperature range, and occasionally beyond. With large abundances of subsurface brine water, and known porosity and permeability, the deep carbonate strata of the region possess a good potential for future geothermal power development. This work was designed as a 3-year project to investigate a new, undeveloped geographic region for establishing geothermal energy production focused on electric power generation. Identifying optimum geologic and geographic sites for converting depleted deep gas wells and fields within a carbonate environment into geothermal energy extraction wells was part of the project goals. The importance of this work was to affect the three factors limiting the expansion of geothermal development: distribution, field size and accompanying resource availability, and cost. Historically, power production from geothermal energy has been relegated to shallow heat plumes near active volcanic or geyser activity, or in areas where volcanic rocks still retain heat from their formation. Thus geothermal development is spatially variable and site specific. Additionally, existing geothermal fields are only a few 10’s of square km in size, controlled by the extent of the heat plume and the availability of water for heat movement. This plume radiates heat both vertically as well as laterally into the enclosing country rock. Heat withdrawal at too rapid a rate eventually results in a decrease in electrical power generation as the thermal energy is “mined”. The depletion rate of subsurface heat directly controls the lifetime of geothermal energy production. Finally, the cost of developing deep (greater than 4 km) reservoirs of geothermal energy is perceived as being too costly to justify corporate investment. Thus further development opportunities

Regulatory Project Manager for Salina and Permian Basins for the NWTS [National Waste Terminal Storage] Program: Final techical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-12-01

The identification of candidate sites for nuclear waste repositories involves geological and environmental studies to characterize potential sites. These investigations include the collection and analysis of detailed geological and environmental data and comparison of the data against predetermined site performance criteria, i.e., geologic characteristics, environmental protection, and socioeconomic impacts. The work summarized in this final technical report encompasses mainly ''environmental characterization'' studies in the Permian Basin in the Texas Panhandle during the period of 1977-86; in the earlier phase of the contract, regional environmental work was also done in the Salina Basin (1977-79) and certain licensing support activities and safety analyses were conducted (1977-82). Considerable regulatory support work was also performed during 1986. 9 figs., 2 tabs

CO2 Huff-n-Puff Process in a Light Oil Shallow Shelf Carbonate Reservoir

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boomer, R.J.; Cole, R.; Kovar, M.; Prieditis, J.; Vogt, J.; Wehner, S.

1999-02-24

The application cyclic CO2, often referred to as the CO2 Huff-n-Puff process, may find its niche in the maturing waterfloods of the Permian Basin. Coupling the CO2 Huff-n-Puff process to miscible flooding applications could provide the needed revenue to sufficiently mitigate near-term negative cash flow concerns in capital-intensive miscible projects. Texaco Exploration and Production Inc. and the US Department of Energy have teamed up in a attempt to develop the CO2 Huff-n-Puff process in the Grayburg and San Andres formations which are light oil, shallow shelf carbonate reservoirs that exist throughout the Permian Basin. This cost-shared effort is intended to demonstrate the viability of this underutilized technology in a specific class of domestic reservoir.

Organic richness and gas generation potential of Permian Barren ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

this study, a total of 32 core samples of Permian Barren Measures from four boreholes in Raniganj field of Damodar Basin ... number of factors like (i) quality and quantity of organic matter ...... Gujarat Energy Research and Management Insti-.

Pacific Basin Heavy Oil Refining Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Hackett

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The United States today is Canada’s largest customer for oil and refined oil products. However, this relationship may be strained due to physical, economic and political influences. Pipeline capacity is approaching its limits; Canadian oil is selling at substantive discounts to world market prices; and U.S. demand for crude oil and finished products (such as gasoline, has begun to flatten significantly relative to historical rates. Lower demand, combined with increased shale oil production, means U.S. demand for Canadian oil is expected to continue to decline. Under these circumstances, gaining access to new markets such as those in the Asia-Pacific region is becoming more and more important for the Canadian economy. However, expanding pipeline capacity to the Pacific via the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline and the planned Trans Mountain pipeline expansion is only feasible when there is sufficient demand and processing capacity to support Canadian crude blends. Canadian heavy oil requires more refining and produces less valuable end products than other lighter and sweeter blends. Canadian producers must compete with lighter, sweeter oils from the Middle East, and elsewhere, for a place in the Pacific Basin refineries built to handle heavy crude blends. Canadian oil sands producers are currently expanding production capacity. Once complete, the Northern Gateway pipeline and the Trans Mountain expansion are expected to deliver an additional 500,000 to 1.1 million barrels a day to tankers on the Pacific coast. Through this survey of the capacity of Pacific Basin refineries, including existing and proposed facilities, we have concluded that there is sufficient technical capacity in the Pacific Basin to refine the additional Canadian volume; however, there may be some modifications required to certain refineries to allow them to process Western Canadian crude. Any additional capacity for Canadian oil would require refinery modifications or

Evidence of lacustrine sedimentation in the Upper Permian Bijori

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The Upper Permian Bijori Formation of the Satpura Gondwana basin comprising fine- to coarsegrained sandstone, carbonaceous shale/mudstone and thin coal bands was previously interpreted as the deposits of meandering rivers. The present study documents abundance of wave ripples, hummocky and swaley ...

Paleomagnetic and magnetostratigraphic investigations of the whitehorse group/quartermaster (Dewey Lake) formation (upper permian-lowermost triassic) in the Palo Duro basin, northwest Texas, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Dylan R.

In northwest Texas, upper Permian to lowermost Triassic hematite-cemented detrital sedimentary rocks, which include a small number of regionally extensive ash beds, were deposited during the time interval of the greatest mass extinction event sequences in Earth history. The magnetic polarity stratigraphy, as well as key rock magnetic properties, of the upper Whitehorse Group (WH) and Quartermaster formations (QM) at selected sections in the Palo Duro Basin, have been determined using thermal, and chemical demagnetization approaches and anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility, acquisition of isothermal remanent magnetization (IRM) and backfield demagnetization, and thermal demagnetization of three component IRM methods. Demagnetization results show that the WH/QM contains a primary/near-primary characteristic remanent magnetization at each level sampled and thus the magnetic polarity stratigraphy for each section can be compared with existing polarity time scales across the Permian-Triassic boundary. Estimated site mean directions yield a paleomagnetic pole for the latest Permian for North America of 57.8°N, 130.6°E from 38 sampled sites.

Digital data in support of studies and assessments of coal and petroleum resources in the Appalachian basin: Chapter I.1 in Coal and petroleum resources in the Appalachian basin: distribution, geologic framework, and geochemical character

Science.gov (United States)

Trippi, Michael H.; Kinney, Scott A.; Gunther, Gregory; Ryder, Robert T.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Ryder, Robert T.

2014-01-01

The Appalachian basin is a mature basin containing abundant oil, gas, and coal resources. Its fossil-fuel-bearing strata range in age from Cambrian to Permian and extend over the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. The basin has provided abundant fossil fuels to support the Nation’s economic growth for at least 150 years and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessments suggest that substantial untapped resources remain. A merger of new and old geologic data and ideas is required to locate and extract those remaining resources.

Permian-Triassic maturation and multistage migration of hydrocarbons in the Assistência Formation (Irati Subgroup, Paraná Basin, Brazil: implications for the exploration model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

António Mateus

Full Text Available New lines of geological evidence strongly suggest that the main period of hydrocarbon maturation within Assistência Formation should be Permian-Triassic, stimulated by a high geothermal gradient that also sustained various manifestations of hydrothermal activity. Three main stages of fluid/hydrocarbon migration can also be inferred on the basis of multiscale observations: confined flow in late Permian to Triassic times, depending on the local build-up of fluid pressures; heterogeneous flow in Lower Cretaceous, triggered by a rejuvenated temperature gradient assisted by the early developed permeability conditions; and a late flow possibly driven by local pressure gradients, after complete cooling of dolerite dykes/sills. The early maturation and multistage migration of hydrocarbons have significant consequences in the design of exploration models to be applied in Paraná Basin.

Geoscience/engineering characterization of the interwell environment in carbonate reservoirs based on outcrop analogs, Permian Basin, West Texas and New Mexico-stratigraphic hierarchy and cycle stacking facies distribution, and interwell-scale heterogeneity: Grayburg Formation, New Mexico. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnaby, R.J.; Ward, W.B.; Jennings, J.W. Jr.

1997-06-01

The Grayburg Formation (middle Guadalupian) is a major producing interval in the Permian Basin and has yielded more than 2.5 billion barrels of oil in West Texas. Grayburg reservoirs have produced, on average, less than 30 percent of their original oil in place and are undergoing secondary and tertiary recovery. Efficient design of such enhanced recovery programs dictates improved geological models to better understand and predict reservoir heterogeneity imposed by depositional and diagenetic controls. The Grayburg records mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentation on shallow-water platforms that rimmed the Delaware and Midland Basins. Grayburg outcrops in the Guadalupe and Brokeoff Mountains region on the northwest margin of the Delaware Basin present an opportunity to construct a detailed, three-dimensional image of the stratigraphic and facies architecture. This model can be applied towards improved description and characterization of heterogeneity in analogous Grayburg reservoirs. Four orders of stratigraphic hierarchy are recognized in the Grayburg Formation. The Grayburg represents a long-term composite sequence composed of four high-frequency sequences (HFS 1-4). Each HFS contains several composite cycles comprising two or more cycles that define intermediate-scale transgressive-regressive successions. Cycles are the smallest scale upward-shoaling vertical facies successions that can be recognized and correlated across various facies tracts. Cycles thus form the basis for establishing the detailed chronostratigraphic correlations needed to delineate facies heterogeneity.

Formation of phreatomagmatic pipes in the Tunguska Basin (Siberia, Russia) during the end-Permian

Science.gov (United States)

Polozov, Alexander; Svensen, Henrik; Planke, Sverre

2010-05-01

We recently proposed that numerous pipes piercing sedimentary rocks of Tunguska Basin triggered the Permian-Triassic mass extinction (Svensen et al., 2009). Large amounts of greenhouse and poisonous gases were released through the pipes and into P-Tr atmosphere, partly formed by heating of petroleum-bearing evaporites. The sub-volcanic part of the Siberian Traps was emplaced in the Tunguska Basin sedimentary sequences, which includes Pre-Cambrian source rocks, Early Cambrian evaporites, and Paleozoic terrigenous and coal-bearing rocks. Spectacular breccia pipes are numerous in the evaporate-parts of the basin, and are filled with volcaniclastic rocks and commercial magnetite mineralization. Although these pipes have been intensively studied in order to understand the iron ore formation, the origin and formation of the pipes is poorly understood. Many researchers emphasize that magma-sediments interaction as a key reason of pipe formation, whereas phreatomagmatic hypothesis are also proposed. In order to improve the understanding of pipe formation and ore-deposition, we have studied a basalt-rich breccia pipe piercing Cambrian evaporates at the Nepa locality in East Siberia. Textural features of the volcanic fragments in the breccias include lapilli, Pele's hear, glassy basalt and dolerite clasts, blocks of tuffs in addition to sedimentary rocks. Calcite and halite are the most common types of cement. We have studied minerals from the breccia cement and from reaction rims around clasts in order to understand the hydrothermal system that developed after the pipe formed. Calcite and dolomite are the dominating carbonates, and two types of anhydrite is present. Biotite, Cl-Fe-bearing amphibole (hastingsite), and Cl-F-apatite are amongst early hydrothermal minerals covering magmatic clast and lapillies. Our new data confirm (i) the phreatomagmatic nature of breccia filling in the Tunguska Basin pipes and (ii) the key role of sedimentary brine and petroleum involved in

A new mid-Permian burnetiamorph therapsid from the Main Karoo Basin of South Africa and a phylogenetic review of Burnetiamorpha

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael O. Day

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Discoveries of burnetiamorph therapsids in the last decade and a half have increased their known diversity but they remain a minor constituent of middle–late Permian tetrapod faunas. In the Main Karoo Basin of South Africa, from where the clade is traditionally best known, specimens have been reported from all of the Permian biozones except the Eodicynodon and Pristerognathus assemblage zones. Although the addition of new taxa has provided more evidence for burnetiamorph synapomorphies, phylogenetic hypotheses for the clade remain incongruent with their appearances in the stratigraphic column. Here we describe a new burnetiamorph specimen (BP/1/7098 from the Pristerognathus Assemblage Zone and review the phylogeny of the Burnetiamorpha through a comprehensive comparison of known material. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that BP/1/7098 is closely related to the Russian species Niuksenitia sukhonensis. Remarkably, the supposed mid-Permian burnetiids Bullacephalus and Pachydectes are not recovered as burnetiids and in most cases are not burnetiamorphs at all, instead representing an earlier-diverging clade of biarmosuchians that are characterised by their large size, dentigerous transverse process of the pterygoid and exclusion of the jugal from the lateral temporal fenestra. The evolution of pachyostosis therefore appears to have occurred independently in these genera. The resulting biarmosuchian tree is significantly more congruent with the stratigraphic appearance of its constituent taxa than in previous phylogenetic hypotheses and, consequently, does not necessarily constrain the diversification of the Burnetiamorpha to before the Capitanian.

Late Permian rivers draining the uplifted Cape Fold Belt: magnetostratigraphy and detrital thermochronology of Karoo Basin sediments

Science.gov (United States)

Tohver, E.; Schmieder, M.; Arosio, R.; Lanci, L.; Jourdan, F.; Wilson, A.; Ratcliffe, K.; Payenberg, T.; Flint, S.

2017-12-01

The Cape Fold Belt and Karoo Basin of southern Africa formed during the Permian orogeny that affected the 13,000 km southern margin of the Gondwanan continent. In this report, we synthesize new and recent magnetostratigraphic and geochronologic data to establish a chronostratigraphic framework for Karoo Basin sedimentation for comparison with the thermal/exhumation history of the Cape Fold Belt. The source-sink model is evaluated using new data from detrital muscovite and zircon from 2 km composite section of fluvial sandstone and mudstones deposited at ca.275 - 260 Ma. Coherent age populations of detrital zircon grains indicate rapid incorporation of contemporary volcanic ashbeds into the sedimentary record. In contrast, cooling age distributions of detrital muscovite are typically ca. 5 - 10 Ma older than the age of deposition; similar lag times are observed from modern sediments in active mountain belts. Trace element geochemical signatures demonstrate a clear shift towards crustal recycling via headland erosion in the Beaufort Group relative to the underlying Ecca Group. These observations pinpoint the age of uplift for the Cape Fold Belt, which began to function as the major sediment source for the foreland Karoo Basin with the deposition of the uppermost Ecca Group and basal Beaufort Group.

États de contraintes et mécanismes d'ouverture et de fermeture des bassins permiens du Maroc hercynien. L'exemple des bassins des Jebilet et des RéhamnaStates of stresses and opening/closing mechanisms of the Permian basins in Hercynian Morocco. The example of the Jebilet and Réhamna Basins

Science.gov (United States)

Saidi, Amal; Tahiri, Abdelfatah; Ait Brahim, Lahcen; Saidi, Maraim

The fracturing analysis in the Permian basins of Jebilet and Rehamna (Hercynian Morocco) and the underlying terranes allowed us to suggest a model for their opening. Three tectonic episodes are distinguished: a transtensional episode NNE-SSW-trending (Permian I), occurring during the opening along sinistral wrench faults N70-110-trending, associated with synsedimentary normal faults; a transpressive episode ESE-WNW-trending (Permian II), initiating the closure, the normal faults playing back reverse faults and the N70 trending faults dextral wrench faults; a compressional episode NNW-SSE (post-Permian, ante-Triassic), accentuating the closure and the deformation and putting an end to the Tardi-Hercynian compressive movements. To cite this article: A. Saidi et al., C. R. Geoscience 334 (2002) 221-226.

Multiple isotopes (O, C, Li, Sr) as tracers of CO2 and brine leakage from CO2-enhanced oil recovery activities in Permian Basin, Texas, USA

Science.gov (United States)

Phan, T. T.; Sharma, S.; Gardiner, J. B.; Thomas, R. B.; Stuckman, M.; Spaulding, R.; Lopano, C. L.; Hakala, A.

2017-12-01

Potential CO2 and brine migration or leakage into shallow groundwater is a critical issue associated with CO2 injection at both enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon sequestration sites. The effectiveness of multiple isotope systems (δ18OH2O, δ13C, δ7Li, 87Sr/86Sr) in monitoring CO2 and brine leakage at a CO2-EOR site located within the Permian basin (Seminole, Texas, USA) was studied. Water samples collected from an oil producing formation (San Andres), a deep groundwater formation (Santa Rosa), and a shallow groundwater aquifer (Ogallala) over a four-year period were analyzed for elemental and isotopic compositions. The absence of any change in δ18OH2O or δ13CDIC values of water in the overlying Ogallala aquifer after CO2 injection indicates that injected CO2 did not leak into this aquifer. The range of Ogallala water δ7Li (13-17‰) overlaps the San Andres water δ7Li (13-15‰) whereas 87Sr/86Sr of Ogallala (0.70792±0.00005) significantly differs from San Andres water (0.70865±0.00003). This observation demonstrates that Sr isotopes are much more sensitive than Li isotopes in tracking brine leakage into shallow groundwater at the studied site. In contrast, deep groundwater δ7Li (21-25‰) is isotopically distinct from San Andres produced water; thus, monitoring this intermitted formation water can provide an early indication of CO2 injection-induced brine migration from the underlying oil producing formation. During water alternating with gas (WAG) operations, a significant shift towards more positive δ13CDIC values was observed in the produced water from several of the San Andres formation wells. The carbon isotope trend suggests that the 13C enriched injected CO2 and formation carbonates became the primary sources of dissolved inorganic carbon in the area surrounding the injection wells. Moreover, one-way ANOVA statistical analysis shows that the differences in δ7Li (F(1,16) = 2.09, p = 0.17) and 87Sr/86Sr (F(1,18) = 4.47, p = 0.05) values of

Early Permian transgressive-regressive cycles: Sequence stratigraphic reappraisal of the coal-bearing Barakar Formation, Raniganj Basin, India

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharya, Biplab; Bhattacharjee, Joyeeta; Bandyopadhyay, Sandip; Banerjee, Sudipto; Adhikari, Kalyan

2018-03-01

The present research is an attempt to assess the Barakar Formation of the Raniganj Gondwana Basin, India, in the frame of fluvio-marine (estuarine) depositional systems using sequence stratigraphic elements. Analysis of predominant facies associations signify deposition in three sub-environments: (i) a river-dominated bay-head delta zone in the inner estuary, with transition from braided fluvial channels (FA-B1) to tide-affected meandering fluvial channels and flood plains (FA-B2) in the basal part of the succession; (ii) a mixed energy central basin zone, which consists of transitional fluvio-tidal channels (FA-B2), tidal flats, associated with tidal channels and bars (FA-B3) in the middle-upper part of the succession; and (iii) a wave-dominated outer estuary (coastal) zone (FA-B4 with FA-B3) in the upper part of the succession. Stacked progradational (P1, P2)-retrogradational (R1, R2) successions attest to one major base level fluctuation, leading to distinct transgressive-regressive (T-R) cycles with development of initial falling stage systems tract (FSST), followed by lowstand systems tract (LST) and successive transgressive systems tracts (TST-1 and TST-2). Shift in the depositional regime from regressive to transgressive estuarine system in the early Permian Barakar Formation is attributed to change in accommodation space caused by mutual interactions of (i) base level fluctuations in response to climatic amelioration and (ii) basinal tectonisms (exhumation/sagging) related to post-glacial isostatic adjustments in the riftogenic Gondwana basins.

Evidence of a therapsid scavenger in the Late Permian Karoo Basin, South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicholas Fordyce

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Dicynodonts are an extinct group of herbivorous non-mammalian therapsids (‘mammal-like’ reptiles that are widely known from terrestrial Permo-Triassic strata throughout Pangaea. Dicynodont fossil remains are common within the Late Permian Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin in South Africa. A large, partially articulated dicynodont skeleton recovered from the TropidostomaAssemblage Zone is taphonomically important in having an unusual disarticulation pattern, bone surface punctures and a broken tooth of an unidentified carnivore associated with it. Here we report on the nature of the bone damage, and the identity of the carnivore that lost a canine tooth whilst scavenging the dicynodont carcass. The morphological characteristics of the serrations on the unidentified tooth were compared with those of contemporaneous carnivores, the gorgonopsians and therocephalians. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of a silicone cast of the unidentified tooth revealed distinctive 0.5-mm square-shaped serrations. Our comparative assessment of the tooth size, curvature, cross-sectional shape and morphology of the serrations revealed that the unidentified canine most closely matched Aelurognathus,a gorgonopsian known from the same assemblage zone.

MULTIDISCIPLINARY IMAGING OF ROCK PROPERTIES IN CARBONATE RESERVOIRS FOR FLOW-UNIT TARGETING

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stephen C. Ruppel

2005-02-01

Despite declining production rates, existing reservoirs in the US contain large quantities of remaining oil and gas that constitute a huge target for improved diagnosis and imaging of reservoir properties. The resource target is especially large in carbonate reservoirs, where conventional data and methodologies are normally insufficient to resolve critical scales of reservoir heterogeneity. The objectives of the research described in this report were to develop and test such methodologies for improved imaging, measurement, modeling, and prediction of reservoir properties in carbonate hydrocarbon reservoirs. The focus of the study is the Permian-age Fullerton Clear Fork reservoir of the Permian Basin of West Texas. This reservoir is an especially appropriate choice considering (a) the Permian Basin is the largest oil-bearing basin in the US, and (b) as a play, Clear Fork reservoirs have exhibited the lowest recovery efficiencies of all carbonate reservoirs in the Permian Basin.

A sedimentological analysis of sediments corresponding to the San Gregorio Formation )Lower Permian), located in the eastern border of the North Uruguayan Basin, Sierra Guazunambi

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goso Aguilar, C.; Gama, E.

1998-01-01

A sedimentological analysis of sediments corresponding to the San Gregorio Formation (Lower Permian), located in the eastern border of the Norte Uruguayan Basin, Sierra Guazunambi, Cerro Largo Departament was made. Facies analysis of about 100 otucrops fand more than 1.300 meters, in an area of 45 square kilometers showed diamictites rhytmites and massive sandstones, formed by gravitational sedimentary flows. Also present are prodelta mudrocks and deltaic front sandstones.(author)

The petroleum system of the lower Palaeozoic strata in the central part of the Baltic basin

Science.gov (United States)

Lazauskiene, Jurga; Zdanaviciute, Onyte

2013-04-01

The Baltic Basin is an intra-cratonic sedimentary basin with conspicuous Early Palaeozoic sections. In terms of hydrocarbon prospectively, the it has been perceived as a classical oil basin with several tens of relatively small oil and gas fields occur there over a wide stratigraphic interval, ranging from the crystalline basement through the entire Lower Palaeozoic succession. Until now conventional oil has been predominantly produced in the basin, i.e. only few conventional gas accumulations have been found in the Polish Baltic Sea offshore. Petroleum potential within the basin also is associated with Silurian reefogenic and carbonate build-ups. New organic geochemistry data as well revealed the potential for shale gas/oil in the basin. The analysis of the composition of the organic matter and crude oils from Kaliningrad region (Russia) and Lithuanian revealed genesis and the general trends of the migration of hydrocarbons in the Baltic Basin. The organic matter of the source rocks is of similar composition and represents typical marine type II, showing considerable variations of the maturity thought the basin: ranging from immature in the eastern Lithuania and Kaliningrad region of Russia to oil window to the south-west. In some places the anomalously high maturity of organic matter, indicating the lower part of the wet gas/condensate window have been recorded, most probably being related to the locally increased paleo-temperatures. Oils of the Baltic Basin have low densities (Oils of the Baltic Basin are not biodegraded, despite their early emplacement (e.g. by the Lower Palaeozoic age) and the relatively low present reservoir temperatures. Results of biomarker and stable carbon isotope analyses allow three genetic oil groups to be distinguished in the Kaliningrad region. These oils appear to be confined to tectonically distinct areas suggesting that the hydrocarbons were derived from different kitchens. The hydrocarbon generation in the Baltic Basin started by

Paleogeographic changes across the Pennsylvanian-Permian boundary within the Mid-Continent (USA) inferred from detrital zircon geochronology of continental deposits

Science.gov (United States)

Soreghan, M. J.; Soreghan, G. S.

2017-12-01

The Permo-Pennsylvanian was characterized by intense orogenesis associated with Pangaean assembly, and profound climate shifts as earth transitioned from full icehouse conditions in the Pennsylvanian-early Permian to collapse into greenhouse conditions by latest Permian time. The modern U.S. Midcontinent was part of equatorial western Pangaea (North America) sandwiched between a continental-scale orogenic zone to the east and south (Appalachian-Ouachita-Marathon orogenic belt) and a series of basement-cored, intra-plate uplifts along western Pangaea (Ancestral Rocky Mountains). Here, we present a compilation of detrital zircon geochronology data from the Permo-Pennsylvanian of the Midcontinent as well as coeval strata of the east and west to explore sediment dispersal and potential tectonic and climatic influences on these provenance signatures. Zircon provenance data come from mostly eolian and fluvial silt- and sandstones of Early Pennsylvanian through Mid Permian age, although some data include marine sandstones. Our new data were acquired by LA-ICPMS at the University of Arizona Laserchron, and predominant age groups include >2500 Ma (Archean), 1600-1800 Ma (Yavapai-Matzatzal), 1300-900 Ma (Grenville), 790-570 Ma (Neoproterozoic), and 480-360 (E-M Paleozoic). However, the relative distributions of these populations exhibit distinctive temporal differences, especially across the Pennsylvanian-Permian boundary, but also spatially in comparison to published data from the Appalachian-Ouachita-Marathon basin, Ancestral Rocky Mountain basins, and the western Pangaean margin. Although the Central Pangaean Mountains, and in particular the Grenville-age basement rocks, were a dominant source of sediment to the Midcontinent, the data suggest an abrupt introduction of Neoproterozoic zircons in the early Permian. This signature also appears within the Ancestral Rocky Mountains region, but is rare along the western margin and the Appalachian basin in the early Permian. This

Refining the chronostratigraphy of the Karoo Basin, South Africa: magnetostratigraphic constraints support an early Permian age for the Ecca Group

Science.gov (United States)

Belica, Mercedes E.; Tohver, Eric; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Flint, Stephen; Parra-Avila, Luis A.; Lanci, Luca; Denyszyn, Steven; Pisarevsky, Sergei A.

2017-12-01

The Beaufort Group of the Karoo Basin, South Africa provides an important chrono- and biostratigraphic record of vertebrate turnovers that have been attributed to the end-Permian mass extinction events at ca. 252 and 260 Ma. However, an unresolved controversy exists over the age of the Beaufort Group due to a large data set of published U-Pb SHRIMP (Sensitive High Resolution Ion Microprobe) zircon results that indicate a ca. 274-250 Ma age range for deposition of the underlying Ecca Group. This age range requires the application of a highly diachronous sedimentation model to the Karoo Basin stratigraphy and is not supported by published palaeontologic and palynologic data. This study tested the strength of these U-Pb isotopic data sets using a magnetostratigraphic approach. Here, we present a composite ∼1500 m section through a large part of the Ecca Group from the Tanqua depocentre, located in the southwestern segment of the Karoo Basin. After the removal of two normal polarity overprints, a likely primary magnetic signal was isolated at temperatures above 450 °C. This section is restricted to a reverse polarity, indicating that it formed during the Kiaman Reverse Superchron (ca. 318-265 Ma), a distinctive magnetostratigraphic marker for early-middle Permian rocks. The Ecca Group has a corresponding palaeomagnetic pole at 40.8°S, 77.4°E (A95 = 5.5°). U-Pb SHRIMP ages on zircons are presented here for comparison with prior isotopic studies of the Ecca Group. A weighted mean U-Pb age of 269.5 ± 1.2 Ma was determined from a volcanic ash bed located in the uppermost Tierberg Formation sampled from the O + R1 research core. The age is interpreted here as a minimum constraint due to a proposed Pb-loss event that has likely influenced a number of published results. A comparison with the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale as well as published U-Pb TIMS ages from the overlying Beaufort Group supports a ca. 290-265 Ma age for deposition of the Ecca Group.

Insuring Water Sustainability for Resource Extraction in the New Mexico Permian Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Lowry, T. S.; Schuhen, M. D.; Lofton, O. W.; Walker, L. T. N.; Johnson, P. B.; Land, L. A.; Herrell, D.

2017-12-01

Advancements in directional drilling and well completion technologies have resulted in an exponential growth in the use of hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas extraction. Within the New Mexico portion of the Permian Basin (see figure), water demand to complete each hydraulically fractured well is estimated to average 7.3 acre-feet (2.4 million gallons), which has resulted in an increase in the regional water demand of over 5000 acre-feet per year. The rise in demand along with proposed rule changes that govern the regulation and management of hydraulic fracturing on Federal and Indian lands (40 CFS 3160) has created concern as to the regions ability to meet the demand in a manner that can sustainably meet the needs of the variety of water users and other stakeholders in the region while also protecting human health and the environment. Funded by the Bureau of Land Management who is charged with managing the regions water resources on Federal lands, this project is addressing those concerns using a multi-disciplinary approach that synthesizes data collection, field verification, and system dynamics (SD) modeling to better understand the dynamics of the regional water supply and demand under different management, policy, and growth scenarios. The scientific challenge has been in bringing together disparate data in a manner that exposes the temporal and spatial dynamics of the regional water supply in the context of increasing demands and changing policy and management scenarios. Field verification and testing activities are used to evaluate existing borehole data to insure that the data are accurate and up to date. The SD model simulates forecasted increases in drilling activity and water demand relative to each water source to identify areas that are most vulnerable and to estimate risk to water sustainability. Key to this is the models ability to seamlessly handle uncertainty such that it produces probabilistic outputs that allow decision makers to explore and

A high resolution magnetostratigraphic profile across the Permian-Triassic boundary in the Southern Sydney Basin, eastern Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Belica, M. E.; Tohver, E.; Nicoll, R.; Denyszyn, S. W.; Pisarevsky, S.; George, A. D.

2016-12-01

The Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) is associated with the largest mass extinction in Phanerozoic geologic history. Despite several decades of intense study, there is ongoing debate regarding the exact timing of extinction and the global correlation of marine and terrestrial P-T sections. The terrestrial record is hampered by a lack of index fossils; however, magnetostratigraphy offers an opportunity for correlation because it relies on the global synchronicity of magnetic reversals. A magnetostratigraphic profile across the Permian-Triassic boundary has been obtained from a stratigraphically continuous terrestrial section in the Southern Sydney Basin of eastern Australia. The 60 m section is located within the Narrabeen Group, which consists of fluvial to lacustrine sandstones and mudstones. Paleomagnetic samples were collected at one meter intervals to determine a detailed reversal record. Samples were stepwise thermally demagnetized to isolate a primary remanence, and magnetic susceptibility was measured in the field at 30 cm intervals with values ranging from -0.047-2.50 (10-3 SI units). Three normal and three reverse magnetozones were detected after removal of a low temperature overprint, and the results show good agreement with the Global Magnetic Polarity Timescale as well as marine Permian-Triassic sections where the PTB is well constrained. Furthermore, a reverse polarity subchron has been identified within the normal magnetozone spanning the PTB similar to results published from the Netherlands and China. The magnetic stratigraphy suggests that the Narrabeen Group was deposited during the late Changhsingian to early Induan, and provides a revised placement of the PTB in the lower Wombarra Claystone. Integration of the magnetostratigraphy with existing isotopic datasets suggests that the terrestrial extinction in eastern Australia occurred 7.5 m below the PTB in the Changhsingian Coalcliff Sandstone. A tuff within a coal seam underlying the Coalcliff

Triassic oils and related hydrocarbon kitchens in the Adriatic basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Novelli, L.; Demaison, G. (AGIP, Milan (Italy))

1988-08-01

Without exception, the oils from both the Abruzzi basin and Albanian foredeep are of lower Liassic to Upper Triassic origin. This is demonstrated by biological marker-based correlations between the oils and stratigraphically controlled, carbonate-rich source rocks. The biomarker studies also provided proof to conclude that many of the oils possess low API gravities and high sulfur contents because they are immature rather than biodegraded. Following the geochemical investigations, a computer-aided, basinwise maturation simulation of the hydrocarbon kitchens was carried out, with backstripping in geologic time. The simulations, performed with the Tissot-Espitalie kinetic model, used basin-specific kerogen activation energies obtained by the optimum method. These simulated values were calibrated with observed values in deep wells. Two characteristics diverge from normal petroleum basin situations (e.g., the North Sea basin): sulfur-rich kerogens in the source rocks, featuring relatively low activation energy distributions, and low geothermal gradients in the subsurface. The geographic outlines of simulated Triassic-lower Liassic hydrocarbon kitchens closely coincide with the zones of petroleum occurrence and production in the Adriatic basin. Furthermore, API gravities of the oils are broadly predicted by the mathematical simulations. This methodology has once again shown its ability to rationally high-grade the petroleum-rich sectors of sedimentary basin while identifying those areas where chances of success are extremely low regardless of the presence of structures.

Stratigraphy and tectonics of Permo-Triassic basins in the Netherlands and surrounding areas

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geluk, M.C.

2005-01-01

This thesis addresses different aspects of the geological development during the Permian and Triassic (300 to 200 Ma) of the Netherlands and surrounding areas. The study area encompasses the Southern Permian Basin (SPB), a large intracratonic basin stretched out from the United Kingdom in the west

The age of the Tunas formation in the Sauce Grande basin-Ventana foldbelt (Argentina): Implications for the Permian evolution of the southwestern margin of Gondwana

Science.gov (United States)

López-Gamundí, Oscar; Fildani, Andrea; Weislogel, Amy; Rossello, Eduardo

2013-08-01

New SHRIMP radiogenic isotope dating on zircons in tuffs (280.8 ± 1.9 Ma) confirms the Early Permian (Artinskian) age of the uppermost section of the Tunas Formation. Tuff-rich levels in the Tunas Formation are exposed in the Ventana foldbelt of central Argentina; they are part of a deltaic to fluvial section corresponding to the late overfilled stage of the Late Paleozoic Sauce Grande foreland basin. Recent SHRIMP dating of zircons from the basal Choiyoi volcanics exposed in western Argentina yielded an age of 281.4 ± 2.5 Ma (Rocha-Campos et al., 2011). The new data for the Tunas tuffs suggest that the volcanism present in the Sauce Grande basin can be considered as the distal equivalent of the earliest episodes of the Choiyoi volcanism of western Argentina. From the palaeoclimatic viewpoint the new Tunas SHRIMP age confirms that by early Artinskian glacial conditions ceased in the Sauce Grande basin and, probably, in adajacent basins in western Gondwana.

Value of the principles of ''isolation of basins and their boundaries'' and ''isolation of basins and elevations'' in prospecting for oil and gas in the oil and gas basin of China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chzhan, V.; Li, Yu.; Se, M.

1982-01-01

A feature of the Chinese oil and gas basins is their fracturing into a large number (to several dozen in one oil and gas basin) isolated basins which are controlled by fault disorders. In these basins in which thick masses of Mesozoic and mainly Cenozoic sedimentary rocks are developed, the main volumes of source rocks are concentrated. Migration of hydrocarbons usually occurs to short distances not exceeding tens of kilometers. From the experience of prospecting and exploration back in the 1950's it was established that thick masses in the central zones of the basins are favorable for processes of hydrocarbon generation, while accumulation occurs in the elevated peripheral parts of the basins and in the regions of the central elevations. The zones of articulation of the central elevations and the edges of the basins are very promising for prospecting for local structures. Examples of large fields which are subordinate to these laws are the largest oil fields in China, Lyakhoe, Dagan and Shenli which are located along the edges of the Bokhayvan basin in the North Chinese oil and gas basin and the Datsin field which is confined to the central elevation of the Sunlyao basin.

Oil geochemistry of the Putumayo basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramon, J.C

1996-01-01

Bio marker fingerprinting of 2O crude oils from Putumayo Basin, Colombia, shows a vertical segregation of oil families. The Lower Cretaceous reservoirs (Caballos and 'U' Villeta sands) contain oils that come from a mixture of marine and terrestrial organic matter, deposited in a marginal, 'oxic' marine setting. The Upper Cretaceous ('T' and N ' sands) and Tertiary reservoirs contain oils with marine algal input deposited in a reducing, carbonate-rich environment. Lithology, environmental conditions and organic matter type of source rocks as predicted from oil bio marker differences correspond to organic composition of two Cretaceous source rocks. Vertical heterogeneity in the oils, even those from single wells, suggests the presence of two isolated petroleum systems. Hydrocarbons from Lower Cretaceous source rocks charged Lower Cretaceous reservoirs whereas oils from Upper Cretaceous source rocks charged Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary reservoirs. Oil migration from mature source rocks into multiple reservoirs has been stratigraphically up dip along the regional sandstone units and vertical migration through faults has been limited. Bio marker maturity parameters indicate that all oils were generated from early thermal maturity oil window

Paleoecological and paleoenvironmental changes during the continental Middle-Late Permian transition at the SE Iberian Ranges, Spain

Science.gov (United States)

De la Horra, R.; Galán-Abellán, A. B.; López-Gómez, J.; Sheldon, N. D.; Barrenechea, J. F.; Luque, F. J.; Arche, A.; Benito, M. I.

2012-08-01

The Middle and Late Permian are characterized by a pair of mass-extinction events that are recorded in both marine and continental environments. Here, we present the first continental western peri-Tethyan record of an extinction event located in the Middle-Late interval. In the SE Iberian Ranges, Central Spain, the transition between the Lower and Middle subunits of the Middle Permian Alcotas Formation indicates a significant paleoclimatic change from arid and semiarid conditions towards more humid conditions. Coincident with the onset of humid conditions there were changes in the sedimentology, mineralogy, and geochemistry that indicate significant environmental changes including a shift in weathering intensity and a change of fluvial style from braided to meandering systems. Near the top of the Middle Subunit, a local biotic crisis is recorded by palynomorph assemblages. Following this crisis, there is a total absence of coal beds, plant remains, and microflora that defines a barren zone in the uppermost part of the Alcotas Formation which is recorded throughout the basin. The barren zone is accompanied by a shift back to braided stream systems, but not by a return to carbonate-bearing paleosols indicative of arid or semi-arid conditions. This combination of features is consistent with other Middle-Late continental basins related with mass extinctions, so the barren zone is interpreted as the extinction interval. The regional character of the extinction interval and its proximity with the Middle-Late Permian transition could be related with the global mid-Capitanian biotic turnover described in this period of time in other marine basins. However, the common difficulties of dating with precision non-marine rocks make this relationship difficult to probe in the Iberian Basin and in other Middle-Late Permian basins. Further work, including high resolution carbon-isotope analyses and complete studies of the magnetostratigraphy, should be desirable in order to obtain

Irradiation of quartz grains - a new method of sedimentological analysis applied to Permian - Carboniferous arenites in the Maranhao Basin - Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmo Faria Junior, L.E. do

1980-01-01

The quartz grains of sediments and sedimentary rocks change their colour in variable intensity to smoky-quartz by X-ray irradiation, Co 60 or in reactors, dependent on their temperature of cristallization. The quantity of quartz grains which were stained and which were not stained after being irradiated are related to rock types from the source areas. This method was applied for selected sandstones of different stratigraphical levels of the Permian-Carboniferous in the Maranhao Basin of Brazil. Studeis on heavy minerals of these sandstones have been done before. The heavy mineral associations of the Permian Pedra de Fogo Formation corroborate the results of the analysis of quartz grains which indicate a predominance of the metamorphic rocks in the source area. However, the heavy mineral parageneses of the Carboniferous Piaui Formation are different. This may be because the frequency of those heavy minerals depend directly on the stage of the weathering of the sandstones. It should be mentioned that heavy minerals occur in paleozoic sediments only in a small quantity, sometimes below 1% of the rock constitution. The irradiation analysis, which is applied for the predominant mineral in sandstones, appears to be most reliable. It is used here as the basis for the interpretations presented. (Author) [pt

Prolonged Permian–Triassic ecological crisis recorded by molluscan dominance in Late Permian offshore assemblages

Science.gov (United States)

Clapham, Matthew E.; Bottjer, David J.

2007-01-01

The end-Permian mass extinction was the largest biotic crisis in the history of animal life, eliminating as many as 95% of all species and dramatically altering the ecological structure of marine communities. Although the causes of this pronounced ecosystem shift have been widely debated, the broad consensus based on inferences from global taxonomic diversity patterns suggests that the shift from abundant brachiopods to dominant molluscs was abrupt and largely driven by the catastrophic effects of the end-Permian mass extinction. Here we analyze relative abundance counts of >33,000 fossil individuals from 24 silicified Middle and Late Permian paleocommunities, documenting a substantial ecological shift to numerical dominance by molluscs in the Late Permian, before the major taxonomic shift at the end-Permian mass extinction. This ecological change was coincident with the development of fluctuating anoxic conditions in deep marine basins, suggesting that numerical dominance by more tolerant molluscs may have been driven by variably stressful environmental conditions. Recognition of substantial ecological deterioration in the Late Permian also implies that the end-Permian extinction was the climax of a protracted environmental crisis. Although the Late Permian shift to molluscan dominance was a pronounced ecological change, quantitative counts of 847 Carboniferous–Cretaceous collections from the Paleobiology Database indicate that it was only the first stage in a stepwise transition that culminated with the final shift to molluscan dominance in the Late Jurassic. Therefore, the ecological transition from brachiopods to bivalves was more protracted and complex than their simple Permian–Triassic switch in diversity. PMID:17664426

Emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from oil and natural gas activities: compositional comparison of 13 major shale basins via NOAA airborne measurements

Science.gov (United States)

Gilman, J.; Lerner, B. M.; Aikin, K. C.; De Gouw, J. A.; Koss, A.; Yuan, B.; Warneke, C.; Peischl, J.; Ryerson, T. B.; Holloway, J. S.; Graus, M.; Tokarek, T. W.; Isaacman-VanWertz, G. A.; Sueper, D.; Worsnop, D. R.

2015-12-01

The recent and unprecedented increase in natural gas production from shale formations is associated with a rise in the production of non-methane volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including natural gas plant liquids (e.g., ethane, propane, and butanes) and liquid lease condensate (e.g., pentanes, hexanes, aromatics and cycloalkanes). Since 2010, the production of natural gas liquids and the amount of natural gas vented/flared has increased by factors of ~1.28 and 1.57, respectively (U.S. Energy and Information Administration), indicating an increasingly large potential source of hydrocarbons to the atmosphere. Emission of VOCs may affect local and regional air quality due to the potential to form tropospheric ozone and organic particles as well as from the release of toxic species such as benzene and toluene. The 2015 Shale Oil and Natural Gas Nexus (SONGNex) campaign studied emissions from oil and natural gas activities across the central United States in order to better understand their potential air quality and climate impacts. Here we present VOC measurements from 19 research flights aboard the NOAA WP-3D over 11 shale basins across 8 states. Non-methane hydrocarbons were measured using an improved whole air sampler (iWAS) with post-flight analysis via a custom-built gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The whole air samples are complimented by higher-time resolution measurements of methane (Picarro spectrometer), ethane (Aerodyne spectrometer), and VOCs (H3O+ chemical ionization mass spectrometer). Preliminary analysis show that the Permian Basin on the New Mexico/Texas border had the highest observed VOC mixing ratios for all basins studied. We will utilize VOC enhancement ratios to compare the composition of methane and VOC emissions for each basin and the associated reactivities of these gases with the hydroxyl radical, OH, as a proxy for potential ozone formation.

Environmental characterization of bedded salt formations and overlying areas of the Permian Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-07-01

This report constitutes one input to the first stage of site qualification studies. It presents a general environmental characterization of the region that is underlain by the Permian bedded salt formation. The formation covers portions of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. The Permian bedded salt formation is one of a number of deep, stable geologic formations being studied for potential locations for nuclear waste repositories. These studies will not necessarily lead to selection of a site. They are intended only to provide information necessary to evaluate the suitability of locations for repositories. The report is intended as a general characterization of the existing environmental setting of the Permian Region with emphasis on land, water, and air characteristics; resources; plant and animal life; and man's organizations and activities. The report provides background information about the role that this regional study will play in the overall plan for environmental impact assessments and statements deemed necessary as input to the decision-making process. Background information on the present concept of nuclear waste repository design and function is also included. The information presented in this report has been summarized from open literature readily accessible to the public. No field work was conducted nor new data used in developing the descriptions contained herein

Histograms showing variations in oil yield, water yield, and specific gravity of oil from Fischer assay analyses of oil-shale drill cores and cuttings from the Piceance Basin, northwestern Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Dietrich, John D.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Johnson, Ronald C.; Mercier, Tracey J.

2014-01-01

Recent studies indicate that the Piceance Basin in northwestern Colorado contains over 1.5 trillion barrels of oil in place, making the basin the largest known oil-shale deposit in the world. Previously published histograms display oil-yield variations with depth and widely correlate rich and lean oil-shale beds and zones throughout the basin. Histograms in this report display oil-yield data plotted alongside either water-yield or oil specific-gravity data. Fischer assay analyses of core and cutting samples collected from exploration drill holes penetrating the Eocene Green River Formation in the Piceance Basin can aid in determining the origins of those deposits, as well as estimating the amount of organic matter, halite, nahcolite, and water-bearing minerals. This report focuses only on the oil yield plotted against water yield and oil specific gravity.

Primary migration of Jurassic coal-derived oil in Santanghu basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, W.; Zhong, N.; Ren, D. [China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing (China). Dept of Resource Exploitation Engineering

2000-11-01

It is known that the differential evolution of the multiple macerals results in 'oil generation by stage', and that 'early generation, early expulsion' is one of the preconditions for the efficient accumulation of the coal-derived oil. Based upon the study on the evolution of the physical properties, related to the hydrocarbon expulsion, of the Jurassic organic rock in Santanghu basin during the course of maturation, the mechanism of the primary migration of its coal-derived oil was discussed. The rapid loss of the inherent moisture in the organic rock was not accordant with the main generation stage of the coal-derived oil, so it was unrealistic that the oil migrated by dissolution in the expelled water. It is thought that the special forming mechanism of the continuous 'bitumen network' under the condition of over-pressure and an earlier history of primary migration may be essential to the Jurassic coal-derived oil in Santanghu basin. 17 refs., 4 figs.

Potential evaluation of CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery of tight oil reservoir in the Ordos Basin, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Xiaofeng; Cheng, Linsong; Cao, Renyi; Zhang, Miaoyi; Guo, Qiang; Wang, Yimin; Zhang, Jian; Cui, Yu

2015-07-01

Carbon -di-oxide (CO2) is regarded as the most important greenhouse gas to accelerate climate change and ocean acidification. The Chinese government is seeking methods to reduce anthropogenic CO2 gas emission. CO2 capture and geological storage is one of the main methods. In addition, injecting CO2 is also an effective method to replenish formation energy in developing tight oil reservoirs. However, exiting methods to estimate CO2 storage capacity are all based on the material balance theory. This was absolutely correct for normal reservoirs. However, as natural fractures widely exist in tight oil reservoirs and majority of them are vertical ones, tight oil reservoirs are not close. Therefore, material balance theory is not adaptive. In the present study, a new method to calculate CO2 storage capacity is presented. The CO2 effective storage capacity, in this new method, consisted of free CO2, CO2 dissolved in oil and CO2 dissolved in water. Case studies of tight oil reservoir from Ordos Basin was conducted and it was found that due to far lower viscosity of CO2 and larger solubility in oil, CO2 could flow in tight oil reservoirs more easily. As a result, injecting CO2 in tight oil reservoirs could obviously enhance sweep efficiency by 24.5% and oil recovery efficiency by 7.5%. CO2 effective storage capacity of Chang 7 tight oil reservoir in Longdong area was 1.88 x 10(7) t. The Chang 7 tight oil reservoir in Ordos Basin was estimated to be 6.38 x 10(11) t. As tight oil reservoirs were widely distributed in Songliao Basin, Sichuan Basin and so on, geological storage capacity of CO2 in China is potential.

Generation and migration of Bitumen and oil from the oil shale interval of the Eocene Green River formation, Uinta Basin, Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Mercier, Tracey J.

2016-01-01

The results from the recent U.S. Geological Survey assessment of in-place oil shale resources of the Eocene Green River Formation, based primarily on the Fischer assay method, are applied herein to define areas where the oil shale interval is depleted of some of its petroleum-generating potential along the deep structural trough of the basin and to make: (1) a general estimates of the amount of this depletion, and (2) estimate the total volume of petroleum generated. Oil yields (gallons of oil per ton of rock, GPT) and in-place oil (barrels of oil per acre, BPA) decrease toward the structural trough of the basin, which represents an offshore lacustrine area that is believed to have originally contained greater petroleum-generating potential than is currently indicated by measured Fischer assay oil yields. Although this interval is considered to be largely immature for oil generation based on vitrinite reflectance measurements, the oil shale interval is a likely source for the gilsonite deposits and much of the tar sands in the basin. Early expulsion of petroleum may have occurred due to the very high organic carbon content and oil-prone nature of the Type I kerogen present in Green River oil shale. In order to examine the possible sources and migration pathways for the tar sands and gilsonite deposits, we have created paleogeographic reconstructions of several oil shale zones in the basin as part of this study.

The evolution of a Late Cretaceous-Cenozoic intraplate basin (Duaringa Basin), eastern Australia: evidence for the negative inversion of a pre-existing fold-thrust belt

Science.gov (United States)

Babaahmadi, Abbas; Sliwa, Renate; Esterle, Joan; Rosenbaum, Gideon

2017-12-01

The Duaringa Basin in eastern Australia is a Late Cretaceous?-early Cenozoic sedimentary basin that developed simultaneously with the opening of the Tasman and Coral Seas. The basin occurs on the top of an earlier (Permian-Triassic) fold-thrust belt, but the negative inversion of this fold-thrust belt, and its contribution to the development of the Duaringa Basin, are not well understood. Here, we present geophysical datasets, including recently surveyed 2D seismic reflection lines, aeromagnetic and Bouguer gravity data. These data provide new insights into the structural style in the Duaringa Basin, showing that the NNW-striking, NE-dipping, deep-seated Duaringa Fault is the main boundary fault that controlled sedimentation in the Duaringa Basin. The major activity of the Duaringa Fault is observed in the southern part of the basin, where it has undergone the highest amount of displacement, resulting in the deepest and oldest depocentre. The results reveal that the Duaringa Basin developed in response to the partial negative inversion of the pre-existing Permian-Triassic fold-thrust belt, which has similar orientation to the extensional faults. The Duaringa Fault is the negative inverted part of a single Triassic thrust, known as the Banana Thrust. Furthermore, small syn-depositional normal faults at the base of the basin likely developed due to the reactivation of pre-existing foliations, accommodation faults, and joints associated with Permian-Triassic folds. In contrast to equivalent offshore basins, the Duaringa Basin lacks a complex structural style and thick syn-rift sediments, possibly because of the weakening of extensional stresses away from the developing Tasman Sea.

Oils and source rocks from the Anadarko Basin: Final report, March 1, 1985-March 15, 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Philp, R. P. [School of Geology and Geophysics, Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK (United States)

1996-11-01

The research project investigated various geochemical aspects of oils, suspected source rocks, and tar sands collected from the Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma. The information has been used, in general, to investigate possible sources for the oils in the basin, to study mechanisms of oil generation and migration, and characterization of depositional environments. The major thrust of the recent work involved characterization of potential source formations in the Basin in addition to the Woodford shale. The formations evaluated included the Morrow, Springer, Viola, Arbuckle, Oil Creek, and Sylvan shales. A good distribution of these samples was obtained from throughout the basin and were evaluated in terms of source potential and thermal maturity based on geochemical characteristics. The data were incorporated into a basin modelling program aimed at predicting the quantities of oil that could, potentially, have been generated from each formation. The study of crude oils was extended from our earlier work to cover a much wider area of the basin to determine the distribution of genetically-related oils, and whether or not they were derived from single or multiple sources, as well as attempting to correlate them with their suspected source formations. Recent studies in our laboratory also demonstrated the presence of high molecular weight components(C{sub 4}-C{sub 80}) in oils and waxes from drill pipes of various wells in the region. Results from such a study will have possible ramifications for enhanced oil recovery and reservoir engineering studies.

Geological characteristics and resource potentials of oil shale in Ordos Basin, Center China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yunlai, Bai; Yingcheng, Zhao; Long, Ma; Wu-jun, Wu; Yu-hu, Ma

2010-09-15

It has been shown that not only there are abundant oil, gas, coal, coal-bed gas, groundwater and giant uranium deposits but also there are abundant oil shale resources in Ordos basin. It has been shown also that the thickness of oil shale is, usually, 4-36m, oil-bearing 1.5%-13.7%, caloric value 1.66-20.98MJ/kg. The resource amount of oil shale with burial depth less than 2000 m is over 2000x108t (334). Within it, confirmed reserve is about 1x108t (121). Not only huge economic benefit but also precious experience in developing oil shale may be obtained in Ordos basin.

Composition of fluid inclusions in Permian salt beds, Palo Duro Basin, Texas, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Roedder, E.; d'Angelo, W. M.; Dorrzapf, A.F.; Aruscavage, P. J.

1987-01-01

Several methods have been developed and used to extract and chemically analyze the two major types of fluid inclusions in bedded salt from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. Data on the ratio K: Ca: Mg were obtained on a few of the clouds of tiny inclusions in "chevron" salt, representing the brines from which the salt originally crystallized. Much more complete quantitative data (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Sr, Cl, SO4 and Br) were obtained on ??? 120 individual "large" (mostly ???500 ??m on an edge, i.e., ??? ??? 1.6 ?? 10-4 g) inclusions in recrystallized salt. These latter fluids have a wide range of compositions, even in a given piece of core, indicating that fluids of grossly different composition were present in these salt beds during the several (?) stages of recrystallization. The analytical results indicating very large inter-and intra-sample chemical variation verify the conclusion reached earlier, from petrography and microthermometry, that the inclusion fluids in salt and their solutes are generally polygenetic. The diversity in composition stems from the combination of a variety of sources for the fluids (Permian sea, meteoric, and groundwater, as well as later migrating ground-, formation, or meteoric waters of unknown age), and a variety of subsequent geochemical processes of dissolution, precipitation and rock-water interaction. The compositional data are frequently ambiguous but do provide constraints and may eventually yield a coherent history of the events that produced these beds. Such an understanding of the past history of the evaporite sequence of the Palo Duro Basin should help in predicting the future role of the fluids in the salt if a nuclear waste repository is sited there. ?? 1987.

Integrating petroleum and sulfur data to map the Guadalupian-Ochoan (Middle to Upper Permian) Boundary of the Delaware Basis, Trans-Pecos, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Dishron, Joseph B.

2011-12-01

The Delaware Basin of the Permian Basin is a classic intra-cratonic basin of West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. Hydrocarbon exploration and production have occurred in the region since the early 1920s, and, as a result, the formations related to these oil and gas reserves have been studied in great detail. Some formations in the Delaware Basin, however, have not been studied in such detail, and this thesis examines one, lesser-known unit that could have economic potential. The Lamar Limestone (Lamar Lime) of the Bell Canyon Formation has commonly been dismissed as a production interval; rather, it has been described as a source and seal rock for the Ramsey Sand of the lower Bell Canyon Formation. However, recent studies found that the Lamar Lime was contributing to production, and it has been described by Trentham (2006) as a potentia "mini Barnett" reservoir. The depths of these deposits are in a range that is ideal for oil accumulation. This study made use of data from wells and test holes drilled in the western Delaware Basin, Culberson County, Texas. Many oil and gas wells have been drilled in the western Delaware Basin, but they are concentrated in the north and east portions of Culberson County. In addition, sulfur wells were drilled in the area in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Analyses of the well logs of these wells and of core and outcrop studies were completed to gain a better understanding of the distribution and economic potential of the Lamar. Both datasets were combined to provide information not readily available in the oil and gas dataset. The Lamar Lime is an excellent marker bed because it underlies thick evaporites. The evaporite sequences are Ochoan in age, and, therefore, the contact of the Lamar Lime (Bell Canyon Formation) and the Castile Formation is the approximate boundary for the Guadalupian-Ochoan Series. The Castile Formation, the Salado Formation, and the Rustler Formation (from oldest to youngest) are the evaporite units that

Review of oil families and their petroleum systems of the Williston Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Lillis, Paul G.

2013-01-01

The petroleum system concept was first applied in 1974 (Dow/Williams) to identify three oil systems in the Williston Basin, and recent studies have expanded the number to at least nine. This paper reviews the petroleum geochemistry, oil-oil, and oil-source correlations of the oil systems of the Williston Basin, providing a new perspective and some new findings. Petroleum systems with a known source (documented oil-source correlation) include the Red River (Ordovician), Winnipegosis (Devonian), Bakken (Devonian-Mississippian), Madison (Mississippian), and Tyler (Pennsylvanian) systems. Petroleum systems with an identified source rock but no documented oil-source correlation are considered hypothetical and include the Winnipeg (Ordovician), Duperow (Devonian), and Birdbear (Devonian). The Deadwood (Cambrian-Ordovician) petroleum system is speculative because a good oil-prone source rock has not been identified. The stratigraphic distribution of the oil families from each system is generally limited to the same formation from which they were sourced due to efficient seals and a paucity of vertical migration pathways, but some notable exceptions do occur.

Paleomagnetism and Magnetostratigraphy of Upper Permian to Lower Triassic (?) Beaufort Group Strata at Bethulie, Karoo Basin, Free State Province, South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Geissman, J. W.; Gastaldo, R. A.; Neveling, J.; Makubalo, S.

2017-12-01

A multifaceted approach to understand the timing of interpreted environmental changes during the Late Permian to possibly Early Triassic (?) time in the Beaufort Group strata of the Karoo Basin includes work to establish robust magnetic polarity records for sections previously interpreted to encompass end-Permian extinction events. Demonstrating the preservation of an early-acquired remanence (RM) in Karoo strata is required for a robust magnetostratigraphy. Yet, this is challenging due to thermochemical effects related to the Early Jurassic (ca. 183 Ma) Karoo Large Igneous Province (LIP), and the NE to SW increase in burial diagenesis attending Cape Fold Belt tectonism. Documentation of a primary RM in these strata, which appears to be preserved in some areas, requires careful laboratory- and field-based assessment. We report data from 53 sites collected at the well-studied Bethulie section, Free State Province, in which several samples per individual horizon to assess ChRM uniformity. Strata well-removed from dikes yield both normal and reverse polarity ChRM. It is always the case that the first-removed RM is a NNW seeking, moderate to steep negative-inclination ChRM (normal polarity); NRM intensities are typically 1 to 5 mA/m. Sites BT15 and BT21, which are located in strata lying some 4 m below the often-cited "event bed" interval inferred to be the terrestrial expression of the Permian/Triassic boundary, is dominated by a well-defined reverse RM with a normal overprint RM unblocked below 400oC, implying elevated temperatures (i.e., 100 to 250oC+) for ca. 1 Ma (+/-). Contact tests are positive but complicated. Host strata collected in distances equal to or less than 1-2 dike widths from the intrusions have been thermally remagnetized and demonstrate high NRM intensities (> 50 mA/m). Collectively, we interpret these data to indicate that any ChRM, with the exception of those from host strata in baked contacts, that persists above Tlub of 425oC is pre-Karoo LIP

Sedimentary architecture and palaeogeography of lower Slochteren Aeolian cycles from the Rotliegend desert-lake margin (Permian), the Markham area, Southern North Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Belt, F.J.G. van den; Hulten, F.F.N. van

2011-01-01

The Rotliegend gas play in the Southern Permian Basin has yielded over 200 gas fields in the Netherlands; they are found in an E-W fairway along the southern flank of the basin. Sandstones generally pinch out basinward, but localized, isolated sands are present north of the main fairway. The

Deposition and alteration of carbonaceous series within a Neotethyan rift at the western boundary of the Arabian plate: The late Permian Um Irna Formation, NW Jordan, a petroleum system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dill, H.G.; Kus, J. [Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources, P.O. Box 51 01 53 D-30631 Hannover (Germany); Bechtel, A.; Gratzer, R. [Department of Applied Geosciences and Geophysics, University of Leoben, Peter Tunner Strasse 5, A-8700 Leoben (Austria); Abu Hamad, A.M.B. [Geology Department, University of Jordan, Amman 11942 (Jordan)

2010-01-07

During the late Permian (Kungurian to Kazanian) a Neotethyan rift basin evolved at the western boundary of the Arabian Plate, in what is called today the Dead Sea Valley of western Jordan. The break-up of Pangaea was accompanied by low-sinuosity sandy braided- to meandering-fluvial drainage systems which were fed by the uplift of the Arabian Shield and by poorly aerated swamps and ponds that concentrated plant debris of the Cathaysian floral province in the Um Irna Formation. These proximal wet fan sediments are overlain by a dry fan characterized by extensive reddish floodplain deposits, anastomosing channel systems and paleosols. The wet fan is underlain by Cambrian sandstones. These units serve as the top and bottom seals of the OM-bearing system of the Um Irna Formation. The sedimentary rocks of the OM-bearing Um Irna Formation underwent supergene, diagenetic and epigenetic hydrothermal alteration under an elevated geothermal gradient. The temperature increased from the time of deposition of the wet to the time of deposition of the dry fan and caused remobilization of manganese already pre-concentrated in the Cambrian footwall rocks of the rift basin. The anomalous heat regime may be accounted for as a predecessor stage of the Dead Sea Rift which is still active today. Oil seeps are found along faults and fractures near this deep-seated lineamentary fault zone. The deposition and alteration of the organic matter in this late Permian rift are of great consequence for oil generation in the region. Organic petrographic investigations revealed that organic-rich terrestrial carbonaceous and coal rich sediments of mainly of type III kerogen are dominant in the Um Irna Formation. In addition, aquatic liptinite rich sedimentary input (fresh water lake and/or lacustrine swamp) of type I kerogen is also noted. Coal derived organic matter occurs in the form of coaly particles with ranks from subbituminous A to high volatile bituminous C. Higher plant-derived macerals as

Physicochemical analysis of Permian coprolites from Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigues, M. I. C.; da Silva, J. H.; Santos, F. Eroni P.; Dentzien-Dias, P.; Cisneros, J. C.; de Menezes, A. S.; Freire, P. T. C.; Viana, B. C.

2018-01-01

In this paper we performed the study of two coprolites (fossilized feces) collected from the exposed levels of the Pedra de Fogo Formation, Parnaiba Sedimentary Basin, and Rio do Rasto Formation, Paraná Sedimentary Basin, both of the Palaeozoic era (Permian age). They were characterized using X-ray diffractometry, infrared, Raman and energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques in order to aid our understanding of the processes of fossilization and to discuss issues related to the feeding habits of the animals which generated those coprolites, probably cartilaginous fishes. The results obtained using a multitechnique approach showed that although these coprolites are from different geological formations, 3000 km away from each other, they show the same major crystalline phases and elemental composition. The main phases found were hydroxyapatite, silica, calcite and hematite, which lead to infer that those coprolites were formed under similar conditions and produced by a similar group of carnivore or omnivore fishes.

Speculative petroleum systems of the Punta del Este Basin (offshore Uruguay

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Ethel Morales

Full Text Available ABSTRACT: The Uruguayan continental margin was generated as the result of the breakup of Gondwana and, later, the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, which began in the Jurassic. Three major areas of Meso-Cenozoic sedimentation are located in the Uruguayan offshore: the Punta del Este Basin, the southernmost sector of the Pelotas Basin and the Oriental del Plata Basin. These basins share the classical stages of tectono-sedimentary evolution of the other Atlantic basins, including the prerift (Paleozoic, rift (Jurassic-Early Cretaceous, transition (Barremian-Aptian and postrift (Aptian-present phases. Based on the analysis of basin evolution through seismic sections and well data as well as on the establishment of analogies with productive Atlantic basins, four speculative petroleum systems are proposed for the Punta del Este Basin: 1 Marine petroleum system of the prerift stage: Devonian/Permian-Devonian/Permian(?, 2 Lacustrine petroleum system of the synrift stage: Neocomian-Neocomian(?, 3 Marine petroleum system of the Cretaceous postrift: Aptian-Late Cretaceous(?, 4 Marine petroleum system of the Cenozoic postrift: Paleocene-Paleogene/Neogene(?.

An Early Permian epithermal gold system in the Tulasu Basin in North Xinjiang, NW China: Constraints from in situ oxygen-sulfur isotopes and geochronology

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Leilei; Wan, Bo; Deng, Chen; Cai, Keda; Xiao, Wenjiao

2018-03-01

The Axi and Jingxi-Yelmand gold deposits, being the largest gold deposits in the Chinese North Tianshan, NW China, are located ca. l0 km apart in the Tulasu Basin, and are hosted by the Late Devonian - Early Carboniferous Dahalajunshan Formation. In situ LA-ICP-MS titanium analyses on quartz from the Axi and Jingxi-Yelmand deposits are broadly identical. Accordingly, the calculated ore-forming temperatures by Ti-in-quartz thermometer give average temperatures of 279 °C and 294 °C, respectively. Results of in situ SIMS analyses of oxygen and sulfur isotopes on quartz and pyrite from these two deposits are similar. Temperature-corrected fluids of the Axi deposit have δ18O values of 2.6-8.1‰ and δ34S values of 0.8-2.4‰, whereas the fluids of the Jingxi-Yelmand deposit have δ18O of 6.4-8.9‰ and δ34S of -0.4 to 4.0‰. The oxygen and sulfur isotopes from the two deposits indicate a magmatic origin. LA-ICP-MS zircon U-Pb ages of Aqialehe Formation sandstone provided a lower limit for the mineralization timing of the Axi deposit (288 Ma). In situ SIMS U-Pb analyses on entrapped zircon (297 Ma) and newly recognized 284.5 Ma columnar rhyolite implies that the Jingxi-Yelmand deposit formed in the Early Permian. Based on the magmatic affinity of the ore fluids, similar age and ore-formation temperatures, we propose that the Axi and Jingxi-Yelmand deposits comprise an epithermal gold system, which was driven by the same Permian magma in the Tulasu Basin. The ore geological features together with our new results indicate that the Axi and Jingxi-Yelmand deposits are intermediate and high sulfidation type epithermal deposits, respectively.

Subsurface Permian reef complexes of southern Tunisia: Shelf carbonate setting and paleogeographic implications

Science.gov (United States)

Zaafouri, Adel; Haddad, Sofiene; Mannaî-Tayech, Beya

2017-05-01

2-D seismic reflection sections, borehole data as well as published and unpublished data have been investigated to reconstruct the paleogeography of southern Tunisia during Middle to Late Permian times. Paleogeographical reconstruction based on the integration of petroleum well data and 2-D seismic facies interpretation shows three main depositional areas with very contrasting sedimentary pile. These are 1) a subsiding basin; 2) an outer shelf carbonate, and 3) an inner shelf carbonate. Based on typical electric responses of reef buildups to seismic wave, we shall urge that during Middle Permian times, the outer carbonate shelf was subject of reef barrier development. Lithology evidences from core samples show that reef framework correspond mainly to fossiliferous limestone and dolomite. The WNW-ESE recognized reef barrier led between latitudes 33° 10‧ 00″N and 33° 20‧ 00″N. The Tebaga of Medenine outcrop constitutes the northern-edge of this barrier. Westward it may be extended to Bir Soltane area whereas its extension eastward is still to be determined. Biogenic buildups took place preferentially over faulted Carboniferous and lower Paleozoic paleohighs resulting likely from the Hercynian orogeny. The subsiding basin is located north of Tebaga of Medenine outcrop where Upper Permian sedimentary sequence is made entirely of 4000 m deep marine green silty shale facies. These are ascribed to unorganized and chaotic reflectors. Inner carbonate shelf facies succession corresponds to a typical interbedding of shallow marine carbonate deposits, shale, dolomite, and anhydrite inducing parallel-layered of strong amplitude and good continuity reflectors. Also within the inner carbonate shelf patch reef or reef pinnacles have been identified based on their seismic signature particularly their low vertical development as compared to reef complexes. Southward, towards Sidi Toui area, the Upper Permian depositional sequence thins out and bears witness of land

Geologic implications of gas hydrates in the offshore of India: Krishna-Godavari Basin, Mahanadi Basin, Andaman Sea, Kerala-Konkan Basin

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Kumar, P.; Collett, T.S.; Boswell, R.; Cochran, J.R.; Lall, M.; Mazumdar, A.; Ramana, M.V.; Ramprasad, T.; Riedel, M.; Sain, K.; Sathe, A.V.; Vishwanath, K.; Yadav, U.S.

history of the Mahanadi Basin is similar to that of the Krishna-Godavari Basin. The Late Jurassic rift structures along the eastern margin of India cut across older NW-SE-trending Permian-Triassic Gondwana grabens including the Mahanadi and Pranhita...-Godavari grabens (Sastri et al., 1981). The Mahanadi graben appears to have a continuation in Antarctica as the Lambert graben (Federov et al., 1982). These structures served to delineate the fluvial drainage system throughout the evolution of the margin...

Deep-seated salt dissolution in the Delaware basin, Texas and New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anderson, R.Y.

1981-01-01

Patterns of salt dissolution in the Delaware Basin are related to the bedrock geometry and hydrology that developed following uplift, tilting, and erosion in the late Cenozoic, and the greatest volume of salt has been removed since that time. During the Permian, some salt was dissolved from the top of the Castile Formation before deposition of the Salado Formation and from the top of the Salado before deposition of the Rustler Formation. In addition, some salt dissolution occurred after the Permian and before the Cretaceous. Post-uplift surface dissolution has progressed across the Delaware Basin from south to north and west to east and generally down the regional dip. Deep-seated dissolution has occurred around the margin of the basin where the Capitan Limestone aquifer is in contact with the Permian evaporites and within the basin where selective dissolution in the lower Salado has undercut the overlying salt beds of the middle and upper Salado. Dissolution has not advanced down regional dip uniformly but has left outliers of salt and has progressed selectively into structurally predisposed areas. This selective advance has significance for the stability of the U.S. Department of Energy's Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site

Permian of Southeast Asia: an overview

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fontaine, H.

2002-07-01

Permian rocks are widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia. Because of the tropical-equatorial climate the rocks are commonly deeply weathered and covered by dense vegetation over much of the region. Elsewhere, Permian rocks are well exposed and easy to access, particularly where limestone outcrops have weathered to form spectacular, castellated, tower karst. Many limestone outcrops, containing abundant fusulinaceans, were recognized early on to be of Permian age, but many outcrops without fusulinaceans, erroneously assigned to the Permian, were found subsequently to be of Triassic age, and more careful studies have established the Permian age of rocks of other lithologies. Different depositional environments are represented by the Permian deposits in various parts of the region. Massive limestones, throughout the region represent extensive carbonate platforms; local occurrences of thick bedded cherts indicate deposition in deep marine environments, coal, bauxite and clastic sediments with vertebrate remains in North Vietnam and Laos indicate deposition in a continental environment, and pebbly mudstones in Myanmar, Peninsular Thailand, northwest Malaysia and Sumatra, are considered to have been formed in a glacial environment. Volcanic rocks are not found in northwest Peninsular Malaysia and Peninsular Thailand, but are extensively developed in North Vietnam, Sumatra, the eastern Malay Peninsula and Timor. Fossils are often prolific in Permian sediments, with fusulinaceans, for example, occurring in large numbers in many limestone outcrops. Age-diagnostic fossils demonstrate that the whole of the Permian is represented in different areas of Southeast Asia. Fossil faunal and floral assemblages have been used to establish climatic conditions and environments of deposition, to define distinct crustal blocks and to provide the basis for reconstructing the palaeogeography during Permian times.

Permian of Southeast Asia: an overview

Science.gov (United States)

Fontaine, Henri

2002-08-01

Permian rocks are widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia. Because of the tropical-equatorial climate the rocks are commonly deeply weathered and covered by dense vegetation over much of the region. Elsewhere, Permian rocks are well exposed and easy to access, particularly where limestone outcrops have weathered to form spectacular, castellated, tower karst. Many limestone outcrops, containing abundant fusulinaceans, were early recognized to be of Permian age, but many outcrops without fusulinaceans, erroneously assigned to the Permian, were found subsequently to be of Triassic age, and more careful studies have established the Permian age of rocks of other lithologies. It is now recognized that different depositional environments are represented by the Permian deposits in various parts of the region. Massive limestones, widespread throughout the region, represent extensive carbonate platforms; local occurrences of thick bedded cherts indicate deposition in deep marine environments, coal, bauxite and clastic sediments with vertebrate remains in North Vietnam and Laos indicate deposition in a continental environment, and pebbly mudstones in Myanmar, Peninsular Thailand, northwest Malaysia and Sumatra, are considered to have been formed in a glacial environment. Volcanic rocks are absent in northwest Peninsular Malaysia and Peninsular Thailand, but are extensively developed in North Vietnam, Sumatra, the eastern Malay Peninsula and Timor. Fossils, representing many fossil groups, are often prolific in Permian sediments, with fusulinaceans, for example, occurring in astronomical numbers in many limestone outcrops. Age-diagnostic fossils demonstrate that the whole of the Permian is represented in different areas of Southeast Asia. Fossil faunal and floral assemblages have been used to establish climatic conditions and environments of deposition, to define distinct crustal blocks and to provide the basis for reconstructing the palaeogeography during Permian times.

Geochemical characteristics of crude oil from a tight oil reservoir in the Lucaogou Formation, Jimusar Sag, Junggar Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Cao, Z.

2015-12-01

Jimusar Sag, which lies in the Junggar Basin,is one of the most typical tight oil study areas in China. However, the properties and origin of the crude oil and the geochemical characteristics of the tight oil from the Lucaogou Formation have not yet been studied. In the present study, 23 crude oilsfrom the Lucaogou Formation were collected for analysis, such as physical properties, bulk composition, saturated hydrocarbon gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and the calculation of various biomarker parameters. In addition,source rock evaluation and porosity permeability analysis were applied to the mudstones and siltstones. Biomarkers of suitable source rocks (TOC>1, S1+S2>6mg/g, 0.7%oil-source correlation. To analyze the hydrocarbon generation history of the Lucaogou source rock, 1D basin modeling was performed. The oil-filling history was also defined by means of basin modeling and microthermometry. The results indicated the presence of low maturity to mature crude oils originating from the burial of terrigenous organic matter beneath a saline lake in the source rocks of mainly type II1kerogen. In addition, a higher proportion of bacteria and algae was shown to contribute to the formation of crude oil in the lower section when compared with the upper section of the Lucaogou Formation. Oil-source correlations demonstrated that not all mudstones within the Lucaogou Formation contributed to oil accumulation.Crude oil from the upper and lower sections originated from thin-bedded mudstones interbedded within sweet spot sand bodies. A good coincidence of filling history and hydrocarbon generation history indicated that the Lucaogou reservoir is a typical in situ reservoir. The mudstones over or beneath the sweet spot bodies consisted of natural caprocks and prevented the vertical movement of oil by capillary forces. Despite being thicker, the thick-bedded mudstone between the upper and lower sweet spots had no obvious contribution to

Reserve Growth in Oil Fields of West Siberian Basin, Russia

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Mahendra K.; Ulmishek, Gregory F.

2006-01-01

Although reserve (or field) growth has proven to be an important factor contributing to new reserves in mature petroleum basins, it is still a poorly understood phenomenon. Limited studies show that the magnitude of reserve growth is controlled by several major factors, including (1) the reserve booking and reporting requirements in each country, (2) improvements in reservoir characterization and simulation, (3) application of enhanced oil recovery techniques, and (4) the discovery of new and extensions of known pools in discovered fields. Various combinations of these factors can affect the estimates of proven reserves in particular fields and may dictate repeated estimations of reserves during a field's life. This study explores the reserve growth in the 42 largest oil fields in the West Siberian Basin, which contain about 55 percent of the basin's total oil reserves. The West Siberian Basin occupies a vast swampy plain between the Ural Mountains and the Yenisey River, and extends offshore into the Kara Sea; it is the richest petroleum province in Russia. About 600 oil and gas fields with original reserves of 144 billion barrels of oil (BBO) and more than 1,200 trillion cubic feet of gas (TCFG) have been discovered. The principal oil reserves and most of the oil fields are in the southern half of the basin, whereas the northern half contains mainly gas reserves. Sedimentary strata in the basin consist of Upper Triassic through Tertiary clastic rocks. Most oil is produced from Neocomian (Lower Cretaceous) marine to deltaic sandstone reservoirs, although substantial oil reserves are also in the marine Upper Jurassic and continental to paralic Lower to Middle Jurassic sequences. The majority of oil fields are in structural traps, which are gentle, platform-type anticlines with closures ranging from several tens of meters to as much as 150 meters (490 feet). Fields producing from stratigraphic traps are generally smaller except for the giant Talin field which

Gondwana basins and their coal resources in Bangladesh

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nehaluddin, M.; Sultan-ul-Islam, M.

1994-01-01

Fault bounded five Gondwana basins have been discovered in the north western Bangladesh. Among these basins show considerable amount of coal deposits. The Gondwana rocks are highly formed during the Permo-carboniferous diastrophism and later on acquired dynamic characters. In almost all basins, the Permian rocks overlie the Precambrian basement and underlie either the Tertiary or the Cretaceous sediments, structural, stratigraphic, and depositional history of these basins is more or less similar. The sedimentary sequences are composed of light to dark gray, fine to very coarse grained, sub angular to sub rounded felspathic sandstone, dark grey carbonaceous shale and sandstone, variegated conglomerate and thick coal seams (single seam max. 42.38m). The rocks are often alternated and bear the characteristics of cyclic sedimentation. The depositional environments varied from restricted drainage to open fluvial dominated low to moderate sinuous drainage system. The coal bearing basins were flanked by vegetated and swampy over bank. Age of these coals is suggested to be the late permian. Proved and probable reserves of coal in Jamalganj-Paharpur basin are 670 and 1,460 million metric tons, in Barapukuria basin 303 and 3899 million metric tons; in Barapukuria basin 303 and 389 million metric tons; and in Khalaspir basin 143 and 685 million metric tons respectively. The coal is high volatile, low sulphur, bituminous type. It can be used for different forms of thermal conversion. (author)

A Critical Review of the Oil and Tar Sands of the Dahomey Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osundina, A.; Mustapha, A.; Nzewi, T.

2002-01-01

The Benin Basin previously referred to as the Dahomey embayment has been designated as a frontier basin within Nigeria due to its potentially high prospects, but comparatively low exploitation campaign to date. The basin offers a promising opportunity for heavy oil exploration in a narrow belt extending westward from Edo State to the republic of Benin; while offshore, there are high prospects for finding more conventional hydrocarbon.The eastern Dahomey embayment is known to have an extensive reserve of hydrocarbons (bitumen and tar sands). The sediments occur in a 5 8 km belt stretching 120km from the fringes of Lagos State through Ogun, Ondo and Edo States. The estimated reserve potentials exceed 30 billion barrels of oil equivalent.Recently acquired seismic data in OPL 309 and 310, and subsequent drilling of 2 wells on the narrow continental shelf, have shown the presence of closed structures over Basement Highs and other related structural styles in the basin and confirm that conventional light oils and condensates hydrocarbons occur in commercial quantity. These hydrocarbons are reservoired in stratigraphic sequences of Albian Cenomanian age.This paper hopes to expose the hidden riches of this Basin and hopefully get the attention of the big players in refocusing their interests in the basin that attracted attention of the early petroleum explorers to Nigeria approximately 100 years ago

Sedimentary tectonic evolution and reservoir-forming conditions of the Dazhou–Kaijiang paleo-uplift, Sichuan Basin

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Yueming Yang

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Great breakthrough recently achieved in the Sinian–Lower Paleozoic gas exploration in the Leshan–Longnüsi paleo-uplift, Sichuan Basin, has also made a common view reached, i.e., large-scale paleo-uplifts will be the most potential gas exploration target in the deep strata of this basin. Apart from the above-mentioned one, the other huge paleo-uplifts are all considered to be the ones formed in the post-Caledonian period, the impact of which, however, has rarely ever been discussed on the Sinian–Lower Paleozoic oil and gas reservoir formation. In view of this, based on outcrops, drilling and geophysical data, we analyzed the Sinian–Lower Paleozoic tectonic setting and sedimentary background in the East Sichuan Basin, studied the distribution rules of reservoirs and source rocks under the control of paleo-uplifts, and finally discussed, on the basis of structural evolution analysis, the conditions for the formation of Sinian–Lower Paleozoic gas reservoirs in this study area. The following findings were achieved. (1 The Dazhou–Kaijiang inherited uplift in NE Sichuan Basin which was developed before the Middle Cambrian controlled a large area of Sinian and Cambrian beach-facies development. (2 Beach-facies reservoirs were developed in the upper part of the paleo-uplift, while in the peripheral depression belts thick source rocks were developed like the Upper Sinian Doushantuo Fm and Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi Fm, so there is a good source–reservoir assemblage. (3 Since the Permian epoch, the Dazhou–Kaijiang paleo-uplift had gradually become elevated from the slope zone, where the Permian oil generation peak occurred in the slope or lower and gentle uplift belts, while the Triassic gas generation peak occurred in the higher uplift belts, both with a favorable condition for hydrocarbon accumulation. (4 The lower structural layers, including the Lower Cambrian and its underlying strata, in the East Sichuan Basin, are now equipped with a

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Ventura Basin Province, California, 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Pitman, Janet K.; Lillis, Paul G.; Klett, Timothy R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Marra, Kristen R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Le, Phuong A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.

2017-10-02

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed a geology-based assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional and continuous oil and gas resources in the part of the Ventura Basin Province that lies onshore or within State waters (within 3 miles of the shoreline) of California (fig. 1). Conventional oil and gas resources are those that have migrated upward into structural or stratigraphic traps from deep zones where the oil and gas is generated; water is present below the oil or gas. Continuous accumulations, in contrast, are those in which oil or gas is pervasively present in essentially all wells that penetrate them, that may not be structurally or stratigraphically trapped, and that typically lack oil-water or gas-water contacts. They are commonly produced with well-stimulation technology, such as hydraulic fracturing, referred to as “unconventional.” The same stimulation technology, however, is also used in many conventionally trapped accumulations. We estimated both the likely range of oil and gas volumes remaining to be discovered in accumulations similar to existing conventional oil and gas fields in the Ventura Basin Province (previously assessed by Keller [1995] as 1,060 million barrels of oil [MMBO], 1,900 billion cubic feet of gas [BCFG], and 60 million barrels of natural gas liquids [MMBNGL]), and the potential for oil and gas that might be present in a continuous accumulation at extreme depth in the floor of the basin.

The Carboniferous-Permian boundary in the central western Argentinean basins: paleontological evidences El límite Carbonífero-Pérmico en las cuencas del centro oeste de Argentina: evidencias paleontológicas

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Gabriela A Cisterna

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The central western Argentinean basins of Río Blanco, Calingasta-Uspallata and western Paganzo, enclose the most complete marine successions used for examining the Carboniferous-Permian boundary in Gondwana. A detailed review of the key stratigraphical sections has allowed the identification of the latest Carboniferous assemblages; NBG, Interval megafloristic Zone and DM (Raistrickia densa-Convolutispora muriornata Palynological Zone in the lower part, and the earliest Permian T-S (Tivertonia jachalensis-Streptorhynchus inaequiornatus invertebrate Zone and FS (Pakhapitesfusus-Vittatina subsaccata Palynological Zone in the upper part. This diagnostic mega/microflora and marine invertebrate paleontological evidence provides a biostratigraphical framework for the definition of the Carboniferous-Permian boundary inside the basins of central western Argentina.Las cuencas del centro oeste de Argentina, Río Blanco, Calingasta-Uspallata y el sector oeste de la cuenca Paganzo, contienen las secuencias marinas más completas para el estudio del límite Carbonífero-Pérmico en Gondwana. Un estudio detallado de secciones estratigráficas claves ha permitido la identificación de las asociaciones megaflo-rísticas NBG y de Intervalo, y de la palinozona DM (Raistrickia densa-Convolutispora muriornata, del Carbonífero Tardío, en la parte inferior de dichas secciones; en tanto, en la parte media superior de las secciones estudiadas, se han identificado la biozona de invertebrados T-S (Tivertonia jachalensis-Streptorhynchus inaequiornatus y la palinozona FS (Pakhapites fusus-Vittatina subsaccata, ambas asignadas al Pérmico Temprano. El registro de estas asociaciones diagnósticas de mega/microflora e invertebrados marinos provee un esquema bioestratigráfico integrado que permite ubicar el límite Carbonífero-Pérmico en las cuencas del centro oeste de Argentina.

Thermal conductivity and diffusivity of Permian Basin bedded salt at elevated pressure and temperature

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durham, W.B.; Boro, C.O.; Beiriger, J.M.; Montan, D.N.

1983-10-01

Measurements of thermal conductivity and diffusivity were made on five core samples of bedded rock salt from the Permian Basin in Texas to determine its suitability as an underground nuclear waste repository. The sample size was 100 mm in diameter by 250 mm in length. Measurements were conducted under confining pressures ranging from 3.8 to 31.0 MPa and temperatures from room temperature to 473 K. Conductivity showed no dependence on confining pressure but evidenced a monotonic, negative temperature dependence. Four of the five samples showed conductivities clustered in a range of 5.6 +- 0.5 W/m.K at room temperature, falling to 3.6 +- 0.3 W/m.K at 473 K. These values are approximately 20% below those for pure halite, reflecting perhaps the 5 to 20%-nonhalite component of the samples. Diffusivity also showed a monotonic, negative temperature dependence, with four of the five samples clustered in a range of 2.7 +- 0.4 x 10 -6 m 2 /s at room temperature, and 1.5 +- 0.3 x 10 -6 m 2 /s at 473 K, all roughly 33% below the values for pure halite. One sample showed an unusually high conductivity (it also had the highest diffusivity), about 20% higher than the others; and one sample showed an unusually low diffusivity (it also had the lowest conductivity), roughly a factor of 2 lower than the others. 27 references, 8 figures, 4 tables

Analysis of the orderly distribution of oil and gas fields in China based on the theory of co-control of source and heat

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Gongcheng Zhang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Taking a hydrocarbon zone or a basin group as a unit, this paper analyzed the vertical hydrocarbon generation regularity of onshore and offshore oil and gas fields in China, based on the theory of co-control of source and heat. The results demonstrated that the hydrocarbon generation modes of oil and gas fields in China are orderly. First, the hydrocarbon zones in southeastern China offshore area, including the East and South China Sea basins, are dominated by single hydrocarbon generation mode, which displays as either single oil generation in the near shore or single gas generation in the offshore controlled by both source and heat. Second, the eastern hydrocarbon zones, including the Bohai Bay, Songliao and Jianghan basins and the North and South Yellow Sea basins, are dominated by a two-layer hydrocarbon generation mode, which performs as “upper oil and lower gas”. Third, the central hydrocarbon zones, including the Ordos, Sichuan and Chuxiong basins, are also dominated by the “upper oil and lower gas” two-layer hydrocarbon generation mode. In the Ordos Basin, gas is mainly generated in the Triassic, and oil is predominantly generated in the Paleozoic. In the Sichuan Basin, oil was discovered in the Jurassic, and gas was mostly discovered in the Sinian and Triassic. Fourth, the western hydrocarbon zones are dominated by a “sandwich” multi-layer mode, such as the Junggar, Tarim, Qaidam basins. In summary, the theory of co-control of source and heat will be widely applied to oil and gas exploration all over China. Oil targets should be focused on the near shore areas in the southeastern China sea, the upper strata in the eastern and middle hydrocarbon zones, and the Ordovician, Permian and Paleogene strata in the western hydrocarbon zone, while gas targets should be focused on the off-shore areas in the southeastern China sea, the Cambrian, Carboniferous, Jurassic, and Quaternary strata in the western hydrocarbon zone. A pattern of

Architecture and quantitative assessment of channeled clastic deposits, Shihezi sandstone (Lower Permian, Ordos Basin, China

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Chengye Jia

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Lower Permian Shihezi sandstone in Ordos Basin is the largest gas reservoir in China. Architecture elements of channel, overbank and floodplain facies of braided channel deposits were identified through an outcrops survey, and their proportion of channel facies have been quantitatively estimated from well logging. Characteristics of architecture elements, such as sand thickness, bounding surfaces and lithofacies were investigated through outcrops and core. Petrology of Shihezi sandstone has also been studied in detail. Analysis on sandstone components shows that monocrystalline quartz with approximately 76% bulk volume, and lithic up to 5%–45% bulk volume, are the two main components. Litharenite and lithic quartz sandstone are the main rock types. Compaction is concluded by former researchers as the control factor of low permeability. Examination through thin section reveals that secondary pores developed well in coarse sand. Inter-granular dissolution is included as the positive effect to increasing porosity, and is concluded as the control factor to the generation of net pay. Scale of coarse grained channel fills and channel bar sandstone bodies are quantitatively estimated. Strike-oriented, dip-oriented, and vertical distribution of channel fills and channel bar sandstone bodies have been investigated. The geometry of sand bodies can be depicted as an elongated lens. Subsurface mapping reveals that channel sandstone bodies distribute widely from both lateral and longitudinal cross section profiles, and are poorly connected.

Water-related Issues Affecting Conventional Oil and Gas Recovery and Potential Oil-Shale Development in the Uinta Basin, Utah

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, Michael Vanden; Anderson, Paul; Wallace, Janae; Morgan, Craig; Carney, Stephanie

2012-04-30

Saline water disposal is one of the most pressing issues with regard to increasing petroleum and natural gas production in the Uinta Basin of northeastern Utah. Conventional oil fields in the basin provide 69 percent of Utah?s total crude oil production and 71 percent of Utah?s total natural gas, the latter of which has increased 208% in the past 10 years. Along with hydrocarbons, wells in the Uinta Basin produce significant quantities of saline water ? nearly 4 million barrels of saline water per month in Uintah County and nearly 2 million barrels per month in Duchesne County. As hydrocarbon production increases, so does saline water production, creating an increased need for economic and environmentally responsible disposal plans. Current water disposal wells are near capacity, and permitting for new wells is being delayed because of a lack of technical data regarding potential disposal aquifers and questions concerning contamination of freshwater sources. Many companies are reluctantly resorting to evaporation ponds as a short-term solution, but these ponds have limited capacity, are prone to leakage, and pose potential risks to birds and other wildlife. Many Uinta Basin operators claim that oil and natural gas production cannot reach its full potential until a suitable, long-term saline water disposal solution is determined. The enclosed project was divided into three parts: 1) re-mapping the base of the moderately saline aquifer in the Uinta Basin, 2) creating a detailed geologic characterization of the Birds Nest aquifer, a potential reservoir for large-scale saline water disposal, and 3) collecting and analyzing water samples from the eastern Uinta Basin to establish baseline water quality. Part 1: Regulators currently stipulate that produced saline water must be disposed of into aquifers that already contain moderately saline water (water that averages at least 10,000 mg/L total dissolved solids). The UGS has re-mapped the moderately saline water boundary

Appalachian Piedmont landscapes from the Permian to the Holocene

Science.gov (United States)

Cleaves, E.T.

1989-01-01

past Baltimore. The Late Triassic landscape was influenced by rift basin development. Streams drained into a hydrologically closed basin: no through-flowing rivers seem to have been present. A limestone escarpment along the Blue Ridge may have existed as a consequence of a semi-arid climate. The Permian may have been a time of Himalayan-like mountains and mountain glaciers. Streams (and glaciers) generally flowed southwest and west. ?? 1989.

Geothermal regime and Jurassic source rock maturity of the Junggar basin, northwest China

Science.gov (United States)

Nansheng, Qiu; Zhihuan, Zhang; Ershe, Xu

2008-01-01

We analyze the thermal gradient distribution of the Junggar basin based on oil-test and well-logging temperature data. The basin-wide average thermal gradient in the depth interval of 0-4000 m is 22.6 °C/km, which is lower than other sedimentary basins in China. We report 21 measured terrestrial heat flow values based on detailed thermal conductivity data and systematical steady-state temperature data. These values vary from 27.0 to 54.1 mW/m 2 with a mean of 41.8 ± 7.8 mW/m 2. The Junggar basin appears to be a cool basin in terms of its thermal regime. The heat flow distribution within the basin shows the following characteristics. (1) The heat flow decreases from the Luliang Uplift to the Southern Depression; (2) relatively high heat flow values over 50 mW/m 2 are confined to the northern part of the Eastern Uplift and the adjacent parts of the Eastern Luliang Uplift and Central Depression; (3) The lowest heat flow of smaller than 35 mW/m 2 occurs in the southern parts of the basin. This low thermal regime of the Junggar basin is consistent with the geodynamic setting, the extrusion of plates around the basin, the considerably thick crust, the dense lithospheric mantle, the relatively stable continental basement of the basin, low heat generation and underground water flow of the basin. The heat flow of this basin is of great significance to oil exploration and hydrocarbon resource assessment, because it bears directly on issues of petroleum source-rock maturation. Almost all oil fields are limited to the areas of higher heat flows. The relatively low heat flow values in the Junggar basin will deepen the maturity threshold, making the deep-seated widespread Permian and Jurassic source rocks in the Junggar basin favorable for oil and gas generation. In addition, the maturity evolution of the Lower Jurassic Badaowan Group (J 1b) and Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Group (J 2x) were calculated based on the thermal data and burial depth. The maturity of the Jurassic

Anoxia, toxic metals and acidification: volcanically-driven causes of the Middle Permian (Capitanian) mass extinction in NW Pangaea?

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, David; Grasby, Stephen; Wignall, Paul

2017-04-01

The controversial Capitanian (Middle Permian, 262 Ma) mass extinction, mostly known from equatorial latitudes, has recently been identified in a Boreal setting in Spitsbergen. We now document this extinction in the record of brachiopods from the Sverdrup Basin in NW Pangaea (Ellesmere Island, Canada), confirming Middle Permian losses as a global crisis on par with the "Big Five". Redox proxies (pyrite framboids and trace metals) show that the high latitude crisis coincided with an intensification of oxygen-poor conditions - a potent killer that is not clearly developed in lower latitude sections. Mercury becomes briefly enriched in strata at the level of the Middle Permian extinction level in Spitsbergen and Ellesmere Island, indicating voluminous but short-lived volcanism that is likely to have been the emplacement of the Emeishan large igneous province (LIP) in SW China. A potent cocktail of poisons appears to have impacted across the Boreal Realm, whilst the near-total loss of carbonates near the extinction level is also consistent with reduced pH across the region. Multiple stresses, possibly with origins in low-latitude LIP volcanism, are therefore implicated in the Middle Permian extinction and there was no respite even in the far-distant Boreal Realm.

Application of advanced reservoir characterization, simulation and production optimization strategies to maximize recovery in slope and basin clastic reservoirs, West Texas (Delaware Basin). Annual report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dutton, S.P.; Asquith, G.B.; Barton, M.D.; Cole, A.G.; Gogas, J.; Malik, M.A.; Clift, S.J.; Guzman, J.I.

1997-11-01

The objective of this project is to demonstrate that detailed reservoir characterization of slope and basin clastic reservoirs in sandstones of the Delaware Mountain Group in the Delaware Basin of West Texas and New Mexico is a cost-effective way to recover a higher percentage of the original oil in place through strategic placement of infill wells and geologically based field development. This project involves reservoir characterization of two Late Permian slope and basin clastic reservoirs in the Delaware Basin, West Texas, followed by a field demonstration in one of the fields. The fields being investigated are Geraldine Ford and Ford West fields in Reeves and Culberson Counties, Texas. Project objectives are divided into two major phases, reservoir characterization and implementation. The objectives of the reservoir characterization phase of the project were to provide a detailed understanding of the architecture and heterogeneity of the two fields, the Ford Geraldine unit and Ford West field. Reservoir characterization utilized 3-D seismic data, high-resolution sequence stratigraphy, subsurface field studies, outcrop characterization, and other techniques. Once reservoir characterized was completed, a pilot area of approximately 1 mi{sup 2} at the northern end of the Ford Geraldine unit was chosen for reservoir simulation. This report summarizes the results of the second year of reservoir characterization.

Observations of VOC emissions and photochemical products over US oil- and gas-producing regions using high-resolution H3O+ CIMS (PTR-ToF-MS

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A. Koss

2017-08-01

Full Text Available VOCs related to oil and gas extraction operations in the United States were measured by H3O+ chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (H3O+ ToF-CIMS/PTR-ToF-MS from aircraft during the Shale Oil and Natural Gas Nexus (SONGNEX campaign in March–April 2015. This work presents an overview of major VOC species measured in nine oil- and gas-producing regions, and a more detailed analysis of H3O+ ToF-CIMS measurements in the Permian Basin within Texas and New Mexico. Mass spectra are dominated by small photochemically produced oxygenates and compounds typically found in crude oil: aromatics, cyclic alkanes, and alkanes. Mixing ratios of aromatics were frequently as high as those measured downwind of large urban areas. In the Permian, the H3O+ ToF-CIMS measured a number of underexplored or previously unreported species, including aromatic and cycloalkane oxidation products, nitrogen heterocycles including pyrrole (C4H5N and pyrroline (C4H7N, H2S, and a diamondoid (adamantane or unusual monoterpene. We additionally assess the specificity of a number of ion masses resulting from H3O+ ion chemistry previously reported in the literature, including several new or alternate interpretations.

Observations of VOC emissions and photochemical products over US oil- and gas-producing regions using high-resolution H3O+ CIMS (PTR-ToF-MS)

Science.gov (United States)

Koss, Abigail; Yuan, Bin; Warneke, Carsten; Gilman, Jessica B.; Lerner, Brian M.; Veres, Patrick R.; Peischl, Jeff; Eilerman, Scott; Wild, Rob; Brown, Steven S.; Thompson, Chelsea R.; Ryerson, Thomas; Hanisco, Thomas; Wolfe, Glenn M.; St. Clair, Jason M.; Thayer, Mitchell; Keutsch, Frank N.; Murphy, Shane; de Gouw, Joost

2017-08-01

VOCs related to oil and gas extraction operations in the United States were measured by H3O+ chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (H3O+ ToF-CIMS/PTR-ToF-MS) from aircraft during the Shale Oil and Natural Gas Nexus (SONGNEX) campaign in March-April 2015. This work presents an overview of major VOC species measured in nine oil- and gas-producing regions, and a more detailed analysis of H3O+ ToF-CIMS measurements in the Permian Basin within Texas and New Mexico. Mass spectra are dominated by small photochemically produced oxygenates and compounds typically found in crude oil: aromatics, cyclic alkanes, and alkanes. Mixing ratios of aromatics were frequently as high as those measured downwind of large urban areas. In the Permian, the H3O+ ToF-CIMS measured a number of underexplored or previously unreported species, including aromatic and cycloalkane oxidation products, nitrogen heterocycles including pyrrole (C4H5N) and pyrroline (C4H7N), H2S, and a diamondoid (adamantane) or unusual monoterpene. We additionally assess the specificity of a number of ion masses resulting from H3O+ ion chemistry previously reported in the literature, including several new or alternate interpretations.

The main fish communities of the limnic Permian and Carboniferous basins of the Czech Republic

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Zajíc, Jaroslav

33-34, - (2006), s. 99-101. ISBN 80-210-4097-1. ISSN 1211-281X. [Paleontological Conference /7./. Brno, 19.10.2006-20.10.2006] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : ichthyofaunae * Upper Carboniferous * Lower Permian Subject RIV: EG - Zoology

Small-scale production in the Congo basin of low-acid carotene-rich red palm oil

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Silou Thomas

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The red palm oil consumed in the Congo basin come essentially from small-scale production from the dura or tenera varieties (the latter being a hybrid of dura and pisifera. These three varieties are endemic to the Congo basin. The tenera variety is characterized a thick pulp (about 50% of the nut from which 70–90% of oil (based on fresh pulp can be extracted. The dura variety has less pulp (30% of the nut by weight, and gives an oil yield of the same order of magnitude. The oil is extracted from the crushed pulp after a series of mixing steps in hot water at about 60 °C. When obtained from freshly harvested nuts (at most 3 days storage, this oil is rich in carotenoids (800–2600 ppm and polyphenols (5–13 mg/g, and presents low acid values (IA < 5 and peroxide values (IP < 10. Here we describe this traditional production process, widespread in the Congo basin, and suggest innovations that substantially increase the quantity of oil extracted and significantly improve the quality of the end product.

Pumping test and fluid sampling report - Mansfield No. 1 (PD-4) well, Palo Duro Basin, Texas: unanalyzed data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-07-01

This report contains pumping test and fluid sampling data collected at Mansfield No. 1 well, located in Oldham County, in the Permian Basin of Texas. These data were collected by Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation to support studies of fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. The testing and sampling took place between October 1981 and October 1982. These data are preliminary. They have been neither analyzed nor evaluated. 4 references, 8 figures, 2 tables

Carbon isotope variations in the upper Carboniferous - Permian Mallemuk Mountain Group, eastern North Greenland

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stemmerik, L.; Magaritz, M.

1989-01-01

Isotope data from Late Palaeozoic limestones of the Wandel Sea Basin in eastern North Greenland show a variation of δ 13 C from 0.0 0/00 to 5.7 0/00 vs PDB. Carbonates depleted in 13 C occur in the basal part of lower Moscovian, upper Moscovian and middle Gzhelian transgressive sequences. 13 C enriched limestones occur later in the cycles. The most 13 C enriched limestones occur in the youngest (late Early Permian-early Late Permian) part of the sequence in Amdrup Land. The isotopic data is believed to represent changes in the global carbon cycle. Thus 13 C enriched carbonates correlate to periods of burial of organic carbon mostly as coal, while 13 C depleted carbonates formed as the result of erosion and oxidation of organic carbon during sea-level low stands. (author)

The Cannery Formation--Devonian to Early Permian arc-marginal deposits within the Alexander Terrane, Southeastern Alaska

Science.gov (United States)

Karl, Susan M.; Layer, Paul W.; Harris, Anita G.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Murchey, Benita L.

2011-01-01

cherts on both Admiralty and Kupreanof Islands contain radiolarians as young as Permian, the age of the Cannery Formation is herein extended to Late Devonian through early Permian, to include the early Permian rocks exposed in its type locality. The Cannery Formation is folded and faulted, and its stratigraphic thickness is unknown but inferred to be several hundred meters. The Cannery Formation represents an extended period of marine deposition in moderately deep water, with slow rates of deposition and limited clastic input during Devonian through Pennsylvanian time and increasing argillaceous, volcaniclastic, and bioclastic input during the Permian. The Cannery Formation comprises upper Paleozoic rocks in the Alexander terrane of southeastern Alaska. In the pre-Permian upper Paleozoic, the tectonic setting of the Alexander terrane consisted of two or more evolved oceanic arcs. The lower Permian section is represented by a distinctive suite of rocks in the Alexander terrane, which includes sedimentary and volcanic rocks containing early Permian fossils, metamorphosed rocks with early Permian cooling ages, and intrusive rocks with early Permian cooling ages, that form discrete northwest-trending belts. After restoration of 180 km of dextral displacement of the Chilkat-Chichagof block on the Chatham Strait Fault, these belts consist, from northeast to southwest, of (1) bedded chert, siliceous argillite, volcaniclastic turbidites, pillow basalt, and limestone of the Cannery Formation and the Porcupine Slate of Gilbert and others (1987); (2) greenschist-facies Paleozoic metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks that have Permian cooling ages; (3) silty limestone and calcareous argillite interbedded with pillow basalt and volcaniclastic rocks of the Halleck Formation and the William Henry Bay area; and (4) intermediate-composition and syenitic plutons. These belts correspond to components of an accretionary complex, contemporary metamorphic rocks, forearc-basin deposits,

The Resurgence of Shale Oil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cornot-Gandolphe, Sylvie

2017-09-01

This study addresses the resilience factors of the American production of light tight oil, in particular regarding the evolution of the financial model, and the regulatory changes with the authorisation of exports for crude oil. The paper also evaluates the development perspectives of the production on the medium and long term. US production of light tight oil (LTO, commonly known as 'shale oil') experienced a spectacular expansion between 2010 and 2014, becoming the largest source of growth in world oil production. At the start of 2015, however, the sustainability of its business model became questionable. Oil prices had collapsed and uncertainty about future US production was at its height. The sharp drop in the number of drill holes as of January 2015 raised fears of a rapid fall in US petroleum output. The LTO business model, based largely on the use of debt, reinforced this projection. Independent producers were heavily indebted, and were no longer able to invest in new wells. LTO production would therefore run out of steam. Two years later, LTO has passed its first test successfully. While output of shale gas has clearly fallen, cuts have been modest and much less than had been feared, given the falls in capital spending (CAPEX) and the number of drill holes. Productivity improvements as well as cost reductions have permitted a halving of the LTO equilibrium price. Independent producers have refocused their activities on the most productive basins and sites. The essential role played by the Permian Basin should be stressed at this point. In two years, it has become a new El dorado. Despite the fall in drill holes through to May 2016, production has continued to rise and now amounts to a quarter of American oil output. Furthermore, independents have drawn extra value from their well inventories, which include drilled, but also uncompleted wells. Lastly, the impressive number of drilled wells prior to price cuts has allowed producers to maintain their output

Geology of Santa Rita Coal Basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Correa da Silva, Z.C.; Bortoluzzi, C.A.; Cazzulo-Klepzig, M.; Dias-Fabricio, M.E.; Guerra-Sommer, M.; Marques-Toigo, M.; Paim, P.S.G.; Piccoli, A.E.M.; Silva Filho, B.C.

1984-04-01

Data on the sedimentology, stratigraphy, palynology, coal petrography and geochemistry of the Santa Rita Coal Basin, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, are presented. The investigations were carried out on samples obtained from drill cores of the sedimentary rocks of Tubarao Supergroup, Lower Permian of Parana Basin. (25 refs.)

Forecasting sandstone uranium deposits in oil-and-gas bearing basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pechenkin, I.

2014-01-01

. Such work was carried out within the limits of the Ordos oil and gas basin and adjacent structures, where a set of paleontological maps and cross-sections was created. They reflect the relationship between hydrogenic redox processes over long periods in the geological history of the region. Comparative analysis of the sequence of multidirectional epigenetic alterations in sedimentary basins in Central Asia and adjacent territories was instrumental in forming the overall picture of uranium ore genesis complicated by the intrusion of various reducing agents. The methods used in the study of epigenetic alterations in the formations of oil and gas sedimentary basins were developed on uranium rock bodies in Central Asia. These methods were successfully applied during forecasting on the fringes of oil-and-gas basins across the whole of the Asian continent. They made it possible to carry out metallogenic zoning of a large territory in terms of uranium and at the same time to estimate the role of hydrocarbons. The interrelation of epigenetic processes determines the distinctive characteristics of ore genesis in different parts of oil and gas basins. Their detection by means of mapping creates the necessary conditions for determining the prospects for both local regions of subsoil assets and large geological structures. (author)

Asphalt features and gas accumulation mechanism of Sinian reservoirs in the Tongwan Palaeo-uplift, Sichuan Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Li

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Breakthroughs have been made in natural gas exploration in Sinian reservoirs in the Tongwan Palaeo-uplift, Sichuan Basin, recently. However, there are disputes with regard to the genetic mechanisms of natural gas reservoirs. The development law of asphalts in the Sinian reservoirs may play an extremely important role in the study of the relationships between palaeo oil and gas reservoirs. Accordingly, researches were conducted on the features and development patterns of asphalts in the Sinian reservoirs in this area. The following research results were obtained. (1 Asphalts in the Sinian reservoirs were developed after the important hydrothermal event in the Sichuan Basin, namely the well-known Emei Taphrogeny in the mid-late Permian Period. (2 Distribution of asphalts is related to palaeo oil reservoirs under the control of palaeo-structures of Indosinian-Yanshanian Period, when the palaeo-structures contained high content of asphalts in the high positions of the palaeo-uplift. (3 Large-scale oil and gas accumulations in the Sinian reservoirs occurred in the Indosinian-Yanshanian Period to generate the Leshan-Ziyang and Gaoshiti-Moxi-Guang'an palaeo oil reservoirs. Cracking of crude oil in the major parts of these palaeo oil reservoirs controlled the development of the present natural gas reservoirs. (4 The development of asphalts in the Sinian reservoirs indicates that hydrocarbons in the Dengying Formation originated from Cambrian source rocks and natural gas accumulated in the Sinian reservoirs are products of late-stage cracking of the Sinian reservoirs. (5 The Sinian palaeo-structures of Indosinian-Yanshanian Period in the Sichuan Basin are favorable regions for the development of the Sinian reservoirs, where discoveries and exploration practices will play an important role in the era of Sinian natural gas development in China.

Repository site data and information in bedded salt: Palo Duro Basin, Texas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tien, P.; Nimick, F.B.; Muller, A.B.; Davis, P.A.; Guzowski, R.V.; Duda, L.E.; Hunter, R.L.

1983-11-01

This report is a compilation of data from the literature on the Palo Duro Basin. The Palo Duro Basin is a structural basin, about 150 miles long and 80 miles wide, that is a part of the much larger Permian Basin. The US Department of Energy is investigating the Palo Duro Basin as a potentially suitable area for the site of a repository for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Sediments overlying the Precambrian basement range from about 5000 to about 11,000 ft in thickness and from Cambrian to Holocene in age. The strata in the Palo Duro Basin that are of primary interest to the Department of Energy are the bedded salts of the Permian San Andres Formation. The total thickness of the bedded salts is about 2000 ft. The geology of the Palo Duro Basin is well understood. A great deal of information exists on the properties of salt, although much of the available information was not collected in the Palo Duro Basin. Mineral resources are not currently being exploited from the center of the Palo Duro Basin at depth, although the possibility of exploration for and development of such resources can not be ruled out. The continued existence of salts of Permian age indicates a lack of any large amount of circulating ground water. The hydrology of the pre-Tertiary rocks, however, is currently too poorly understood to carry out detailed, site-specific hydrologic modeling with a high degree of confidence. In general, ground water flows from west to east in the Basin. There is little or no hydraulic connection between aquifers above and below the salt sequences. Potable water is pumped from the Ogallala aquifer. Most of the other aquifers yield only nonpotable water. More extensive hydrological data are needed for detailed future modeling in support of risk assessment for a possible repository for high-level waste in the Palo Duro Basin. 464 references

The thermal evolution and timing of hydrocarbon generation in the Maritimes Basin of eastern Canada: evidence from apatite fission track data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grist, A.M.; Zentilli, M.

1995-01-01

Sandstone drill core and/or cuttings from six wells in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and cabot Strait have been analyzed using the apatite fission track (AFT) method. Measured AFT ages for the late Paleozoic sandstones range from 26 ±7 to 184 ±28 Ma (2-σ errors). The AFT data indicate that most Maritimes Basin strata were heated to temperatures in excess of 100-150 o C very soon after their deposition. The strata also attained significant vitrinite reflectance (R 0 ) levels (i.e., reaching the oil window) early in the burial history. These findings imply the generation of hydrocarbons and coalbed methane in the early basin history (pre-250 Ma). In the Maritimes Basin AFT and R 0 data provide complementary information about the integrated thermal history, including maximum burial temperatures (from R 0 data), and information on the subsequent cooling history from AFT analysis. The present study also supports the proposal made previously by others that substantial erosion of the Eastern Canadian margin (up to 4 km) has occurred since the Permian and extends the AFT evidence for this erosional event to include the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence area. Thermal models of the AFT data demonstrate that they are consistent with a history of exhumation of basin strata since late Permian time. The model-predicted AFT age and track length histograms closely correspond to the measured AFT parameters. AFT analysis also indicates present-day geothermal gradients of less than 40 o C/km. (author). 42 refs.,3 tabs., 7 figs

Permian U-Pb (CA-TIMS) zircon ages from Australia and China: Constraining the time scale of environmental and biotic change

Science.gov (United States)

Denyszyn, S. W.; Mundil, R.; Metcalfe, I.; He, B.

2010-12-01

In eastern Australia, the interconnected Bowen and Sydney Basins are filled with terrestrial sediments of late Paleozoic to early Mesozoic age. These sedimentary units record significant evolutionary events of eastern Gondwana during the time interval between two major mass extinctions (end Middle Permian and Permian-Triassic), and also provide lithological evidence for the Carboniferous-Permian Late Paleozoic Ice Age of southern Pangea, considered to be divisible into up to seven discrete glaciation events in Australia [e.g., 1]. These glaciations are currently assigned ages that indicate that the last of the glaciations predate the end Middle Permian mass extinction at ca. 260 Ma. However, the estimates for the time and durations are largely based on biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy that, in the absence of robust and precise radioisotopic ages, are unacceptably fragile for providing an accurate high-resolution framework. Interbedded with the sediments are numerous tuff layers that contain zircon, many of which are associated with extensive coal measures in the Sydney and Bowen Basins. Published SHRIMP U-Pb zircon ages [2, 3] have been shown to be less precise and inaccurate when compared to ages applying the CA-TIMS method to the same horizons. Also within the late Middle Permian, the eruption of the Emeishan flood basalts in SW China has been proposed to have caused the end Middle Permian mass extinction [e.g., 4], though a causal link between these events demands a rigorous test that can only be provided by high-resolution geochronology. We present new U-Pb (CA-TIMS) zircon ages on tuff layers from the Sydney and Bowen Basins, with the purpose of generating a timescale for the Upper Permian of Australia to allow correlation with different parts of the world. Initial results, with permil precision, date a tuff layer within the uppermost Bandanna Fm. to ca. 252 Ma, a tuff within the Moranbah Coal Measures to ca. 256 Ma, and a tuff within the Ingelara Fm. to

Relationship between deep structure and oil-gas in the eastern Tarim Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Changqing; Qu, Chen; Han, Jianguang

2017-04-01

The Tarim Basin is a large composite superimposed basin which developed in the Presinian continental basement. It is an important area for oil and gas replacement in China. In the eastern part of Tarim Basin, the exploration and research degree is very low and less system, especially in the study of tectonic evolution and physical property change. Basing on the study of geophysics, drilling and regional geological data in this area, analysis of comprehensive geophysical, geological and geophysical analysis comparison are lunched by new methods and new technology of geophysical exploration. Fault, tectonic evolution and change of deep character in the eastern Tarim Basin are analyzed in system. Through in-depth study and understanding of the deep structure and physical changes of the eastern region, we obtain the fault characteristics in the study area and the deep structure and physical change maps to better guide the oil and gas exploration in this area. The east area is located in the eastern Tarim Basin, west from the Garr Man depression, Well Kunan 1 - Well Gucheng 4 line to the East, north to Kuruketage uplift group near Qunke 1 wells, south to Cherchen fault zone, east to Lop Nor depression, an area of about 9 * 104 square kilometres, Including the East of Garr Man sag, Yingjisu depression, Kongquehe slope, Tadong low uplift and the Lop Nor uplift, five two grade tectonic units. The east area of Tarim is belonging to Tarim plate. It changes with the evolution of the Tarim plate. The Tarim plate is closely related to the collision between the Yining - the Junggar plate, the Siberia plate and the southern Qiangtang - the central Kunlun plate. Therefore, it creates a complex tectonic pattern in the eastern Tarim basin. Earth electromagnetic, gravity, deep seismic and other geophysical data are processed by a new generation of geophysical information theory and method, including multi-scale inversion of potential field inversion (Hou and Yang, 2011), 3D

Residual basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Elboux, C.V.; Paiva, I.B.

1980-01-01

Exploration for uranium carried out over a major portion of the Rio Grande do Sul Shield has revealed a number of small residual basins developed along glacially eroded channels of pre-Permian age. Mineralization of uranium occurs in two distinct sedimentary units. The lower unit consists of rhythmites overlain by a sequence of black shales, siltstones and coal seams, while the upper one is dominated by sandstones of probable fluvial origin. (Author) [pt

The Carboniferous - Permian basins of Central and Western Bohemia, the Krkonoše Mt. foreland and the Bohemian Massif, Czech Republic : part I

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Opluštil, S.; Martínek, K.; Lojka, R.; Rosenau, N.; Zajíc, Jaroslav; Šimůnek, Z.; Drábková, J.; Štamberg, S.

2014-01-01

Roč. 46, č. 1 (2014), s. 14-54 ISSN 1433-1284. [Field Meeting on Carboniferous and Permian Nonmarine – Marine Correlation. Freiberg, 21.07.2014-27.07.2014] Institutional support: RVO:67985831 Keywords : Carboniferous * Permian * excursion guide Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

Folded Basinal Compartments of the Southern Mongolian Borderland: A Structural Archive of the Final Consolidation of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

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Dickson Cunningham

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB records multiple Phanerozoic tectonic events involving consolidation of disparate terranes and cratonic blocks and subsequent reactivation of Eurasia’s continental interior. The final amalgamation of the CAOB terrane collage involved diachronous closure of the Permian-Triassic Solonker suture in northernmost China and the Jurassic Mongol-Okhotsk suture in northeast Mongolia and eastern Siberia. The distribution, style, and kinematics of deformation associated with these two terminal collision events is poorly documented in southern Mongolia and northernmost China because these regions were later tectonically overprinted by widespread Cretaceous basin and range-style crustal extension and Miocene-recent sinistral transpressional mountain building. These younger events structurally compartmentalized the crust into uplifted crystalline basement blocks and intermontane basins. Consequently, widespread Cretaceous and Late Cenozoic clastic sedimentary deposits overlie older Permian-Jurassic sedimentary rocks in most basinal areas and obscure the deformation record associated with Permian-Triassic Solonker and Jurassic Mongol-Okhotsk collisional suturing. In this report, satellite image mapping of basinal compartments that expose folded Permian-Jurassic sedimentary successions that are unconformably overlapped by Cretaceous-Quaternary clastic sediments is presented for remote and poorly studied regions of southern Mongolia and two areas of the Beishan. The largest folds are tens of kilometers in strike length, east-west trending, and reveal north-south Late Jurassic shortening (present coordinates. Late Jurassic fold vergence is dominantly northerly in the southern Gobi Altai within a regional-scale fold-and-thrust belt. Local refolding of older Permian north-south trending folds is also evident in some areas. The folds identified and mapped in this study provide new evidence for the regional distribution and

CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery from the Residual Zone - A Sustainable Vision for North Sea Oil Production

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Jamie; Haszeldine, Stuart; Wilkinson, Mark; Johnson, Gareth

2014-05-01

conventional oil. The application of CO2EOR to ROZ enables a significant contribution to a field's recoverable reserves [3]. This work identifies for the first time the plays of geological conditions that create naturally occurring residual oil zones in the United Kingdom Continental Shelf. We present a screening workflow to identify such zones and a methodology for assessing the resource potential and CO2 storage capacity for a number of different fields. Lastly we examine the economic consequences on CO2 storage of the incremental oil produced, and the carbon balance life-cycle. [1] Melzer, S., Koperna, G., Kuuskraa, V. 2006. The Origin and Resource Potential of Residual Oil Zones. SPE Annual and Technical Conference, San Antonio, Texas, Society. [2] Koperna, G., Melzer. S.L., Kuuskraa, V. 2006. Recovery of Oil Resources From the Residual and Transitional Oil Zones of the Permian Basin.. SPE Annual Technical Conference, San Antonia, Texas. Society of Petroleum Engineers. [3] Advanced Resources International, 2005. Assessing Technical and Economic Recovery of Residual Oil Zones. U.S Department of Energy.

Assessment of Uinta Basin Oil and Natural Gas Well Pad Pneumatic Controller Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

In the fall of 2016, a field study was conducted in the Uinta Basin Utah to improve information on oil and natural gas well pad pneumatic controllers (PCs) and emission measurement methods. A total of 80 PC systems at five oil sites (supporting six wells) and three gas sites (sup...

Avalonian crustal controls on basin evolution: implications for the Mesozoic basins of the southern North Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Smit, Jeroen; van Wees, Jan-Diederik; Cloetingh, Sierd

2015-04-01

Little is known of the Southern North Sea Basin's (SNSB) Pre-Permian basement due to a lack of outcrop and cores. The nature and structure of the East Avalonian crust and lithosphere remain even less constrained in the absence of deep seismic (refraction) lines. However, various studies have hinted at the importance of the Reactivation of the Early Carboniferous fault network during each consecutive Mesozoic and Cenozoic tectonic phase, demonstrating the key role of weak zones from the Early Carboniferous structural grain in partitioning of structural deformation and vertical basin motions at various scales. Although the older basin history and the basement attract increasing attention, the Pre-Permian tectonics of the SNSB remains little studied with most attention focused on the Permian and younger history. The strong dispersal of existing constraints requires a comprehensive study from Denmark to the UK, i.e. the East Avalonian microplate, bordered by the Variscan Rheïc suture, the Atlantic and Baltica. Based on an extensive literature study and the reinterpretation of publicly available data, linking constraints from the crust and mantle to stratigraphic-sedimentological information, we complement the map of Early Carboniferous rifting of East Avalonia and propose a new tectonic scenario. From the reinterpretation of the boundary between Avalonia and Baltica we propose a new outline for the Avalonian microplate with implications for the tectonics of the North German Basin. Furthermore, we highlight the nature and extent of the major crustal/lithospheric domains with contrasting structural behaviour and the major boundaries that separate them. Results shed light on the effects of long lived differences in crustal fabric that are responsible for spatial heterogeneity in stress and strain magnitudes and zonations of fracturing, burial history and temperature history. The geomechanical control of large crustal-scale fault structures will provide the constraints

Fibers and cylinders of cryptomelane-hollandite in Permian bedded salt, Palo Duro Basin, Texas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belkin, H.E.; Libelo, E.L.

1987-01-01

Fibers and thin-walled, hollow cylinders of cryptomelane-hollandite have been found in both the chevron and the clear salt from various drill cores in Permian bedded salt from the Palo Duro Basin, Texas. The authors have found fibers or cylinders from only the lower San Andres Formation units 4 and 5, the upper San Andres Formation, and the Salado-Transill salt. The fibers are inorganic, light to dark reddish brown, pleochroic, highly birefringent, filamentary single crystals, < 1 to ∼ 5 μm in diameter, with length-to-diameter ratios of at least 20:1. The fibers can be straight and/or curved, can bifurcate, can form loops, waves or spirals, and can be isolated or in parallel groups. Detailed petrographic analyses show no evidence for recrystallization or deformation of the enclosing salt after fiber formation. Although the authors observations do not provide a definitive explanation for fiber origin, they suggest that the fibers grew in situ by a solid-state diffusional process at low temperatures. The cylinders are pleochroic, highly birefringent, light to dark reddish brown, hollow, thin-walled, open-ended right cylinders, having a 1- to 2-μm wall thickness and variable lengths and diameters. There also appear to be single crystals of cryptomelane-hollandite, but these are found almost entirely in fluid inclusions in the chevron and clear salt. Their presence in the primary halite suggests that they were formed contemporaneously with the chevron structure and were accidentally trapped in the fluid inclusions. The observation of cylinders partially or completely enclosed by salt stratigraphically above large fluid inclusions suggests that natural downward fluid-inclusion migration has occurred, in response to the geothermal gradient

The paleoclimate of the Kazanian (early Late Permian) world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, G.T. (Chevron Oil Field Research Co., La Habra, CA (USA)); Peoples, C.J. (Texas A and M Univ., College Station (USA))

1990-05-01

The Kazanian (early Late Permian, 258-253 m.y.) marked the onset of a unique interval in the Phanerozoic, distinguished by a classic end-member case of continental assembly, the megacontinent Pangaea. Compilation of biostratigraphic and lithofacies data indicate a warm, extensively arid world, largely ice free, and characterized by the onset of atmospheric conditions that were exceedingly stressful to the biosphere, the worst of the eon. Using Chevron's version of the Community Climate model, the authors report here on two Kazanian paleoclimate seasonal simulations, one using 200 ppm CO{sub 2} and the other with 2,000 ppm CO{sub 2}. The authors consider the knowledge of plate assembly back to the Permian accurate enough to allow employment of a seasonal model. Simulation of a warmer Earth with an elevated greenhouse effect (modeled as CO{sub 2}) fits the observed geology and isotope signals. The increased CO{sub 2} experiment warmed the entire planet with the greatest increases north of 50{degree} latitude and least changes in the tropics. The warming caused the poleward retreat of sea ice in both hemispheres. Precipitation and evaporation increased, but runoff was confined to areas of very intense rainfall. Monsoons are limited to the southern hemisphere, associated with the western Tethys sea and the eastern equatorial Panthalassa ocean. Extreme southeastern Pangaea (northern Australia) was a focus of precipitation throughout the year. Precipitation occurred in the higher latitudes (50-55{degree}) on the western coast, of Pangaea where storm tracks make landfall. High evaporation rates characterized the restricted Permian (US), Zechstein, and Perm (Soviet Union) basins, a time of evaporite, deposition. Interior Pangaea at middle to high latitudes endured frigid winters ({minus}40{degree}C) and torrid summers (60{degree}C).

A paleoclimatic simulation of the Late Permian greenhouse world and its consequences

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moore, G.T.; Jacobson, S.R.; Hayashida, D.N. (Chevron Oil Field Research Co., La Habra, CA (United States))

1991-03-01

Sea-floor spreading assembled all the major cratonic blocks into a single supercontinent once in the Phanerozoic Eon. This unique Late Permian crustal tectonic event produced Pangaea and an enormous oceanic basin volume that dropped sea level to a global lowstand unrivaled in the Phanerozoic. Two paleoclimatic simulations using a numerical three-dimensional general circulation model tested changes in the greenhouse effect. The authors conclude that for a simulation to fit the Late Permian geologic record, the paleoatmosphere must contain an enhanced greenhouse gas effect. A third simulation tested changes of paleogeography in southern Pangaea (Gondwana) that did not appreciably alter the harsh continental paleoclimate. The simulated paleoclimatic changes provide extraordinarily warm ocean and atmosphere, and a significant reduction in continental rainfall and runoff. These conditions inevitably lead to more aridity and less vegetation on land, gradually reduce the delivery of vital nutrients from continental sources to marine margins, systematically liberate CO{sub 2} dissolved in ocean water, and incrementally increase stress on marine and terrestrial biotas. These consequences severely disrupted rates of oxygen and carbon cycling. Their quantitative paleoclimatic simulation is consistent with distributions of red beds, evaporites, coals, marine shelf areas, seawater isotope trends, and paleontologic originations and extinctions. Thus, the Pangaean plate assembly probably triggered an inexorable sequence of geophysical, geochemical, and biological events that forced an elevated greenhouse effect in the Late Permian, nearly annihilating the Phanerozoic biota.

Permian arc evolution associated with Panthalassa subduction along the eastern margin of the South China block, based on sandstone provenance and U-Pb detrital zircon ages of the Kurosegawa belt, Southwest Japan

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Hidetoshi; Hirano, Miho; Kurihara, Toshiyuki; Takahashi, Toshiro; Ueda, Hayato

2018-01-01

We have studied the petrography, geochemistry, and detrital zircon U-Pb ages of sandstones from shallow-marine forearc sediments, accretionary complexes (ACs), and metamorphosed accretionary complexes (Meta-ACs) within the Kurosegawa belt of Southwest Japan. Those rocks formed in a forearc region of a Permian island arc associated with subduction of the Panthalassa oceanic crust along the eastern margin of the South China block (Yangtze block). The provenance of the shallow-marine sediments was dominated by basaltic to andesitic volcanic rocks and minor granitic rocks during the late Middle to Late Permian. The ACs were derived from felsic to andesitic volcanic rocks during the Late Permian. The provenance of Meta-ACs was dominated by andesitic volcanic rocks in the Middle Permian. The provenance, source rock compositions, and zircon age distribution for the forearc sediments, ACs and Meta-ACs have allowed us to reconstruct the geological history of the Permian arc system of the Kurosegawa belt. During the Middle Permian, the ACs were accreted along the eastern margin of the South China block. The Middle Permian arc was an immature oceanic island arc consisting of andesitic volcanic rocks. During the Late Permian, the ACs formed in a mature arc, producing voluminous felsic to andesitic volcanic rocks. A forearc basin developed during the late Middle to Late Permian. Subsequently, the Middle Permian ACs and part of the Late Permian AC underwent low-grade metamorphism in the Late to Early Jurassic, presenting the Meta-ACs.

Maceral and geochemical characteristics of oil shale 2 from the Huangxian Basin, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sun, Yuzhuang; Lin, Mingyue; Li, Haimei; Zhang, Hongjian; Li, Shifeng; Jin, Kankun [Hebei Architectural Science and Technology Inst., Handan, Hebei (China)

2001-07-01

Five samples of Oil Shale 2 from the Huangxian Basin have been analysed by coal petrographic and geochemical methods in order to study its formation environment. Higher alginite ratios and hopanes in Oil Shale 2 indicate a lower plants and anoxic environment. Two ternary diagrams of 'facies diagnostic' macerals and biomarkers were used to interpret the depositional environments of organic matter in Oil Shale 2. In both diagrams, Oil Shale 2 plots in a lower plant zone, and was deposited in a deeper water environment. (Author)

The Deep-Sea Microbial Community from the Amazonian Basin Associated with Oil Degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Campeão, Mariana E; Reis, Luciana; Leomil, Luciana; de Oliveira, Louisi; Otsuki, Koko; Gardinali, Piero; Pelz, Oliver; Valle, Rogerio; Thompson, Fabiano L; Thompson, Cristiane C

2017-01-01

One consequence of oil production is the possibility of unplanned accidental oil spills; therefore, it is important to evaluate the potential of indigenous microorganisms (both prokaryotes and eukaryotes) from different oceanic basins to degrade oil. The aim of this study was to characterize the microbial response during the biodegradation process of Brazilian crude oil, both with and without the addition of the dispersant Corexit 9500, using deep-sea water samples from the Amazon equatorial margin basins, Foz do Amazonas and Barreirinhas, in the dark and at low temperatures (4°C). We collected deep-sea samples in the field (about 2570 m below the sea surface), transported the samples back to the laboratory under controlled environmental conditions (5°C in the dark) and subsequently performed two laboratory biodegradation experiments that used metagenomics supported by classical microbiological methods and chemical analysis to elucidate both taxonomic and functional microbial diversity. We also analyzed several physical-chemical and biological parameters related to oil biodegradation. The concomitant depletion of dissolved oxygen levels, oil droplet density characteristic to oil biodegradation, and BTEX concentration with an increase in microbial counts revealed that oil can be degraded by the autochthonous deep-sea microbial communities. Indigenous bacteria (e.g., Alteromonadaceae, Colwelliaceae , and Alcanivoracaceae ), archaea (e.g., Halobacteriaceae, Desulfurococcaceae , and Methanobacteriaceae ), and eukaryotic microbes (e.g., Microsporidia, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota) from the Amazonian margin deep-sea water were involved in biodegradation of Brazilian crude oil within less than 48-days in both treatments, with and without dispersant, possibly transforming oil into microbial biomass that may fuel the marine food web.

Remaining recoverable petroleum in giant oil fields of the Los Angeles Basin, southern California

Science.gov (United States)

Gautier, Donald L.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Cook, Troy A.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Klett, Timothy R.

2012-01-01

Using a probabilistic geology-based methodology, a team of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists recently assessed the remaining recoverable oil in 10 oil fields of the Los Angeles Basin in southern California. The results of the assessment suggest that between 1.4 and 5.6 billion barrels of additional oil could be recovered from those fields with existing technology.

Reviving Abandoned Reservoirs with High-Pressure Air Injection: Application in a Fractured and Karsted Dolomite Reservoir

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert Loucks; Stephen C. Ruppel; Dembla Dhiraj; Julia Gale; Jon Holder; Jeff Kane; Jon Olson; John A. Jackson; Katherine G. Jackson

2006-09-30

Despite declining production rates, existing reservoirs in the United States contain vast volumes of remaining oil that is not being effectively recovered. This oil resource constitutes a huge target for the development and application of modern, cost-effective technologies for producing oil. Chief among the barriers to the recovery of this oil are the high costs of designing and implementing conventional advanced recovery technologies in these mature, in many cases pressure-depleted, reservoirs. An additional, increasingly significant barrier is the lack of vital technical expertise necessary for the application of these technologies. This lack of expertise is especially notable among the small operators and independents that operate many of these mature, yet oil-rich, reservoirs. We addressed these barriers to more effective oil recovery by developing, testing, applying, and documenting an innovative technology that can be used by even the smallest operator to significantly increase the flow of oil from mature U.S. reservoirs. The Bureau of Economic Geology and Goldrus Producing Company assembled a multidisciplinary team of geoscientists and engineers to evaluate the applicability of high-pressure air injection (HPAI) in revitalizing a nearly abandoned carbonate reservoir in the Permian Basin of West Texas. The Permian Basin, the largest oil-bearing basin in North America, contains more than 70 billion barrels of remaining oil in place and is an ideal venue to validate this technology. We have demonstrated the potential of HPAI for oil-recovery improvement in preliminary laboratory tests and a reservoir pilot project. To more completely test the technology, this project emphasized detailed characterization of reservoir properties, which were integrated to access the effectiveness and economics of HPAI. The characterization phase of the project utilized geoscientists and petroleum engineers from the Bureau of Economic Geology and the Department of Petroleum

Thermal properties of Permian Basin evaporites to 493 K temperature and 30 MPa confining pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durham, W.B.; Heard, H.C.; Boro, C.O.; Keller, K.T.; Ralph, W.E.; Trimmer, D.A.

1987-03-01

Laboratory measurements of the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of four rock salts, two anhydrites, and two dolomites bordering Cycle 4 and Cycle 5 bedded salt formations in the Permian Basin in Deaf Smith County, Texas, were made in conditions ranging from 303 to 473 K in temperature and 0.1 to 31.0 MPa in hydrostatic confining pressure. Within the +-5% measurement resolution neither conductivity nor diffusivity showed a dependence upon pressure in any of the rocks. Conductivity and diffusivity in all rocks had a negative temperature dependence. For the Cycle 4 salt samples, conductivity fell from 5.5 to 3.75 W/m . K, and diffusivity fell from about 2.7 to 1.7 x 10 -6 m 2 /s. One Cycle 5 salt was a single crystal with anomalous results, but the other had a low conductivity with very weak temperature dependence and a high diffusivity. In the nonsalts, conductivity and diffusivity decreased 10 to 20% over the temperature range explored. In measurements of the coefficient of thermal linear expansion for Cycle 5 salt and nonsalts, the coefficient typically varied from about 12 x 10 -6 K -1 at P = 3.0 MPa to 4 x 10 -6 K -1 at P = 30 MPa for both nonsalt rocks. In anhydrite, it decreased with increasing temperature. In dolomite, the coefficient increased at roughly the same rate. Expansion of the salt ranged from 33 to 38 x 10 -6 K -1 and was independent of pressure and temperature

Contrasting Permo - Carboniferous Evolution of Resita and Sirinia - Presacina Basins (South Carpathians, Romania); an overview.

Science.gov (United States)

Tatu, M.; Seghedi, I.; Nutu, L. M.; Nicolae, I.

2009-04-01

Two important Permo-Carboniferous molasses basins Resita and Sirinia - Presacina occur in Romanian Banat (south-western part of Carpathian chain), unconformable overlie the Getic and Danubian domains with different pre-Variscan and Variscan geodynamic history. They show differences in their lithology reflecting various geotectonic settings and evolutions. In the Resita domain the Upper Carboniferous deposits (Westphalian - Stephanian in age, according to the previous paleobotanic and palynological data) are important in volume and they contain terrigeneous siliciclastic rocks represented by sandy - conglomerate and argillaceous - sandy rocks variable in thickness with siltstone, carbonaceous shale and coal beds interlayering. There are not volcanic rocks present in Upper Carboniferous of Resita domain. In contrast with Resita in the Sirinia - Presacina basins the Upper Carboniferous deposits are volumetrically more restrictive. These deposits transgresively overlie pre-Sudetian formations and consist of continental - lacustrine terrigeneous formations, rarely associated with limnic carbonatic rocks. In this association the alternating conglomerate, siliceous sandstone, siltstone and clay with lens - like coal inter-layers prevails. In two small areas Dragosela - Tulinecea - Camenita (in the western part) and Baia Noua - Cucuiova (in the eastern part) the terrigeneous deposits are associated with basaltic andesite and andesite rocks with alkaline affinity. In both of these basins the Lower Permian deposits (according to the paleobotanic data) unconformably overlie the Upper Carboniferous formations and/or pre-Sudetian basements. The Lower Permian deposits in the Resita basin occur in two superposed formations (Nastaseanu, 1987): (1) Walchia Beds dominated by black argillaceous shales, slightly bituminous with rare sandy-conglomerate interlayers and (2) Red Beds composed by sandy-conglomerate deposits with some argillaceous intercalations, all red in color, with

A database and probabilistic assessment methodology for carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Warwick, Peter D.; Verma, Mahendra K.; Attanasi, Emil; Olea, Ricardo A.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Freeman, Philip; Brennan, Sean T.; Merrill, Matthew; Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Roueche, Jacqueline; Lohr, Celeste D.

2017-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed an assessment methodology for estimating the potential incremental technically recoverable oil resources resulting from carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) in reservoirs with appropriate depth, pressure, and oil composition. The methodology also includes a procedure for estimating the CO2 that remains in the reservoir after the CO2-EOR process is complete. The methodology relies on a reservoir-level database that incorporates commercially available geologic and engineering data. The mathematical calculations of this assessment methodology were tested and produced realistic results for the Permian Basin Horseshoe Atoll, Upper Pennsylvanian-Wolfcampian Play (Texas, USA). The USGS plans to use the new methodology to conduct an assessment of technically recoverable hydrocarbons and associated CO2 sequestration resulting from CO2-EOR in the United States.

Assessing the role of detrital zircon sorting on provenance interpretations in an ancient fluvial system using paleohydraulics - Permian Cutler Group, Paradox Basin, Utah and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Findlay, C. P., III; Ewing, R. C.; Perez, N. D.

2017-12-01

Detrital zircon age signatures used in provenance studies are assumed to be representative of entire catchments from which the sediment was derived, but the extent to which hydraulic sorting can bias provenance interpretations is poorly constrained. Sediment and mineral sorting occurs with changes in hydraulic conditions driven by both allogenic and autogenic processes. Zircon is sorted from less dense minerals due to the difference in density, and any age dependence on zircon size could potentially bias provenance interpretations. In this study, a coupled paleohydraulic and geochemical provenance approach is used to identify changes in paleohydraulic conditions and relate them to spatial variations in provenance signatures from samples collected along an approximately time-correlative source-to-sink pathway in the Permian Cutler Group of the Paradox Basin. Samples proximal to the uplift have a paleoflow direction to the southwest. In the medial basin, paleocurrent direction indicates salt movement caused fluvial pathways divert to the north and northwest on the flanks of anticlines. Channel depth, flow velocity, and discharge calculations were derived from field measurements of grain size and dune and bar cross-stratification indicate that competency of the fluvial system decreased from proximal to the medial basin by up to a factor of 12. Based upon the paleohydraulic calculations, zircon size fractionation would occur along the transect such that the larger zircons are removed from the system prior to reaching the medial basin. Analysis of the size and age distribution of zircons from the proximal and distal fluvial system of the Cutler Group tests if this hydraulic sorting affects the expected Uncompahgre Uplift age distribution.

The Atlantic Basin: A New Africa-Americas Oil and Gas Geopolitical Arena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Auge, Benjamin

2014-01-01

The Atlantic Ocean (North and Latin America, Africa and Europe) is bordered by states experiencing a significant change in their relationships regarding hydrocarbons. The rapid development of shale oil and gas in USA allows the country more and more independence from African states in the gulf of Guinea. Some of these producing countries like Nigeria are worried that the special political and security ties with America will turn into a mere trade relationship. Africa's excess oil and gas capacity, no longer sold to USA, is bought by Latin America and Europe (alongside countries such as India). Oil and gas transactions are creating new networks and fresh ties between countries from these zones that previously had to do with each other. From a geological perspective, the Atlantic Ocean is bordered by coastal countries with multiple similarities, and which we will refer to as the Atlantic basin. Millions of years back, they formed one single continent. Oil companies, bearing this geological similarity in mind and profiting from better technology, apply for oil blocks on one side of the Atlantic basin whenever a discovery is made on the opposite side. New relationships are thus flourishing between Latin-American and African states. New players, competing to control new zones, gives rise to a fresh geopolitical situation that we are going to examine in this article

Signature recognition for rift structures of different sediment strata in ordos basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhao Xigang

2006-10-01

The rift structure weak information of high Bouguer gravity anomaly data among different Sediment strata are extracted By the horizontal gradient Maximum modulus, the wavelet variation, stripped gravity anomaly of basement and interfaces above/under researched layer, image processing method. So the linear rift structures of different Sediment strata are recognized on data images, such as Cretaceous, Jurassic, Triassic, Permian and Carboniferous, Ordovician System. Development rifts of different Sediment strata occur in stereo structure with quasi-uniform spacing, the rift density of above Sediment stratum is more than lower in different Sediment strata, but the north rift density of the same Sediment stratum is less than south's. It is useful to study rift structure and co-explore for oil, gas, coal and uranium resources in Ordos Basin. (authors)

The Deep-Sea Microbial Community from the Amazonian Basin Associated with Oil Degradation

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Mariana E. Campeão

2017-06-01

Full Text Available One consequence of oil production is the possibility of unplanned accidental oil spills; therefore, it is important to evaluate the potential of indigenous microorganisms (both prokaryotes and eukaryotes from different oceanic basins to degrade oil. The aim of this study was to characterize the microbial response during the biodegradation process of Brazilian crude oil, both with and without the addition of the dispersant Corexit 9500, using deep-sea water samples from the Amazon equatorial margin basins, Foz do Amazonas and Barreirinhas, in the dark and at low temperatures (4°C. We collected deep-sea samples in the field (about 2570 m below the sea surface, transported the samples back to the laboratory under controlled environmental conditions (5°C in the dark and subsequently performed two laboratory biodegradation experiments that used metagenomics supported by classical microbiological methods and chemical analysis to elucidate both taxonomic and functional microbial diversity. We also analyzed several physical–chemical and biological parameters related to oil biodegradation. The concomitant depletion of dissolved oxygen levels, oil droplet density characteristic to oil biodegradation, and BTEX concentration with an increase in microbial counts revealed that oil can be degraded by the autochthonous deep-sea microbial communities. Indigenous bacteria (e.g., Alteromonadaceae, Colwelliaceae, and Alcanivoracaceae, archaea (e.g., Halobacteriaceae, Desulfurococcaceae, and Methanobacteriaceae, and eukaryotic microbes (e.g., Microsporidia, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota from the Amazonian margin deep-sea water were involved in biodegradation of Brazilian crude oil within less than 48-days in both treatments, with and without dispersant, possibly transforming oil into microbial biomass that may fuel the marine food web.

REGIONAL MAGNETOTELLURIC SURVEYS IN HYDROCARBON EXPLORATION, PARANA BASIN, BRAZIL.

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, William D.; Saad, Antonio; Ohofugi, Walter

1985-01-01

The mangetotelluric geophysical method has been used effectively as a hydrocarbon exploration tool in the intracratonic Parana basin of South America. The 1-2 km thick surface basalts and buried diabase sills pose no problem for the magnetotelluric method because the natural electromagnetic fields used as the energy source pass easily through the basalt. Data for the regional study were taken on six profiles with sounding spaced 8 to 15 km apart. The magnetotelluric sounding data outline a linear uplift known as the Ponta Grossa arch. This major structural feature cuts across the northeast-trending intracratonic basin almost perpendicularly, and is injected with numerous diabase dikes. Significant electrical contrasts occur between the Permian sediments and older units, so that magnetotelluric measurements can give an indication of the regional thickness of the Permian and younger sediments to aid in interpreting hydrocarbon migration patterns and possible trap areas. Refs.

Thermal properties of Permian Basin evaporites to 493 K and 30 MPa confining pressure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durham, W.B.; Heard, H.C.; Boro, C.O.; Keller, K.T.; Ralph, W.E.; Trimmer, D.A.

1987-01-01

Laboratory measurements have been made of the thermal conductivity and diffusivity of four rock salts, two anhydrites, and two dolomites bordering the Cycle 4 and Cycle 5 bedded salt formations in the Permian Basin in Deaf Smith County, Texas. Measurement conditions ranged from 303 to 473 K in temperature, and 0.1 to 31.0 MPa in hydrostatic confining pressure. Within the +-5% measurement resolution neither conductivity nor diffusivity showed a dependence upon pressure in any of the rocks. Conductivity and diffusivity in all rocks had a negative temperature dependence. For the two Cycle 4 salt samples, conductivity over the temperature range explored fell from 5.5 to 3.75 W/m.K, and diffusivity fell from about 2.7 to 1.7 x 10 -6 m 2 /s. One of the Cycle 5 salts was a single crystal which had anomalous results, but the other had a low conductivity, about 3.4 W/m.K, with very weak temperature dependence, and a high diffusivity, 3.8 to 2.5 x 10 -6 m 2 /s over the temperature range. In the nonsalts, conductivity and diffusivity decreased 10 to 20% over the temperature range explored, which was 308 -6 m 2 /s for the anhydrites and 1.4 x 10 -6 m 2 /s for both the dolomites. The coefficient of thermal linear expansion was measured for the Cycle 5 salt and nonsalts over 308 -6 K -1 at P = 3.0 MPa to 4 x 10 -6 K -1 at P = 30 MPa for both nonsalt rocks. In anhydrite, it decreased with increasing temperature at a rate of roughly 5 x 10 -8 K -2 at all pressures. In dolomite, the coefficient increased at roughly the same rate. Expansion of the salt ranged from 33 to 38 x 10 -6 K -1 and was independent of pressure and temperature

Hydrodynamism, crude oil distribution and geochemistry of the stratigraphic column in a transect of the Eastern Venezuelan Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gallango, O.; Escandon, M.; Alberdi, M. (Intevep, S.A. Caracas (Venezuela)); Parnaud, F.; Pascual, J.C. (Beicip, Rueil Malmaison (France))

1992-01-01

The hydrocarbon accumulation history in a transect of the Eastern Venezuelan Basin is closely related to the generation and migration process as a consequence of the stratigraphic, structural and tectonic evolution of the basin during the Cretaceous and Cenozoic times. Thermal maturity assessment based on kinetic parameters using the appropriate software indicates that the generation of oil from the marine facies of the Querecual and San Antonio source rocks in the northern part of the basin took place during early Paleocene to early Miocene times prior to the start of thrusting, while the second and third phase occurred during middle Miocene to recent times in zones beneath the principal thrust in the Maturing area. The third phase of oil generation is associated with the latter thrusts which are out of sequence. Taking into consideration the development of the oil and gas kitchen through time, the hydrodynamism, the characteristics and distribution of the hydrocarbons, the migration of oil and gas have been outlined. The major differences observed among the oils, are due to maturity and post-accumulation processes such as oil mixing and biodegradation. A wide range of thermal maturity was observed in the oils, which is mainly due to the thermal stress experienced by the source rock. Association of light crudes with meteoric waters have been observed, as well as heavy to extra-heavy crudes with connate waters at greater depth. These unusual associations of crudes and formation waters are related to the hydrodynamical regime in the basin.

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy; Pitman, Janet K.; Moore, T.E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-22

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province as part of the 2008 USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province is in the Russian Federation and is situated on the Omolon superterrane of the Kolyma block. The one assessment unit (AU) that was defined for this study, called the Zyryanka Basin AU, which coincides with the province, was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional resources. The estimated mean volumes of undiscovered resources in the Zyryanka Basin Province are ~72 million barrels of crude oil, 2,282 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 61 million barrels of natural-gas liquids. About 66 percent of the study area and undiscovered petroleum resources are north of the Arctic Circle.

Timing of global regression and microbial bloom linked with the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction: implications for driving mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Baresel, Bjoern; Bucher, Hugo; Bagherpour, Borhan; Brosse, Morgane; Guodun, Kuang; Schaltegger, Urs

2017-04-01

High-precision U-Pb dating of single-zircon crystals by chemical abrasion-isotope dilution-thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) is applied to volcanic beds that are intercalated in sedimentary sequences across the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB). By assuming that the zircon crystallization age closely approximate that of the volcanic eruption and subsequent deposition, U-Pb zircon geochronology is the preferred approach for dating abiotic and biotic events, such as the formational PTB and the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction (PTBME). We will present new U-Pb zircon dates for a series of volcanic ash beds in shallow-marine Permian-Triassic sections in the Nanpanjiang Basin, South China. These high-resolution U-Pb dates indicate a duration of 90 ± 38 kyr for the Permian sedimentary hiatus and a duration of 13 ± 57 kyr for the overlying Triassic microbial limestone in the shallow water settings of the Nanpanjiang pull apart Basin. The age and duration of the hiatus coincides with the formational PTB and the extinction interval in the Meishan Global Stratotype Section and Point, thus strongly supporting a glacio-eustatic regression, which best explains the genesis of the worldwide hiatus straddling the PTB in shallow water records. In adjacent deep marine troughs, rates of sediment accumulation display a six-fold decrease across the PTB compatible with a dryer and cooler climate during the Griesbachian as indicated by terrestrial plants. Our model of the PTBME hinges on the synchronicity of the hiatus with the onset of the Siberian Traps volcanism. This early eruptive phase likely released sulfur-rich volatiles into the stratosphere, thus simultaneously eliciting a short-lived ice age responsible for the global regression and a brief but intense acidification. Abrupt cooling, shrunk habitats on shelves and acidification may all have synergistically triggered the PTBME. Subsequently, the build-up of volcanic CO2 induced this transient cool

Natural gas qualities in the Southern Permian basin; Die Erdgasqualitaeten im suedlichen Permbecken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gerling, P.; Kockel, F. [BGR, Hannover (Germany); Lokhorst, A.; Geluk, M.C. [TNO, Haarlem (Netherlands); Nicholson, R.A. [British Geological Survey, Nottingham (United Kingdom); Laier, T. [Danmarks og Groenlands Geologiske Undersoegelse, Kopenhagen (Denmark); Pokorski, J. [Panstwowy Instytut Geologiczny, Warsaw (Poland)

1998-12-31

There is a substantial amount of molecular and isotopic gas data in the literature but mostly in the archives of companies and geological services. As the geological services of most European countries traditionally contain (confidential and non-confidential) data on geology and resources these institutions from Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Poland and Germany decided to compile molecular and isotopic natural gas data from the area of the Southern European Permian basin. The partially EU-subsidised project was carried out between 1994 and 1997 (LOKHORST ed. 1998) The atlas is based on existing data and also on newly determined molecular and isotopic gas parameters. Ring analyses of national and international standard gases ensure the quality and comparability of the data thus obtained. The aim of the ``stocktaking`` of natural gas was to describe the gas qualities from the Southern North Sea in the West to the Eastern borders of Poland, to characterise them genetically and to relate the to the geological environment. (orig.) [Deutsch] Ein substantieller Anteil von molekularen und isotopischen Gasdaten existiert, teilweise in der Literatur, vor allem aber in den Archiven der Firmen und der geologischen Dienste. Da die geologischen Dienste der meisten europaeischen Laender traditionell (oeffentliche und vertrauliche) Daten ueber die Geologie und Rohstoffe vorhalten, haben sich diese Institutionen aus Grossbritanien, den Niederlanden, Daenemark, Polen und Deutschlands entschlossen, molekulare und isotopische Erdgasdaten aus dem Bereich des suedlichen europaeischen Permbeckens zu kompilieren. Das partiell von der EU gefoerderte Projekt wurde in den Jahren 1994 bis 1997 durchgefuehrt (LOKHORST ed. 1998). Ausser auf bereits vorhandenen Daten beruht der Atlas auf etwa 200 Neu-Bestimmungen molekularer und isotopischer Gasparameter. Ringanalysen nationaler und internationeler Standardgase gewaehrleisteten die Qualitaet und die Vergleichbarkeit der gewonnenen

Sequence Stratigraphic Framework Analysis of Putaohua Oil Reservoir in Chaochang Area of Songliao Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yan; Liu, Dameng; Yao, Yanbin

2018-01-01

The regional structure of the Changchang area in the Songliao Basin is located on the Chaoyangou terrace and Changchunling anticline belt in the central depression of the northern part of the Songliao Basin, across the two secondary tectonic units of the Chaoyanggou terrace and Changchunling anticline. However, with the continuous development of oil and gas, the unused reserves of Fuyu oil reservoir decreased year by year, and the oil field faced a serious shortage of reserve reserves. At the same time, during the evaluation process, a better oil-bearing display was found during the drilling and test oil in the Putao depression to the Chaoyanggou terraces, the Yudong-Taipingchuan area, and in the process of drilling and testing oil in the Putaohua reservoir. Zhao41, Zhao18-1, Shu38 and other exploration wells to obtain oil oil, indicating that the area has a further evaluation of the potential. Based on the principle of stratification, the Putao area was divided into three parts by using the core, logging and logging. It is concluded that the middle and western strata of the study area are well developed, including three sequences, one cycle from bottom to top (three small layers), two cycles (one small layer), three cycles (two small layers) Rhythm is positive-anti-positive. From the Midwest to the southeastern part of the strata, the strata are overtaken, the lower strata are missing, and the top rhythms become rhythmic.

Nature, origin, and production characteristics of the Lower Silurian regional oil and gas accumulation, central Appalachian basin, United States

Science.gov (United States)

Ryder, R.; Zagorski, W.A.

2003-01-01

Low-permeability sandstones of the Lower Silurian regional oil and gas accumulation cover about 45,000 mi2 (117,000 km2) of the Appalachian basin and may contain as much as 30 tcf of recoverable gas resources. Major reservoirs consist of the "Clinton" sandstone and Medina Group sandstones. The stratigraphically equivalent Tuscarora Sandstone increases the area of the Lower Silurian regional accumulation (LSRA) by another 30,000 mi2 (78,000 km2). Approximately 8.7 tcf of gas and 400 million bbl of oil have been produced from the Clinton/Medina reservoirs since 1880. The eastern predominantly gas-bearing part of the LSRA is a basin-center gas accumulation, whereas the western part is a conventional oil and gas accumulation with hybrid features of a basin-center accumulation. The basin-center accumulations have pervasive gas saturation, water near irreducible saturation, and generally low fluid pressures. In contrast, the hybrid-conventional accumulations have less-pervasive oil and gas saturation, higher mobile-water saturation, and both normal and abnormally low fluid pressures. High mobile-water saturation in the hybrid-conventional reservoirs form the updip trap for the basin-center gas creating a broad transition zone, tens of miles wide, that has characteristics of both end-member accumulation types. Although the Tuscarora Sandstone part of the basin-center gas accumulation is pervasively saturated with gas, most of its constituent sandstone beds have low porosity and permeability. Commercial gas fields in the Tuscarora Sandstone are trapped in naturally fractured, faulted anticlines. The origin of the LSRA includes (1) generation of oil and gas from Ordovician black shales, (2) vertical migration through an overlying 1000-ft (305-m)-thick Ordovician shale; (3) abnormally high fluid pressure created by oil-to-gas transformation; (4) updip displacement of mobile pore water by overpressured gas; (5) entrapment of pervasive gas in the basin center; (6) postorogenic

Assessment of shale-oil resources of the Central Sumatra Basin, Indonesia, 2015

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Pitman, Janet K.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.

2015-11-12

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 459 million barrels of shale oil, 275 billion cubic feet of associated gas, and 23 million barrels of natural gas liquids in the Central Sumatra Basin, Indonesia.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Susitna Basin, southern Alaska, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Stanley, Richard G.; Potter, Christopher J.; Lewis, Kristen A.; Lillis, Paul G.; Shah, Anjana K.; Haeussler, Peter J.; Phillips, Jeffrey D.; Valin, Zenon C.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Klett, Timothy R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Drake II, Ronald M.; Finn, Thomas M.; Haines, Seth S.; Higley, Debra K.; Houseknecht, David W.; Le, Phuong A.; Marra, Kristen R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Paxton, Stanley T.; Pearson, Ofori N.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Zyrianova, Margarita V.

2018-05-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently completed an assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources in the Susitna Basin of southern Alaska. Using a geology-based methodology, the USGS estimates that mean undiscovered volumes of about 2 million barrels of oil and nearly 1.7 trillion cubic feet of gas may be found in this area.

Whirling in the late Permian: ancestral Gyrinidae show early radiation of beetles before Permian-Triassic mass extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Evgeny V; Beutel, Rolf G; Lawrence, John F

2018-03-16

Gyrinidae are a charismatic group of highly specialized beetles, adapted for a unique lifestyle of swimming on the water surface. They prey on drowning insects and other small arthropods caught in the surface film. Studies based on morphological and molecular data suggest that gyrinids were the first branch splitting off in Adephaga, the second largest suborder of beetles. Despite its basal position within this lineage and a very peculiar morphology, earliest Gyrinidae were recorded not earlier than from the Upper Triassic. Tunguskagyrus. with the single species Tunguskagyrus planus is described from Late Permian deposits of the Anakit area in Middle Siberia. The genus is assigned to the stemgroup of Gyrinidae, thus shifting back the minimum age of this taxon considerably: Tunguskagyrus demonstrates 250 million years of evolutionary stability for a very specialized lifestyle, with a number of key apomorphies characteristic for these epineuston predators and scavengers, but also with some preserved ancestral features not found in extant members of the family. It also implies that major splitting events in this suborder and in crown group Coleoptera had already occurred in the Permian. Gyrinidae and especially aquatic groups of Dytiscoidea flourished in the Mesozoic (for example Coptoclavidae and Dytiscidae) and most survive until the present day, despite the dramatic "Great Dying" - Permian-Triassic mass extinction, which took place shortly (in geological terms) after the time when Tunguskagyrus lived. Tunguskagyrus confirms a Permian origin of Adephaga, which was recently suggested by phylogenetic "tip-dating" analysis including both fossil and Recent gyrinids. This also confirms that main splitting events leading to the "modern" lineages of beetles took place before the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. Tunguskagyrus shows that Gyrinidae became adapted to swimming on the water surface long before Mesozoic invasions of the aquatic environment took place

Permian Basin location recommendation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-09-01

Candidate study areas are screened from the Palo Duro and Dalhart Basin areas using data obtained from studies to date and criteria and specifications that consider: rock geometry; rock characteristics; human intrusion potential; surface characteristics; and environmental and socioeconomic conditions. Two preferred locations are recommended from among these areas for additional characterization to identify potential National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) salt repository sites. One location, in northeastern Deaf Smith County and southeastern Oldham County, is underlain by two salt units that meet the adopted screening specifications. The other location, in northcentral Swisher County, is underlain by one salt unit that meets the adopted screening specifications. Both locations have several favorable features, relative to surrounding areas, and no obviously undesirable characteristics. Both lie wholly on the Southern High Plains surface, are in relatively sparsely populated areas, contain no unique land use conflicts, and comprise large enough geographic areas to provide flexibility in site selection. Data gathered to date indicate that these locations contain salt units sufficient in thickness and in depth for the safe construction and operation of the underground facilities under consideration. 93 references, 34 figures, 6 tables

Carbon isotope evidence for a vigorous biological pump in the wake of end-Permian mass extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Meyer, K. M.; Yu, M.; Jost, A. B.; Payne, J.

2009-12-01

Ocean anoxia and euxinia have long been linked to the end-Permian mass extinction and the subsequent Early Triassic interval of delayed biotic recovery. This anoxic, sulfidic episode has been ascribed to both low- and high-productivity states in the marine water column, leaving the causes of euxinia and the mechanisms underlying delayed recovery poorly understood. To examine the nature of the end-Permian and Early Triassic biological production, we measured the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates from an exceptionally preserved carbonate platform in the Nanpanjiang Basin of south China. 13C of limestones from 5 stratigraphic sections displays a gradient of approximately 4‰ from shallow to deep water within the Lower Triassic. The limestones are systematically enriched in the platform interior relative to coeval slope and basin margin deposits by 2-4‰ at the peaks of correlative positive and negative δ13C excursions. This gradient subsequently collapses to less than 1‰ in the Middle Triassic, coincident with accelerated biotic recovery and cessation of δ13C excursions. Based on the relationship between δ18O and δ13C, trace metal analyses, and lithostratigraphic context, we conclude that the carbon isotope gradient is unlikely to reflect meteoric diagenesis, organic matter remineralization, or changes in the mixing ratio of sediment sources and minerals across the platform. Instead, we interpret the relatively depleted δ13C values toward the basin as reflecting DIC input from 13C-depleted deep waters during early diagenesis in a nutrient-rich, euxinic ocean. These observations suggest that a vigorous prokaryote-driven biological pump sustained Early Triassic ocean anoxia and inhibited recovery of animal ecosystems.

Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources of the Cooper Basin, Australia, 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Klett, Timothy R.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.

2016-07-15

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean continuous resources of 482 million barrels of oil and 29.8 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Cooper Basin of Australia.

Comparative Earth history and Late Permian mass extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Knoll, A. H.; Bambach, R. K.; Canfield, D. E.; Grotzinger, J. P.

1996-01-01

The repeated association during the late Neoproterozoic Era of large carbon-isotopic excursions, continental glaciation, and stratigraphically anomalous carbonate precipitation provides a framework for interpreting the reprise of these conditions on the Late Permian Earth. A paleoceanographic model that was developed to explain these stratigraphically linked phenomena suggests that the overturn of anoxic deep oceans during the Late Permian introduced high concentrations of carbon dioxide into surficial environments. The predicted physiological and climatic consequences for marine and terrestrial organisms are in good accord with the observed timing and selectivity of Late Permian mass extinction.

Seismic reflection surveys in central Palo Duro basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Acharya, H.; Buller, M.L.; Lewkowicz, J.; Murphy, P.

1983-01-01

Seismic reflection surveys have been conducted in the central Palo Duro basin to provide a basis for identifying localities suitable for the emplacement of an underground high level nuclear waste repository. The objectives of this effort were to determine the structure and stratigraphy in the central Palo Duro basin and evaluate the potential for hydrocarbon resources. Of primary interest is the Upper Permian salt section to a depth of about 3000 ft (914 m). Various tests were carried out along a 3 mi (5 km) segment to determine the most appropriate combination of vibrating source and recording parameters. Approximately 130 mi (209 km) of 24-fold CDP stacked data were acquired. The survey lines were tied to test wells in which velocity surveys were conducted. These data were supplemented by about 400 mi (644 km) of available proprietary CDP stacked data. Analysis of these data strongly suggests that central Palo Duro basin has been tectonically stable since Early Permian time. The maximum offset of the basement is about 600 ft (183 m). These basement faults do not appear to affect any strata above. The San Andres Formation and underlying formations can be traced continuously throughout the area surveyed. Available velocity data from various wells in the central Palo Duro basin show few anomalies, confirming the continuity of the reflecting horizons and the tectonic stability of the area. Hydrocarbon potential of the area is presently being evaluated. The preliminary results of this study are in agreement with the stratigraphic correlations among well logs in the Palo Duro basin

Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Red Sea Basin Province

Science.gov (United States)

,

2010-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean volumes of 5 billion barrels of undiscovered technically recoverable oil and 112 trillion cubic feet of recoverable gas in the Red Sea Basin Province using a geology-based assessment methodology.

Predicting emissions from oil and gas operations in the Uinta Basin, Utah.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkey, Jonathan; Kelly, Kerry; Jaramillo, Isabel Cristina; Spinti, Jennifer; Ring, Terry; Hogue, Michael; Pasqualini, Donatella

2016-05-01

In this study, emissions of ozone precursors from oil and gas operations in Utah's Uinta Basin are predicted (with uncertainty estimates) from 2015-2019 using a Monte-Carlo model of (a) drilling and production activity, and (b) emission factors. Cross-validation tests against actual drilling and production data from 2010-2014 show that the model can accurately predict both types of activities, returning median results that are within 5% of actual values for drilling, 0.1% for oil production, and 4% for gas production. A variety of one-time (drilling) and ongoing (oil and gas production) emission factors for greenhouse gases, methane, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are applied to the predicted oil and gas operations. Based on the range of emission factor values reported in the literature, emissions from well completions are the most significant source of emissions, followed by gas transmission and production. We estimate that the annual average VOC emissions rate for the oil and gas industry over the 2010-2015 time period was 44.2E+06 (mean) ± 12.8E+06 (standard deviation) kg VOCs per year (with all applicable emissions reductions). On the same basis, over the 2015-2019 period annual average VOC emissions from oil and gas operations are expected to drop 45% to 24.2E+06 ± 3.43E+06 kg VOCs per year, due to decreases in drilling activity and tighter emission standards. This study improves upon previous methods for estimating emissions of ozone precursors from oil and gas operations in Utah's Uinta Basin by tracking one-time and ongoing emission events on a well-by-well basis. The proposed method has proven highly accurate at predicting drilling and production activity and includes uncertainty estimates to describe the range of potential emissions inventory outcomes. If similar input data are available in other oil and gas producing regions, then the method developed here could be applied to those regions as well.

Executive Summary -- assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the San Joaquin Basin Province of California, 2003: Chapter 1 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California

Science.gov (United States)

Gautier, Donald L.; Scheirer, Allegra Hosford; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Peters, Kenneth E.; Magoon, Leslie B.; Lillis, Paul G.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Cook, Troy A.; French, Christopher D.; Klett, Timothy R.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Schenk, Christopher J.

2007-01-01

In 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) completed an assessment of the oil and gas resource potential of the San Joaquin Basin Province of California (fig. 1.1). The assessment is based on the geologic elements of each Total Petroleum System defined in the province, including hydrocarbon source rocks (source-rock type and maturation and hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and hydrocarbon traps (trap formation and timing). Using this geologic framework, the USGS defined five total petroleum systems and ten assessment units within these systems. Undiscovered oil and gas resources were quantitatively estimated for the ten assessment units (table 1.1). In addition, the potential was estimated for further growth of reserves in existing oil fields of the San Joaquin Basin.

Brine contamination to aquatic resources from oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, United States

Science.gov (United States)

Gleason, Robert A.; Contributions by Chesley-Preston, Tara L.; Coleman, James L.; Haines, Seth S.; Jenni, Karen E.; Nieman, Timothy L.; Peterman, Zell E.; van der Burg, Max Post; Preston, Todd M.; Smith, Bruce D.; Tangen, Brian A.; Thamke, Joanna N.; Gleason, Robert A.; Tangen, Brian A.

2014-01-01

The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada, has been a leading domestic oil and gas producing region for more than one-half a century. Currently, there are renewed efforts to develop oil and gas resources from deep geologic formations, spurred by advances in recovery technologies and economic incentives associated with the price of oil. Domestic oil and gas production has many economic benefits and provides a means for the United States to fulfill a part of domestic energy demands; however, environmental hazards can be associated with this type of energy production in the Williston Basin, particularly to aquatic resources (surface water and shallow groundwater) by extremely saline water, or brine, which is produced with oil and gas. The primary source of concern is the migration of brine from buried reserve pits that were used to store produced water during recovery operations; however, there also are considerable risks of brine release from pipeline failures, poor infrastructure construction, and flow-back water from hydraulic fracturing associated with modern oilfield operations. During 2008, a multidisciplinary (biology, geology, water) team of U.S. Geological Survey researchers was assembled to investigate potential energy production effects in the Williston Basin. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey participated in field tours and met with representatives from county, State, tribal, and Federal agencies to identify information needs and focus research objectives. Common questions from agency personnel, especially those from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were “are the brine plumes (plumes of brine-contaminated groundwater) from abandoned oil wells affecting wetlands on Waterfowl Production Areas and National Wildlife Refuges?” and “are newer wells related to Bakken and Three Forks development different than the older

Conodont color alteration index and upper Paleozoic thermal history of the Amazonas Basin, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Cardoso, Cassiane Negreiros; Sanz-López, Javier; Blanco-Ferrera, Silvia; Lemos, Valesca Brasil; Scomazzon, Ana Karina

2015-12-01

The conodont color alteration index (CAI) was determined in elements from core samples of the Frasnian Barreirinha Formation (one well) and of the Pennsylvanian-Permian Tapajós Group (twenty three wells and one limestone quarry) in the Amazonas Basin. The thermal history of the basin is analyzed using the CAI value distribution represented in maps and stratigraphic sections through correlation schemes, and in conjunction with previously published data. The pattern of palaeotemperatures for CAI values of 1.5-3 is coincident with organic matter maturation under a sedimentary overburden providing diagenetic conditions in the oil/gas window. Locally, conodonts show metamorphism (CAI value of 6-7) in relation to the intrusion of diabase bodies in beds including high geothermal gradient evaporites. Microtextural alteration on the surface conodonts commonly shows several types of overgrowth microtextures developed in diagenetic conditions. Locally, recrystallization in conodonts with a high CAI value is congruent with contact metamorphism in relation to Mesozoic intrusions. The CAI values of 1.5 or 2 observed close to the surface in several areas of the basin may be interpreted in relation to a high thermal palaeogradient derived from the magmatic episode or/and to the local denudation of the upper part of the Paleozoic succession prior to this thermal event.

Petroleum geochemistry of the Potwar Basin, Pakistan: II – Oil classification based on heterocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Asif, Muhammad; Fazeelat, Tahira

2012-01-01

In a previous study, oils in the Potwar Basin (Upper Indus) of Pakistan were correlated based on the dissimilarity of source and depositional environment of organic matter (OM) using biomarkers and bulk stable isotopes. This study is aimed at supporting the classification of Potwar Basin oils into three groups (A, B and C) using the distribution of alkylnaphthalenes, alkylphenanthrenes, alkyldibenzothiophenes, alkyldibenzofurans, alkylfluorenes, alkylbiphenyls, triaromatic steroids, methyl triaromatic steroids, retene, methyl retenes and cadalene. The higher relative abundance of specific methyl isomers of naphthalene and phenanthrene and the presence of diagnostic aromatic biomarkers clearly indicate the terrigenous and oxic depositional environment of OM for group A oil. Group B and C oils are of marine origin and the aforementioned heterocyclic and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HCs) differentiate them clearly into two different groups. The relative percentages of heterocyclic aromatic HCs reveal that the distribution of these compounds is controlled by the depositional environment of the OM. Sulfur-containing heterocyclic aromatic HCs are higher in crude oils generated from source rocks deposited in suboxic depositional environments, while oxygen-containing heterocyclic aromatic HCs in combination with alkylfluorenes are higher in marine oxic and deltaic oils. Biomarker and aromatic HC parameters do not indicate significant differences in the thermal maturity of Potwar Basin oils. Triaromatic and methyl triaromatic steroids support the division of Potwar Basin oils into the three groups and their relative abundances are related to source OM rather than thermal maturity. Significantly higher amounts of C 20 and C 21 triaromtic steroids and the presence or absence of long chain triaromatic steroids (C 25 , C 26 , C 27 , and C 28 ) indicates that these compounds are probably formed from different biological precursors in each group. Different isomers of methyl

Geology and total petroleum systems of the Paradox Basin, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Whidden, Katherine J.; Lillis, Paul G.; Anna, Lawrence O.; Pearson, Krystal M.; Dubiel, Russell F.

2014-01-01

The geological model for the development of the Total Petroleum Systems (TPSs) within the Paradox Basin formed the foundation of the recent U.S. Geological Survey assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources in the basin. Five TPSs were defined, of which three have known production and two are hypothetical. These TPSs are based on geologic elements of the basin and the potential development of Precambrian, Devonian, Pennsylvanian, Permian-Mississippian, and Cretaceous source rock intervals.

Bluebell Field, Uinta Basin: reservoir characterization for improved well completion and oil recovery

Science.gov (United States)

Montgomery, S.L.; Morgan, C.D.

1998-01-01

Bluefield Field is the largest oil-producing area in the Unita basin of northern Utah. The field inclucdes over 300 wells and has produced 137 Mbbl oil and 177 bcf gas from fractured Paleocene-Eocene lacustrine and fluvial deposits of the Green River and Wasatch (Colton) formations. Oil and gas are produced at depths of 10 500-13 000 ft (3330-3940 m), with the most prolific reservoirs existing in over-pressured sandstones of the Colton Formation and the underlying Flagstaff Member of the lower Green River Formation. Despite a number of high-recovery wells (1-3 MMbbl), overall field recovery remains low, less than 10% original oil in place. This low recovery rate is interpreted to be at least partly a result of completion practices. Typically, 40-120 beds are perforated and stimulated with acid (no proppant) over intervals of up to 3000 ft (900 m). Little or no evaluation of individual beds is performed, preventing identification of good-quality reservoir zones, water-producing zones, and thief zones. As a result, detailed understanding of Bluebell reservoirs historically has been poor, inhibiting any improvements in recovery strategies. A recent project undertaken in Bluebell field as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's Class 1 (fluvial-deltaic reservoir) Oil Demonstration program has focused considerable effort on reservoir characterization. This effort has involved interdisciplinary analysis of core, log, fracture, geostatistical, production, and other data. Much valuable new information on reservoir character has resulted, with important implications for completion techniques and recovery expectations. Such data should have excellent applicability to other producing areas in the Uinta Basin withi reservoirs in similar lacustrine and related deposits.Bluebell field is the largest oil-producing area in the Uinta basin of northern Utah. The field includes over 300 wells and has produced 137 MMbbl oil and 177 bcf gas from fractured Paleocene-Eocene lacustrine

The Paleozoic ichthyofauna of the Amazonas and Parnaíba basins, Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

Figueroa, Rodrigo Tinoco; Machado, Deusana Maria da Costa

2018-03-01

The Brazilian Paleozoic ichthyofauna from the Parnaíba and Amazonas basins regard a sparsely known diversity, including chondrichthyans and acanthodians, besides some osteichthyan remains. This work proposes a revision of the fossil material from these two sedimentary basins and synthesizes the morphological aspect of such material trying to understand the influences of those fossils to the paleontology of the region, comparing the Brazilian fossils with other gondwanan faunas. The Brazilian Paleozoic fish fauna shows great resemblance to those of Bolivia, especially during the Devonian. Many of the Acanthodian spines from the Manacapuru Formation (Amazonas Basin), and the Pimenteira Formation (Parnaíba Basin), are comparable to the taxa found in Bolivia. The lack of more Placoderm remains in the Brazilian outcrops is similar to the low diversity of this group in Bolivia, when compared to other South American and Euramerican localities. The most diverse Brazilian ichthyofauna is encountered in the Permian Pedra de Fogo Formation where numerous chondrichthyans and 'paleopterygians' remains are found, together with dipnoans and actinistians. Despite the apparent lack of more representative Paleozoic ichthyofaunas in Brazil, the available material that ranges from Lower Devonian to early Permian from Brazil bears important taxa that could address valuable taxonomic and biogeographic informations.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Cuyo Basin Province, Argentina, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Le, Phuong A.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Finn, Thomas M.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2017-07-18

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 236 million barrels of oil and 112 billion cubic feet of associated gas in the Cuyo Basin Province, Argentina.

Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Perth Basin Province, Australia, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Finn, Thomas M.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Le, Phuong A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2017-07-17

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed undiscovered, technically recoverable mean resources of 223 million barrels of oil and 14.5 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Perth Basin Province, Australia.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Klett, Timothy R.; Finn, Thomas M.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Le, Phuong A.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.

2017-09-19

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 164 million barrels of oil and 24.6 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Lower Indus Basin, Pakistan.

Organic geochemistry investigations of crude oils from Bayoot oilfield in the Masila Basin, east Yemen and their implication for origin of organic matter and source-related type

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammed Hail Hakimi

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Thirteen crude oil samples from fractured basement reservoir rocks in the Bayoot oilfield, Masila Basin were studied to describe oil characteristics and to provide information on the source of organic matter input and the genetic link between oils and their potential source rock in the basin. The bulk geochemical results of whole oil and gasoline hydrocarbons indicate that the Bayoot oils are normal crude oil, with high hydrocarbons of more than 60%. The hydrocarbons are dominated by normal, branched and cyclic alkanes a substantial of the light aromatic compounds, suggesting aliphatic oil-prone kerogen. The high abundant of normal, branched and cyclic alkanes also indicate that the Bayoot oils are not biodegradation oils.The biomarker distributions of isoprenoid, hopane, aromatic and sterane and their cross and triangular plots suggest that the Bayoot oils are grouped into one genetic family and were generated from marine clay-rich source rock that received mixed organic matter and deposited under suboxic conditions. The biomarker distributions of the Bayoot oils are consistent with those of the Late Jurassic Madbi source rock in the basin. Biomarker maturity and oil compositions data also indicate that the Bayoot oils were generated from mature source rock with peak oil-window maturity. Keywords: Crude oil, Basement reservoir rocks, Biomarker, Organic source input, Bayoot oilfield, Masila Basin

Tectonics and oil prospects of the Moluccas, Eastern Indonesia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gribi, Jr, E A

1973-07-01

The greater Moluccas are bounded by the Pacific and Indian oceanic plates and the greater Australian and Sunda continental crustal plates or shelves.The effect of their opposing movement is a giant counterclockwise sworl. The island arcs within this pattern are parts of subduction zones between the opposing plates. The Sorong transform left lateral fault resulted from these forces and offset remnants of the W. Irian shelf terrane at least 700 km westerly to the Sula islands. Sedimentary rocks of pre-Pliocene to Permian age occur notably in Timor and the Sula islands. In most localities they are deformed and indurated to the extent of making them economic basement. Plio-Pleistocene linear sedimentary basins follow the ''S'' trend and reach a maximum of 3,000 m in thickness in NE. Ceram and Timor. Rocks include deep water claystones, shelf and lagoonal clays, bar and beach sands, and barrier coral reefs. Oil seeps occur on Ceram, Timor, and Buton (asphalt) mostly from Plio-Pleistocene rocks. Oil is produced at Bula, Ceram, from Pleistocene bar and shoreline sands in stratigraphic traps. A recent development at Bula has established prolific production from an extremely permeable Pleistocene reef.

Produced water ponds are an important source of aromatics and alcohols in Rocky Mountain oil and gas basins

Science.gov (United States)

Lyman, S. N.

2017-12-01

Most of the water extracted with oil and natural gas (i.e., produced water) is disposed of by injection into the subsurface. In the arid western United States, however, a significant portion of produced water is discharged in ponds for evaporative disposal, and produced water is often stored in open ponds prior to subsurface injection. Even though they are common in the West (Utah's Uinta Basin has almost 200 ha), produced water ponds have been excluded from oil and gas emissions inventories because little information about their emission rates and speciation is available. We used flux chambers and inverse plume modeling to measure emissions of methane, C2-C11 hydrocarbons, light alcohols, carbonyls, and carbon dioxide from oil and gas produced water storage and disposal ponds in the Uinta Basin and the Upper Green River Basin, Wyoming, during 2013-2017. Methanol was the most abundant organic compound in produced water (91 ± 2% of the total volatile organic concentration; mean ± 95% confidence interval) but accounted for only 25 ± 30% of total organic compound emissions from produced water ponds. Non-methane hydrocarbons, especially C6-C9 alkanes and aromatics, accounted for the majority of emitted organics. We were able to predict emissions of individual compounds based on water concentrations, but only to within an order of magnitude. The speciation and magnitude of emissions varied strongly across facilities and was influenced by water age, the presence or absence of oil sheens, and with meteorological conditions (especially ice cover). Flux chamber measurements were lower than estimates from inverse modeling techniques.Based on our flux chamber measurements, we estimate that produced water ponds are responsible for between 3 and 9% of all non-methane organic compound emissions in the Uinta Basin (or as much as 18% if we rely on our inverse modeling results). Emissions from produced water ponds contain little methane and are more reactive (i.e., they have

Characterization of oil and gas reservoirs and recovery technology deployment on Texas State Lands

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tyler, R.; Major, R.P.; Holtz, M.H. [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)] [and others

1997-08-01

Texas State Lands oil and gas resources are estimated at 1.6 BSTB of remaining mobile oil, 2.1 BSTB, or residual oil, and nearly 10 Tcf of remaining gas. An integrated, detailed geologic and engineering characterization of Texas State Lands has created quantitative descriptions of the oil and gas reservoirs, resulting in delineation of untapped, bypassed compartments and zones of remaining oil and gas. On Texas State Lands, the knowledge gained from such interpretative, quantitative reservoir descriptions has been the basis for designing optimized recovery strategies, including well deepening, recompletions, workovers, targeted infill drilling, injection profile modification, and waterflood optimization. The State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery program is currently evaluating oil and gas fields along the Gulf Coast (South Copano Bay and Umbrella Point fields) and in the Permian Basin (Keystone East, Ozona, Geraldine Ford and Ford West fields). The program is grounded in advanced reservoir characterization techniques that define the residence of unrecovered oil and gas remaining in select State Land reservoirs. Integral to the program is collaboration with operators in order to deploy advanced reservoir exploitation and management plans. These plans are made on the basis of a thorough understanding of internal reservoir architecture and its controls on remaining oil and gas distribution. Continued accurate, detailed Texas State Lands reservoir description and characterization will ensure deployment of the most current and economically viable recovery technologies and strategies available.

Fold superimposition in the Permian groups in the central Beishan orogenic collage (northwestern China): highlights for the late evolution of the Altaids

Science.gov (United States)

Zhonghua, Tian; Wenjiao, Xiao; Yehua, Shan

2013-04-01

The southernmost part of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) or Altaids (Sengör and Burtman, 1993; Xiao et al., 2009), a rare and magnificent example of mesoscopic fold superimposition, involving the Permian sandstone, slightly to mildly metamorphosed clastic rocks, is well exposed in the central Beishan Orogenic Collage (BOC). We provide a detailed description of the morphological features of this phenomenon, based on an enormous amount of structural data collected during recent twice field mapping in the study area. Two phases of folds are readily distinguishable both in satellite image (Fig.la) and our own field map (Fig.1b). Fold is tight to close, N-S-trending in the first phase (F1), and open and E-W-trending in the second phase (F2). The first phase upright folds were refolded into a smaller number of (F2), whose axial planes and axes are vertical or subvertical. They plunge gentle to moderately in the former and moderately to steeply in the latter. Their interference is in general categorized as Ramsay's (Ramsay, 1967) type 2 or Ghosh's third/fourth mode based on the value of initial tightness. However, from east to west there exists a slight variation of a zigzag to crescent to mushroom interference pattern. This subtle variation corresponds with the westward increases of the F2 interlimb angle and of the percentage of coarse-grain clastic rocks, suggesting its dependence upon the F2 deformation and the lithology. Axial slaty cleavages (S1) and associated dip-slip slickensides are more abundant in the first phase. Cleavages and strike-slip slickensides related to the seconding refolding are also occurred in the area. Finally, according to the petrological, geochemical and geochronological data, we conclude that the deformation history of the superposed folds were associated with the late evolution in the BOC. In the late Permian, the fold superimposition occurred in sedimentary rocks deposited in a Permian back-arc basin. The basin was intensely

Permian basalts and trachytes from Esterel (SE France): a transitional tholeiitic suite emplaced during lithosphere thinning; Basaltes et trachytes permiens de l`Esterel (SE France): une serie tholeiitique transitionnelle epanchee pendant l`amincissement lithospherique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lapierre, H.; Basile, Ch. [Grenoble-1 Univ., 38 - Grenoble (France). Laboratoire de Geodynamique des Chaines Alpines, CNRS UPRES-A5025; Dupuis, V. [Institut de Geodynamique, UMR Geosciences Azur, 06 - Valbonne (France)

1999-11-01

Geochemical (major, trace and rare earth elements) and isotopic ({sup 143}Nd/{sup 144}Nd) compositions of lavas emplaced in the Esterel Massif (eastern Provence, France) at the end of the Permian allow to estimate the evolution of the continental lithosphere between the end of the Hercynian orogenesis and the beginning of the Tethyan rifting. Basalts from Agay basin and trachyte from Batterie des Lions belong to a transitional tholeiitic suite, characterized by negative Nb and Ta anomalies (relative to N-MORB) and homogeneous {epsilon}Nd{sub (T=250Ma)} ratios, close to the Bulk Earth. This suggests that the basalts from Agay basin and trachyte from Batterie des Lions derived from the partial melting of a mantle contaminated by lower continental crust. Maure Vieille trachytes differ from the differentiated rocks of the transitional suite by higher heavy rare earth abundances and {epsilon}Nd{sub (T=250Ma)} of +4/+5. These high {xi}Nd ratios suggest that the Maure Vieille trachytes could derive from the partial melting of a more depleted source, likely an asthenospheric mantle. The isotopic compositions of the Permian lavas from Esterel suggest the thinning (and perhaps the disappearance) of the lithospheric mantle which is associated at the surface with a NNW-SSE extension. The progressive change recorded in Agay basin from a stretching regime to a strike-slip regime may be related to the end of the lithospheric thinning and of the Permian magmatism. (authors) 37 refs.

Determining CO2 storage potential during miscible CO2 enhanced oil recovery: Noble gas and stable isotope tracers

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Jenna L.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Hunt, Andrew; Beebe, Thomas L; Parker, Andrew D; Warwick, Peter D.; Drake, Ronald; McCray, John E.

2016-01-01

Rising atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations are fueling anthropogenic climate change. Geologic sequestration of anthropogenic CO2 in depleted oil reservoirs is one option for reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere while enhancing oil recovery. In order to evaluate the feasibility of using enhanced oil recovery (EOR) sites in the United States for permanent CO2 storage, an active multi-stage miscible CO2flooding project in the Permian Basin (North Ward Estes Field, near Wickett, Texas) was investigated. In addition, two major natural CO2 reservoirs in the southeastern Paradox Basin (McElmo Dome and Doe Canyon) were also investigated as they provide CO2 for EOR operations in the Permian Basin. Produced gas and water were collected from three different CO2 flooding phases (with different start dates) within the North Ward Estes Field to evaluate possible CO2 storage mechanisms and amounts of total CO2retention. McElmo Dome and Doe Canyon were sampled for produced gas to determine the noble gas and stable isotope signature of the original injected EOR gas and to confirm the source of this naturally-occurring CO2. As expected, the natural CO2produced from McElmo Dome and Doe Canyon is a mix of mantle and crustal sources. When comparing CO2 injection and production rates for the CO2 floods in the North Ward Estes Field, it appears that CO2 retention in the reservoir decreased over the course of the three injections, retaining 39%, 49% and 61% of the injected CO2 for the 2008, 2010, and 2013 projects, respectively, characteristic of maturing CO2 miscible flood projects. Noble gas isotopic composition of the injected and produced gas for the flood projects suggest no active fractionation, while δ13CCO2 values suggest no active CO2dissolution into formation water, or mineralization. CO2 volumes capable of dissolving in residual formation fluids were also estimated along with the potential to store pure-phase supercritical CO2. Using a combination

Socioeconomic data base report for the Permian Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-01-01

This report presents the data base of socioeconomic characteristics of 14 counties and 13 key cities that surround the two locations in the Palo Duro Basin. The information describes the demographic features, economic base, community facilities and services, and governmental and fiscal structure. The land use patterns and zoning requirements for selected cities of varying sizes and complexities and the general social characteristics of the region as a whole are described also. Extensive references, 23 figures, 92 tables

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Canning Basin Province, Australia, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.

2018-05-31

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 1.3 billion barrels of oil and 34.4 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Canning Basin Province of Australia.

Geologic Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the North Cuba Basin, Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.

2010-01-01

Petroleum generation in the North Cuba Basin is primarily the result of thrust loading of Jurassic and Cretaceous source rocks during formation of the North Cuba fold and thrust belt in the Late Cretaceous to Paleogene. The fold and thrust belt formed as Cuban arc-forearc rocks along the leading edge of the Caribbean plate translated northward during the opening of the Yucatan Basin and collided with the passive margin of southern North America in the Paleogene. Petroleum fluids generated during thrust loading migrated vertically into complex structures in the fold and thrust belt, into structures in the foreland basin, and possibly into carbonate reservoirs along the margins of the Yucatan and Bahama carbonate platforms. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) defined a Jurassic-Cretaceous Composite Total Petroleum System (TPS) and three assessment units (AU)-North Cuba Fold and Thrust Belt AU, North Cuba Foreland Basin AU, and the North Cuba Platform Margin Carbonate AU-within this TPS based mainly on structure and reservoir type (fig. 1). There is considerable geologic uncertainty as to the extent of petroleum migration that might have occurred within this TPS to form potential petroleum accumulations. Taking this geologic uncertainty into account, especially in the offshore area, the mean volumes of undiscovered resources in the composite TPS of the North Cuba Basin are estimated at (1) 4.6 billion barrels of oil (BBO), with means ranging from an F95 probability of 1 BBO to an F5 probability of 9 BBO; and (2) 8.6 trillion cubic feet of of gas (TCFG), of which 8.6 TCFG is associated with oil fields, and about 1.2 TCFG is in nonassociated gas fields in the North Cuba Foreland Basin AU.

Assessment of undiscovered conventionally recoverable petroleum resources of the Arabian-Iranian Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Masters, Charles D.; Klemme, H. Douglas; Coury, Anny B.

1982-01-01

The estimates of undiscovered conventionally recoverable petroleum resources in the Arabian-Iranian basin at probability levels of 95 percent, 5 percent, and statistical mean are for oil (in billions of barrels): 72, 337, and 174; and for gas (in trillions of cubic feet): 299, 1792, and 849. The occurrence of petroleum can be accounted for in five definitive geological settings or plays. The assessment of undiscovered resource potential assumes that the new discoveries will expand the occurrence of petroleum in these basic plays; no additional plays with significant petroleum potential were recognized. The five plays listed by geologic age are: (I) Upper Cretaceous and Tertiary, (II) Lower and Middle Cretaceous sandstone, (III) Lower and Middle Cretaceous limestone, (IV) Jurassic, and (V) Permian. The Permian play, located in the south-central Arabian Gulf region and extending northeast-southwest from southern Iran to the Ar Rub' al Khali in Saudi Arabia, accounts for over four-fifths of the mean estimate of undiscovered gas. The remainder of the gas is divided about equally among the other four plays. The Jurassic play, located on the south side of the Arabian Gulf, accounts for slightly less than one-third of the estimated undiscovered oil, which is split equally between Saudi Arabia and Iraq. The Lower and Middle Cretaceous limestone play is located in the southern Gulf region and accounts for about one-fifth of the undiscovered oil, most of which is located in Saudi Arabia and the remainder in the United Arab Emirates. The Lower and Middle Cretaceous sandstone play is centralized in Kuwait at the head of the Arabian Gulf with significant potential extending to the northwest in Iraq; the play accounts for about one-third of the undiscovered oil, the great majority of which is estimated to be in Iraq with the remainder divided between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The upper Cretaceous-Tertiary play is located in the Zagros fold belt of Iran and Iraq and accounts for

Syndepositional tectonics recorded by soft-sediment deformation and liquefaction structures (continental Lower Permian sediments, Southern Alps, Northern Italy): Stratigraphic significance

Science.gov (United States)

Berra, F.; Felletti, F.

2011-04-01

The Lower Permian succession of the Central Southern Alps (Lombardy, Northern Italy) was deposited in fault-controlled continental basins, probably related to transtensional tectonics. We focussed our study on the stratigraphic record of the Lower Permian Orobic Basin, which consists of a 1000 m thick succession of prevailing continental clastics with intercalations of ignimbritic flows and tuffs (Pizzo del Diavolo Formation, PDV) resting on the underlying prevailing pyroclastic flows of the Cabianca Volcanite. The PDV consists of a lower part (composed of conglomerates passing laterally to sandstones and distally to silt and shales), a middle part (pelitic, with carbonates) and an upper part (alternating sandstone, silt and volcanic flows). Syndepositional tectonics during the deposition of the PDV is recorded by facies distribution, thickness changes and by the presence of deformation and liquefaction structures interpreted as seismites. Deformation is recorded by both ductile structures (ball-and-pillow, plastic intrusion, disturbed lamination, convolute stratification and slumps) and brittle structures (sand dykes and autoclastic breccias). Both the sedimentological features and the geodynamic setting of the depositional basin confidently support the interpretation of the described deformation features as related to seismic shocks. The most significant seismically-induced deformation is represented by a slumped horizon (about 4 m thick on average) which can be followed laterally for more than 5 km. The slumped bed consists of playa-lake deposits (alternating pelites and microbial carbonates, associated with mud cracks and vertebrate tracks). The lateral continuity and the evidence of deposition on a very low-angle surface along with the deformation/liquefaction of the sediments suggest that the slump was triggered by a high-magnitude earthquake. The stratigraphic distribution of the seismites allows us to identify time intervals of intense seismic activity

Timing of global regression and microbial bloom linked with the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction: implications for driving mechanisms.

Science.gov (United States)

Baresel, Björn; Bucher, Hugo; Bagherpour, Borhan; Brosse, Morgane; Guodun, Kuang; Schaltegger, Urs

2017-03-06

New high-resolution U-Pb dates indicate a duration of 89 ± 38 kyr for the Permian hiatus and of 14 ± 57 kyr for the overlying Triassic microbial limestone in shallow water settings of the Nanpanjiang Basin, South China. The age and duration of the hiatus coincides with the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) and the extinction interval in the Meishan Global Stratotype Section and Point, and strongly supports a glacio-eustatic regression, which best explains the genesis of the worldwide hiatus straddling the PTB in shallow water records. In adjacent deep marine troughs, rates of sediment accumulation display a six-fold decrease across the PTB compatible with a dryer and cooler climate as indicated by terrestrial plants. Our model of the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction (PTBME) hinges on the synchronicity of the hiatus with the onset of the Siberian Traps volcanism. This early eruptive phase released sulfur-rich volatiles into the stratosphere, thus simultaneously eliciting a short-lived ice age responsible for the global regression and a brief but intense acidification. Abrupt cooling, shrunk habitats on shelves and acidification may all have synergistically triggered the PTBME. Subsequently, the build-up of volcanic CO 2 induced a transient cool climate whose early phase saw the deposition of the microbial limestone.

Pumping test and fluid sampling report - Sawyer No. 1 well, Palo Duro Basin, Texas: unanalyzed data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-05-01

This report describes pumping test and fluid sampling activities performed at the Sawyer No. 1 well, Donley County, Texas. Sawyer No. 1 well is located along the eastern margin of the Palo Duro Basin in an area of active dissolution within the Permian salt section. These data were collected by Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation working in conjunction with the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology as part of a nationwide program to identify potential locations for a nuclear waste repository. These data support studies to determine the hydrologic characteristics of deep water-bearing formations. Formation fluid studies samples were analyzed in order to evaluate fluid migration and age relationships in the Permian Basin. These data were collected from June until October, 1981. Zone isolation for pump testing was accomplished in November, 1981. These data are preliminary. They have been neither analyzed nor evaluated

Hydrothermal dolomitization of the Bekhme formation (Upper Cretaceous), Zagros Basin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq: Record of oil migration and degradation

Science.gov (United States)

Mansurbeg, Howri; Morad, Daniel; Othman, Rushdy; Morad, Sadoon; Ceriani, Andrea; Al-Aasm, Ihsan; Kolo, Kamal; Spirov, Pavel; Proust, Jean Noel; Preat, Alain; Koyi, Hemin

2016-07-01

The common presence of oil seepages in dolostones is widespread in Cretaceous carbonate successions of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. This integrated field, petrographic, chemical, stable C, O and Sr isotopes, and fluid inclusion study aims to link dolomitization to the origin and geochemical evolution of fluids and oil migration in the Upper Cretaceous Bekhme carbonates. Flux of hot basinal (hydrothermal) brines, which is suggested to have occurred during the Zagros Orogeny, resulted in dolomitization and cementation of vugs and fractures by coarse-crystalline saddle dolomite, equant calcite and anhydrite. The saddle dolomite and host dolostones have similar stable isotopic composition and formed prior to oil migration from hot (81-115 °C) basinal NaCl-MgCl2-H2O brines with salinities of 18-22 wt.% NaCl eq. The equant calcite cement, which surrounds and hence postdates saddle dolomite, has precipitated during oil migration from cooler (60-110 °C) NaCl-CaCl2-H2O brines (14-18 wt.% NaCl eq). The yellowish fluorescence color of oil inclusions in the equant calcite indicates that the oil had API gravity of 15-25° composition, which is lighter than present-day oil in the reservoirs (API of 10-17°). This difference in oil composition is attributed to oil degradation by the flux of meteoric water, which is evidenced by the low δ13C values (- 8.5‰ to - 3.9‰ VPDB) as well as by nil salinity and low temperature in fluid inclusions of late columnar calcite cement. This study demonstrates that linking fluid flux history and related diagenesis to the tectonic evolution of the basin provides important clues to the timing of oil migration, degradation and reservoir evolution.

Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the San Jorge Basin Province, Argentina, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Marra, Kristen R.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2017-07-18

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 78 million barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of gas in the San Jorge Basin Province, Argentina.

Assessment of potential unconventional lacustrine shale-oil and shale-gas resources, Phitsanulok Basin, Thailand, 2014

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Pitman, Janet K.; Brownfield, Michael E.

2014-01-01

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey assessed potential technically recoverable mean resources of 53 million barrels of shale oil and 320 billion cubic feet of shale gas in the Phitsanulok Basin, onshore Thailand.

Dynamic behaviour of natural oil droplets through the water column in deep-water environment: the case of the Lower Congo Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Jatiault, R.; Dhont, D.; Loncke, L.; Durrieu De Madron, X.; Dubucq, D.; Channelliere, C.; Bourrin, F.

2017-12-01

Key words: Hydrocarbon seepage, Oil Slick, Lower Congo Basin, Underwater deflection, Deep-water Pockmark, Ascent speedThe space-borne imagery provides a significant means to locate active oil seeps and to estimate the expelled volume in the marine environment. The analysis of numerous overlapping satellite images revealed an abundant volume of 4400 m3 of oil naturally reaching the sea surface per year, expelled from more than a hundred seep sites through the Lower Congo Basin. The active seepage area is located in the distal compressional province of the basin where salt napes and squeezed diapirs. The integration of current data was used to link accurately sea surface manifestations of natural oil leakages with active fluid flow features on the seafloor. A mooring with ADCPs (Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers) distributed throughout the water column provided an efficient calibration tool to evaluate the horizontal deflection of oil droplets. Using a Eulerian propagation model that considered a range of probable ascent speeds, we estimated the oil migration pathways through the water column using two different approaches. The first approach consisted in simulating the backwards trajectory of oil droplets using sea surface oil slicks locations and concomitant current measurements. The second method analyzed the spatial spreading of the surfacing signatures of natural oil slicks based on 21 years of satellite observations. The location of the surfacing points of oil droplets at the sea surface is restricted to a circle of 2.5 km radius around the release point at the seafloor. Both approaches provided a range of ascent speeds of oil droplets between 3 to 8 cm.s-1. The low deflection values validate the near-vertical links between the average surfacing area of oil slicks at the sea surface with specific seafloor disturbances (i.e. pockmarks or mounds) known to expel fluids.

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources in the Bohaiwan Basin Province, China, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Woodall, Cheryl A.; Finn, Thomas M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Le, Phuong A.; Klett, Timothy R.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Potter, Christopher J.

2018-02-07

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 2.0 billion barrels of oil and 20.3 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Bohaiwan Basin Province, China.

Site evaluation for U.S. Bureau of Mines experimental oil-shale mine, Piceance Creek basin, Rio Blanco County, Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

Ege, John R.; Leavesley, G.H.; Steele, G.S.; Weeks, J.B.

1978-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey is cooperating with the U.S. Bureau of Mines in the selection of a site for a shaft and experimental mine to be constructed in the Piceance Creek basin, Rio Blanco County, Colo. The Piceance Creek basin, an asymmetric, northwest-trending large structural downwarp, is located approximately 40 km (25 mi) west of the town of Meeker in Rio Blanco County, Colo. The oil-shale, dawsonite, nahcolite, and halite deposits of the Piceance Creek basin occur in the lacustrine Green River Formation of Eocene age. In the basin the Green River Formation comprises three members. In ascending order, they are the Douglas Creek, the Garden Gulch, and the Parachute Creek Members, Four sites are presented for consideration and evaluated on geology and hydrology with respect to shale-oil economics. Evaluated criteria include: (1) stratigraphy, (2) size of site, (3) oil-shale yield, (4) representative quantities of the saline minerals dawsonite and nahcolite, which must be present with a minimum amount of halite, (5) thickness of a 'leached' saline zone, (6) geologic structure, (7) engineering characteristics of rock, (8) representative surface and ground-water conditions, with emphasis on waste disposal and dewatering, and (9) environmental considerations. Serious construction and support problems are anticipated in sinking a deep shaft in the Piceance Creek basin. The two major concerns will be dealing with incompetent rock and large inflow of saline ground water, particularly in the leached zone. Engineering support problems will include stabilizing and hardening the rock from which a certain amount of ground water has been removed. The relative suitability of the four potential oil-shale experimental shaft sites in the Piceance Creek basin has been considered on the basis of all available geologic, hydrologic, and engineering data; site 2 is preferred to sites 1, 3, and 4, The units in this report are presented in the form: metric (English). Both units of

An upwelling model for the Phosphoria sea: A Permian, ocean-margin sea in the northwest United States

Science.gov (United States)

Piper, D.Z.; Link, P.K.

2002-01-01

The Permian Phosphoria Formation, a petroleum source rock and world-class phosphate deposit, was deposited in an epicratonic successor basin on the western margin of North America. We calculate the seawater circulation in the basin during deposition of the lower ore zone in the Meade Peak Member from the accumulation rates of carbonate fluorapatite and trace elements. The model gives the exchange rate of water between the Phosphoria sea and the open ocean to the west in terms of an upwelling rate (84 m yr-1) and residence time (4.2 yr) of seawater in the basin. These hydrographic properties supported a mean rate of primary productivity of 0.87 g m-2 d-1 of carbon in the uppermost few tens of meters of the water column (the photic zone) and denitrifying redox conditions in the bottom water (below approximately 150 m depth). High rain rates, onto the sea floor, of the organic matter that hosted the phosphate and several trace elements contributed to the accumulation of phosphorite, chert, and black shales and mudstones. Evaporation in the Goose Egg basin to the east of the Phosphoria basin ensured the import of surface seawater from the Phosphoria sea. Budgets of water, salt, phosphate, and oxygen, plus the minor accumulation of the biomarker gammacerane, show that exchange of water between the two basins was limited, possibly by the shallow carbonate platform that separated the two basins.

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Lena-Vilyui Basin Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy; Pitman, Janet K.; Moore, T.E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-22

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Lena-Vilyui Basin Province, north of the Arctic Circle, as part of the Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province is in the Russian Federation and is situated between the Verkhoyansk fold-and-thrust belt and the Siberian craton. The one assessment unit (AU) defined for this study—the Northern Priverkhoyansk Foredeep AU—was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable resources. The estimated mean volumes of undiscovered resources for the Northern Priverkhoyansk Foredeep in the Lena-Vilyui Basin Province are ~400 million barrels of crude oil, 1.3 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 40 million barrels of natural-gas liquids, practically all (99.49 percent) of which is north of the Arctic Circle.

Catastrophic dispersion of coal fly ash into oceans during the latest Permian extinction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grasby, S.E.; Sanei, H.; Beauchamp, B. [Geological Survey Canada Calgary, Calgary, AB (Canada)

2011-02-15

During the latest Permian extinction about 250 Myr ago, more than 90% of marine species went extinct, and biogeochemical cycles were disrupted globally. The cause of the disruption is unclear, but a link between the eruption of the Siberian Trap flood basalts and the extinction has been suggested on the basis of the rough coincidence of the two events. The flood basalt volcanism released CO{sub 2}. In addition, related thermal metamorphism of Siberian coal measures and organic-rich shales led to the emission of methane, which would have affected global climate and carbon cycling, according to model simulations. This scenario is supported by evidence for volcanic eruptions and gas release in the Siberian Tunguska Basin, but direct indicators of coal combustion have not been detected. Here we present analyses of terrestrial carbon in marine sediments that suggest a substantial amount of char was deposited in Permian aged rocks from the Canadian High Arctic immediately before the mass extinction. Based on the geochemistry and petrology of the char, we propose that the char was derived from the combustion of Siberian coal and organic-rich sediments by flood basalts, which was then dispersed globally. The char is remarkably similar to modern coal fly ash, which can create toxic aquatic conditions when released as slurries. We therefore speculate that the global distribution of ash could have created toxic marine conditions.

Geographic information system (GIS)-based maps of Appalachian basin oil and gas fields: Chapter C.2 in Coal and petroleum resources in the Appalachian basin: distribution, geologic framework, and geochemical character

Science.gov (United States)

Ryder, Robert T.; Kinney, Scott A.; Suitt, Stephen E.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Trippi, Michael H.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Ryder, Robert T.

2014-01-01

One of the more recent maps of Appalachian basin oil and gas fields (and the adjoining Black Warrior basin) is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) compilation by Mast and others (1998) (see Trippi and others, this volume, chap. I.1). This map is part of a larger oil and gas field map for the conterminous United States that was derived by Mast and others (1998) from the Well History Control System (WHCS) database of Petroleum Information, Inc. (now IHS Energy Group). Rather than constructing the map from the approximately 500,000 proprietary wells in the Appalachian and Black Warrior part of the WHCS database, Mast and others (1998) subdivided the region into a grid of 1-mi2 (square mile) cells and allocated an appropriate type of hydrocarbon production (oil production, gas production, oil and gas production, or explored but no production) to each cell. Each 1-mi2 cell contains from 0 to 5 or more exploratory and (or) development wells. For example, if the wells in the 1-mi2 cell consisted of three oil wells, one gas well, and one dry well, then the cell would be characterized on the map as an area of oil and gas production. The map by Mast and others (1998) accurately shows the distribution and types of hydrocarbon accumulation in the Appalachian and Black Warrior basins, but it does not show the names of individual fields. To determine the locality and name of individual oil and gas fields, one must refer to State oil and gas maps (for example, Harper and others, 1982), which are generally published at scales of 1:250,000 or 1:500,000 (see References Cited), and (or) published journal articles.

Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources of the Cooper and Eromanga Basins, Australia, 2016

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Klett, Timothy R.; Finn, Thomas M.; Le, Phuong A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Pitman, Janet K.

2016-05-12

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean conventional resources of 68 million barrels of oil and 964 billion cubic feet of gas in the Cooper and Eromanga Basins of Australia.

77 FR 52018 - Oxy Midstream Strategic Development, LLC, Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.; Notice of Petition...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-28

... Strategic Development, LLC, Magellan Midstream Partners, L.P.; Notice of Petition for Declaratory Order Take... will transport crude oil from the Permian Basin, which is sourced in West Texas and New Mexico, to the... available for review in the Commission's Public Reference Room in Washington, DC. There is an eSubscription...

A hybrid Delphi-SWOT paradigm for oil and gas pipeline strategic planning in Caspian Sea basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tavana, Madjid; Pirdashti, Mohsen; Kennedy, Dennis T.; Belaud, Jean-Pierre; Behzadian, Majid

2012-01-01

The Caspian Sea basin holds large quantities of both oil and natural gas that could help meet the increasing global demand for energy resources. Consequently, the oil and gas potential of the region has attracted the attention of the international oil and gas industry. The key to realizing the energy producing potential of the region is the development of transnational export routes to take oil and gas from the landlocked Caspian Sea basin to world markets. The evaluation and selection of alternative transnational export routes is a complex multi-criteria problem with conflicting objectives. The decision makers (DMs) are required to consider a vast amount of information concerning internal strengths and weaknesses of the alternative routes as well as external opportunities and threats to them. This paper presents a hybrid model that combines strength, weakness, opportunity and threat (SWOT) analysis with the Delphi method. - Highlights: ► The evaluation and selection of the pipeline routes is a multi-criteria problem. ► A hybrid SWOT-Delphi method is proposed to evaluate five potential routes. ► The Southern and Northern routes are chosen as the best and second-best options. ► The second best option is identified to provide some degree of diversification.

Geochemical Identification of Windblown Dust Deposits in the Upper Permian Brushy Canyon Formation, Southern New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Tice, M. M.; Motanated, K.; Weiss, R.

2009-12-01

Windblown dust is a potentially important but difficult-to-quantify source of siliciclastics for sedimentary basins worldwide. Positively identifying windblown deposits requires distinguishing them from other low density suspension transport deposits. For instance, laminated very fine grained sandstones and siltstones of the Upper Permian Brushy Canyon Formation have been variously interpreted as 1) the deposits of slow-moving, low-density turbidity currents, 2) distal overbank deposits of turbidity currents, 3) the deposits of turbulent suspensions transported across a pycnocline (interflows), and 4) windblown dust. This facies forms the bulk of Brushy Canyon Formation slope deposits, so understanding its origin is critical to understanding the evolution of the basin as a whole. We use a geochemical mapping technique (x-ray fluorescence microscopy) to show that these rocks are up to two times enriched in very fine sand sized zircon and rutile grains relative to Bouma A divisions of interbedded turbidites, suggesting substantial turbulence during transport. However, in contrast with the A divisions, the laminated sandstones and siltstones never show evidence of scour or amalgamation, implying that flow turbulence did not interact with underlying beds. Moreover, proximal loess deposits are often characterized by elevated Zr/Al2O3. These observations are most consistent with windblown interpretations for Brushy Canyon Formation slope sediments, and suggest that evolution of this early deepwater slope system was controlled largely by short-distance aeolian transport of very fine sand and silt from the coast. Heavy mineral incorporation into Brushy Canyon Formation slope deposits as reflected in laminae-scale bulk Zr and Ti abundances may preserve a long-term record of local wind intensity during the Upper Permian.

Evaluation and prediction of oil biodegradation: a novel approach integrating geochemical and basin modeling techniques in offshore Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baudino, Roger [YPF S.A. (Argentina); Santos, Glauce Figueiredo dos; Losilla, Carlos; Cabrera, Ricardo; Loncarich, Ariel; Gavarrino, Alejandro [RepsolYPF do Brasil, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2008-07-01

Oil fields accounting for a large portion of the world reserves are severely affected by biological degradation. In Brazil, giant fields of the Campos Basin are producing biodegraded oils with widely variable fluid characteristics (10 to 40 deg API) and no apparent logical distribution nor predictability. Modern geochemical techniques allow defining the level of biodegradation. When original (non-degraded) oil samples and other with varying degradation level are available it might be possible to define a distribution trend and to relate it to present day geological factors such as temperature and reservoir geometry. However, other critical factors must be taken into account. But most of all, it is fundamental to have a vision in time of their evolution. This can only be achieved through 3D Basin Models coupled with modern visualization tools. The multi-disciplinary work-flow described here integrates three-dimensional numerical simulations with modern geochemical analyses. (author)

Origin of an unusual heavy oil from the Baiyinchagan depression, Erlian basin, northern China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haiping Huang [China University of Geosciences, Beijing (China); University of Newcastle, Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom). School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences; Guangxi Jin [China University of Geosciences, Beijing (China); Exploration and Development Institute, Puyang (China); Changsong Lin; Yabin Zheng [China University of Geosciences, Beijing (China)

2003-01-01

A detailed organic geochemical analysis of six oil samples from the Baiyinchagan depression in the Erlian basin, Northern China, was carried out in order to evaluate their origin. The oils are reservoired at a very shallow depth (223-560 m subsurface) and their chemical and physical properties vary greatly, ranging from normal to extremely heavy oil. The preservation of non-biodegraded oil in such a shallow reservoir is possibly related with palaeo-pasteurization of the reservoir before uplift. Maturity difference is not the primary control on the chemical and physical properties of the oils and there is considerable geochemical evidence to suggest the additional influence of in-reservoir/post-accumulation processes such as biodegradation, water-washing and (possibly) evaporation. Whereas some oils appear to be less affected, others are moderately biodegraded up to level 4 on the [Peters and Moldowan, 1993] scale, with sterane distributions largely unaffected and 25-norhopanes undetected. Contrary to classical biodegradation, the unusual heavy oil shows little evidence of biodegradation from aliphatic components. Water-washing is suggested to be the primary process leading to its formation since the severe alteration of soluble aromatic hydrocarbons is observed. In addition, since the oils have been uplifted significantly after accumulation, evaporation and/or leakage to modify oil compositions cannot be ruled out. (author)

Extinguishing a Permian World

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schneebeli-Hermann, E.

2012-01-01

At the end of the Permian, ca. 252 Ma ago, marine and terrestrial fauna were facing the most extensive mass extinction in Earth history (Raup and Sepkoski, 1982). 80%–95% of all species on Earth, on land and in the oceans, became extinct (Benton et al., 2004) within an estimated time interval of

Phase I Focused Corrective Measures Study/Feasibility Study for the L-Area Oil and Chemical Basin (904-83G)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palmer, E. [Westinghouse Savannah River Company, AIKEN, SC (United States)

1997-02-01

This report presents the completed Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Focused Corrective Measures Study/Feasibility Study (CMS/FS) for the L-Area Oil and Chemical Basin (LAOCB)/L-Area Acid Caustic Basin (9LAACB) Solid Waste Management Unit/Operable Unit (SWMU/OU) at the Savannah River Site (SRS).

Geology and Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the East Barents Basins Province and the Novaya Zemlya Basins and Admiralty Arch Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy R.; Moore, Thomas E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-15

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered petroleum resources of the East Barents Basins Province and the Novaya Zemlya Basins and Admiralty Arch Province as part of its Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal. These two provinces are situated northeast of Scandinavia and the northwestern Russian Federation, on the Barents Sea Shelf between Novaya Zemlya to the east and the Barents Platform to the west. Three assessment units (AUs) were defined in the East Barents Basins Province for this study: the Kolguyev Terrace AU, the South Barents and Ludlov Saddle AU, and the North Barents Basin AU. A fourth AU, defined as the Novaya Zemlya Basins and Admiralty Arch AU, coincides with the Novaya Zemlya Basins and Admiralty Arch Province. These four AUs, all lying north of the Arctic Circle, were assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable resources, resulting in total estimated mean volumes of ~7.4 billion barrels of crude oil, 318 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of natural gas, and 1.4 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids.

Kinetics of oil-cracking for different types of marine oils from Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anlai Ma

2016-02-01

Full Text Available The C1–C5 gas and carbon isotope ratios generated during the cracking of heavy, normal and high-waxy marine oils from Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China, using a closed-gold tube system under high pressure were presented. The three types of oil tested resulted in a similar gas-generation process. The C2–C5 range initially increased its yield with the application of pyrolysis temperature and thereafter decreased, while the C1 yield increased with the same application. High-waxy oil had the highest C1–C5 yield of 510 mg/goil, whereas heavy oil had the lowest C1–C5 yield of 316 mg/goil. The δ13C1 value was low at first, but gradually became higher as the pyrolysis temperature increased. However, the δ13C2 and δ13C3 values gradually became higher when the temperature was greater than 420 °C. The kinetic parameters of the C1–C5 gas generation for the different types of marine oils were then calculated using KINETIC software. This calculation resulted in a frequency factor of about 1.78 × 1014 s−1, while the distribution of the activation energy of the C1–C5 gas mass generated was relatively narrow with a range from 56 to 66 kcal/mol. Among the three types of oil tested, heavy oil had the widest activation energy distribution and the lowest major frequency of activation energy. The maximum temperature at which oil could be preserved as a separate oil phase varied from about 178 °C at a slow geological heating rate to 206 °C at a fast geological heating rate. This result is based on the kinetic parameters determined and in combination with the fractional conversion (C of oil to gas. Testing conducted at the volatile Middle Cambrian reservoir of well Zhongshen 1 in the Tazhong Uplift strongly supported this conclusion.

Assessment of continuous oil and gas resources in the Middle and Upper Magdalena Basins, Colombia, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Le, Phuong A.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Finn, Thomas M.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2017-09-22

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous resources of 0.45 billion barrels of oil and 1.0 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Middle and Upper Magdalena Basins, Colombia.

Density characteristics in the upper part of the platform of the Pripyatskiy Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bulyga, V.K.; Anpilogov, A.P.; Ksenofontov, V.A.; Ur' yev, I.I.

1981-01-01

Density characteristics are examined for the Devonian (upper saline and suprasaline), Carboniferous, Permian, Mesozoic and Cenozoic deposits of the Pripyatskiy Basin. Maps are compiled for isodensities, variability is established in the average values of density both in a regional sense and on local elevations which are characterized for the most part by density minimums.

An early geikiid dicynodont from the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone (late Permian of South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian F. Kammerer

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Based on specimens previously identified as Tropidostoma, a new taxon of dicynodont (Bulbasaurus phylloxyron gen. et sp. nov. from the Karoo Basin of South Africa is described. Bulbasaurus is a medium-sized dicynodont (maximum dorsal skull length 16.0 cm restricted to the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone (early Lopingian of the Beaufort Group. Bulbasaurus can be distinguished from Tropidostoma by an array of characters including the presence of a tall, sharp premaxillary ridge, large, rugose, nearly-confluent nasal bosses, a nasofrontal ridge, massive tusks, robust pterygoids, prominently twisted subtemporal bar, and absence of a distinct postfrontal. Inclusion of Bulbasaurus in a phylogenetic analysis of anomodont therapsids recovers it as a member of Geikiidae, a clade of otherwise later Permian dicynodonts such as Aulacephalodon and Pelanomodon. Bulbasaurus exhibits many of the characters typical of adult Aulacephalodon, but at substantially smaller skull size (these characters are absent in comparably-sized Aulacephalodon juveniles, suggesting that the evolution of typical geikiid morphology preceded gigantism in the clade. Bulbasaurus is the earliest known geikiid and the only member of the group known from the Tropidostoma Assemblage Zone; discovery of this taxon shortens a perplexing ghost lineage and indicates that abundant clades from the later Permian of South Africa (e.g., Geikiidae, Dicynodontoidea may have originated as rare components of earlier Karoo assemblage zones.

Assessment of water resources and the potential effects from oil and gas development in the Bureau of Land Management Tri-County planning area, Sierra, Doña Ana, and Otero Counties, New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Blake, Johanna M.; Miltenberger, Keely; Stewart, Anne M.; Ritchie, Andre; Montoya, Jennifer; Durr, Corey; McHugh, Amy; Charles, Emmanuel

2018-02-07

area is expected to require 1.53 acre-feet (acre-ft) (500,000 gallons) of water per well, similar to requirements in the nearby Permian Basin of New Mexico, while construction of unconventional wells is expected to require 7.3 acre-ft of water per well. Produced waters in the Permian Basin have high total dissolved solids, in the brackish to brine range.Data gaps identified in this study include the limited detailed data on surface-water resources, the lack of groundwater data in areas of interest, and the lack of water chemistry data related to oil and gas development issues. Surface waters in the Tri-County planning area are sparse; some streams are perennial, and most are ephemeral. A more detailed study of the ephemeral channels and their interaction with groundwater could provide a better understanding of the importance of these surface-water resources. Groundwater data used in this study are from the USGS National Water Information System, which does not have continuous water-level depth data at many of the sites in the Tri-County planning area. On Otero Mesa, no recurrent groundwater-level data are available at any one site. The water-quality data compiled in this study provide a good overview of the general chemistry of groundwater in the Tri-County planning area. To fully understand the groundwater resources, it would be helpful to have more wells in specific areas of interest for groundwater-level and water-quality measurements.

Area environmental characterization report of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins in the Texas Panhandle. Volume I. Dalhart Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-09-01

This area report describes the environmental characteristics of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins of the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian basin. Both basins are rather sparsely populated, and the overall population is decreasing. The economic base is centered on agribusiness and manufacturing. Most of the potentially conflicting land uses in both basins (i.e., parks, historic sites) occupy small land areas, with the exception of a national grassland in the Dalhart and military air training routes in both basins. Ground transportation in the Dalhart basin is adequate, and it is well developed in the Palo Duro basin. In both basins irrigation constitutes the principal water use, and groundwater is the principal source. However, the dominant aquifer, the Ogallala, is being depleted. Both basins consist primarily of grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural areas. No critical terrestrial or aquatic habitats have been identified in the basins, though several endangered, threatened, or rare terrestrial species occur in or near the basins. Aquatic resources in both basins are limited because of the intermittent availability of water and the high salt content of some water bodies. Playa lakes are common, though usually seasonal or rain dependent. The climate of the area is semiarid, with low humidity, relatively high wind speeds, and highly variable prcipitation. Restrictive dispersion conditions are infrequent. National ambient secondary air quality standards for particulates are being exceeded in the area, largely because of fugitive dust, although there are some particulate point sources

40Ar/ 39Ar dating of Late Permian evaporites, southeastern New Mexico, USA

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Renne, Paul R.; Sharp, Warren D.; Montañez, Isabel P.; Becker, Tim A.; Zierenberg, Robert A.

2001-12-01

40Ar/ 39Ar dating of the potassium-magnesium sulfate mineral langbeinite from Permian evaporites of the Salado formation near Carlsbad, New Mexico, provides quantitative evidence that some salts in these deposits have not recrystallized for 251 Myr since deposition. Survival of Permian salts supports the possibility that Bacillus bacteria recovered from nearby halite was isolated in a closed system and represents a sample of uncontaminated Permian life. Local recrystallization of langbeinite and other nearby minerals is also indicated by the dating, suggesting both the need and the opportunity to document closed system behavior more rigorously. The shoaling and desiccation event recorded by the Salado formation began at least 1 Myr before the Permian-Triassic boundary. Temporal correlation of the Salado with the Zechstein evaporites of north-central Europe supports previously inferred regression models for the origin of these deposits. Significant paleoenvironmental change at the Permian-Triassic boundary thus occurred on a time scale more protracted than that implied by geologically instantaneous events such as bolide impacts.

Introduction to the 2002 geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province, exclusive of Paleozoic rocks: Chapter 2 in Total petroleum systems and geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province, exclusive of Paleozoic rocks, New Mexico and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

,

2013-01-01

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) periodically conducts assessments of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the United States. The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey National Oil and Gas Assessment is to develop geologically based hypotheses regarding the potential for additions to oil and gas reserves in priority areas of the United States. The last major USGS assessment of oil and gas of the most important oil and gas provinces in the United States was in 1995 (Gautier and others, 1996). Since then a number of individual assessment provinces have been reappraised using new methodology. This was done particularly for those provinces where new information has become available, where new methodology was expected to reveal more insight to provide a better estimate, where additional geologic investigation was needed, or where continuous accumulations were deemed important. The San Juan Basin was reevaluated because of industry exploitation of new hydrocarbon accumulations that were not previously assessed and because of a change in application of assessment methodology to potential undiscovered hydrocarbon accumulations. Several changes have been made in this study. The methodology is different from that used in 1995 (Schmoker, 2003; Schmoker and Klett, 2003). In this study the total petroleum system (TPS) approach (Magoon and Dow, 1994) is used rather than the play approach. The Chama Basin is not included. The team of scientists studying the basin is different. The 1995 study focused on conventional accumulations, whereas in this 2002 assessment, it was a priority to assess continuous-type accumulations, including coal-bed gas. Consequently we are presenting here an entirely new study and results for the San Juan Basin Province. The results of this 2002 assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province (5022) are presented in this report within the geologic context of individual TPSs and their assessment units (AU) (table 1). Results

The Permian mega floras of Uruguay.A synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crisafulli, A.; Herbst, R.

2007-01-01

The Permian megafloras of Uruguay. A synthesis. An analysis of the impression and fossil wood floras from the Permian of Uruguay is given through a series of Tables. These show : (1) the list of taxa, (2) anatomical characters of the woods, (3) data on the microfloral associations, (4) paleoenvironmental information and (5) comparisons with contemporaneous Gondwana floras. The evolutionary degree of the woods is briefly analyzed where they correspond to the so-called ''transition xilotaphofloras'' as they present typical Paleozoic anatomical characters but with secondary xylem of more advanced characteristics. (author)

Stratigraphy, structure, and lithofacies relationships of Devonian through Permian sedimentary rocks: Paradox Basin and adjacent areas - southeastern Utah. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCleary, J.; Rogers, T.; Ely, R.

1983-08-01

Geophysical well log analysis, literature review, and field work were conducted to develop isopach, structure contour, outcrop, and facies maps and cross sections for the Devonian through Permian strata of a 14,586-km 2 (5632-square-mile) area in southeastern Utah. The study area includes part of the Paradox Basin, the salt deposits of which are of interest in siting studies for a nuclear waste repository. For this reason hydrologic models of this area are needed. This study, part of which included the development of a three-dimensional stratigraphic computer model utilizing Geographic Information System software, can serve as a base for hydrologic or other models for this area. Within and adjacent to the study area, 730 wells were screened to select the 191 wells analyzed for the study. It was found that the Elbert through Molas formations did not exhibit noticeable facies changes within the study area. The Pinkerton Trail Formation exhibits moderate changes: anhydrite and shale become somewhat more abundant toward the northeast. Facies changes in the Paradox Formation are more dramatic. Thick saline facies deposits are present in the northeast, grading to thinner anhydrite and then to carbonate facies in the south and west. The lithology of the Honaker Trail Formation appears to be fairly uniform throughout the area. Facies changes in the Cutler Group are numerous and sometimes dramatic, and generally correspond to the named formations of the group. Other factors that could affect groundwater flow, such as stratigraphic cover of fine-grained rocks, area of formation outcrops, and fracturing and faulting are discussed and delineated on maps

Appalachian basin oil and natural gas: stratigraphic framework, total petroleum systems, and estimated ultimate recovery: Chapter C.1 in Coal and petroleum resources in the Appalachian basin: distribution, geologic framework, and geochemical character

Science.gov (United States)

Ryder, Robert T.; Milici, Robert C.; Swezey, Christopher S.; Trippi, Michael H.; Ruppert, Leslie F.; Ryder, Robert T.

2014-01-01

The most recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Appalachian basin was completed in 2002 (Milici and others, 2003). This assessment was based on the total petroleum system (TPS), a concept introduced by Magoon and Dow (1994) and developed during subsequent studies such as those by the U.S. Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team (2000) and by Biteau and others (2003a,b). Each TPS is based on specific geologic elements that include source rocks, traps and seals, reservoir rocks, and the generation and migration of hydrocarbons. This chapter identifies the TPSs defined in the 2002 Appalachian basin oil and gas assessment and places them in the context of the stratigraphic framework associated with regional geologic cross sections D–D′ (Ryder and others, 2009, which was re-released in this volume, chap. E.4.1) and E–E′ (Ryder and others, 2008, which was re-released in this volume, chap. E.4.2). Furthermore, the chapter presents a recent estimate of the ultimate recoverable oil and natural gas in the basin.

High precision time calibration of the Permian-Triassic boundary mass extinction event in a deep marine context

Science.gov (United States)

Baresel, Björn; Bucher, Hugo; Brosse, Morgane; Bagherpour, Borhan; Schaltegger, Urs

2015-04-01

To construct a revised and high resolution calibrated time scale for the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) we use (1) high-precision U-Pb zircon age determinations of a unique succession of volcanic ash layers interbedded with deep water fossiliferous sediments in the Nanpanjiang Basin (South China) combined with (2) accurate quantitative biochronology based on ammonoids, conodonts, radiolarians, and foraminifera and (3) tracers of marine bioproductivity (carbon isotopes) across the PTB. The unprecedented precision of the single grain chemical abrasion isotope-dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) dating technique at sub-per mil level (radio-isotopic calibration of the PTB at the groups of processes. Using these alignments allows (1) positioning the PTB in different depositional setting and (2) solving the age contradictions generated by the misleading use of the first occurrence (FO) of the conodont Hindeodus parvus, whose diachronous first occurrences are arbitrarily used for placing the base of the Triassic. This new age framework provides the basis for a combined calibration of chemostratigraphic records with high-resolution biochronozones of the Late Permian and Early Triassic. Here, we present new single grain U-Pb zircon data of volcanic ash layers from two deep marine sections (Dongpan and Penglaitan) revealing stratigraphic consistent dates over several volcanic ash layers bracketing the PTB. These analyses define weighted mean 206Pb/238U ages of 251.956±0.033 Ma (Dongpan) and 252.062±0.043 Ma (Penglaitan) for the last Permian ash bed. By calibration with detailed litho- and biostratigraphy new U-Pb ages of 251.953±0.038 Ma (Dongpan) and 251.907±0.033 Ma (Penglaitan) are established for the onset of the Triassic.

Lithofacies palaeogeography of the Late Permian Wujiaping Age in the Middle and Upper Yangtze Region, China

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Jin-Xiong Luo

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The lithofacies palaeogeography of the Late Permian Wujiaping Age in Middle and Upper Yangtze Region was studied based on petrography and the “single factor analysis and multifactor comprehensive mapping” method. The Upper Permian Wujiaping Stage in the Middle and Upper Yangtze Region is mainly composed of carbonate rocks and clastic rocks, with lesser amounts of siliceous rocks, pyroclastic rocks, volcanic rocks and coal. The rocks can be divided into three types, including clastic rock, clastic rock–limestone and limestone–siliceous rock, and four fundamental ecological types and four fossil assemblages are recognized in the Wujiaping Stage. Based on a petrological and palaeoecological study, six single factors were selected, namely, thickness (m, content (% of marine rocks, content (% of shallow water carbonate rocks, content (% of biograins with limemud, content (% of thin-bedded siliceous rocks and content (% of deep water sedimentary rocks. Six single factors maps of the Wujiaping Stage and one lithofacies palaeogeography map of the Wujiaping Age were composed. Palaeogeographic units from west to east include an eroded area, an alluvial plain, a clastic rock platform, a carbonate rock platform where biocrowds developed, a slope and a basin. In addition, a clastic rock platform exists in the southeast of the study area. Hydrocarbon source rock and reservoir conditions were preliminarily analyzed based on lithofacies palaeogeography. Sedimentary environments have obvious controls over the development of the resource rocks. With regard to the abundance of organic matter, the hydrocarbon potential of the coastal swamp environment is the best, followed by the basin environment and the carbonate rock platform. The gas reservoir types of the Wujiaping Stage can be classified as conventional and unconventional gas reservoirs, like coal bed gas and shale gas; all of them have well exploration prospects.

Area environmental characterization report of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins in the Texas Panhandle. Volume II. Palo Duro basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-09-01

This area report describes the environmental characteristics of the Dalhart and Palo Duro basins of the Texas Panhandle portion of the Permian basin. Both basins are rather sparsely populated, and the overall population is decreasing. The economic base is centered on agribusiness and manufacturing. Most of the potentially conflicting land uses in both basins (i.e., parks, historic sites) occupy small land areas, with the exception of a national grassland in the Dalhart and military air training routes in both basins. Ground transportation in the Dalhart basin is adequate, and it is well developed in the Palo Duro basin. In both basins irrigation constitutes the principal water use, and groundwater is the principal source. However, the dominant aquifer, the Ogallala, is being depleted. Both basins consist primarily of grasslands, rangelands, and agricultural areas. No critical terrestrial or aquatic habitats have been identified in the basins, though several endangered, threatened, or rare terrestrial species occur in or near the basins. Aquatic resources in both basins are limited because of the intermittent availability of water and the high salt content of some water bodies. Playa lakes are common, though usually seasonal or rain dependent. The climate of the area is semiarid, with low humidity, relatively high wind speeds, and high variable precipitation. Restrictive dispersion conditions are infrequent. National ambient secondary air quality standards for particulates are being exceeded in the area, largely because of fugitive dust, although there are some particulate point sources

Increased Oil Production and Reserves Utilizing Secondary/Tertiary Recovery Techniques on Small Reservoirs in the Paradox Basin, Utah

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allison, M. Lee; Chidsey, Thomas Jr.

1999-01-01

The primary objective of this project is to enhance domestic petroleum production by demonstration and technology transfer of an advanced oil recovery technology in the Paradox basin, southeastern Utah. If this project can demonstrate technical and economic feasibility, the technique can be applied to about 100 additional small fields in the Paradox basin alone, and result in increased recovery of 150 to 200 million bbl of oil. This project is designed to characterize five shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation and choose the best candidate for a pilot demonstration project for either a waterflood or carbon dioxide-(CO-) flood 2 project. The field demonstration, monitoring of field performance, and associated validation activities will take place in the Paradox basin within the Navajo Nation. The results of this project will be transferred to industry and other researchers through a petroleum extension service, creation of digital databases for distribution, technical workshops and seminars, field trips, technical presentations at national and regional professional meetings, and publication in newsletters and various technical or trade journals

CORE-BASED INTEGRATED SEDIMENTOLOGIC, STRATIGRAPHIC, AND GEOCHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE OIL SHALE BEARING GREEN RIVER FORMATION, UINTA BASIN, UTAH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lauren P. Birgenheier; Michael D. Vanden Berg,

2011-04-11

An integrated detailed sedimentologic, stratigraphic, and geochemical study of Utah's Green River Formation has found that Lake Uinta evolved in three phases (1) a freshwater rising lake phase below the Mahogany zone, (2) an anoxic deep lake phase above the base of the Mahogany zone and (3) a hypersaline lake phase within the middle and upper R-8. This long term lake evolution was driven by tectonic basin development and the balance of sediment and water fill with the neighboring basins, as postulated by models developed from the Greater Green River Basin by Carroll and Bohacs (1999). Early Eocene abrupt global-warming events may have had significant control on deposition through the amount of sediment production and deposition rates, such that lean zones below the Mahogany zone record hyperthermal events and rich zones record periods between hyperthermals. This type of climatic control on short-term and long-term lake evolution and deposition has been previously overlooked. This geologic history contains key points relevant to oil shale development and engineering design including: (1) Stratigraphic changes in oil shale quality and composition are systematic and can be related to spatial and temporal changes in the depositional environment and basin dynamics. (2) The inorganic mineral matrix of oil shale units changes significantly from clay mineral/dolomite dominated to calcite above the base of the Mahogany zone. This variation may result in significant differences in pyrolysis products and geomechanical properties relevant to development and should be incorporated into engineering experiments. (3) This study includes a region in the Uinta Basin that would be highly prospective for application of in-situ production techniques. Stratigraphic targets for in-situ recovery techniques should extend above and below the Mahogany zone and include the upper R-6 and lower R-8.

Bringing Dicynodonts Back to Life: Paleobiology and Anatomy of a New Emydopoid Genus from the Upper Permian of Mozambique

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Júnior, Luís C.; Angielczyk, Kenneth D.; Martins, Gabriel G.; Martins, Rui M. S.; Chaouiya, Claudine; Beckmann, Felix; Wilde, Fabian

2013-01-01

Dicynodontia represent the most diverse tetrapod group during the Late Permian. They survived the Permo-Triassic extinction and are central to understanding Permo-Triassic terrestrial ecosystems. Although extensively studied, several aspects of dicynodont paleobiology such as, neuroanatomy, inner ear morphology and internal cranial anatomy remain obscure. Here we describe a new dicynodont (Therapsida, Anomodontia) from northern Mozambique: Niassodon mfumukasi gen. et sp. nov. The holotype ML1620 was collected from the Late Permian K5 formation, Metangula Graben, Niassa Province northern Mozambique, an almost completely unexplored basin and country for vertebrate paleontology. Synchrotron radiation based micro-computed tomography (SRµCT), combined with a phylogenetic analysis, demonstrates a set of characters shared with Emydopoidea. All individual bones were digitally segmented allowing a 3D visualization of each element. In addition, we reconstructed the osseous labyrinth, endocast, cranial nerves and vasculature. The brain is narrow and the cerebellum is broader than the forebrain, resembling the conservative, “reptilian-grade” morphology of other non-mammalian therapsids, but the enlarged paraflocculi occupy the same relative volume as in birds. The orientation of the horizontal semicircular canals indicates a slightly more dorsally tilted head posture than previously assumed in other dicynodonts. In addition, synchrotron data shows a secondary center of ossification in the femur. Thus ML1620 represents, to our knowledge, the oldest fossil evidence of a secondary center of ossification, pushing back the evolutionary origins of this feature. The fact that the specimen represents a new species indicates that the Late Permian tetrapod fauna of east Africa is still incompletely known. PMID:24324653

Bringing dicynodonts back to life: paleobiology and anatomy of a new emydopoid genus from the Upper Permian of Mozambique.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rui Castanhinha

Full Text Available Dicynodontia represent the most diverse tetrapod group during the Late Permian. They survived the Permo-Triassic extinction and are central to understanding Permo-Triassic terrestrial ecosystems. Although extensively studied, several aspects of dicynodont paleobiology such as, neuroanatomy, inner ear morphology and internal cranial anatomy remain obscure. Here we describe a new dicynodont (Therapsida, Anomodontia from northern Mozambique: Niassodon mfumukasi gen. et sp. nov. The holotype ML1620 was collected from the Late Permian K5 formation, Metangula Graben, Niassa Province northern Mozambique, an almost completely unexplored basin and country for vertebrate paleontology. Synchrotron radiation based micro-computed tomography (SRµCT, combined with a phylogenetic analysis, demonstrates a set of characters shared with Emydopoidea. All individual bones were digitally segmented allowing a 3D visualization of each element. In addition, we reconstructed the osseous labyrinth, endocast, cranial nerves and vasculature. The brain is narrow and the cerebellum is broader than the forebrain, resembling the conservative, "reptilian-grade" morphology of other non-mammalian therapsids, but the enlarged paraflocculi occupy the same relative volume as in birds. The orientation of the horizontal semicircular canals indicates a slightly more dorsally tilted head posture than previously assumed in other dicynodonts. In addition, synchrotron data shows a secondary center of ossification in the femur. Thus ML1620 represents, to our knowledge, the oldest fossil evidence of a secondary center of ossification, pushing back the evolutionary origins of this feature. The fact that the specimen represents a new species indicates that the Late Permian tetrapod fauna of east Africa is still incompletely known.

Organic petrology and geochemistry of mudrocks from the lacustrine Lucaogou Formation, Santanghu Basin, northwest China: Application to lake basin evolution

Science.gov (United States)

Hackley, Paul C.; Fishman, Neil; Wu, Tao; Baugher, Gregory

2016-01-01

Exploration for tight oil in the frontier Santanghu Basin of northwest China has resulted in recent commercial discoveries sourced from the lacustrine Upper Permian Lucaogou Formation, already considered a “world class source rock” in the Junggar Basin to the west. Here we apply an integrated analytical program to carbonate-dominated mudrocks from the Lucaogou Formation in Santanghu Basin to document the nature of organic matter (OM) in the context of an evolving lake system. The organic-rich samples (TOC 2.8–11.4 wt%; n = 10) were widely spaced from an ~ 200 m cored section, interpreted from textural and mineralogical evidence to document transition from a lower under-filled to an overlying balanced-filled lake. Organic matter is dominated by moderate to strongly fluorescent amorphous material with Type I geochemical signature (HI values 510–755; n = 10) occurring in a continuum from lamellar stringers, 10–20 μm thick, some ≥ 1 mm in length (possible microbial mat; preserved only in lower under-filled section) to finely-disseminated amorphous groundmass intimately intermixed with mineral matrix. Biomarkers for methanotrophs and photosynthetic cyanobacteria indicate a complex microbial consortium. A unicellular prasinophyte green alga(?), similar to Tasmanites in marine rocks, is present as discrete flattened discs 50–100 μm in diameter. Type III OM including vitrinite (some fluorescent) and inertinite also is abundant. Solid bitumen, indicating local kerogen conversion, fills voids and occurs throughout the cored section. Vitrinite reflectance values are 0.47–0.58%, consistent with strong OM fluorescence but may be “suppressed”. Other proxies, e.g., biomarker parameters, indicate the Lucaogou Formation is in the early oil window at this location. On average, slightly more amorphous OM and telalginite are present in the lower section, consistent with a shallow, stratified, saline environment with low sediment dilution. More

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the North Kara Basins and Platforms Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy R.; Pitman, Janet K.; Moore, T.E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-15

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the North Kara Basins and Platforms Province as part of the its Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal. This geologic province is north of western Siberia, Russian Federation, in the North Kara Sea between Novaya Zemlya to the west and Severnaya Zemlya to the east. One assessment unit (AU) was defined, the North Kara Basins and Platforms AU, which coincides with the geologic province. This AU was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable resources. The total estimated mean volumes of undiscovered petroleum resources in the province are ~1.8 billion barrels of crude oil, ~15.0 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and ~0.4 billion barrels of natural-gas liquids, all north of the Arctic Circle.

L-Area Oil and Chemical Basin: Environmental information document

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pekkala, R.O.; Price, V.; Bledsoe, H.W.

1986-12-01

This document provides environmental information on postulated closure options for the L-Area Oil and Chemical Basin at the Savannah River Plant and was developed as background technical documentation for the Department of Energy's proposed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on waste management activities for groundwater protection at the plant. The results of groundwater and atmospheric pathway analyses, accident analysis, and other environmental assessments discussed in this document are based upon a conservative analysis of all foreseeable scenarios as defined by the National Environmental Policy Act (40 CFR 1500-1508). The scenarios do not necessarily represent actual environmental conditions. This document is not meant to be used as a regulatory closure plan or other regulatory document to comply with required federal or state environmental regulations

An Estimate of Recoverable Heavy Oil Resources of the Orinoco Oil Belt, Venezuela

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Cook, Troy A.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Klett, Timothy R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Kirschbaum, Mark A.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Pitman, Janet K.

2009-01-01

The Orinoco Oil Belt Assessment Unit of the La Luna-Quercual Total Petroleum System encompasses approximately 50,000 km2 of the East Venezuela Basin Province that is underlain by more than 1 trillion barrels of heavy oil-in-place. As part of a program directed at estimating the technically recoverable oil and gas resources of priority petroleum basins worldwide, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the recoverable oil resources of the Orinoco Oil Belt Assessment Unit. This estimate relied mainly on published geologic and engineering data for reservoirs (net oil-saturated sandstone thickness and extent), petrophysical properties (porosity, water saturation, and formation volume factors), recovery factors determined by pilot projects, and estimates of volumes of oil-in-place. The U.S. Geological Survey estimated a mean volume of 513 billion barrels of technically recoverable heavy oil in the Orinoco Oil Belt Assessment Unit of the East Venezuela Basin Province; the range is 380 to 652 billion barrels. The Orinoco Oil Belt Assessment Unit thus contains one of the largest recoverable oil accumulations in the world.

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Hope Basin Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Kenneth J.; Houseknecht, David W.; Pitman, Janet K.; Moore, Thomas E.; Gautier, Donald L.

2018-01-04

The Hope Basin, an independent petroleum province that lies mostly offshore in the southern Chukchi Sea north of the Chukotka and Seward Peninsulas and south of Wrangel Island, the Herald Arch, and the Lisburne Peninsula, is the largest in a series of postorogenic (successor) basins in the East Siberian-Chukchi Sea region and the only one with exploratory-well control and extensive seismic coverage.In spite of the seismic coverage and well data, the petroleum potential of the Hope Basin Province is poorly known. The adequacy of hydrocarbon charge, in combination with uncertainties in source-rock potential and maturation, was the greatest risk in this assessment. A single assessment unit was defined and assessed, resulting in mean estimates of undiscovered, technically recoverable resources that include ~3 million barrels of oil and 650 billion cubic feet of nonassociated gas.

Circum-Pacific accretion of oceanic terranes to continental blocks: accretion of the Early Permian Dun Mountain ophiolite to the E Gondwana continental margin, South Island, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Robertson, Alastair

2016-04-01

Accretionary orogens, in part, grow as a result of the accretion of oceanic terranes to pre-existing continental blocks, as in the circum-Pacific and central Asian regions. However, the accretionary processes involved remain poorly understood. Here, we consider settings in which oceanic crust formed in a supra-subduction zone setting and later accreted to continental terranes (some, themselves of accretionary origin). Good examples include some Late Cretaceous ophiolites in SE Turkey, the Jurassic Coast Range ophiolite, W USA and the Early Permian Dun Mountain ophiolite of South Island, New Zealand. In the last two cases, the ophiolites are depositionally overlain by coarse clastic sedimentary rocks (e.g. Permian Upukerora Formation of South Island, NZ) that then pass upwards into very thick continental margin fore-arc basin sequences (Great Valley sequence, California; Matai sequence, South Island, NZ). Field observations, together with petrographical and geochemical studies in South Island, NZ, summarised here, provide evidence of terrane accretion processes. In a proposed tectonic model, the Early Permian Dun Mountain ophiolite was created by supra-subduction zone spreading above a W-dipping subduction zone (comparable to the present-day Izu-Bonin arc and fore arc, W Pacific). The SSZ oceanic crust in the New Zealand example is inferred to have included an intra-oceanic magmatic arc, which is no longer exposed (other than within a melange unit in Southland), but which is documented by petrographic and geochemical evidence. An additional subduction zone is likely to have dipped westwards beneath the E Gondwana margin during the Permian. As a result, relatively buoyant Early Permian supra-subduction zone oceanic crust was able to dock with the E Gondwana continental margin, terminating intra-oceanic subduction (although the exact timing is debatable). The amalgamation ('soft collision') was accompanied by crustal extension of the newly accreted oceanic slab, and

Geology and undiscovered resource assessment of the potash-bearing Pripyat and Dnieper-Donets Basins, Belarus and Ukraine

Science.gov (United States)

Cocker, Mark D.; Orris, Greta J.; Dunlap, Pamela; Lipin, Bruce R.; Ludington, Steve; Ryan, Robert J.; Słowakiewicz, Mirosław; Spanski, Gregory T.; Wynn, Jeff; Yang, Chao

2017-08-03

Undiscovered potash resources in the Pripyat Basin, Belarus, and Dnieper-Donets Basin, Ukraine, were assessed as part of a global mineral resource assessment led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The Pripyat Basin (in Belarus) and the Dnieper-Donets Basin (in Ukraine and southern Belarus) host stratabound and halokinetic Upper Devonian (Frasnian and Famennian) and Permian (Cisuralian) potash-bearing salt. The evaporite basins formed in the Donbass-Pripyat Rift, a Neoproterozoic continental rift structure that was reactivated during the Late Devonian and was flooded by seawater. Though the rift was divided, in part by volcanic deposits, into the separate Pripyat and Dnieper-Donets Basins, both basins contain similar potash‑bearing evaporite sequences. An Early Permian (Cisuralian) sag basin formed over the rift structure and was also inundated by seawater resulting in another sequence of evaporite deposition. Halokinetic activity initiated by basement faulting during the Devonian continued at least into the Permian and influenced potash salt deposition and structural evolution of potash-bearing salt in both basins.Within these basins, four areas (permissive tracts) that permit the presence of undiscovered potash deposits were defined by using geological criteria. Three tracts are permissive for stratabound potash-bearing deposits and include Famennian (Upper Devonian) salt in the Pripyat Basin, and Famennian and Cisuralian (lower Permian) salt in the Dnieper-Donets Basin. In addition, a tract was delineated for halokinetic potash-bearing Famennian salt in the Dnieper-Donets Basin.The Pripyat Basin is the third largest source of potash in the world, producing 6.4 million metric tons of potassium chloride (KCl) (the equivalent of about 4.0 million metric tons of potassium oxide or K2O) in 2012. Potash production began in 1963 in the Starobin #1 mine, near the town of Starobin, Belarus, in the northwestern corner of the basin. Potash is currently produced from

Geothermal constraints on Emeishan mantle plume magmatism: paleotemperature reconstruction of the Sichuan Basin, SW China

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Chuanqing; Hu, Shengbiao; Qiu, Nansheng; Jiang, Qiang; Rao, Song; Liu, Shuai

2018-01-01

The Middle-Late Permian Emeishan Large Igneous Province (ELIP) in southwestern China represents a classic example of a mantle plume origin. To constrain the thermal regime of the ELIP and contemporaneous magmatic activity in the northeastern Sichuan Basin, maximum paleotemperature profiles of deep boreholes were reconstructed using vitrinite reflectance (Ro) and apatite fission track data. Two heating patterns were identified: (1) heating of the overlying lithosphere by magma storage regions and/or magmatic activity related to the mantle plume, which resulted in a relatively strong geothermal field and (2) direct heating of country rock by stock or basalt. Borehole Ro data and reconstructed maximum paleotemperature profiles near the ELIP exhibit abrupt tectonothermal unconformities between the Middle and Late Permian. The profiles in the lower subsections (i.e., pre-Middle Permian) exhibited significantly higher gradients than those in the upper subsections. Distal to the basalt province, high paleo-geotemperatures (hereafter, paleotemperatures) were inferred, despite deformation of the paleogeothermal curve due to deep faults and igneous rocks within the boreholes. In contrast, Ro profiles from boreholes without igneous rocks (i.e., Late Permian) contained no break at the unconformity. Paleotemperature gradients of the upper and the lower subsections and erosion at the Middle/Late Permian unconformity revealed variations in the thermal regime. The inferred spatial distribution of the paleothermal regime and the erosion magnitudes record the magmatic and tectonic-thermal response to the Emeishan mantle plume.

Lithofacies paleogeography and favorable gas exploration zones of Qixia and Maokou Fms in the Sichuan Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jingao Zhou

2016-05-01

Full Text Available In the Sichuan Basin, the Middle Permian marine carbonate rocks are important natural gas pay zones with immense exploration potential, but the facies belts and distribution situations of layered dolomite reservoirs are not clear, which hinders the progress in natural gas exploration. In view of the sedimentary background of the Sichuan Basin, field outcrop section, drilling data and seismic data were comprehensively analyzed with the favorable reservoir intervals in the framework of sequence stratigraphy as the key research units. Research results about its lithofacies paleogeography were obtained as follows. First, a gentle slope SW high and NE low was presented during the sedimentation of the Qixia Fm in the Middle Permian. In the Maokou Fm of the Middle Permian, however, a series of the N–W trending intra-platform rifts were developed in this setting, and eventually a paleogeographic pattern of NE-dipping alternative uplift and depression was evolved. Second, in the Qixia Fm, the transgressive tract was in an open platform environment and the highstand system tract evolved into a rimmed platform. And the platform margin beach in the area of Jiange–Ya'an is the favorable reservoir facies belt. And third, in the Maokou Fm, the transgressive tract was in the carbonate shelf environment and the highstand system tract evolved into a rimmed platform. And the platform margin reef flat in the area of Jiange–Ya'an and the syneclise margin beach in the area of Yanting–Guang'an are favorable reservoir facies belts. It is concluded that the two grain beach facies belts in the areas of Jiange–Ya'an and Yanting–Guang'an were the favorable zones for the large-scale development of Middle Permian layered dolomite reservoirs and they are the main target of subsequent natural gas exploration.

Inferred Early Permian Arc Rifting in Bogda Mountain, Southernmost of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt: Evidence from a Peperite Bearing Volcano-Sedimentary Succession

Science.gov (United States)

Memtimin, M.; Guo, Z.

2017-12-01

Late Paleozoic tectonic history, especially Carboniferous-Permian periods, of the Central Asia Orogenic Belt (CAOB) is considered to be the turning point for the termination of terrane amalgamation and closure of the Paleoasian Ocean. However, the debate about the paleoenvironment and tectonic setting of the region during the period is still not resolved. In this study, we report a set of volcano-sedimentary sequence in the Bogda Mountain of the southernmost of CAOB, which is associated with contemporaneous subaqueous emplacement of and interaction between mafic lava and carbonate sediments. The succession contains four distinct facies including closely packed pillow basalts, pillow basalts with interstitial materials, hyaloclastites and peperites. We discuss their formation and emplacement mechanism, interaction between hot magma-water/unconsolidated sediments and thermal metamorphism during the interaction. Textural features of the sequence, especially hyaloclastites and peperites, provide clear evidence for in situ autofragmentation of lava flows, synvolcanic sedimentation of carbonates, fuel coolant interaction when hot magma bulldozed into wet unconsolidated sediments, and represent autochthonous origin of the succession. Lateral transition of the lithofacies indicate a progressively deepening subaqueous environment, resembling a stepwise evolution from early stage of volcanic intrusion with lower lava flux in shallower water level to increasingly subsiding basin with more lava flux in greater depth. Previous studies determined that the mafic magma was intruded around the Carboniferous-Permian boundary ( 300Ma), and geochemical studies showed the magma was originated from dry depleted mantle with little crustal contamination. Nevertheless, the succession was thought to be fault related allochthones formation which was transferred in as part of a Carboniferous intraplate arc. Combining our findings with the previous study results, we propose a new model to

Increased Oil Production and Reserves Utilizing Secondary/Tertiary Recovery Techniques on Small Reservoirs in the Paradox Basin, Utah

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chidsey Jr., Thomas C.

2003-01-01

The primary objective of this project was to enhance domestic petroleum production by field demonstration and technology transfer of an advanced-oil-recovery technology in the Paradox Basin, southeastern Utah. If this project can demonstrate technical and economic feasibility, the technique can be applied to approximately 100 additional small fields in the Paradox Basin alone, and result in increased recovery of 150 to 200 million barrels (23,850,000-31,800,000 m3) of oil. This project was designed to characterize five shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation and choose the best candidate for a pilot demonstration project for either a waterflood or carbon-dioxide-(CO2-) miscible flood project. The field demonstration, monitoring of field performance, and associated validation activities will take place within the Navajo Nation, San Juan County, Utah

Astronomical tuning of the end-Permian extinction and the Early Triassic Epoch of South China and Germany

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Mingsong; Ogg, James; Zhang, Yang; Huang, Chunju; Hinnov, Linda; Chen, Zhong-Qiang; Zou, Zhuoyan

2016-05-01

The timing of the end-Permian mass extinction and subsequent prolonged recovery during the Early Triassic Epoch can be established from astronomically controlled climate cycles recorded in continuous marine sedimentary sections. Astronomical-cycle tuning of spectral gamma-ray logs from biostratigraphically-constrained cyclic stratigraphy through marine sections at Meishan, Chaohu, Daxiakou and Guandao in South China yields an integrated time scale for the Early Triassic, which is consistent with scaling of magnetostratigraphy from climatic cycles in continental deposits of the Germanic Basin. The main marine mass extinction interval at Meishan is constrained to less than 40% of a 100-kyr (kilo-year) cycle (i.e., marine reptiles in the Mesozoic at Chaohu that are considered to represent a significant recovery of marine ecosystems did not appear until 4.7 myr (million years) after the end-Permian extinction. The durations of the Griesbachian, Dienerian, Smithian and Spathian substages, including the uncertainty in placement of widely used conodont biostratigraphic datums for their boundaries, are 1.4 ± 0.1, 0.6 ± 0.1, 1.7 ± 0.1 and 1.4 ± 0.1 myr, implying a total span for the Early Triassic of 5.1 ± 0.1 myr. Therefore, relative to an assigned 251.902 ± 0.024 Ma for the Permian-Triassic boundary from the Meishan GSSP, the ages for these substage boundaries are 250.5 ± 0.1 Ma for base Dienerian, 249.9 ± 0.1 Ma for base Smithian (base of Olenekian stage), 248.2 ± 0.1 Ma for base Spathian, and 246.8 ± 0.1 Ma for the base of the Anisian Stage. This astronomical-calibrated timescale provides rates for the recurrent carbon isotope excursions and for trends in sedimentation accumulation through the Early Triassic of studied sections in South China.

Observations on sediment sources in the Lower Athabasca River basin: implications of natural hydrocarbons inputs from oil sands deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Conly, F.M.

1999-01-01

Government, industry and public concern exists over the environmental consequences of the development of the oil sand deposits in the McMurray Formation in the lower Athabasca River basin, Alberta. The impact of this development is unclear and is undergoing investigation. Investigations to date have focussed on the nature of the effluent produced by the extraction industry and its effect on biotic systems, and on the spatial distribution of hydrocarbon contaminants associated with deposited fluvial sediments. Natural hydrocarbon outcrops may be responsible for observed biomarker responses in areas not exposed to industrial effluent. Given this source of hydrocarbons and doubt concerning its environmental impact, it is difficult to ascertain the impact of oil extraction activities within a fluvial system. A study was conducted to determine the nature and extent of natural hydrocarbon releases within the context of the sediment regime of the lower Athabasca River basin. A description is included of observations from the field and a context is set up for assessing sediment-bound hydrocarbon contaminants in the lower Athabasca River basin. Abstract only included

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary saline lacustrine oils in the Western Qaidam Basin, northwest China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhu Yangming; Weng Huanxin; Su Aiguo; Liang Digang; Peng Dehua

2005-01-01

Based on the systematic analyses of light hydrocarbon, saturate, aromatic fractions and C isotopes of over 40 oil samples along with related Tertiary source rocks collected from the western Qaidam basin, the geochemical characteristics of the Tertiary saline lacustrine oils in this region was investigated. The oils are characterized by bimodal n-alkane distributions with odd-to-even (C 11 -C 17 ) and even-to-odd (C 18 -C 28 ) predominance, low Pr/Ph (mostly lower than 0.6), high concentration of gammacerane, C 35 hopane and methylated MTTCs, reflecting the high salinity and anoxic setting typical of a saline lacustrine depositional environment. Mango's K 1 values in the saline oils are highly variable (0.99-1.63), and could be associated with the facies-dependent parameters such as Pr/Ph and gammacerane indexes. Compared with other Tertiary oils, the studied Tertiary saline oils are marked by enhanced C 28 sterane abundance (30% or more of C 27 -C 29 homologues), possibly derived from halophilic algae. It is noted that the geochemical parameters of the oils in various oilfields exhibit regular spatial changes, which are consistent with the depositional phase variations of the source rocks. The oils have uncommon heavy C isotopic ratios (-24%o to -26%o) and a flat shape of the individual n-alkane isotope profile, and show isotopic characteristics similar to marine organic matter. The appearance of oleanane and high 24/(24 + 27)-norcholestane ratios (0.57-0.87) in the saline oils and source rocks confirm a Tertiary organic source

Impact assessment of oil spills on sediments in Vasyugan River Basin (Western Siberia)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vorobyov, D.S.

2005-01-01

Vasyugan River (more than 1100 km of length and 65000 km 2 of catchment totally) is right tributary of Ob River. Exploration and development of oil fields have provided in the area since 1970's. Long-term project for hydro-ecological investigation of Vasyugan River Basin was provided during 1992-2002. Main aim of the project was study of distribution and spatial dynamics of bottom invertebrate communities (population density, biomass) affected by oil contamination for tasks of environmental monitoring. Samples of sediments were assessed hydro-biologically (zoo-benthos) and chemically (petroleum hydrocarbons). Concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons (non-polar hydrocarbons) in bottom sediments in oil fields were significantly different depending on texture and organic matter content: detritus - 370 mg/kg; silt - 89 mg/kg; silty-sand - 37 mg/kg. The significant correlation between concentration of petroleum hydrocarbons and organic matter content in sediments was found (? = 0,94). Concentration of in bottom sediments depended on destination from and age of developed oil fields: 300 mg/kg (areas of oil fields developed more than 20 years); 77 mg/kg (areas of oil fields developed less than 10 years); 59 mg/kg (estuary of Vasyugan, 400 km far from main sources of contamination at least). Population of zoo-benthos is increasing depending on extension of destination from source of contamination. The phenomena can be explained by stream transport and accumulation of PAH. Population of oligochaeta and mollusks in sediments increase depending on extension from sources of contamination (p<0,05). (author)

Geology of permian basin in the northeast of Uruguay: Sedimentology exam about uranium trace

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

L'Homer, A; Manigault, B; Doyhernart, A; Rossi, P; Spoturno, J; De Santana, H; Vaz Chaves, N.

1982-01-01

The Uranium project was prepared from BRGM to DINAMIGE. Its has got three zones of investigation: zone 1 composed by precambrian basin in the N W; zone 2 the precambrian insular shelf and rocks belts; zone 3 wich include parts of the basin Cretaceous in Salto and Santa Lucia

Report on information collection and analysis for fundamental survey on coal resource development in fiscal 1998. Survey on coal supply potentiality in Bowen Basin in Australia; 1998 nendo sekitan shigen kaihatsu kiso chosa joho shushu kaiseki hokokusho. Goshu Bowen bonchi sekitan kyokyu potentiality chosa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

A survey was made on coal supply potentiality in Bowen Basin in Australia. The main coal beds exist in the order of four beds in the Permian period. The oldest bed is the Reids Dome bed in the Lower Permian period, deposited in the south-west part of the basin. The later wide-area transgression has caused the Back Creek bed groups to deposit, whereas three coal measures have deposited in a concave on the raised basic bed. Later, the ocean has invaded into the entire basin. After having turned into the Upper Permian period, regression had occurred from north to south, where major coal measures such as the Moranbah and German Creek beds had deposited over the entire basin. Further regression has taken place to south, causing three uppermost coal measures to have deposited over the entire basin. In major part of the areas identified currently with existence of coal measures, and even in areas without mines, the mining right or the exploration right has been established, limiting the areas having development potentiality. Five abandoned mining areas exist in the Rangal coal measure, two in the Moranbah coal measure, two in the Reids Dome coal measure, and one in the Baralaba coal measure. There is a possibility of discovering areas developable for a scale of several ten million tons. (NEDO)

The Saint Martin de Belleville syncline and its uraniferous permian sandstone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schade, Johannes

1983-01-01

This dissertation (these de specialite) is a study of the geology of the St.Martin d.B. syncline and the uranium prospect 'le Cochet' in the Carboniferous Brianconnais Zone of Savoy. Stratigraphy and sedimentology: This syncline presents continental detrital sediments ranging from U.Carboniferous to L.Triassic. In the U.Carboniferous, magmatic activity begins with the Moriaz Layers acid volcanics that are considered as a lateral equivalent of the Stephanian Courchevel Conglomerates. In Permian times, parts of an alluvial fan seem to occupy the north of the study area (gray and green conglomeratic sandstone). Southwards these inter-finger with flood plain sediments (red slate) including a locally oolitic limestone. Volcanic detritus is important in the Permian. Tourmalinite pebbles are frequent and seem to be related to the regional Permian magmatism. Albitization of feldspars is general in the Carboniferous and the Permian. The Permo-triassic typically shows microcline bearing dolomitic sandstones. In the Scythian quartzites orthoclase is the dominant feldspar. The quartzites are overlain by L.Triassic evaporites identified by the sulfur isotope ratio of their gypsum. The morphology of the zircons in the sandstones has been investigated using the typological method of J.P. Pupin. Regional Permian magmatism apparently produces volcanics of the calc-alkalic and tholeiitic series as well as a high level granitic intrusion of anatectic origin. The uranium occurrences are strata-bound on a kilometric and hecto-metric scale. They are developed almost exclusively in the gray variety of the Permian sandstones whose gray and red varieties are always barren. Within this unit, the mineralization impregnates irregularly distributed lenses and pods of coal material. Uranium is accompanied by vanadium occurring as roscoelite. The association U-V, of bio-philic character, reflects the concentration in the sedimentary environment and argues for a quite indirect relation with the

Permian potentiometric analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devary, J.L.

1983-09-01

Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) was requested to analyze potentiometric data from the Wolfcamp Formation of the Permian System to evaluate the recommendations by the University of Texas/Bureau of Economic Geology (UT/BEG) that additional geohydrologic boreholes be drilled into the Wolfcamp. The UT/BEG recommended that two stratigraphic and two geohydrologic borings be drilled into the Permian System during FY83 and that several shallow hydrologic tests be made in the Dockum Formation. A geostatistical technique known as kriging was applied to objectively evaluate these geohydrologic borehole recommendations. The Deaf Smith County location appears to be an excellent choice for a borehole. No high quality potentiometric data are available from Deaf Smith County and a borehole location immediately upgradient from the candidate repository site is needed. Adding this borehole location to the potentiometric data base will significantly reduce field data uncertainty near the location being studied. The Swisher County location does not appear to be the best choice. High quality data values H2206 and H2360 are located immediately upgradient from the proposed repository site. The best placement of additional geohydrological boreholes in the Wolfcamp Formation depends strongly upon the proposed repository location. The variability of the potentiometric data causes estimation errors to rapidly increase away from locations of field measurements. Suggested locations for additional boreholes for the Deaf Smith investigations are in northwest Randall or central Potter Counties. Ideal borehole locations for the Swisher county studies appear to be in southeast Randall and Armstrong Counties

Occurrence, behavior and distribution of high levels of uranium in shallow groundwater at Datong basin, northern China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wu, Ya; Wang, Yanxin, E-mail: yx.wang@cug.edu.cn; Xie, Xianjun

2014-02-01

Geochemical investigations of uranium (U) occurrence in the environments were conducted at Datong basin of northern China. The results suggest that U contents were generally < 1 mg/kg for the igneous and metamorphic rocks, typically 2–5 mg/kg for the Carboniferous and Permian sedimentary rocks and around 3 mg/kg for sediments and topsoil, respectively. U in the Quaternary aquifer sediments may be primarily associated with carnotite from the Carboniferous and Permian coal-bearing clastic rocks around the basin. Shallow groundwater had U concentrations of < 0.02–288 μg/L (average 24 μg/L), with 24% of the investigated boreholes above the WHO provisional guideline of 30 μg/L for U in drinking water. Average U concentration for surface water was 5.8 μg/L. In oxidizing waters, uranyl (UO{sub 2}{sup 2+}) species is dominant and strongly adsorbed onto iron (hydro)xides, while it would be preferentially complexed with carbonate in the alkaline groundwater, forming highly soluble uranyl-carbonate complexes at Datong. Under reducing conditions, uranous (U(IV)) species is ready to precipitate or bind to organic matter, therefore having a low mobility. At the study area, high U groundwater (> 30 μg/L) occurs at the alluvial plains due to intermediate redox and enhanced alkaline conditions. The abnormally high levels of U in groundwater (> 100 μg/L) are locally found at the west alluvial plains. By contrast, U co-precipitation with secondary carbonate minerals like Ca{sub 2}UO{sub 2}(CO{sub 3}){sub 3} in the dominant Ca–Mg–Na–HCO{sub 3} type groundwater may prevail at the east alluvial plains. Besides, bedrocks such as Carboniferous and Permian sedimentary rocks, especially the coal-bearing strata which have higher U contents at the west mountain areas may also account for the abnormally high levels of U in groundwater. - Highlights: • High U groundwater occurs at the alluvial plains of Datong basin. • Redox state, complexation and adsorption are responsible

Dissolution of the Upper Seven Rivers and Salado salt in the interior Palo Duro Basin, Texas: Revision: Topical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeConto, R.T.; Murphy, P.J.

1987-09-01

The Upper Seven Rivers and Salado Formations contain the uppermost salts within the interior Palo Duro Basin, Stratigraphic and structural evidence based on geophysical well logs indicate that both dissolution and facies change have influenced the thickness of these uppermost salts. The magnitude of vertical salt loss due to dissolution is interminable at this time because original salt thickness is unknown. Gradual thinning of the Upper Seven Rivers Formation is recognized from south to north across the Palo Duro Basin. Anhydrites within the formation pinch out toward the basin margins, indicating that section loss is in part depositionally controlled. Additionally, informal subdivision of the Upper Seven Rivers Formation suggests that salt dissolution has occurred in the uppermost salt. A northeast-trending zone of thin Upper Seven Rivers Formation in portions of Deaf Smith, Randall, Castro, and Parmer Counties is possibly related to Tertiary dissolution. In New Mexico, local thinning of the Upper Seven Rivers Formation may be associated with faulting. Triassic erosion on uplifted fault blocks has affected the Upper Permian section. The Salado salt margin is located within the interior Palo Duro Basin. Geophysical well logs and core evidence indicate that the salt margin has migrated basinward as a result of dissolution. Permian dissolution probably contributed to some salt loss. 106 refs., 31 figs., 2 tabs

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System, Taranaki Basin Assessment Unit, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Wandrey, Craig J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Klett, Timothy R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Cook, Troy A.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.

2013-01-01

The Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System coincident Taranaki Basin Assessment Unit was recently assessed for undiscovered technically recoverable oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) World Energy Resources Project, World Oil and Gas Assessment. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated mean volumes of 487 million barrels of oil, 9.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, and 408 million barrels of natural gas liquids.

Influence of the Istranca-Rhodope Massifs and strands of the North Anatolian Fault on oil potential of Thrace Basin, NW Turkey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coskun, B.

2000-01-01

The Thrace Basin (NW Turkey) is an intermontane trough bounded to the north and west by the granitic and metamorphic rocks of the Istranca and Rhodope Massifs. Recent subsurface studies of the NW portion of the Thrace Basin have led to the identification of two trends in geothermal gradient, both of which are oriented approximately NW-SE (i.e. parallel to the depositional axis of the basin). Geological and geophysical data indicate that, due to the thrust of the Istranca Massif upon the Rhodope Massif, the subsurface temperature may have increased in the northern part of the basin. Other controls were wrench-fault activity of the Splays of the North Anatolian Fault (SNAF) and continuing basinal subsidences. The thermal history of the southern part of the basin was affected by Miocene ophiolitic emplacement to the west in Greece. The presence of a belt of intrabasinal palaeotopography (mainly Palaeozoic rocks) also contributed to increased geothermal gradients in the southern part of the study area. The basin is divisible into northern and southern zones of subsidence, which are separated by the Kuleli-Babaeski High. During the Oligocene, subsidence rates were highest in the northern zone and in the western sector of the southern zone. Later, during the Miocene, basin subsidence was associated with intense tectonic activity of the SNAF and with the emplacement of ophiolites to the west. A map of the top of the oil generation zone, based on TTI values calculated by the Lopatin method, indicates the presence of two maturation zones in the basin ; these were separated by the Late Oligocene Kuleli-Babaeski High. Oil generation in these zones was influenced by rapid subsidence, by a NW-SE oriented wrench fault system associated with the NAF and also by tectonic activity of the Istranca and Rhodope Massifs in the study area

The Upper Permian in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Visser, W.A.

1955-01-01

The Upper Permian in the Netherlands, as known from borehole data, is deposited in a mainly evaporitic facies north of the Brabant and Rhenish Massifs. In the extreme south (Belgian Campine, de Peel) a near-shore facies of reef dolomites and elastics occurs. In the western and central Netherlands

Geochemistry of radioactive elements in bituminous sands and sandstones of Permian bitumen deposits of Tatarstan (east of the Russian plate)

Science.gov (United States)

Mullakaev, A. I.; Khasanov, R. R.; Badrutdinov, O. R.; Kamaletdinov, I. R.

2018-05-01

The article investigates geochemical features of Permian (Cisuralian, Ufimian Stage and Biarmian, Kazanian Stage of the General Stratigraphic Scale of Russia) bituminous sands and sandstones located on the territory of the Volga-Ural oil and gas province (Republic of Tatarstan). Natural bitumens are extracted using thermal methods as deposits of high-viscosity oils. In the samples studied, the specific activity of natural radionuclides from the 238U (226Ra), 232Th, and 40K series was measured using gamma spectrometry. As a result of the precipitation of uranium and thorium and their subsequent decay, the accumulation of radium (226Ra and 228Ra) has been shown to occur in the bituminous substance. In the process of exploitation of bitumen-bearing rock deposits (as an oil fields) radium in the composition of a water-oil mixture can be extracted to the surface or deposited on sulfate barriers, while being concentrated on the walls of pipes and other equipment. This process requires increased attention to monitoring and inspection the environmental safety of the exploitation procedure.

Panorama 2017 - New conventional oil and gas discoveries

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hureau, Geoffroy; Vially, Roland

2017-01-01

In 2016, spending on exploration is expected to decline by approximately 35% for the second consecutive year (total exploration-production is down 24%). However, volumes discovered through conventional exploration should only fall by 25% due to several significant discoveries, particularly in Alaska and West Africa. The largest discovery in 2016 was an unconventional Permian shale basin in the United States, which could alone contain as many hydrocarbons as all of the year's conventional discoveries combined

Trouble Upstairs: Reconstructing Permian-Triassic Climate during Siberian Traps Magmatism

Science.gov (United States)

Black, B. A.; Neely, R. R., III; Lamarque, J. F.; Elkins-Tanton, L. T.; Mills, M. J.

2014-12-01

The eruption of large igneous provinces can transfer significant masses of volatiles from Earth's interior to the atmosphere. What are the consequences of this degassing for habitability and extinction? In this presentation, we consider this question in the context of Siberian Traps magmatism, which has been shown to overlap within geochronologic uncertainty with catastrophic deterioration of Permian-Triassic marine and terrestrial ecosystems. To investigate the impacts of endogenic gases on climate, atmospheric chemistry, and ocean circulation, we conducted a series of numerical experiments with a comprehensive global model for the Permian-Triassic. Our simulations predict the intensity and distribution of acid rain and ozone depletion, with implications for terrestrial biota. We further explore feedbacks between sulfur emissions, transient cooling, and shifts in ocean circulation. We suggest that Siberian Traps magmatism may have triggered several distinct kill mechanisms in the oceans and on land, contributing to a complex combined pattern of environmental stress and latest Permian ecological failure.

Carboniferous and Permian evolutionary records for the Paleo-Tethys Ocean constrained by newly discovered Xiangtaohu ophiolites from central Qiangtang, central Tibet

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiu-Zheng; Dong, Yong-Sheng; Wang, Qiang; Dan, Wei; Zhang, Chunfu; Deng, Ming-Rong; Xu, Wang; Xia, Xiao-Ping; Zeng, Ji-Peng; Liang, He

2016-07-01

Reconstructing the evolutionary history of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean remains at the center of debates over the linkage between Gondwana dispersion and Asian accretion. Identifying the remnants of oceanic lithosphere (ophiolites) has very important implications for identifying suture zones, unveiling the evolutionary history of fossil oceans, and reconstructing the amalgamation history between different blocks. Here we report newly documented ophiolite suites from the Longmu Co-Shuanghu Suture zone (LSSZ) in the Xiangtaohu area, central Qiangtang block, Tibet. Detailed geological investigations and zircon U-Pb dating reveal that the Xiangtaohu ophiolites are composed of a suite of Permian (281-275 Ma) ophiolites with a nearly complete Penrose sequence and a suite of Early Carboniferous (circa 350 Ma) ophiolite remnants containing only part of the lower oceanic crust. Geochemical and Sr-Nd-O isotopic data show that the Permian and Carboniferous ophiolites in this study were derived from an N-mid-ocean ridge basalts-like mantle source with varied suprasubduction-zone (SSZ) signatures and were characterized by crystallization sequences from wet magmas, suggesting typical SSZ-affinity ophiolites. Permian and Carboniferous SSZ ophiolites in the central Qiangtang provide robust evidence for the existence and evolution of an ancient ocean basin. Combining with previous studies on high-pressure metamorphic rocks and pelagic radiolarian cherts, and with tectonostratigraphic and paleontological data, we support the LSSZ as representing the main suture of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean which probably existed and evolved from Devonian to Triassic. The opening and demise of the Paleo-Tethys Ocean dominated the formation of the major framework for the East and/or Southeast Asia.

The structure and stratigraphy of the sedimentary succession in the Swedish sector of the Baltic Basin: New insights from vintage 2D marine seismic data

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Sopher, Daniel; Erlström, Mikael; Bell, Nicholas; Juhlin, Christopher

2016-04-01

We present five interpreted regional seismic profiles, describing the full sedimentary sequence across the Swedish sector of the Baltic Sea. The data for the study are part of an extensive and largely unpublished 2D seismic dataset acquired between 1970 and 1990 by the Swedish Oil Prospecting Company (OPAB). The Baltic Basin is an intracratonic basin located in northern Europe. Most of the Swedish sector of the basin constitutes the NW flank of a broad synclinal depression, the Baltic Basin. In the SW of the Swedish sector lies the Hanö Bay Basin, formed by subsidence associated with inversion of the Tornquist Zone during the Late Cretaceous. The geological history presented here is broadly consistent with previously published works. We observe an area between the Hanö Bay and the Baltic Basin where the Palaeozoic strata has been affected by transpression and subsequent inversion, associated with the Tornquist Zone during the late Carboniferous-Early Permian and Late Cretaceous, respectively. We propose that the Christiansø High was a structural low during the Late Jurassic, which was later inverted in the Late Cretaceous. We suggest that a fan shaped feature in the seismic data, adjacent to the Christiansø Fault within the Hanö Bay Basin, represents rapidly deposited, coarse-grained sediments eroded from the inverted Christiansø High during the Late Cretaceous. We identify a number of faults within the deeper part of the Baltic Basin, which we also interpret to be transpressional in nature, formed during the Caledonian Orogeny in the Late Silurian-Early Devonian. East of Gotland a number of sedimentary structures consisting of Silurian carbonate reefs and Ordovician carbonate mounds, as well as a large Quaternary glacial feature are observed. Finally, we use the seismic interpretation to infer the structural and stratigraphic history of the Baltic and Hanö Bay basins within the Swedish sector.

Lower Permian stems as fluvial paleocurrent indicators of the Parnaíba Basin, northern Brazil

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Capretz, Robson Louiz; Rohn, Rosemarie

2013-08-01

A comprehensive biostratinomic study was carried out with abundant stems from the Lower Permian Motuca Formation of the intracratonic Parnaíba Basin, central-north Brazil. The fossils represent a rare tropical to subtropical paleofloristic record in north Gondwana. Tree ferns dominate the assemblages (mainly Tietea, secondarily Psaronius), followed by gymnosperms, sphenophytes, other ferns and rare lycophytes. They are silica-permineralized, commonly reach 4 m length (exceptionally more than 10 m), lie loosely on the ground or are embedded in the original sandstone or siltstone matrix, and attract particular attention because of their frequent parallel attitudes. Many tree fern stems present the original straight cylindrical to slightly conical forms, other are somewhat flattened, and the gymnosperm stems are usually more irregular. Measurements of stem orientations and dimensions were made in three sites approximately aligned in a W-E direction in a distance of 27.3 km at the conservation unit "Tocantins Fossil Trees Natural Monument". In the eastern site, rose diagrams for 54 stems indicate a relatively narrow azimuthal range to SE. These stems commonly present attached basal bulbous root mantles and thin cylindrical sandstone envelopes, which sometimes hold, almost adjacent to the lateral stem surface, permineralized fern pinnae and other small plant fragments. In the more central site, 82 measured stems are preferentially oriented in the SW-NE direction, the proportion of gymnosperms is higher and cross-stratification sets of sandstones indicate paleocurrents mainly to NE and secondarily to SE. In the western site, most of the 42 measured stems lie in E-W positions. The predominantly sandy succession, where the fossil stems are best represented, evidences a braided fluvial system under semiarid conditions. The low plant diversity, some xeromorphic features and the supposedly almost syndepositional silica impregnation of the plants are coherent with marked dry

Reservoir heterogeneity in carboniferous sandstone of the Black Warrior basin. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kugler, R.L.; Pashin, J.C.; Carroll, R.E.; Irvin, G.D.; Moore, H.E.

1994-06-01

Although oil production in the Black Warrior basin of Alabama is declining, additional oil may be produced through improved recovery strategies, such as waterflooding, chemical injection, strategic well placement, and infill drilling. High-quality characterization of reservoirs in the Black Warrior basin is necessary to utilize advanced technology to recover additional oil and to avoid premature abandonment of fields. This report documents controls on the distribution and producibility of oil from heterogeneous Carboniferous reservoirs in the Black Warrior basin of Alabama. The first part of the report summarizes the structural and depositional evolution of the Black Warrior basin and establishes the geochemical characteristics of hydrocarbon source rocks and oil in the basin. This second part characterizes facies heterogeneity and petrologic and petrophysical properties of Carter and Millerella sandstone reservoirs. This is followed by a summary of oil production in the Black Warrior basin and an evaluation of seven improved-recovery projects in Alabama. In the final part, controls on the producibility of oil from sandstone reservoirs are discussed in terms of a scale-dependent heterogeneity classification.

Reservoir heterogeneity in Carboniferous sandstone of the Black Warrior basin. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kugler, R.L.; Pashin, J.C.; Carroll, R.E.; Irvin, G.D.; Moore, H.E.

1994-04-01

Although oil production in the Black Warrior basin of Alabama is declining, additional oil may be produced through improved recovery strategies, such as waterflooding, chemical injection, strategic well placement, and infill drilling. High-quality characterization of reservoirs in the Black Warrior basin is necessary to utilize advanced technology to recover additional oil and to avoid premature abandonment of fields. This report documents controls on the distribution and producibility of oil from heterogeneous Carboniferous reservoirs in the Black Warrior basin of Alabama. The first part of the report summarizes the structural and depositional evolution of the Black Warrior basin and establishes the geochemical characteristics of hydrocarbon source rocks and oil in the basin. This second part characterizes facies heterogeneity and petrologic and petrophysical properties of Carter and Millerella sandstone reservoirs. This is followed by a summary of oil production in the Black Warrior basin and an evaluation of seven improved-recovery projects in Alabama. In the final part, controls on the producibility of oil from sandstone reservoirs are discussed in terms of a scale-dependent heterogeneity classification.

Executive summary--2002 assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province, exclusive of Paleozoic rocks, New Mexico and Colorado: Chapter 1 in Total petroleum systems and geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province, exclusive of Paleozoic rocks, New Mexico and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

,

2013-01-01

In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated undiscovered oil and gas resources that have the potential for additions to reserves in the San Juan Basin Province (5022), New Mexico and Colorado (fig. 1). Paleozoic rocks were not appraised. The last oil and gas assessment for the province was in 1995 (Gautier and others, 1996). There are several important differences between the 1995 and 2002 assessments. The area assessed is smaller than that in the 1995 assessment. This assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in the San Juan Basin Province also used a slightly different approach in the assessment, and hence a number of the plays defined in the 1995 assessment are addressed differently in this report. After 1995, the USGS has applied a total petroleum system (TPS) concept to oil and gas basin assessments. The TPS approach incorporates knowledge of the source rocks, reservoir rocks, migration pathways, and time of generation and expulsion of hydrocarbons; thus the assessments are geologically based. Each TPS is subdivided into one or more assessment units, usually defined by a unique set of reservoir rocks, but which have in common the same source rock. Four TPSs and 14 assessment units were geologically evaluated, and for 13 units, the undiscovered oil and gas resources were quantitatively assessed.

Multivariate statisticalmethods applied to interpretation of saturated biomarkers (Velebit oil field, SE Pannonian Basin, Serbia

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TATJANA SOLEVIC

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Twenty-five crude oils originating from the Velebit oil field (SE Pannonian Basin, the most important oil field in Serbia, were investigated. Saturated biomarkers (n-alkanes, isoprenoids, steranes and triterpanes were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS. Based on the distribution and abundance of these compounds, a large number of source and maturation parameters were calculated, particularly those most often used in correlation studies of oils. The examined samples were classified according to their origin and level of thermal maturity using factor, cluster and discriminant analyses. According to the source and maturation parameters, combined factor and cluster analyses using the Ward method enabled the categorization of the investigated oils into three groups. The cluster Ward analysis was shown to be of greater susceptibility and reliability. However, in addition to the two aforementioned methods, K-Means cluster analysis and discriminant analysis were shown to be necessary for a more precise and detailed categorization in the case of a large number of samples in one group. Consequently, it was concluded that factor and cluster K-Means andWard analyses can generally be used for the interpretation of saturated biomarkers in correlation studies of oils, but the observed results have to be checked, i.e., confirmed by discriminant analysis.

Permian tetrapods from the Sahara show climate-controlled endemism in Pangaea.

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Sidor, Christian A; O'Keefe, F Robin; Damiani, Ross; Steyer, J Sébastien; Smith, Roger M H; Larsson, Hans C E; Sereno, Paul C; Ide, Oumarou; Maga, Abdoulaye

2005-04-14

New fossils from the Upper Permian Moradi Formation of northern Niger provide an insight into the faunas that inhabited low-latitude, xeric environments near the end of the Palaeozoic era (approximately 251 million years ago). We describe here two new temnospondyl amphibians, the cochleosaurid Nigerpeton ricqlesi gen. et sp. nov. and the stem edopoid Saharastega moradiensis gen. et sp. nov., as relicts of Carboniferous lineages that diverged 40-90 million years earlier. Coupled with a scarcity of therapsids, the new finds suggest that faunas from the poorly sampled xeric belt that straddled the Equator during the Permian period differed markedly from well-sampled faunas that dominated tropical-to-temperate zones to the north and south. Our results show that long-standing theories of Late Permian faunal homogeneity are probably oversimplified as the result of uneven latitudinal sampling.

Increased Oil Production and Reserves Utilizing Secondary/Tertiary Recovery Techniques on Small Reservoirs in the Paradox Basin, Utah; ANNUAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jr., Chidsey, Thomas C.; Allison, M. Lee

1999-01-01

The primary objective of this project is to enhance domestic petroleum production by field demonstration and technology transfer of an advanced- oil-recovery technology in the Paradox basin, southeastern Utah. If this project can demonstrate technical and economic feasibility, the technique can be applied to approximately 100 additional small fields in the Paradox basin alone, and result in increased recovery of 150 to 200 million barrels (23,850,000-31,800,000 m3) of oil. This project is designed to characterize five shallow-shelf carbonate reservoirs in the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation and choose the best candidate for a pilot demonstration project for either a waterflood or carbon-dioxide-(CO2-) miscible flood project. The field demonstration, monitoring of field performance, and associated validation activities will take place within the Navajo Nation, San Juan County, Utah

Hot, deep origin of petroleum: deep basin evidence and application

Science.gov (United States)

Price, Leigh C.

1978-01-01

Use of the model of a hot deep origin of oil places rigid constraints on the migration and entrapment of crude oil. Specifically, oil originating from depth migrates vertically up faults and is emplaced in traps at shallower depths. Review of petroleum-producing basins worldwide shows oil occurrence in these basins conforms to the restraints of and therefore supports the hypothesis. Most of the world's oil is found in the very deepest sedimentary basins, and production over or adjacent to the deep basin is cut by or directly updip from faults dipping into the basin deep. Generally the greater the fault throw the greater the reserves. Fault-block highs next to deep sedimentary troughs are the best target areas by the present concept. Traps along major basin-forming faults are quite prospective. The structural style of a basin governs the distribution, types, and amounts of hydrocarbons expected and hence the exploration strategy. Production in delta depocenters (Niger) is in structures cut by or updip from major growth faults, and structures not associated with such faults are barren. Production in block fault basins is on horsts next to deep sedimentary troughs (Sirte, North Sea). In basins whose sediment thickness, structure and geologic history are known to a moderate degree, the main oil occurrences can be specifically predicted by analysis of fault systems and possible hydrocarbon migration routes. Use of the concept permits the identification of significant targets which have either been downgraded or ignored in the past, such as production in or just updip from thrust belts, stratigraphic traps over the deep basin associated with major faulting, production over the basin deep, and regional stratigraphic trapping updip from established production along major fault zones.

Geology and assessment of unconventional resources of Phitsanulok Basin, Thailand

Science.gov (United States)

,

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) quantitatively assessed the potential for unconventional oil and gas resources within the Phitsanulok Basin of Thailand. Unconventional resources for the USGS include shale gas, shale oil, tight gas, tight oil, and coalbed gas. In the Phitsanulok Basin, only potential shale-oil and shale-gas resources were quantitatively assessed.

Lithofacies palaeogeography of the Carboniferous and Permian in the Qinshui Basin, Shanxi Province, China

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Long-Yi Shao

2015-10-01

The Xiashihezi, Shangshihezi, and Shiqianfeng Formations consist mainly of red mudstones with thick-interbedded sandstones. During the deposition of these formations, most areas of the basin were occupied by a fluvial channel, resulting in palaeogeographic units that include fluvial channel zones and flood basins. The fluvial channel deposits consist mainly of relatively-thick sandstones, which could have potential for exploration of tight sandstone gas.

The Triassic dicynodont Kombuisia (Synapsida, Anomodontia) from Antarctica, a refuge from the terrestrial Permian-Triassic mass extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Fröbisch, Jörg; Angielczyk, Kenneth D; Sidor, Christian A

2010-02-01

Fossils from the central Transantarctic Mountains in Antarctica are referred to a new species of the Triassic genus Kombuisia, one of four dicynodont lineages known to survive the end-Permian mass extinction. The specimens show a unique combination of characters only present in this genus, but the new species can be distinguished from the type species of the genus, Kombuisia frerensis, by the presence of a reduced but slit-like pineal foramen and the lack of contact between the postorbitals. Although incomplete, the Antarctic specimens are significant because Kombuisia was previously known only from the South African Karoo Basin and the new specimens extend the taxon's biogeographic range to a wider portion of southern Pangaea. In addition, the new finds extend the known stratigraphic range of Kombuisia from the Middle Triassic subzone B of the Cynognathus Assemblage Zone into rocks that are equivalent in age to the Lower Triassic Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone, shortening the proposed ghost lineage of this taxon. Most importantly, the occurrence of Kombuisia and Lystrosaurus mccaigi in the Lower Triassic of Antarctica suggests that this area served as a refuge from some of the effects of the end-Permian extinction. The composition of the lower Fremouw Formation fauna implies a community structure similar to that of the ecologically anomalous Lystrosaurus Assemblage Zone of South Africa, providing additional evidence for widespread ecological disturbance in the extinction's aftermath.

Migrated hydrocarbons in outcrop samples: revised petroleum exploration directions in the Tarim Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Li, Maowen; Snowdon, Lloyd [Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, AB (Canada); Xiao, Zhongyao [CNPC Tarim Petroleum Exploration Bureau, Kuerle, Xinjiang (China); Lin, Renzi [Petroleum Univ., Changping, Beijing (China); Wang, Peirong; Hou, Dujie [Jianghan Petroleum Univ., Hubei (China); Zhang, Linye [SINOPEC Shengli Petroleum Bureau, Dongying, Shandong (China); Zhang, Shuichang; Liang, Digang [Research Inst. of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing (China)

2000-07-01

The application of age-specific biomarker distributions established from mature exploration areas of the Tarim Basin, northwestern China, indicates that most Carboniferous-Permian outcrop samples in the eastern segment of the Southwest Depression, previously believed to have significant petroleum source potential, in fact contain migrated hydrocarbons derived from Cambrian-Lower Ordovician strata. New geochemical results have led to a major revision of petroleum exploration directions in this area. (Author)

A decade of changes in nitrogen oxides over regions of oil and natural gas activity in the United States

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Aman Majid

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Nitrogen oxides (NOx = NO2 + NO are a highly regulated species that play a major role in the formation of photochemical smog. While NOx emissions are generally decreasing over the U.S. as a result of more stringent environmental policies and improved emissions control technologies, the shale oil and natural gas industry is reversing this rate of changes in certain regions. We present here a quantitative analysis of NOx levels over the seven main U.S. shale plays (Bakken, Eagle Ford, Permian, Niobrara-Codell, Marcellus-Utica, Haynesville, and Barnett between 2005 and 2015 using measurements of tropospheric NO2 from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI aboard the NASA EOS-Aura aircraft. We develop and apply a methodology that seeks to maximise pollutant signals from oil and gas activities. For reference, we also examine the national trend averaged over the lower 48 states. Consistent with previous studies, we find NOx across the U.S. is generally declining. During the low-production phase of oil and natural gas production (2005–2009, we find declining trends in tropospheric NOx that are similar to the national trend (–4.6% yr–1 in 6 of the 7 study regions (–8 to –2% yr–1. In the high-production phase (2010–15, we find an increasing NOx trend in 5 of the 7 study basins (0.4 to 4.5% yr–1 while the national trend continued to decline (–0.3% yr–1. Over the most intensive oil-producing shale plays (Bakken, Eagle Ford, Permian and Niobrara-Codell, we observe a rapid growth (1–4.5% yr–1, which correlates well (r2 = 0.6–0.9 with their annual oil production rates and/or drilling rigs. In contrast, trends across the mainly gas-producing regions (Haynesville, Barnett, and Marcellus-Utica show decreases (–0.4 to –1.7% yr–1 similar to the national trend, with the exception of the Marcellus-Utica where a slight increase (0.4 ± 0.2% yr–1 may be an indication of a small regional increase. Our study shows the important decadal

Lipid Biomarker Records Across the Permian-Triassic Boundary from Kap Stosch, Greenland

Science.gov (United States)

Hays, L. E.; Love, G. D.; Foster, C. B.; Grice, K.; Summons, R. E.

2006-12-01

The end-Permian extinction was the most severe in the past 500 million years of the Earth's history and evidence that an oceanic anoxic event (OAE) occurred contemporaneously has been presented previously [1,2]. OAEs have, therefore, been proposed as responsible for the mass mortality, and if the anoxic ocean was also euxinic, the release of hydrogen sulfide during upwelling and/or transgression provides an extinction agent in the ocean as well as on land. Chlorobiaceae, as indicators of photic zone euxinia (PZE), utilize hydrogen sulfide as an electron donor for anoxygenic photosynthesis. The detection of isorenieratane and a series of short-chain monoaromatic aryl isoprenoids, biomarkers for Chlorobiaceae, in sediments indicates the presence of hydrogen sulfide in the photic zone of the water column during sediment deposition. The Kap Stosch area in Eastern Greenland was identified as a Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) outcrop of homogeneous shale, silty shale, and siltstone facies [3]. Another late Permian section in Eastern Greenland, the Ravnefjeld Formation, has framboidal pyrites indicative of sulfidic deep water [4]. A sample suite from the Kap Stosch region was studied using standard organic geochemistry methods including stable isotopic analyses of organic carbon, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and biomarker hydrocarbon analysis. Aryl isoprenoids, including isorenieratane, were present in all samples studied and the concentrations were observed to fluctuate in tandem with TOC, similar to other Mesozoic OAEs. The molecular ratios of pristane/phytane and hopanes/steranes as well as the 2-methyl-hopane index (2-MHI) fluctuated dramatically through this section as they do at the type section at Meishan and in the Perth Basin [5]. The 2-MHI shows an inverse pattern to the total aryl isoprenoids, perhaps indicative of instability in the form of primary productivity in the water column during euxinic episodes. This can result in nitrogen limitation and a competitive

An organic geochemical correlation study of some Drmno depresssion crude oils (southern part of the Pannonian Basin, Yugoslavia

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D. VITOROVIC

2001-05-01

Full Text Available The results of an investigation of crude oils originating from the Sirakovo and Bradarac-Maljurevac localities (southern part of the Pannonian Basin are reported in this paper. The aim was to estimate the organic geochemical similarity of the crude oils from the Drmno (Kostolac depression oil fields. The nine selected samples originated from reservoir rocks of various depths. Reliable source and organic geochemical maturation parameters served as the basis for the correlation studies. The similar origin of the investigated Drmno depression crude oils was corroborated, characterized by a significant participation of terrestrial precursor biomass. They were shown to be of relatively low maturity and to have been formed during the earlier stages of the diagenet- ic-catagenetic sequence of processes leading to the formation of crude oils, most probably in source rocks ofTertiary age, corresponding to vitrinite reflectances between Ro = 0.70 % and Ro = 0.80 %. The crude oils from Bradarac-Maljurevac seemed to be somewhat less homogeneous with respect to organic geochemical parameters compared to Sirakovo crude oils.

Organic geochemistry of oil and gas in the Kuqa depression, Tarim Basin, NW China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Digang Liang; Shuichang Zhang; Jianping Chen [China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing (China). Key Laboratory for Petroleum Geochemistry; Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing (China); Feiyu Wang [China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing (China). Key Laboratory for Petroleum Geochemistry; Peirong Wang [China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing (China). Key Laboratory for Petroleum Geochemistry; Jianghan Petroleum Institute (China)

2003-07-01

The Kuqa depression in the Tarim Basin, NW China contains significant natural gas and condensate resources, with only small amounts of black oil. This study demonstrates that the primary reason for the accumulation of large natural gas reserves in the Kuqa depression is the high maturity level of the Jurassic coal-bearing sequence that is currently at the peak stage of dry gas generation. From the combined stable carbon isotopes and molecular and biomarker data it is possible to identify two separate source rocks for the discovered hydrocarbon fluids: the gases were primarily from the Middle-Lower Jurassic coals and associated clastic rocks, and the oils were from the Upper Triassic lacustrine mudstones. Peak oil generation from the Triassic source rocks occurred during the early Miocene (23-12 Ma b.p.). These oils migrated laterally over relatively long distances ({approx}20-50 km) reaching the outer periphery of the depression. Peak gas generation took place more recently, perhaps during the past 5 Ma. The gases migrated mainly along faults over relatively short lateral distances, resulting in accumulations adjacent to the over-matured source kitchens. Different timings for the trap formation along the north and south margins and a late injection of gas into early oil accumulations provided favorable conditions for the formation of evaporative condensates and the preservation of gas pools in the more down-dip reservoirs and oil pools in the more up-dip locations. (author)

DAGMARITA SHHREZAENSIS N. SP. GLOBIVALVULINID FORAMINIFER, (WUCHIAPINGIAN, LATE PERMIAN, CENTRAL IRAN

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PARVIN MOHTAT-AGHAI

2003-03-01

Full Text Available In the course of an investigation on the major mass extintion event near the P/T boundary, in the vicinity of Shahreza (South Isfahan in Iran, a stratigraphically significant new species of foraminifera (Dagmarita shahreaensis n. sp. has been discovered in the Wuchiapingian/Dzhulfian (Late Permian of central Iran (Hambast Formation. This new species is described and emplaced in the phylogeny of the globivalvulinid foraminifera, which evolved rapidly during the Middle/Late Permian. 

Permian Triassic palynofloral transition in Chintalapudi area, Godavari Graben, Andhra Pradesh, India

Science.gov (United States)

Jha, Neerja; Chary, M. Basava; Aggarwal, Neha

2012-10-01

The entire 606 m-thick sedimentary sequence in borecore MCP-7 from Chintalapudi area, Chintalapudi sub-basin has been lithologically designated as Kamthi Formation. However, the palynological investigation revealed five distinct palynoassemblages, which essentially fall under two groups, one group (Palynoassemblage-I, II and III) having dominance of striate disaccates along with presence of some stratigraphically significant taxa, belongs to Late Permian (Raniganj) palynoflora, while the other group (Palynoassemblages IV and V) shows sharp decline in percentage of characteristic taxa of first group, i.e., striate disaccates, and consequent rise or dominance of taeniate and cingulate cavate spores, belongs to Early Triassic (Panchet) palynoflora. Palynoassemblage-I, II and III (Group I) are characterized by dominance of striate disaccates chiefly, Striatopodocarpites spp. and Faunipollenites spp. along with presence of rare but stratigraphically significant taxa, viz., Gondisporites raniganjensis, Falcisporites nuthaliensis, Klausipollenites schaubergeri, Chordasporites sp., Striomonosaccites, ovatus, Crescentipollenites multistriatus, Verticipollenites debiles, Strotersporites crassiletus, Guttulapollenites hannonicus, G. gondwanensis, Hamiapollenites insolitus, Corisaccites alutus, Lunatisporites ovatus, Weylandites spp. and Vitreisporites pallidus. Palynoassemblage-I is distinguished by significant presence of Densipollenites spp. while Palynoassemblage-II shows significant presence of Crescentipollenites spp. and Palynoassemblage-III differs from the above two assemblages in having significant presence of Guttulapollenites hannonicus. Palynoassemblage-IV (Group II) is characterized by high percentage of taeniate disaccates chiefly Lunatisporites spp., while Palynoassemblage-V (Group II) is characterized by cingulate-cavate trilete spores chiefly, Lundbladispora spp. and Densoisporites spp. Striate disaccates show a sharp decline in these two assemblages. In

Bioessential element-depleted ocean following the euxinic maximum of the end-Permian mass extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Takahashi, Satoshi; Yamasaki, Shin-ichi; Ogawa, Yasumasa; Kimura, Kazuhiko; Kaiho, Kunio; Yoshida, Takeyoshi; Tsuchiya, Noriyoshi

2014-05-01

We describe variations in trace element compositions that occurred on the deep seafloor of palaeo-superocean Panthalassa during the end-Permian mass extinction based on samples of sedimentary rock from one of the most continuous Permian-Triassic boundary sections of the pelagic deep sea exposed in north-eastern Japan. Our measurements revealed low manganese (Mn) enrichment factor (normalised by the composition of the average upper continental crust) and high cerium anomaly values throughout the section, suggesting that a reducing condition already existed in the depositional environment in the Changhsingian (Late Permian). Other redox-sensitive trace-element (vanadium [V], chromium [Cr], molybdenum [Mo], and uranium [U]) enrichment factors provide a detailed redox history ranging from the upper Permian to the end of the Permian. A single V increase (representing the first reduction state of a two-step V reduction process) detected in uppermost Changhsingian chert beds suggests development into a mildly reducing deep-sea condition less than 1 million years before the end-Permian mass extinction. Subsequently, a more reducing condition, inferred from increases in Cr, V, and Mo, developed in overlying Changhsingian grey siliceous claystone beds. The most reducing sulphidic condition is recognised by the highest peaks of Mo and V (second reduction state) in the uppermost siliceous claystone and overlying lowermost black claystone beds, in accordance with the end-Permian mass extinction event. This significant increase in Mo in the upper Changhsingian led to a high Mo/U ratio, much larger than that of modern sulphidic ocean regions. This trend suggests that sulphidic water conditions developed both at the sediment-water interface and in the water column. Above the end-Permian mass extinction horizon, Mo, V and Cr decrease significantly. On this trend, we provide an interpretation of drawdown of these elements in seawater after the massive element precipitation event

Progress in the Gondwanan Carboniferous–Permian palynology ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The first section describes challenges in the Carboniferous–Permian Gondwanan stratigraphic palynology, and progress in techniques such as presence of the 'rare-marine intervals', and 'radiometric dating' in some Gondwanan successions, e.g., South Africa, Australia and South America, as tools to confidently calibrate ...

Investigation on the upper Paleozoic Strata in Tang-e-Zakeen, and introducing Zakeen formation, Kuh-e Faraghan Zagros Basin, South Iran

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ghavidel-Syooki, M.

1998-01-01

A thick clastic sequence is well-developed in Tang-e-Zakeen, Kuh-e-Faraghan, being situated approximately 80 Km north of Bandar Abbas. The sequence is 340 m. thick and mainly consists of sandstone, siltstone, shale and subordinate dolomitic beds. So far, this clastic sequence has been called Faraghan Formation. This rock unit lacks marine fauna and based on stratigraphic position, it was assigned to the Early Permian (Szabo and Kheradpir, 1978). Since then, a detailed palynological study has been carried out on the Faraghan Formation by the author. These studies resulted identification of numerous palynomorph taxa, including miospore and acritarch species. The known palynomorph taxa indicated that, a major part of Faraghan Formation belongs to the Devonian Period, while the rest is Early Permian. As a result, the National Iranian Stratigraphic Committee decided and agreed upon to divide the Faraghan Formation into two rock units, namely, the Zakeen Formation, embracing the Devonian strata, and Faraghan Formation for the Early Permian sequence in the Zagros Basin respectively. The Zakeen Formation derives from the Zakeen Village which is located in the southern flank of Kuh-e-Faraghan, about 80 km north of Bandar Abbas. The type section of Zakeen Formation attains a thickness of 285m. in Tang-e-Zakeen, Kuh-e-Faraghan, approximately 23 Km from the Zakeen village. It disconformably rests on the Sarchahan Formation, while it too, disconformably overlain by the Faraghan Formation. A total of 100 samples from the Zakeen Formation were selected and treated in the palynological laboratory of the Exploration Division of National Iranian Oil Company. 63 palynomorph taxa were encountered from the Zakeen Formation. The known species were arranged in five local stratigraphic assemblage zones. Zones I and II occur in a thickness of 96 m. of the Zakeen Formation, in ascending order, suggesting the Early Devonian whereas Zones III and IV occur Within 156 m. interval of the Zakeen

Rare-earths in size fractions and sedimentary rocks of Pennsylvanian-Permian age from the mid-continent of the U.S.A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cullers, R.; Chaudhuri, S.; Kilbane, N.; Koch, R.

1979-01-01

The REE (rare-earth) contents of sixty-three <2μ fractions of Pennsylvanian and Permian platform sediment from the mid-continent of the U.S.A. vary considerably (ΣREE = 46 to 439 ppm: La/Lu = 5.2 to 15.7; correlation coefficient of REE with La Lu = 0.89), but the Eu/Sm ratios are nearly constant even in reducing environments that concentrate U (0.16 to 0.22). There is no correlation of REE content to clay mineralogy. Lower Permian <2μ fractions from continental to nearshore marine sediment in Oklahoma have higher REE content (244 to 261 ppm) than marine facies in Kansas (46 to 140 ppm) but <2μ Upper Permian fractions in an evaporite basin have constant but high REE content (288 to 281 ppm; one = 153 ppm). All Pennsylvanian <2μ fractions from Oklahoma have high REE content (209 to 439 ppm), and fractions from Kansas cyclothems have variable REE content (86 to 438 ppm). REE content in the <2μ fractions is inherited from the provenance, but is modified by ion exchange during weathering, transportation or deposition. Exchangable REE tend to be concentrated in clay minerals in basic environments, but removed in acid environments. Sand and gravel-size fractions consist mostly of quartz or chert so their REE content is low (7.9 to 40.6 ppm) although heavy minerals may contribute a large fraction of the REE content. Unexpectedly silt-size fractions have REE contents (74 to 355 ppm) that are usually lower but similar to their <2μ fractions, and the REE contents do not correlate to clay mineral/quartz ratios. (author)

Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas, Cotton Valley group and Travis Peak-Hosston formations, East Texas basin and Louisiana-Mississippi salt basins provinces of the northern Gulf Coast region. Chapters 1-7.

Science.gov (United States)

,

2006-01-01

The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Oil and Gas Assessment is to develop geologically based hypotheses regarding the potential for additions to oil and gas reserves in priority areas of the United States. The USGS recently completed an assessment of undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Cotton Valley Group and Travis Peak and Hosston Formations in the East Texas Basin and Louisiana-Mississippi Salt Basins Provinces in the Gulf Coast Region (USGS Provinces 5048 and 5049). The Cotton Valley Group and Travis Peak and Hosston Formations are important because of their potential for natural gas resources. This assessment is based on geologic principles and uses the total petroleum system concept. The geologic elements of a total petroleum system include hydrocarbon source rocks (source rock maturation, hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy and petrophysical properties), and hydrocarbon traps (trap formation and timing). The USGS used this geologic framework to define one total petroleum system and eight assessment units. Seven assessment units were quantitatively assessed for undiscovered oil and gas resources.

Chapter 2. Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources--Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Cotton Valley group, Jurassic Smackover interior salt basins total petroleum system, in the East Texas basin and Louisiana-Mississippi salt basins provinces.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyman, T.S.; Condon, S.M.

2006-01-01

The Jurassic Smackover Interior Salt Basins Total Petroleum System is defined for this assessment to include (1) Upper Jurassic Smackover Formation carbonates and calcareous shales and (2) Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous Cotton Valley Group organic-rich shales. The Jurassic Smackover Interior Salt Basins Total Petroleum System includes four conventional Cotton Valley assessment units: Cotton Valley Blanket Sandstone Gas (AU 50490201), Cotton Valley Massive Sandstone Gas (AU 50490202), Cotton Valley Updip Oil and Gas (AU 50490203), and Cotton Valley Hypothetical Updip Oil (AU 50490204). Together, these four assessment units are estimated to contain a mean undiscovered conventional resource of 29.81 million barrels of oil, 605.03 billion cubic feet of gas, and 19.00 million barrels of natural gas liquids. The Cotton Valley Group represents the first major influx of clastic sediment into the ancestral Gulf of Mexico. Major depocenters were located in south-central Mississippi, along the Louisiana-Mississippi border, and in northeast Texas. Reservoir properties and production characteristics were used to identify two Cotton Valley Group sandstone trends across northern Louisiana and east Texas: a high-permeability blanket-sandstone trend and a downdip, low-permeability massive-sandstone trend. Pressure gradients throughout most of both trends are normal, which is characteristic of conventional rather than continuous basin-center gas accumulations. Indications that accumulations in this trend are conventional rather than continuous include (1) gas-water contacts in at least seven fields across the blanket-sandstone trend, (2) relatively high reservoir permeabilities, and (3) high gas-production rates without fracture stimulation. Permeability is sufficiently low in the massive-sandstone trend that gas-water transition zones are vertically extensive and gas-water contacts are poorly defined. The interpreted presence of gas-water contacts within the Cotton Valley

Permian macro- and miofloral diversity, palynodating and ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The order Glossopteridales is highly diversi- fied with 23 taxa and the genus Glossopteris, with 22 species, dominates the flora. The mioflora of this colliery is represented by two distinct palynoassemblages. The palynoassemblage-III is correlatable with the palynoflora of Early Permian (Artinskian) Lower Barakar Formation.

Microbialites and global environmental change across the Permian-Triassic boundary: a synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Kershaw, S; Crasquin, S; Li, Y; Collin, P-Y; Forel, M-B; Mu, X; Baud, A; Wang, Y; Xie, S; Maurer, F; Guo, L

2012-01-01

Permian-Triassic boundary microbialites (PTBMs) are thin (0.05-15 m) carbonates formed after the end-Permian mass extinction. They comprise Renalcis-group calcimicrobes, microbially mediated micrite, presumed inorganic micrite, calcite cement (some may be microbially influenced) and shelly faunas. PTBMs are abundant in low-latitude shallow-marine carbonate shelves in central Tethyan continents but are rare in higher latitudes, likely inhibited by clastic supply on Pangaea margins. PTBMs occupied broadly similar environments to Late Permian reefs in Tethys, but extended into deeper waters. Late Permian reefs are also rich in microbes (and cements), so post-extinction seawater carbonate saturation was likely similar to the Late Permian. However, PTBMs lack widespread abundant inorganic carbonate cement fans, so a previous interpretation that anoxic bicarbonate-rich water upwelled to rapidly increase carbonate saturation of shallow seawater, post-extinction, is problematic. Preliminary pyrite framboid evidence shows anoxia in PTBM facies, but interbedded shelly faunas indicate oxygenated water, perhaps there was short-term pulsing of normally saturated anoxic water from the oxygen-minimum zone to surface waters. In Tethys, PTBMs show geographic variations: (i) in south China, PTBMs are mostly thrombolites in open shelf settings, largely recrystallised, with remnant structure of Renalcis-group calcimicrobes; (ii) in south Turkey, in shallow waters, stromatolites and thrombolites, lacking calcimicrobes, are interbedded, likely depth-controlled; and (iii) in the Middle East, especially Iran, stromatolites and thrombolites (calcimicrobes uncommon) occur in different sites on open shelves, where controls are unclear. Thus, PTBMs were under more complex control than previously portrayed, with local facies control playing a significant role in their structure and composition. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Mineralogy and organic petrology of oil shales in the Sangkarewang Formation, Ombilin Basin, West Sumatra, Indonesia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fatimah [School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052 (Australia)]|[Centre for Geological Resources, Department of Mines and Energy, Jalan Soekarno Hatta No. 444, Bandung 40254 (Indonesia); Ward, Colin R. [School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052 (Australia)

2009-01-31

The Ombilin Basin is filled by late Eocene to early Oligocene marginal fan deposits (Brani Formation) and lacustrine shales (Sangkarewang Formation), unconformably overlain by a late Oligocene to early Miocene fluvial sequence (Sawahlunto and Sawahtambang Formations) and capped by an early to mid-Miocene marine sequence (Ombilin Formation). Significant oil shale deposits occur in the Sangkarewang Formation, intercalated with thin laminated greenish-grey calcareous sandstones. X-ray diffraction shows that the sediments consist mainly of quartz, feldspar, carbonates and a range of clay minerals, together in some cases with minor proportions of sulphides, evaporites and zeolites. Feldspar and non-kaolinite clay minerals decrease up the sequence, relative to kaolinite, suggesting a changing sediment source as the basin was filled. Calcite, thought to be mainly of authigenic origin, is also more abundant in the middle and upper parts of the sequence. The organic matter in the oil shales of the sequence is dominated by liptinite macerals, particularly alginite (mainly lamalginite) and sporinite. Cutinite also occurs in some samples, along with resinite and traces of bituminite. The dominance of lamalginite in the liptinite components suggests that the material can be described as a lamosite. Samples from the Sangkarewang Formation have vitrinite reflectance values ranging between 0.37% and 0.55%. These are markedly lower than the vitrinite reflectance for coal from the overlying Sawahlunto Formation (0.68%), possibly due to suppression associated with the abundant liptinite in the oil shales. Fischer assay data on outcrop samples indicate that the oil yield is related to the organic carbon content. Correlations with XRD data show that, with one exception, the oil yield and organic carbon can also be correlated directly to the abundance of carbonate (calcite) and inversely to the abundance of quartz plus feldspar. This suggests that the abundance of algal material in the

Global taxonomic diversity of anomodonts (tetrapoda, therapsida and the terrestrial rock record across the Permian-Triassic boundary.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jörg Fröbisch

Full Text Available The end-Permian biotic crisis (~252.5 Ma represents the most severe extinction event in Earth's history. This paper investigates diversity patterns in Anomodontia, an extinct group of therapsid synapsids ('mammal-like reptiles', through time and in particular across this event. As herbivores and the dominant terrestrial tetrapods of their time, anomodonts play a central role in assessing the impact of the end-Permian extinction on terrestrial ecosystems. Taxonomic diversity analysis reveals that anomodonts experienced three distinct phases of diversification interrupted by the same number of extinctions, i.e. an end-Guadalupian, an end-Permian, and a mid-Triassic extinction. A positive correlation between the number of taxa and the number of formations per time interval shows that anomodont diversity is biased by the Permian-Triassic terrestrial rock record. Normalized diversity curves indicate that anomodont richness continuously declines from the Middle Permian to the Late Triassic, but also reveals all three extinction events. Taxonomic rates (origination and extinction indicate that the end-Guadalupian and end-Permian extinctions were driven by increased rates of extinction as well as low origination rates. However, this pattern is not evident at the final decline of anomodont diversity during the Middle Triassic. Therefore, it remains unclear whether the Middle Triassic extinction represents a gradual or abrupt event that is unique to anomodonts or more common among terrestrial tetrapods. The end-Permian extinction represents the most distinct event in terms of decline in anomodont richness and turnover rates.

Contrasting basin architecture and rifting style of the Vøring Basin, offshore mid-Norway and the Faroe-Shetland Basin, offshore United Kingdom

Science.gov (United States)

Schöpfer, Kateřina; Hinsch, Ralph

2017-04-01

are present in the Faroe-Shetland Basin, but are not recognisable in the Vøring Basin. (iv) Based on seismic data only, a Permian/Triassic rift phase can be suggested for the Vøring Basin, but the evidence for an equivalent rift phase in the Faroe-Shetland Basin is inconclusive. The present study demonstrates that basins developing above a complex mosaic of basement terrains accreted during orogenic phases can exhibit significant differences in their architecture. The origin of these differences may be considered to be a result of inherited pre-existing large-scale structures (e.g. pre-existing fault blocks) and/or a non-uniform crustal thickness prior to rifting.

Cracking and thermal maturity of Ordovician oils from Tahe Oilfield, Tarim Basin, NW China

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Anlai Ma

2017-12-01

Full Text Available The thermal maturity of the Ordovician oils from the Tahe oilfield of Tarim Basin, NW China was assessed through various maturity parameters, such as biomarkers, aromatic parameters, and diamondoid parameters. Both Ts/(Ts+Tm and C29Ts/(C29H+C29Ts values indicate that the maturity of oils has not reached the condensates stage, which is consistent with the maturity obtained by MPI1. However, the diamondoid maturity suggests that the oil maturity ranges 1.1%–1.6% Ro, which is apparently higher than that of the maturity obtained by the biomarker and MPI1. This discrepancy in maturity may indicate that the Ordovician reservoir has multiple filling history. The 4-MD+3-MD concentration of oils disperses and increases slowly when the Ts/(Ts+Tm value is lower than 0.55. Meanwhile, the value increases rapidly when the Ts/(Ts+Tm value is higher than 0.55. It is proposed that the diamondoid baseline is about 15 μg/goil for marine oils in the Tahe oilfield based on the diamondoid concentration of marine oils from reservoirs of various age. The concentration of 4-MD+3-MD of most Ordovician oils generally ranges from 4.5 to 35 μg/goil, suggesting that the degree of oil-cracking is lower than 50% and the deep Ordovician have potential of oil exploration. The distribution of the concentration of 4-MD+3-MD is characterized by being high in the east and south, low in the west and north, proposing that the two migration pathways exit in the oilfield, which are from east to west and from south to north, respectively. The migration directions are consistent with the results obtained from the oil density and the maturity parameters such as Ts/(Ts+Tm. Thus, suggesting the concentration of 4-MD+3-MD can be used as migration index in oilfield scale.

Recovery Act: Develop a Modular Curriculum for Training University Students in Industry Standard CO{sub 2} Sequestration and Enhanced Oil Recovery Methodologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Trentham, R. C.; Stoudt, E. L.

2013-05-31

CO{sub 2} Enhanced Oil Recovery, Sequestration, & Monitoring Measuring & Verification are topics that are not typically covered in Geoscience, Land Management, and Petroleum Engineering curriculum. Students are not typically exposed to the level of training that would prepare them for CO{sub 2} reservoir and aquifer sequestration related projects when they begin assignments in industry. As a result, industry training, schools & conferences are essential training venues for new & experienced personnel working on CO{sub 2} projects for the first time. This project collected and/or generated industry level CO{sub 2} training to create modules which faculties can utilize as presentations, projects, field trips and site visits for undergrad and grad students and prepare them to "hit the ground running" & be contributing participants in CO{sub 2} projects with minimal additional training. In order to create the modules, UTPB/CEED utilized a variety of sources. Data & presentations from industry CO{sub 2} Flooding Schools & Conferences, Carbon Management Workshops, UTPB Classes, and other venues was tailored to provide introductory reservoir & aquifer training, state-of-the-art methodologies, field seminars and road logs, site visits, and case studies for students. After discussions with faculty at UTPB, Sul Ross, Midland College, other universities, and petroleum industry professionals, it was decided to base the module sets on a series of road logs from Midland to, and through, a number of Permian Basin CO{sub 2} Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) projects, CO{sub 2} Carbon Capture and Storage (CCUS) projects and outcrop equivalents of the formations where CO{sub 2} is being utilized or will be utilized, in EOR projects in the Permian Basin. Although road logs to and through these projects exist, none of them included CO{sub 2} specific information. Over 1400 miles of road logs were created, or revised specifically to highlight CO{sub 2} EOR projects. After testing a number of

Gas hydrate contribution to Late Permian global warming

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Majorowicz, J.; Grasby, S. E.; Šafanda, Jan; Beauchamp, B.

2014-01-01

Roč. 393, May (2014), s. 243-253 ISSN 0012-821X Institutional support: RVO:67985530 Keywords : Latest Permian extinction * gas hydrates * carbon isotope shift Subject RIV: DC - Siesmology, Volcanology, Earth Structure Impact factor: 4.734, year: 2014

Permian-Triassic palynofacies and chemostratigraphy in a core recovered from central Spitsbergen.

Science.gov (United States)

van Soelen, Els; Hasic, Edi; Planke, Sverre; Svensen, Henrik; Sleveland, Arve; Midtkandal, Ivar; Twitchett, Richard; Kürschner, Wolfram

2017-04-01

The Late Permian biotic crisis is one of the most severe extinction events in the history of the Earth, affecting both terrestrial and marine environments. A large igneous province (LIP) in Siberia is thought to be linked with this global event; however, correlation between the volcanic event and the biotic crisis is difficult and requires well dated and high resolution Permian-Triassic boundary successions from the Arctic region. The Svalbard end-Permian drilling project is aimed at improved correlation of the Permian-Triassic sections in Svalbard with the Siberian Traps. The core was collected from Deltadalen, in central Spitsbergen, with additional samples collected from an outcrop close to the drilling site. As part of this collaborative project, carbon isotope geochemistry, palynofacies and palynomorphs were studied in order to learn more about the biostratigraphy and to understand changes in the source(s) of organic matter. Objectives were to reconstruct the paleo-environment; to correlate the core with other sites on Svalbard, and with global records; and to identify and characterize the Late Permian extinction event in the core. A carbon isotope shift is an important global stratigraphic marker in the latest Permian and occurs near the base of the Vikinghøgda Formation in the Deltadalen core, where bulk rock values change from -24.5 to -32.7‰. Palynomorph preservation was generally poor in both core and outcrop samples which prevented detailed examination of species and limited their usefulness for biostratigraphy. Still, palynofacies were useful for correlative purposes. AOM (amorphous organic matter) in the core increases at the lithological change from sandstones to siltstones, and is indicative of anoxic conditions. Similar high levels of AOM in the outcrop samples can be correlated with the core. Palynological analyses show that the spore/pollen ratio starts to increase before the negative shift in the isotope curve. Such an increase in spore

Total petroleum systems and geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the San Juan Basin Province, exclusive of Paleozoic rocks, New Mexico and Colorado

Science.gov (United States)

,

2013-01-01

In 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) estimated undiscovered oil and gas resources that have the potential for additions to reserves in the San Juan Basin Province, New Mexico and Colorado. Paleozoic rocks were not appraised. The last oil and gas assessment for the province was in 1995. There are several important differences between the 1995 and 2002 assessments. The area assessed is smaller than that in the 1995 assessment. This assessment of undiscovered hydrocarbon resources in the San Juan Basin Province also used a slightly different approach in the assessment, and hence a number of the plays defined in the 1995 assessment are addressed differently in this report. After 1995, the USGS has applied a total petroleum system (TPS) concept to oil and gas basin assessments. The TPS approach incorporates knowledge of the source rocks, reservoir rocks, migration pathways, and time of generation and expulsion of hydrocarbons; thus the assessments are geologically based. Each TPS is subdivided into one or more assessment units, usually defined by a unique set of reservoir rocks, but which have in common the same source rock. Four TPSs and 14 assessment units were geologically evaluated, and for 13 units, the undiscovered oil and gas resources were quantitatively assessed.

Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources, onshore Claiborne Group, United Statespart of the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Hackley, P.C.; Ewing, T.E.

2010-01-01

The middle Eocene Claiborne Group was assessed for undiscovered conventional hydrocarbon resources using established U.S. Geological Survey assessment methodology. This work was conducted as part of a 2007 assessment of Paleogene-Neogene strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin, including the United States onshore and state waters (Dubiel et al., 2007). The assessed area is within the Upper Jurassic-CretaceousTertiary composite total petroleum system, which was defined for the assessment. Source rocks for Claiborne oil accumulations are interpreted to be organic-rich, downdip, shaley facies of the Wilcox Group and the Sparta Sand of the Claiborne Group; gas accumulations may have originated from multiple sources, including the Jurassic Smackover Formation and the Haynesville and Bossier shales, the Cretaceous Eagle Ford and Pearsall (?) formations, and the Paleogene Wilcox Group and Sparta Sand. Hydrocarbon generation in the basin started prior to deposition of Claiborne sediments and is currently ongoing. Primary reservoir sandstones in the Claiborne Group include, from oldest to youngest, the Queen City Sand, Cook Mountain Formation, Sparta Sand, Yegua Formation, and the laterally equivalent Cockfield Formation. A geologic model, supported by spatial analysis of petroleum geology data, including discovered reservoir depths, thicknesses, temperatures, porosities, permeabilities, and pressures, was used to divide the Claiborne Group into seven assessment units (AUs) with three distinctive structural and depositional settings. The three structural and depositional settings are (1) stable shelf, (2) expanded fault zone, and (3) slope and basin floor; the seven AUs are (1) lower Claiborne stable-shelf gas and oil, (2) lower Claiborne expanded fault-zone gas, (3) lower Claiborne slope and basin-floor gas, (4) lower Claiborne Cane River, (5) upper Claiborne stable-shelf gas and oil, (6) upper Claiborne expanded fault-zone gas, and (7) upper Claiborne slope and basin

Palynostratigraphy of Permian succession in the Mand–Raigarh ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Palynofloras have been recorded from the Barakar Formation in the Borehole MBKW-3, Barpali–. Karmitikra Block, Mand–Raigarh Coalfield, Chhattisgarh. Three distinct palynoassemblages have been identified and referred to the following palynoassemblage zones – Gondisporites raniganjensis (Latest. Permian); ...

Palynostratigraphy of Permian succession in the Mand–Raigarh ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Palynofloras have been recorded from the Barakar Formation in the Borehole MBKW-3, Barpali–Karmitikra Block, Mand–Raigarh Coalfield, Chhattisgarh. Three distinct palynoassemblages have been identified and referred to the following palynoassemblage zones – Gondisporites raniganjensis (Latest Permian); ...

Assessment of undiscovered continuous oil and gas resources of Upper Cretaceous Shales in the Songliao Basin of China, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Potter, Christopher J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Pitman, Janet K.; Klett, Timothy R.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Finn, Thomas M.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Marra, Kristen R.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2018-05-03

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable resources of 3.3 billion barrels of oil and 887 billion cubic feet of gas in shale reservoirs of the Upper Cretaceous Qingshankou and Nenjiang Formations in the Songliao Basin of northeastern China.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Paradox Basin Province, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona, 2011

Science.gov (United States)

Whidden, Katherine J.

2012-01-01

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated means of 560 million barrels of undiscovered oil, 12,701 billion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, and 490 million barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids in the Paradox Basin of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona.

Oxygen and Carbon Isotopic Composition of Carbonate Rocks of the Permian Qixia Formation, Sichuan Basin: Thermal Effects of Emeishan Basalt

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keke Huang

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The late Permian thermal events related to Emeishan Basalt has made a great impact on the underlying carbonate rock properties in the western margin of the Yangtze Platform. In this paper, we investigate the carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of the Qixia Formation carbonates from two sections: the Qiaoting Section in the northeastern part of the Sichuan Basin and the Changjianggou Section at the northwestern edge of the Basin. The data reveal that: (i Samples from Qiaoting section show a relatively narrow range of δ13C and δ18O, varying from 2.7‰ to 5.2‰ with an average of 4.2‰, and -3.8‰ to -7.8‰ with an average of -5.4‰, respectively. In contrast, Samples from Changjianggou section exhibit larger magnitude of variation in δ13C and δ18O, ranging from -1‰ to 3.8‰ with an average of 1.5‰, and -2.1 to -9.2‰, with an average of -6.0‰ respectively; (ii δ13C and δ18O records in carbonates from Qiaoting section are similar to those of Middle Permian seawater whereas carbonates from the Changjianggou section are depleted in 13C and 18O compared to contemporary seawater; (iii On the basis of combined petrographic and paleo-heat flow evidence, the lower carbon and oxygen isotopic composition of the carbonates from the Changjianggou section are interpreted to be the results of thermal effects of Emeishan Basalt because of its proximity to the eruption center of the basalt. The high temperature reduced the δ18O values of the carbonates and forced the organic matter to mature at an early stage, thus producing 13C-enriched carbon dioxide to participate in the formation of carbonates.     Composición Isotópica de Oxígeno y Carbón en Rocas de Carbonato de la Formación de Edad Pérmica Qixia, en la Cuenca de Sichuan: Efectos Térmicos del Basalto Emeishan   Resumen Los eventos térmicos del Pérmico tardío relacionados con el Basalto Emeishan han tenido un gran impacto en las propiedades de las rocas de carbonato

Paleogeothermal record of the Emeishan mantle plume: evidences from borehole Ro data in the Sichuan basin, SW China

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, S.

2013-12-01

The Emeishan basalt province located in the southwest of China is widely accepted to be a result of the eruption of a mantle plume at the time of middle-late Permian. If it was a mantle plume, the ambient sedimentary rocks must be heated up during the development of the mantle plume and this thermal effect must be recorded by some geothermometers in the country rocks. The vitrinite reflectance (Ro) data as a maximum paleotemperature recorder from boreholes in Sichuan basin was employed to expose the thermal regime related to the proposed Emeishan mantle plume. The Ro profiles from boreholes which drilled close to the Emeishan basalts shows a ';dog-leg' (break) style at the unconformity between the middle and the upper Permian, and the Ro profiles in the lower subsection (pre-middle Permian) shows a significantly higher slopes (gradients) than those in the upper subsection. In contrast, those Ro profiles from boreholes far away from the center of the basalt province have no break at the uncomformity. Based on the chemical kinetic model of Ro, the paleo-temperature gradients for the upper and the lower subsections in different boreholes, as well as the erosion at the unconformity between the middle and the upper Permian, were reconstructed to reveal the variations of the temperature gradients and erosion thickness with geological time and space. Both the thermal regime and the erosion thickness together with their spatial variation (structure) provide strong geothermal evidence for the existence of the Emeishan mantle plume in the middle-late Permian.

Archaeolithoporella and Tubiphytes : Affinties and Paleoecology in Permian Reefs of South China

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

王生海; 范嘉松; J.Keith Rigby

1994-01-01

Archaeolithoporella is one of the most important Permian reef-building organisms, but itsaffinity has long been controversial. It was first reported in Japan and was considered as a coralline red alga. Since then it has been recognized in Permian reefs in other parts of the world. Many researchers have studied the materials they had found and the Japanese holotype specimen. Most have concluded that it is a problematic alga. or just a problematica because of weak criteria for definition. Some have even considered it inorganic. However, relict cellular structures and microtubular laminae found in well-preserved specimens from Permian reefs in South China strongly support a coralline red algal affinity for the genus.In situ preserved Archaeolithoporella is restricted within the typical framework facies and it occurs most abundantly in syndepositionally cemented framestones. This suggests that Archaeolithoporella required a firm substrate and clear but agitated sea water. Archaeolithoporella is often found

Petroleum systems of the Malay Basin Province, Malaysia

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, Michele G.

2002-01-01

The offshore Malay Basin province is a Tertiary oil and gas province composed of a complex of half grabens that were filled by lacustrine shales and continental clastics.These deposits were overlain by clastics of a large delta system that covered the basin.Delta progradation was interupted by transgressions of the South China Sea to the southeast, which finally flooded the basin to form the Gulf of Thailand.Oil and gas from the Oligocene to Miocene lacustrine shales and Miocene deltaic coals is trapped primarily in anticlines formed by inversion of the half grabens during the late Miocene.Hydrocarbon reserves that have been discovered amount to 12 billion barrels of oil equivalent.The U.S. Geological Survey assessment of the estimated quantities of conventional oil, gas and condensate that have the potential to be added to reserves by the year 2025 for this province is 6.3 billion barrels of oil equivalent (BBOE) (U. S. Geological Survey World Energy Assessment Team, 2000).

New absolute paleointensity determinations for the Permian-Triassic boundary from the Kuznetsk Trap Basalts.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulakov, E.; Metelkin, D. V.; Kazansky, A.

2015-12-01

We report the results of a pilot absolute paleointensity study of the ~250 Ma basalts of Kuznetsk traps (Kuznetsk Basin, Altai-Sayan folded area). Studied samples are characterized by a reversed polarity of natural remanent magnetization that corresponds to the lower part of Siberian Trap basalts sequence. Geochemical similarity of Kuznets basalts with those from Norilsk region supports this interpretation. Primary origin of thermal remanence in our sample is confirmed by a positive backed contact test. Rock magnetic analyses indicate that the ChRM is carried by single-domain titanomagnetite. The Coe-version of the Thellier-Therllier double-heating method was utilized for the paleointensity determinations. In contrast to the previous studies of the Permian-Triassic Siberian trap basalts, our data indicate that by the P-T boundary the paleofield intensity was relatively high and comparable with geomagnetic field strength for the last 10 millions of years. New results question the duration of the "Mesozoic dipole-low".

INCREASED OIL PRODUCTION AND RESERVES UTILIZING SECONDARY/TERTIARY RECOVERY TECHNIQUES ON SMALL RESERVOIRS IN THE PARADOX BASIN, UTAH

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas C. Chidsey, Jr.

2002-11-01

The Paradox Basin of Utah, Colorado, and Arizona contains nearly 100 small oil fields producing from shallow-shelf carbonate buildups or mounds within the Desert Creek zone of the Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Paradox Formation. These fields typically have one to four wells with primary production ranging from 700,000 to 2,000,000 barrels (111,300-318,000 m{sup 3}) of oil per field at a 15 to 20 percent recovery rate. Five fields in southeastern Utah were evaluated for waterflood or carbon-dioxide (CO{sub 2})-miscible flood projects based upon geological characterization and reservoir modeling. Geological characterization on a local scale focused on reservoir heterogeneity, quality, and lateral continuity as well as possible compartmentalization within each of the five project fields. The Desert Creek zone includes three generalized facies belts: (1) open-marine, (2) shallow-shelf and shelf-margin, and (3) intra-shelf, salinity-restricted facies. These deposits have modern analogs near the coasts of the Bahamas, Florida, and Australia, respectively, and outcrop analogs along the San Juan River of southeastern Utah. The analogs display reservoir heterogeneity, flow barriers and baffles, and lithofacies geometry observed in the fields; thus, these properties were incorporated in the reservoir simulation models. Productive carbonate buildups consist of three types: (1) phylloid algal, (2) coralline algal, and (3) bryozoan. Phylloid-algal buildups have a mound-core interval and a supra-mound interval. Hydrocarbons are stratigraphically trapped in porous and permeable lithotypes within the mound-core intervals of the lower part of the buildups and the more heterogeneous supramound intervals. To adequately represent the observed spatial heterogeneities in reservoir properties, the phylloid-algal bafflestones of the mound-core interval and the dolomites of the overlying supra-mound interval were subdivided into ten architecturally distinct lithotypes, each of which

Marine anoxia and delayed Earth system recovery after the end-Permian extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Lau, Kimberly V; Maher, Kate; Altiner, Demir; Kelley, Brian M; Kump, Lee R; Lehrmann, Daniel J; Silva-Tamayo, Juan Carlos; Weaver, Karrie L; Yu, Meiyi; Payne, Jonathan L

2016-03-01

Delayed Earth system recovery following the end-Permian mass extinction is often attributed to severe ocean anoxia. However, the extent and duration of Early Triassic anoxia remains poorly constrained. Here we use paired records of uranium concentrations ([U]) and (238)U/(235)U isotopic compositions (δ(238)U) of Upper Permian-Upper Triassic marine limestones from China and Turkey to quantify variations in global seafloor redox conditions. We observe abrupt decreases in [U] and δ(238)U across the end-Permian extinction horizon, from ∼3 ppm and -0.15‰ to ∼0.3 ppm and -0.77‰, followed by a gradual return to preextinction values over the subsequent 5 million years. These trends imply a factor of 100 increase in the extent of seafloor anoxia and suggest the presence of a shallow oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) that inhibited the recovery of benthic animal diversity and marine ecosystem function. We hypothesize that in the Early Triassic oceans-characterized by prolonged shallow anoxia that may have impinged onto continental shelves-global biogeochemical cycles and marine ecosystem structure became more sensitive to variation in the position of the OMZ. Under this hypothesis, the Middle Triassic decline in bottom water anoxia, stabilization of biogeochemical cycles, and diversification of marine animals together reflect the development of a deeper and less extensive OMZ, which regulated Earth system recovery following the end-Permian catastrophe.

CONODONT BIOSTRATIGRAPHY AND LITHOSTRATIGRAPHY ACROSS THE PERMIAN-TRIASSIC BOUNDARY AT THE LUKAC SECTION IN WESTERN SLOVENIA

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TEA KOLAR-JURKOVSEK

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Detailed conodont biostratigraphy and lithostratigraphy of the Late Permian and Early Triassic beds were studied at the LukaC section in western Slovenia. The analyzed section is composed of the Bellerophon Formation ("evaporite-dolomite member" and the newly introduced Lukaè Formation ("transitional beds", "streaky limestone member" and "carbonate-clastic beds member". The Permian-Triassic boundary interval is represented by "transitional beds" of carbonate facies deposited in shallow restricted marine conditions. The presence of H. parvus in sample L1 in the "transitional beds" marks the systemic boundary between Permian and Triassic. The studied interval is characterized by a diverse microfauna that contain conodonts, foraminifers, ostracods and gastropods. Six conodont zones have been recognized, in ascending order, the latest Changhsingian (uppermost Permian praeparvus Zone, and the Griesbachian (lowermost Triassic parvus, lobata, staeschei-isarcica, postparvus and anceps zones. This faunal succession represents the first known and the most complete conodont biozonation across the Permian-Triassic interval from the entire Dinaric region. The recognized conodont biozones can be correlated with the biozonation of the Southern Alps and of the GSSP Meishan D section. 

Sediment-hosted micro-disseminated gold mineralization constrained by basin paleo-topographic highs in the Youjiang basin, South China

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jianming; Ye, Jie; Ying, Hanlong; Liu, Jiajun; Zheng, Minghua; Gu, Xuexiang

2002-06-01

The Youjiang basin is a Devonian-Triassic rift basin on the southern margin of the Yangtze Craton in South China. Strong syndepositional faulting defined the basin-and-range style paleo-topography that further developed into isolated carbonate platforms surrounded by siliciclastic filled depressions. Finally, thick Triassic siliciclastic deposits covered the platforms completely. In the Youjiang basin, numerous sediment-hosted, micro-disseminated gold (SMG) deposits occur mainly in Permian-Triassic chert and siliciclastic rocks. SMG ores are often auriferous sedimentary rocks with relatively low sulfide contents and moderate to weak alteration. Similar to Carlin-type gold ores in North America, SMG ores in the Youjiang basin are characterized by low-temperature mineral assemblages of pyrite, arsenopyrite, realgar, stibnite, cinnabar, marcasite, chalcedony and carbonate. Most of the SMG deposits are remarkably distributed around the carbonate platforms. Accordingly, there are platform-proximal and platform-distal SMG deposits. Platform-proximal SMG deposits often occur in the facies transition zone between the underlying platform carbonate rocks and the overlying siliciclastic rocks with an unconformity (often a paleo-karst surface) in between. In the ores and hostrocks there are abundant synsedimentary-syndiagenetic fabrics such as lamination, convolute bedding, slump texture, soft-sediment deformation etc. indicating submarine hydrothermal deposition and syndepositional faulting. Numerous fluid-escape and liquefaction fabrics imply strong fluid migration during sediment basin evolution. Such large-scale geological and fabric evidence implies that SMG ores were formed during basin evolution, probably in connection with basinal fluids. It is well known that basinal fluids (especially sediment-sourced fluids) will migrate generally (1) upwards, (2) towards basin margins or basin topographic highs, (3) and from thicker towards thinner deposits during basin evolution

The Collyhurst Sandstone as a secondary storage unit for CCS in the East Irish Sea Basin (UK)

Science.gov (United States)

Gamboa, D.; Williams, J. D. O.; Kirk, K.; Gent, C. M. A.; Bentham, M.; Schofield, D. I.

2016-12-01

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is key technology for low-carbon energy and industry. The UK hosts a large CO2 storage potential offshore with an estimated capacity of 78 Gt. The East Irish Sea Basin (EISB) is the key area for CCS in the western UK, with a CO2 storage potential of 1.7 Gt in hydrocarbon fields and in saline aquifers within the Triassic Sherwood Sandstone Formation. However, this theoretical storage capacity does not consider the secondary storage potential in the lower Permian Collyhurst Sandstone Formation. 3D seismic data were used to characterise the Collyhurst Sandstone Formation in the EISB. On the southern basin domain, numerous fault-bound blocks limit the lateral continuity of the sandstone strata, while on the northern domain the sandstones are intersected by less faults. The caprock for the Collyhurst sandstones is variable. The Manchester Marls predominate in the south, transitioning to the St. Bees evaporites towards the north. The evaporites in the EISB cause overburden faults to terminate or detach along Upper Permian strata, limiting the deformation of the underlying reservoir units. Five main storage closures have been identified in the Permian strata. In the southern and central area these are predominantly fault bounded, occurring at depths over 1000m. Despite the higher Collyhurst sandstone thickness in the southern IESB, the dolomitic nature of the caprock constitutes a storage risk in this area. Closures in the northern area are deeper (around 2000-2500m) and wider, reaching areas of 34Km2, and are overlain by evaporitic caprocks. The larger Collyhurst closures to the north underlie large Triassic fields with high storage potential. The spatial overlap favours storage plans including secondary storage units in the EISB. The results of this work also expand the understanding of prospective areas for CO2 sequestration in the East Irish Sea Basin in locations where the primary Sherwood Sandstone Formation is either too shallow

Environmental mutagenesis during the end-Permian ecological crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Visscher, Henk; Looy, Cindy V; Collinson, Margaret E; Brinkhuis, Henk; van Konijnenburg-van Cittert, Johanna H A; Kürschner, Wolfram M; Sephton, Mark A

2004-08-31

During the end-Permian ecological crisis, terrestrial ecosystems experienced preferential dieback of woody vegetation. Across the world, surviving herbaceous lycopsids played a pioneering role in repopulating deforested terrain. We document that the microspores of these lycopsids were regularly released in unseparated tetrads indicative of failure to complete the normal process of spore development. Although involvement of mutation has long been hinted at or proposed in theory, this finding provides concrete evidence for chronic environmental mutagenesis at the time of global ecological crisis. Prolonged exposure to enhanced UV radiation could account satisfactorily for a worldwide increase in land plant mutation. At the end of the Permian, a period of raised UV stress may have been the consequence of severe disruption of the stratospheric ozone balance by excessive emission of hydrothermal organohalogens in the vast area of Siberian Traps volcanism. Copyright 2004 The National Academy of Sciencs of the USA

Review of monolete-producing Carboniferous-Permian sphenophylls

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Libertín, M.; Bek, Jiří

2008-01-01

Roč. 2008, č. 2 (2008), s. 168-168 ISSN 0946-8978. [International Palynological Congress /12./ ; International Organisation of Palaeobotany Conference /8./. 30.08.2008-05.09.2008, Bonn] R&D Projects: GA AV ČR IAA300130503 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30130516 Keywords : Carboniferous * Permian * sphenophylls Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy

Salinity changes and anoxia resulting from enhanced run-off during the late Permian global warming and mass extinction event

Science.gov (United States)

van Soelen, Elsbeth E.; Twitchett, Richard J.; Kürschner, Wolfram M.

2018-04-01

The late Permian biotic crisis had a major impact on marine and terrestrial environments. Rising CO2 levels following Siberian Trap volcanic activity were likely responsible for expanding marine anoxia and elevated water temperatures. This study focuses on one of the stratigraphically most expanded Permian-Triassic records known, from Jameson Land, East Greenland. High-resolution sampling allows for a detailed reconstruction of the changing environmental conditions during the extinction event and the development of anoxic water conditions. Since very little is known about how salinity was affected during the extinction event, we especially focus on the aquatic palynomorphs and infer changes in salinity from changes in the assemblage and morphology. The start of the extinction event, here defined by a peak in spore : pollen, indicating disturbance and vegetation destruction in the terrestrial environment, postdates a negative excursion in the total organic carbon, but predates the development of anoxia in the basin. Based on the newest estimations for sedimentation rates, the marine and terrestrial ecosystem collapse took between 1.6 and 8 kyr, a much shorter interval than previously estimated. The palynofacies and palynomorph records show that the environmental changes can be explained by enhanced run-off and increased primary productivity and water column stratification. A lowering in salinity is supported by changes in the acritarch morphology. The length of the processes of the acritarchs becomes shorter during the extinction event and we propose that these changes are evidence for a reduction in salinity in the shallow marine setting of the study site. This inference is supported by changes in acritarch distribution, which suggest a change in palaeoenvironment from open marine conditions before the start of the extinction event to more nearshore conditions during and after the crisis. In a period of sea-level rise, such a reduction in salinity can only be

Carnivorous dinocephalian from the Middle Permian of Brazil and tetrapod dispersal in Pangaea.

Science.gov (United States)

Cisneros, Juan Carlos; Abdala, Fernando; Atayman-Güven, Saniye; Rubidge, Bruce S; Şengörc, A M Celâl; Schultz, Cesar L

2012-01-31

The medial Permian (~270-260 Ma: Guadalupian) was a time of important tetrapod faunal changes, in particular reflecting a turnover from pelycosaurian- to therapsid-grade synapsids. Until now, most knowledge on tetrapod distribution during the medial Permian has come from fossils found in the South African Karoo and the Russian Platform, whereas other areas of Pangaea are still poorly known. We present evidence for the presence of a terrestrial carnivorous vertebrate from the Middle Permian of South America based on a complete skull. Pampaphoneus biccai gen. et sp. nov. was a dinocephalian "mammal-like reptile" member of the Anteosauridae, an early therapsid predator clade known only from the Middle Permian of Russia, Kazakhstan, China, and South Africa. The genus is characterized, among other features, by postorbital bosses, short, bulbous postcanines, and strongly recurved canines. Phylogenetic analysis indicates that the Brazilian dinocephalian occupies a middle position within the Anteosauridae, reinforcing the model of a global distribution for therapsids as early as the Guadalupian. The close phylogenetic relationship of the Brazilian species to dinocephalians from South Africa and the Russian Platform suggests a closer faunistic relationship between South America and eastern Europe than previously thought, lending support to a Pangaea B-type continental reconstruction.

Geochemistry of the Late Paleozoic cherts in the Youjiang Basin: Implications for the basin evolution

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Huang Hu

2013-10-01

Full Text Available We analyzed the major and rare earth element compositions of siliceous deposits from the Upper Devonian Liujiang Formation, Lower Carboniferous Luzhai Formation, Lower–Middle Permian Sidazhai Formation and Tapi Formation, which are widely distributed as bedded cherts in the interplatform basinal successions of the Youjiang Basin. The Liujiang Formation and Luzhai Formation cherts generally have high Al/(Al+Fe+Mn values (0.38–0.94 and are non-hydrothermal cherts. These cherts are generally characterized by moderately negative Ce anomalies and high Y/Ho values relatived to PAAS, indicating that the Youjiang Basin might have evolved into an open rift basin during the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous. The Sidazhai Formation cherts from Ziyun generally have high Al/(Al+Fe+Mn values (0.60–0.78, suggesting negligible contribution from a hydrothermal component. The Sidazhai Formation cherts from Hechi and the Tapi Formation cherts from Malipo generally have low Al/(Al+Fe+Mn values (0.09–0.41, indicating an intense hydrothermal input. Relatived to the Sidazhai Formation cherts, the Tapi Formation cherts have higher Ce/Ce* values (0.68±0.19 and lower Y/Ho values (41.83±13.27, which may be affected by the terrigenous input from the Vietnam Block. The Sidazhai Formation cherts from Ziyun and Hechi exhibit negative Ce anomalies (0.43±0.12, 0.33±0.17, respectively with high Y/Ho values (57.44±16.20, 46.02±4.27, respectively, resembling the geochemical characteristics of open-ocean basin cherts. These cherts were deposited on a passive continental margin adjacent to the Babu branch ocean, which may have contributed to upwelling. Detailed spatial studies on geochemical characteristics of the Late Paleozoic cherts can unravel the evolution of the Youjiang Basin.

Terrestrial acidification during the end-Permian biosphere crisis?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sephton, Mark A.; Jiao, Dan; Engel, Michael H.; Looy, Cindy V.; Visscher, Henk

Excessive acid rainfall associated with emplacement of the Siberian Traps magmatic province is increasingly accepted as a major contributing factor to the end-Permian biosphere crisis. However, direct proxy evidence of terrestrial acidification is so far not available. In this paper, we seek to

Coal petrology of coal seams from the Leao-Butia Coalfield, Lower Permian of the Parana Basin, Brazil - Implications for coal facies interpretations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Silva, M.B. [Laboratorio de Oceanografia Geologica, Departamento de Geociencias, Fundacao Universidade Federal do Rio Grande, FURG, Av. Italia km 08, Campus Carreiros, 96201-900, Rio Grande, RS (Brazil); Kalkreuth, W.; Holz, M. [Instituto de Geociencias, UFRGS, Av. Bento Goncalves, 9500 91501-970 Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2008-02-01

In the Leao-Butia Coalfield, Rio Grande do Sul the coal seams occur in the Rio Bonito Formation, Guata Group, Tubarao Supergroup of the Parana Basin, Brazil and are of Permian (Artinskian-Kungurian) age. This study is the first detailed investigation on the coal petrographic characterization of the coal-bearing sequence in relation to the depositional settings of the precursor mires, both in terms of whole seam characterization and in-seam variations. The study is based on the analyses of nine coal seams (I2, CI, L4, L3, L2, L1, S3, S2, S1), which were selected from core of borehole D-193, Leao-Butia and represent the entire coal-bearing sequence. The interpretation of coal facies and depositional environment is based on lithotype, maceral and microlithotype analyses using different facies-critical petrographic indices, which were displayed in coal facies diagrams. The seams are characterized by the predominance of dull lithotypes (dull, banded dull). The dullness of the coal is attributed to relatively high mineral matter, inertinite and liptinite contents. The petrographic composition is dominated by vitrinite (28-70 vol.% mmf) and inertinite (> 30 vol.% mmf) groups. Liptinite contents range from 7 to 30 vol.% (mmf) and mineral matter from 4-30 vol.%. Microlithotypes associations are dominated by vitrite, duroclarite, carbominerite and inertite. It is suggested that the observed vertical variations in petrographic characteristics (lithotypes, microlithotypes, macerals, vitrinite reflectance) were controlled by groundwater level fluctuations in the ancient mires due to different accommodation/peat accumulation rates. Correlation of the borehole strata with the general sequence-stratigraphical setting suggests that the alluvial fan system and the coal-bearing mudstone succession are linked to a late transgressive systems tract of sequence 2. Based on average compositional values obtained from coal facies diagrams, a deposition in a limno-telmatic to limnic coal

Geochemistry of crude oils, seepage oils and source rocks from Belize and Guatemala

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, H.I.; Holland, B.; Nytoft, H.P.

2012-01-01

This study reviews the stratigraphy and the poorly documented petroleum geology of the Belize-Guatemala area in northern Central America. Guatemala is divided by the east-west trending La Libertad arch into the North and South Petén Basins. The arch is the westward continuation of the Maya...... generated from source rocks with similar thermal maturities. The crude oils were generated from marine carbonate source rocks and could be divided into three groups: Group 1 oils come from the North Petén Basin (Guatemala) and the western part of the Corozal Basin (Belize), and have a typical carbonate...

Juvenile-adult habitat shift in permian fossil reptiles and amphibians.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakker, R T

1982-07-02

Among extant large reptiles, juveniles often occupy different habitats from those of adults or subadults and thus avoid competition with and predation from the older animals; small juveniles often choose cryptic habitats because they are vulnerable to a wide variety of predators. Evidence from fossil humeri and femora of Early Permian reptiles collected from sediments of several distinct habitats indicate that similar shifts in habitat occurred. Juvenile Dimetrodon seem to have favored cryptic habitats around swamp and swampy lake margins; adults favored open habitats on the floodplains. Similar patterns of habitat shift seem to be present in the reptile Ophiacodon and the amphibian Eryops and may have been common in fossil tetrapods of the Permian-Triassic.

Upper Permian ostracode assemblage from the Jadar Block (Vardar zone, NW Serbia

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Crasquin Sylvie

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Ostracodes from the Changhsingian (latest Permian age in the uppermost part of the “Bituminous Limestone” Formation of the Komirić Section in NW Serbia (Jadar Block, Vardar Zone are described and illustrated. Three new species of ostracodes are introduced: Basslerella jadarensis n. sp., Acratia serbianella n. sp., and Knoxiella vardarensis n. sp. The ostracode assemblage, together with conodonts and foraminifers, is the first record of the youngest Late Permian age microfaunas from Serbia and from the central part of the Balkan Peninsula.

Petrophysical Properties of the Yeso, Abo and Cisco Formations in the Permian Basin in New Mexico, U.S.A

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Griffin

The area that comprises the Northwest Shelf in Lea Co., New Mexico has been heavily drilled over the past half century. The main target being shallow reservoirs within the Permian section (San Andres and Grayburg Formations). With a focus shifting towards deeper horizons, there is a need for more petrophysical data pertaining to these formations, which is the focus of this study through a variety of techniques. This study involves the use of contact angle measurements, fluid imbibition tests, Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP) and log analysis to evaluate the nano-petrophysical properties of the Yeso, Abo and Cisco Formation within the Northwest Shelf area of southeast New Mexico. From contact angle measurements, all of the samples studied were found to be oil-wetting as n-decane spreads on to the rock surface much quicker than the other fluids (deionized water and API brine) tested. Imbibition tests resulted in a well-connected pore network being observed for all of the samples with the highest values of imbibition slopes being recorded for the Abo samples. MICP provided a variety of pore structure data which include porosity, pore-throat size distributions, permeability and tortuosity. The Abo samples saw the highest porosity percentages, which were above 15%, with all the other samples ranging from 4 - 7%. The majority of the pore-throat sizes for most of the samples fell within the 1 - 10 mum range. The only exceptions to this being the Paddock Member within the Yeso Formation, which saw a higher percentage of larger pores (10 - 1000mum) and one of the Cisco Formation samples, which had the majority of its pore sizes fall in the 0.1 - 1 mum range. The log analysis created log calculations and curves for cross-plot porosity and water saturation that were then used to derive a value for permeability. The porosity and permeability values were comparable with those measured from our MICP and literature values.

An improved method for predicting brittleness of rocks via well logs in tight oil reservoirs

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhenlin; Sun, Ting; Feng, Cheng; Wang, Wei; Han, Chuang

2018-06-01

There can be no industrial oil production in tight oil reservoirs until fracturing is undertaken. Under such conditions, the brittleness of the rocks is a very important factor. However, it has so far been difficult to predict. In this paper, the selected study area is the tight oil reservoirs in Lucaogou formation, Permian, Jimusaer sag, Junggar basin. According to the transformation of dynamic and static rock mechanics parameters and the correction of confining pressure, an improved method is proposed for quantitatively predicting the brittleness of rocks via well logs in tight oil reservoirs. First, 19 typical tight oil core samples are selected in the study area. Their static Young’s modulus, static Poisson’s ratio and petrophysical parameters are measured. In addition, the static brittleness indices of four other tight oil cores are measured under different confining pressure conditions. Second, the dynamic Young’s modulus, Poisson’s ratio and brittleness index are calculated using the compressional and shear wave velocity. With combination of the measured and calculated results, the transformation model of dynamic and static brittleness index is built based on the influence of porosity and clay content. The comparison of the predicted brittleness indices and measured results shows that the model has high accuracy. Third, on the basis of the experimental data under different confining pressure conditions, the amplifying factor of brittleness index is proposed to correct for the influence of confining pressure on the brittleness index. Finally, the above improved models are applied to formation evaluation via well logs. Compared with the results before correction, the results of the improved models agree better with the experimental data, which indicates that the improved models have better application effects. The brittleness index prediction method of tight oil reservoirs is improved in this research. It is of great importance in the optimization of

Mesozoic lithofacies palaeogeography and petroleum prospectivity in North Carnarvon Basin, Australia

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Tao Chongzhi

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The North Carnarvon Basin, which lies in the North West Shelf of Australia, is highly rich in gas resources. As a typical passive marginal basin, it experienced the pre-rifting, early rifting, main rifting, late rifting, post-rifting sagging and passive margin stages. The basin was mainly filled with thick Mesozoic-Cenozoic sediments, of which the Mesozoic hosts the principal source, reservoir and seal intervals. Mesozoic palaeogeography has an important control on the oil and gas distribution. Triassic gas-prone source rocks of deltaic origin determine the high endowment of natural gases in the North Carnarvon Basin. The more restricted distribution of oil accumulations is controlled by oil source rocks in the Upper Jurassic Dingo Claystone. The Muderong Shale deposited in the Early Cretaceous marine transgression provides the effective regional seal for the underlying oil and gas reservoirs.

Integrated multi-stratigraphic study of the Coll de Terrers late Permian-Early Triassic continental succession from the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Iberian Peninsula): A geologic reference record for equatorial Pangaea

Science.gov (United States)

Mujal, Eudald; Fortuny, Josep; Pérez-Cano, Jordi; Dinarès-Turell, Jaume; Ibáñez-Insa, Jordi; Oms, Oriol; Vila, Isabel; Bolet, Arnau; Anadón, Pere

2017-12-01

The most severe biotic crisis on Earth history occurred during the Permian-Triassic (PT) transition around 252 Ma. Whereas in the marine realm such extinction event is well-constrained, in terrestrial settings it is still poorly known, mainly due to the lack of suitable complete sections. This is utterly the case along the Western Tethys region, located at Pangaea's equator, where terrestrial successions are typically build-up of red beds often characterised by a significant erosive gap at the base of the Triassic strata. Henceforth, documenting potentially complete terrestrial successions along the PT transition becomes fundamental. Here, we document the exceptional Coll de Terrers area from the Catalan Pyrenees (NE Iberian Peninsula), for which a multidisciplinary research is conducted along the PT transition. The red-bed succession, located in a long E-W extended narrow rift system known as Pyrenean Basin, resulted from a continuous sedimentary deposition evolving from meandering (lower Upper Red Unit) to playa-lake/ephemeral lacustrine (upper Upper Red Unit) and again to meandering settings (Buntsandstein facies). Sedimentary continuity is suggested by preliminary cyclostratigraphic analysis that warrants further analysis. Our combined sedimentological, mineralogical and geochemical data infer a humid-semiarid-humid climatic trend across the studied succession. The uppermost Permian strata, deposited under an orbitally controlled monsoonal regime, yields a relatively diverse ichnoassemblage mainly composed of tetrapod footprints and arthropod trace fossils. Such fossils indicate appropriate life conditions and water presence in levels that also display desiccation structures. These levels alternate with barren intervals formed under dry conditions, being thus indicative of strong seasonality. All these features are correlated with those reported elsewhere in Gondwana and Laurasia, and suggest that the Permian-Triassic boundary might be recorded somewhere around

Magmatism and petroleum exploration in the Brazilian Paleozoic basins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomaz Filho, Antonio; Antonioli, Luzia [Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Rua Sao Francisco Xavier, no 524/2030, CEP 20550-900, Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Mizusaki, Ana Maria Pimentel [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Instituto de Geociencias, Avenida Bento Goncalves, no 9500, Campus do Vale, CEP 91509-900, Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil)

2008-02-15

Petroleum exploration in the Paleozoic sedimentary basins of Brazil has proven very challenging for explorationists. Except for the Solimoes Basin, in which transcurrent tectonism formed prospective structural highs, Brazilian Paleozoic basins lack intense structural deformation, and hence the detection and prospecting of place is often difficult. Magmatic intrusive and associated rocks in all these basins have traditionally been considered heat sources and hydrocarbon traps. The role of tholeiitic basic dikes in the generation, migration and accumulation of petroleum in the Anhembi oil occurrence (Sao Paulo State) is discussed herein. It follows that similar geological settings in other Paleozoic basins can be regarded as promising sites for oil accumulation that warrant investigation via modern geological and geophysical methods. (author)

Dry well analysis of well 6407/10-5 at 793 area, Norwegian Sea.

OpenAIRE

Qamar, Javeria

2017-01-01

Master's thesis in Petroleum Geosciences Engineering. The region of investigation is located in the Norwegian Sea, which is an area of high hydrocarbon activity. Many reservoirs have been successfully identified, drilled, and now they are producing in large oil & gas fields. However, the Norwegian Sea has a complex geology as it resulted from Permian to Late Jurassic crustal extension, which created rift basins and several horst and graben structures. Most of the important hydrocarbon rese...

A new paleogeographic configuration of the Eurasian landmass resolves a paleomagnetic paradox of the Tarim Basin (China)

OpenAIRE

Gilder , Stuart ,; Gomez , Julia; Chen , Yan; Cogné , Jean-Pascal

2008-01-01

International audience; New paleomagnetic data from Permian red beds and Middle Jurassic limestones from the Tarim Basin pose a paradox. Their declinations are similar to Upper Carboniferous to Neogene rocks collected from the same sections, and their inclinations parallel present values. When assuming that lower than expected inclinations in continental sedimentary rocks arise from inclination shallowing effects, then the paleolatitudes of all Upper Carboniferous to Present rocks from Tarim ...

A comparison of ground-based and aircraft-based methane emission flux estimates in a western oil and natural gas production basin

Science.gov (United States)

Snare, Dustin A.

Recent increases in oil and gas production from unconventional reservoirs has brought with it an increase of methane emissions. Estimating methane emissions from oil and gas production is complex due to differences in equipment designs, maintenance, and variable product composition. Site access to oil and gas production equipment can be difficult and time consuming, making remote assessment of emissions vital to understanding local point source emissions. This work presents measurements of methane leakage made from a new ground-based mobile laboratory and a research aircraft around oil and gas fields in the Upper Green River Basin (UGRB) of Wyoming in 2014. It was recently shown that the application of the Point Source Gaussian (PSG) method, utilizing atmospheric dispersion tables developed by US EPA (Appendix B), is an effective way to accurately measure methane flux from a ground-based location downwind of a source without the use of a tracer (Brantley et al., 2014). Aircraft measurements of methane enhancement regions downwind of oil and natural gas production and Planetary Boundary Layer observations are utilized to obtain a flux for the entire UGRB. Methane emissions are compared to volumes of natural gas produced to derive a leakage rate from production operations for individual production sites and basin-wide production. Ground-based flux estimates derive a leakage rate of 0.14 - 0.78 % (95 % confidence interval) per site with a mass-weighted average (MWA) of 0.20 % for all sites. Aircraft-based flux estimates derive a MWA leakage rate of 0.54 - 0.91 % for the UGRB.

Characterization of bedded salt for storage caverns -- A case study from the Midland Basin, Texas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hovorka, Susan D.; Nava, Robin

2000-06-13

The geometry of Permian bedding salt in the Midland Basin is a product of interaction between depositional facies and postdepositional modification by salt dissolution. Mapping high-frequency cycle patterns in cross section and map view using wireline logs documents the salt geometry. Geologically based interpretation of depositional and dissolution processes provides a powerful tool for mapping and geometry of salt to assess the suitability of sites for development of solution-mined storage caverns. In addition, this process-based description of salt geometry complements existing data about the evolution of one of the best-known sedimentary basins in the world, and can serve as a genetic model to assist in interpreting other salts.

Quantitative calculation of GOR of complex oil-gas-water systems with logging data: A case study of the Yingdong Oil/Gas Field in the Qaidam Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sima Liqiang

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In the Yingdong Oil/Gas Field of the Qaidam Basin, multiple suites of oil-gas-water systems overlie each other vertically, making it difficult to accurately identify oil layers from gas layers and calculate gas-oil ratio (GOR. Therefore, formation testing and production data, together with conventional logging, NMR and mud logging data were integrated to quantitatively calculate GOR. To tell oil layers from gas layers, conventional logging makes use of the excavation effect of compensated neutron log, NMR makes use of the different relaxation mechanisms of light oil and natural gas in large pores, while mud logging makes use of star chart of gas components established based on available charts and mathematical statistics. In terms of the quantitative calculation of GOR, the area ratio of the star chart of gas components was first used in GOR calculation. The study shows that: (1 conventional logging data has a modest performance in distinguishing oil layers from gas layers due to the impacts of formation pressure, hydrogen index (HI, shale content, borehole conditions and invasion of drilling mud; (2 NMR is quite effective in telling oil layers from gas layers, but cannot be widely used due to its high cost; (3 by contrast, the star chart of gas components is the most effective in differentiating oil layers from gas layers; and (4 the GOR calculated by using the area ratio of star chart has been verified by various data such as formation testing data, production data and liquid production profile.

Oil well spill trough

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wigington, J.R. Sr.

1992-01-01

This patent describes a process involving an oil well and rig having a casing, a platform on the rig extending around the casing. This patent describes improvement in pulling the tubing from the casing; disconnecting joints of tubing thereby; and spilling liquids from the casing, catching spilled liquids from the casing in a basin below the platform, draining the basin substantially simultaneously; connecting the drain hole to a tank, and reducing the pressure in the tank to less than atmospheric pressure. This paper also describes an oil well and rig having a casing; the rig having a platform extending around the casing. This patent describes improvement in a basin surrounding the casing and connected thereto, the basin below the platform, a drain connection in the lower part of the basin, a conduit connected to the drain, and means for applying a suction to the conduit

Depositional setting, petrology and chemistry of Permian coals from the Parana Basin: 2. South Santa Catarina Coalfield, Brazil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kalkreuth, W.; Mexias, A.; Balbinot, M.; Levandowski, J. [Instituto de Geociencias, UFRGS, Porto Alegre (Brazil); Holz, M. [Inst. de Geociencias, UFBA, Salvador, Bahia (Brazil); Willett, J.; Finkelman, R. [U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States); Burger, H. [Freie Universitaet Berlin, Geoinformatik, (Germany)

2010-12-01

In Brazil economically important coal deposits occur in the southern part of the Parana Basin, where coal seams occur in the Permian Rio Bonito Formation, with major coal development in the states of Rio Grande de Sul and Santa Catarina. The current paper presents results on sequence stratigraphic interpretation of the coal-bearing strata, and petrological and geochemical coal seam characterization from the South Santa Catarina Coalfield, Parana Basin. In terms of sequence stratigraphic interpretation the precursor mires of the Santa Catarina coal seams formed in an estuarine-barrier shoreface depositional environment, with major peat accumulation in a high stand systems tract (Pre-Bonito and Bonito seams), a lowstand systems tract (Ponta Alta seam, seam A, seam B) and a transgressive systems tract (Irapua, Barro Branco and Treviso seams). Seam thicknesses range from 1.70 to 2.39 m, but high proportions of impure coal (coaly shale and shaley coal), carbonaceous shale and partings reduce the net coal thickness significantly. Coal lithoypes are variable, with banded coal predominant in the Barro Branco seam, and banded dull and dull coal predominantly in Bonito and Irapua seams, respectively. Results from petrographic analyses indicate a vitrinite reflectance range from 0.76 to 1.63 %Rrandom (HVB A to LVB coal). Maceral group distribution varies significantly, with the Barro Branco seam having the highest vitrinite content (mean 67.5 vol%), whereas the Irapua seam has the highest inertinite content (33.8 vol%). Liptinite mean values range from 7.8 vol% (Barro Branco seam) to 22.5 vol% (Irapua seam). Results from proximate analyses indicate for the three seams high ash yields (50.2 - 64.2 wt.%). Considering the International Classification of in-Seam Coals, all samples are in fact classified as carbonaceous rocks (> 50 wt.% ash). Sulfur contents range from 3.4 to 7.7 wt.%, of which the major part occurs as pyritic sulfur. Results of X-ray diffraction indicate the

Phosphatic Permian rocks of the Adobe Range, Nevada, and their environment of deposition

Science.gov (United States)

Ketner, Keith Brindley

1979-01-01

Permian sedimentary rocks in the Adobe range, northern Nevada, are phosphatic, and although the particles of phosphate are relatively more disseminated, they closely resemble the rocks of the Phosphoria Formation. In the northern Adobe Range, where the entire Permian sequence is approximately correlative with the Phosphoria Formation, it is 200 m thick and averages 1.7 percent P2O5 . In the southern Adobe Range, the Permian sequence is more than 1,700 m thick, and the upper half which is roughly correlative with the Phosphoria Formation averages more than 2 percent P2O5. Some thin beds in rocks of Permian age contain more than 20 percent P2O5. Phosphatic rocks of the Adobe Range were deposited in shallow water among islands in the western part of the epicontinental Phosphoria sea. The continental margin and the open ocean lay far to the west. At the same time, the Phosphoria Formation was being deposited in the eastern and central parts of the Phosphoria sea. Theories based on the work of Kasakov done in 1937 relating phosphate deposition directly to sites of upwelling oceanic waters are questioned. Nondeposition of diluent materials such as detritus and carbonate is probably of more importance in producing phosphate in economic concentrations than is geographic position with respect to upwelling waters.

Chapter 7. The GIS project for the geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the Cotton Valley group and Travis Peak and Hosston formations, East Texas basin and Louisiana-Mississippi salt basins provinces.

Science.gov (United States)

Biewick, Laura

2006-01-01

A geographic information system (GIS) focusing on the Upper Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous Cotton Valley Group and the Lower Cretaceous Travis Peak and Hosston Formations in the northern Gulf Coast region was developed as a visual-analysis tool for the U.S. Geological Survey's 2002 assessment of undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and natural gas resources in the East Texas Basin and Louisiana-Mississippi Salt Basins Provinces. The Central Energy Resources Team of the U.S. Geological Survey has also developed an Internet Map Service to deliver the GIS data to the public. This mapping tool utilizes information from a database about the oil and natural gas endowment of the United States-including physical locations of geologic and geographic data-and converts the data into visual layers. Portrayal and analysis of geologic features on an interactive map provide an excellent tool for understanding domestic oil and gas resources for strategic planning, formulating economic and energy policies, evaluating lands under the purview of the Federal Government, and developing sound environmental policies. Assessment results can be viewed and analyzed or downloaded from the internet web site, http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/oilgas/noga/ .

DICKINSARTELLA FAUNA FROM THE SAIWAN FORMATION (OMAN: A BIVALVE FAUNA TESTIFYING TO THE LATE SAKMARIAN (EARLY PERMIAN CLIMATIC AMELIORATION ALONG THE NORTH-EASTERN GONDWANAN FRINGE.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CRISTIANO LARGHI

2005-11-01

Full Text Available The transitional faunas of the Permian Huqf succession of Oman make it one of the key-sections for the intercalibration of Early to Middle Permian biostratigraphical scales. The abundance of fossils improved the knowledge of some marine faunas which populated the North-Eastern Gondwanan fringe during times of climatic changes in the Permian. A Sterlitamakian (upper Sakmarian, Lower Permian bivalve fauna from the Saiwan Formation in the Huqf area, informally named "Dickinsartella Fauna", is described in the present paper. The specimens examined were collected from the "Pachycyrtella Bed" (Auctorum, the basal bed of the Formation in its type locality. The Dickinsartella Fauna can be identified for the presence of the new genus Dickinsartella, which dominates the bivalve thanatocoenosis with D. pistacina sp. n. (type species. The bivalve fauna from the Pachycyrtella Bed includes the new species Stutchburia sangallii and Promytilus  mazzolenii, and also Astartella obliqua Dickins, 1963, Nuculopsis cf. bangarraensis Dickins, 1963, ?Oriocrassatella sp., and indeterminable aviculopectinids. This fauna shows a low taxonomic diversity. Nevertheless, some species are represented by a high number of generally well-preserved specimens, i.e. some specimens of S. sangallii sp. n. and A. obliqua show part of the ligament.  The good preservation of the shells permitted the microstructural analysis of D. pistacina sp. n. and S. sangallii sp. n. The microstructure of S. sangallii sp. n. supports the close phylogenetical link between modiomorphids and crassatelloids recognized by some previous authors.The new genus Dickinsartella includes the more recent species belonging to the important Paleozoic Order Cyrtodontida Scarlato & Starobogatov, 1971. The discovery of Dickinsartella gen. n. and other taxa of the Pachycyrtella Bed, present also in the Sakmarian levels of the Carnarvon and Perth Basins in Western Australia,  indicates a wider distribution of the

Ostracods (Crustacea associated with microbialites across the Permian-Triassic boundary in Dajiang (Guizhou Province, South China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie-Beatrice FOREL

2012-08-01

Full Text Available 26 samples were processed for a taxonomic study of ostracods from the Upper Permian (Changhsingian - Lower Triassic (Griesbachian interval of the Dajiang section, Guizhou Province, South China. 112 species belonging to 27 genera are recognized. Five new species are described: Acratia candyae sp. nov, Bairdia adelineae sp. nov., Bairdia? huberti sp. nov., Bairdia jeromei sp. nov., Orthobairdia jeanlouisi sp. nov. The unexpected survival faunas associated with microbial formations in the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction are documented for the first time. Ostracod biodiversity variations and palaeo-environmental modifications associated with microbial growth through the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB are discussed.

Microseepage of methane to the atmosphere from the Dawanqi oil-gas field, Tarim Basin, China

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Junhong; Xu, Yue; Wang, Guojian; Etiope, Giuseppe; Han, Wei; Yao, Zhitong; Huang, Jingang

2017-04-01

The microseepage of natural gas from subsurface hydrocarbon reservoirs is a widespread process in petroleum basins. On a global scale, microseepage represents an important natural source of atmospheric methane (CH4). To date, microseepage CH4 flux data have been obtained from 20 petroleum systems in North America, Europe, and Asia. While the seasonal variations of gas flux due to soil methanotrophic activity are known, the role of geological factors in controlling gas fluxes has been poorly investigated. Here we present new microseepage data from the Dawanqi oil-gas field located within the Tarim Basin (China), a petroleum system characterized by intense faulting and shallow (petroleum fields with active tectonics. Our results confirm that dry soil over petroleum fields can be a net source of atmospheric CH4 and its flux is primarily controlled by faulting, and reservoir depth and pressure. These factors shall be considered in global bottom-up seepage emission estimates.

Produced Water Treatment Using Geothermal Energy from Oil and Gas Wells: An Appropriateness of Decommissioned Wells Index (ADWI) Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kiaghadi, A.; Rifai, H. S.

2016-12-01

This study investigated the feasibility of harnessing geothermal energy from retrofitted oil and gas decommissioned wells to power desalination units and overcome the produced water treatment energy barrier. Previous studies using heat transfer models have indicated that well depth, geothermal gradient, formation heat conductivity, and produced water salt levels were the most important constraints that affect the achievable volume of treated water. Thus, the challenge of identifying which wells would be best suited for retrofit as geothermal wells was addressed by defining an Appropriateness of Decommissioned Wells Index (ADWI) using a 25 km x 25 km grid over Texas. Heat transfer modeling combined with fuzzy logic methodology were used to estimate the ADWI at each grid cell using the scale of Very Poor, Poor, Average, Good and Excellent. Values for each of the four constraints were extracted from existing databases and were used to select 20 representative values that covered the full range of the data. A heat transfer model was run for all the 160,000 possible combination scenarios and the results were regressed to estimate weighting coefficients that indicate the relative effect of well depth, geothermal gradient, heat conductivity, and produced water salt levels on the volume of treated water in Texas. The results indicated that wells located in cells with ADWI of "Average", "Good" or "Excellent" can potentially deliver 35,000, 106,000, or 240,000 L/day of treated water, respectively. Almost 98% of the cells in the Granite Wash, 97% in Eagle Ford Shale, 90% in Haynesville Shale, 79% in Permian Basin, and 78% in Barnett Shale were identified as better than "Average" locations; whereas, south of the Eagle Ford, southwestern Permian Basin, and the center of Granite Wash were "Excellent". Importantly, most of the locations with better than "Average" ADWI are within drought prone agricultural regions that would benefit from this resilient source of clean water.

Repeated Carbon-Cycle Disturbances at the Permian-Triassic Boundary Separate two Mass Extinctions

Science.gov (United States)

Nicol, J. A.; Watson, L.; Claire, M.; Buick, R.; Catling, D. C.

2004-12-01

Non-marine organic matter in Permian-Triassic sediments from the Blue Mountains, eastern Australia shows seven negative δ13C excursions of up to 7%, terminating with a positive excursion of 4%. Fluctuations start at the late Permian Glossopteris floral extinction and continue until just above the palynological Permian-Triassic boundary, correlated with the peak of marine mass extinction. The isotopic fluctuations are not linked to changes in depositional setting, kerogen composition or plant community, so they evidently resulted from global perturbations in atmospheric δ13C and/or CO2. The pattern was not produced by a single catastrophe such as a meteorite impact, and carbon-cycle calculations indicate that gas release during flood-basalt volcanism was insufficient. Methane-hydrate melting can generate a single -7% shift, but cannot produce rapid multiple excursions without repeated reservoir regeneration and release. However, the data are consistent with repeated overturning of a stratified ocean, expelling toxic gases that promoted sequential mass extinctions in the terrestrial and marine realms.

Dysfunctionalism in the Williston Basin: The Bakken/mid-Madison petroleum system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Price, L.C. (United States Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)); LeFever, J. (North Dakota Geological Survey, Grand Forks, ND (United States))

1994-06-01

Analyses of fifteen oils produced from fractured shales of the Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian Bakken Formation in the Williston Basin were compared to the same analyses for eighteen Williston Basin oils produced from conventional reservoirs in the middle of the Lower and Upper Mississippian Madison Group. All oils came from the U.S. portion of the Williston Basin. These comparisons demonstrate that the Bakken and mid-Madison oils are different oil families from different source rocks. Within the saturated hydrocarbons (HCs) the Bakken oils are more naphthenic, less paraffinic, have different n-paraffin and isoprenoid-HC profiles, and have different compound ratios for 'generic' saturated HCs, as compared to the Madison oils. Within the aromatic HCs the mid-Madison oils have an unusual trimethylnaphthalene distribution, high concentrations of dibenzothiophenes and alkylated variants thereof, and different aromatic-HC peak distributions in general (and thus different aromatic-HC compound ratio plots), as compared to the Bakken oils. Because of wide maturity ranges in both oil sets, biomarkers were of limited utility as source-facies indices and thus correlation tools. No oil has yet been found to be generated by the Bakken shales or any mixing of Bakken and Madison oils in a Madison reservoir. It is believed the range of variation in the correlation indices is too large among the Madison oils for these oils to have a single source rock. It is hypothesized that the Madison oils are from separate source rocks interbedded with the different mid-Madison reservoirs in the basin, rocks which appear to have the same, or very similar, depositional environments. Thus the original Bakken/mid-Madison petroleum system appears dysfunctional. 55 refs., 30 figs., 7 figs.

The U.S. Gas Flooding Experience: CO2 Injection Strategies and Impact on Ultimate Recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nunez-Lopez, Vanessa [The University of Texas at Austin; Hosseini, Seyyed; Gil-Egui, Ramon

2017-09-29

The Permian Basin in West Texas and southwestern New Mexico has seen 45 years of oil reserve growth through CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2 EOR). More than 60 CO2 EOR projects are currently active in the region’s limestone, sandstone and dolomite reservoirs. Water alternating gas (WAG) has been the development strategy of choice in the Permian for several technical and economic reasons. More recently, the technology started to get implemented in the much more porous and permeable clastic depositional systems of the onshore U.S. Gulf Coast. Continued CO2 injection (CGI), as opposed to WAG, was selected as the injection strategy to develop Gulf Coast oil fields, where CO2 injection volumes are significantly larger (up to 6 times larger) than those of the Permian. We conducted a compositional simulation based study with the objective of comparing the CO2 utilization ratios (volume of CO2 injected to produce a barrel of oil) of 4 conventional and novel CO2 injection strategies: (1) continuous gas injection (CGI), (2) water alternating gas (WAG), (3) water curtain injection (WCI), and (4) WAG and WCI combination. These injection scenarios were simulated using the GEM module from the Computer Modeling Group (CMG). GEM is an advanced general equation-of-state compositional simulator, which includes equation of state, CO2 miscible flood, CO2/brine interactions, and complex phase behavior. The simulator is set up to model three fluid phases including water, oil, and gas. Our study demonstrates how the selected field development strategy has a significant impact on the ultimate recovery of CO2-EOR projects, with GCI injection providing maximum oil recovery in absolute volume terms, but with WAG offering a more balanced technical-economical approach.

Late Carboniferous to Late Permian carbon isotope stratigraphy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buggisch, Werner; Krainer, Karl; Schaffhauser, Maria

2015-01-01

An integrated study of the litho-, bio-, and isotope stratigraphy of carbonates in the Southern Alps was undertaken in order to better constrain δ13C variations during the Late Carboniferous to Late Permian. The presented high resolution isotope curves are based on 1299 δ13Ccarb and 396 δ13Corg...

sedimentology, depositional environments and basin evolution

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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ABSTRACT: The Inter-Trappean coal and oil shale-bearing sedimentation in the Delbi-Moye Basin ... accompanied by passive subsidence. ... margins, whereas the concentration of fine-grained clastic sediments and ..... concentrated at the marginal areas of the basin. .... faults favoured the accumulation of alluvial fan.

On the Geological Age of the Sundyr Faunal Assemblage of Permian Tetrapods from the East European Platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Golubev V.K.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A new Sundyr faunal assemblage of Permian tetrapods was discovered in Eastern Europe. It includes dinocephalians Titanosuchia fam. indet., tapinocephalians aff. Ulemosauridae, anomodontians aff. Suminia, therocephalians, gorgonopians Burnetioidea fam. indet., diapsids ? Eosuchia, chroniosuchians Suchonica vladimiri Golubev, enosuchids aff. Enosuchus, seymouriamorphs Microphon exiguus Ivachnenko and Leptoropha aff. talonophora, batrachomorphs Dvinosaurus sp. The Sundyr assemblage is a transitional one from the Isheevo to Sokolki assemblages. It is described as the last stage of evolution undergone by the dinocephalian community of tetrapods in Eastern Europe. Based on the bio- and magnetostratigraphic data, the beds with Sundyr tetrapod fauna pertain to the lower part of the Upper Severodvinian (= Putyatinian regional stage. These strata were distinguished into a new Suchonica vladimiri tetrapod assemblage zone. In the Sukhona River basin, the beds with Sundyr tetrapod fossils were distinguished into a new Ustpoldarsa Member of the Poldarsa Formation.

Bahrain: World Oil Report 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1991-01-01

This paper reports on Harken Energy Corp., which holds a production sharing contract on most of Bahrain's offshore area with Bahrain National Oil co. (Banoco), which plans to spud its first Permian Khuff wildcat this October on Fasht Al Jarim reef off the northwestern tip of the island Sheikdom. The location, in very shallow water, will be on an artificial island which will support a land rig. Bass Enterprise Production Co. of Ft. Worth, Texas, has farmed into the Harken project. Bass will finance seismic work and the three wells Harken is committed to drill under its contract

The fungal and acritarch events as time markers for the latest Permian mass extinction: An update

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael R. Rampino

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The latest Permian extinction (252 Myr ago was the most severe in the geologic record. On land, widespread Late Permian gymnosperm/seed-fern dominated forests appear to have suffered rapid and almost complete destruction, as evidenced by increased soil erosion and changes in fluvial style in deforested areas, signs of wildfires, replacement of trees by lower plants, and almost complete loss of peat-forming and fire-susceptible vegetation. Permian–Triassic boundary strata at many sites show two widespread palynological events in the wake of the forest destruction: The fungal event, evidenced by a thin zone with >95% fungal cells (Reduviasporonites and woody debris, found in terrestrial and marine sediments, and the acritarch event, marked by the sudden flood of unusual phytoplankton in the marine realm. These two events represent the global temporary explosive spread of stress-tolerant and opportunistic organisms on land and in the sea just after the latest Permian disaster. They represent unique events, and thus they can provide a time marker in correlating latest Permian marine and terrestrial sequences.

Geochemistry and hydrodynamics of the Paradox Basin region, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Hanshaw, B.B.; Hill, G.A.

1969-01-01

The Paradox Basin region is approximately bounded by the south flank of the Uinta Basin to the north, the Uncompahgre uplift and San Juan Mountains to the east, the Four Corners structural platform to the southeast, the north rim of the Black Mesa Basin and the Grand Canyon to the south and southwest, and the Wasatch Plateau and Hurricane fault system to the west. Some of these geologic features are areas of ground-water recharge or discharge whereas others such as the Four Corners platform do not directly influence fluid movement. The aquifer systems studied were: (1) Mississippian rocks; (2) Pinkerton Trail Limestone of Wengerd and Strickland, 1954; (3) Paradox Member of the Hermosa Formation; (4) Honaker Trail Formation of Wengerd and Matheny, 1958; (5) Permian rocks. Recharge in the Paradox Basin occurs on the west flank of the San Juan Mountains and along the west side of the Uncompahgre uplift. The direction of ground-water movement in each analyzed unit is principally southwest-ward toward the topographically low outcrop areas along the Colorado River in Arizona. However, at any point in the basin, flow may be in some other direction owing to the influence of intrabasin recharge areas or local obstructions to flow, such as faults or dikes. A series of potentiometric surface maps was prepared for the five systems studied. Material used in construction of the maps included outcrop altitudes of springs and streams, drill-stem tests, water-well records, and an electric analog model of the entire basin. Many structurally and topographically high areas within the basin are above the regional potentiometric surface; recharge in these areas will drain rapidly off the high areas and adjust to the regional water level. With a few exceptions, most wells in formations above the Pennsylvanian contain fresh ( 35,000 mg/l T.D.S.) reported. Most water samples from strata below the Permian are brines of the sodium chloride type but with large amounts of calcium sulfate or

2D seismic interpretation and characterization of the Hauterivian-Early Barremian source rock in Al Baraka oil field, Komombo Basin, Upper Egypt

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Moamen; Darwish, M.; Essa, Mahmoud A.; Abdelhady, A.

2018-03-01

Komombo Basin is located in Upper Egypt about 570 km southeast of Cairo; it is an asymmetrical half graben and the first oil producing basin in Upper Egypt. The Six Hills Formation is of Early Cretaceous age and subdivided into seven members from base to top (A-G); meanwhile the B member is of Hauterivian-Early Barremian and it is the only source rock of Komombo Basin. Therefore, a detailed study of the SR should be carried out, which includes the determination of the main structural elements, thickness, facies distribution and characterization of the B member SR which has not been conducted previously in the study area. Twenty 2D seismic lines were interpreted with three vertical seismic profiles (VSP) to construct the depth structure-tectonic map on the top of the B member and to highlight the major structural elements. The interpretation of depth structure contour map shows two main fault trends directed towards the NW-SE and NE to ENE directions. The NW-SE trend is the dominant one, creating a major half-graben system. Also the depth values range from -8400 ft at the depocenter in the eastern part to -4800 ft at the shoulder of the basin in the northwestern part of the study area. Meanwhile the Isopach contour map of the B member shows a variable thickness ranging between 300 ft to 750 ft. The facies model shows that the B member SR is composed mainly of shale with some sandstone streaks. The B member rock samples were collected from Al Baraka-1 and Al Baraka SE-1 in the eastern part of Komombo Basin. The results indicate that the organic matter content (TOC) has mainly good to very good (1-3.36 wt %), The B member samples have HI values in the range 157-365 (mg HC/g TOC) and dominated by Type II/III kerogen, and is thus considered to be oil-gas prone based on Rock-Eval pyrolysis, Tmax values between 442° and 456° C therefore interpreted to be mature for hydrocarbon generation. Based on the measured vitrinite equivalent reflectance values, the B member SR

Volatile organic compound emissions from the oil and natural gas industry in the Uinta Basin, Utah: point sources compared to ambient air composition

OpenAIRE

C. Warneke; F. Geiger; P. M. Edwards; W. Dube; G. Pétron; J. Kofler; A. Zahn; S. S. Brown; M. Graus; J. Gilman; B. Lerner; J. Peischl; T. B. Ryerson; J. A. de Gouw; J. M. Roberts

2014-01-01

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) associated with oil and natural gas production in the Uinta Basin, Utah were measured at a ground site in Horse Pool and from a NOAA mobile laboratory with PTR-MS instruments. The VOC compositions in the vicinity of individual gas and oil wells and other point sources such as evaporation ponds, compressor stations and injection wells are compared to the measurements at Horse Pool. High mixing ratios of aroma...

Contrasting microbial community changes during mass extinctions at the Middle/Late Permian and Permian/Triassic boundaries

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Shucheng; Algeo, Thomas J.; Zhou, Wenfeng; Ruan, Xiaoyan; Luo, Genming; Huang, Junhua; Yan, Jiaxin

2017-02-01

Microbial communities are known to expand as a result of environmental deterioration during mass extinctions, but differences in microbial community changes between extinction events and their underlying causes have received little study to date. Here, we present a systematic investigation of microbial lipid biomarkers spanning ∼20 Myr (Middle Permian to Early Triassic) at Shangsi, South China, to contrast microbial changes associated with the Guadalupian-Lopingian boundary (GLB) and Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) mass extinctions. High-resolution analysis of the PTB crisis interval reveals a distinct succession of microbial communities based on secular variation in moretanes, 2-methylhopanes, aryl isoprenoids, steranes, n-alkyl cyclohexanes, and other biomarkers. The first episode of the PTB mass extinction (ME1) was associated with increases in red algae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria along with evidence for enhanced wildfires and elevated soil erosion, whereas the second episode was associated with expansions of green sulfur bacteria, nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and acritarchs coinciding with climatic hyperwarming, ocean stratification, and seawater acidification. This pattern of microbial community change suggests that marine environmental deterioration was greater during the second extinction episode (ME2). The GLB shows more limited changes in microbial community composition and more limited environmental deterioration than the PTB, consistent with differences in species-level extinction rates (∼71% vs. 90%, respectively). Microbial biomarker records have the potential to refine our understanding of the nature of these crises and to provide insights concerning possible outcomes of present-day anthropogenic stresses on Earth's ecosystems.

[Work-related accidents on oil drilling platforms in the Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil].

Science.gov (United States)

Freitas, C M; Souza, C A; Machado, J M; Porto, M F

2001-01-01

The offshore oil industry is characterized by complex systems in relation to technology and organization of work. Working conditions are hazardous, resulting in accidents and even occasional full-scale catastrophes. This article is the result of a study on work-related accidents in the offshore platforms in the Campos Basin, Rio de Janeiro State. The primary objective was to provide technical back-up for both workers' representative organizations and public authorities. As a methodology, we attempt to go beyond the immediate causes of accidents and emphasize underlying causes related to organizational and managerial aspects. The sources were used in such a way as to permit classification in relation to the type of incident, technological system, operation, and immediate and underlying causes. The results show the aggravation of safety conditions and the immediate need for public authorities and the offshore oil industry in Brazil to change the methods used to investigate accidents in order to identify the main causes in the organizational and managerial structure of companies.

Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources in the West Korea Bay–North Yellow Sea Basin, North Korea and China, 2017

Science.gov (United States)

Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Hawkins, Sarah J.; Finn, Thomas M.; Gaswirth, Stephanie B.; Marra, Kristen R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Le, Phuong A.; Leathers-Miller, Heidi M.; Woodall, Cheryl A.

2017-07-11

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered, technically recoverable conventional resources of 1.1 billion barrels of oil and 2.2 trillion cubic feet of gas in the West Korea Bay–North Yellow Sea Basin, North Korea and China.

Environmental Compliance for Oil and Gas Exploration and Production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansen, Christine

1999-10-26

The Appalachian/Illinois Basin Directors is a group devoted to increasing communication among the state oil and gas regulatory agencies within the Appalachian and Illinois Basin producing region. The group is comprised of representatives from the oil and gas regulatory agencies from states in the basin (Attachment A). The directors met to discuss regulatory issues common to the area, organize workshops and seminars to meet the training needs of agencies dealing with the uniqueness of their producing region and perform other business pertinent to this area of oil and gas producing states. The emphasis of the coordinated work was a wide range of topics related to environmental compliance for natural gas and oil exploration and production.

Origins, characteristics, controls, and economic viabilities of deep- basin gas resources

Science.gov (United States)

Price, L.C.

1995-01-01

Dry-gas deposits (methane ???95% of the hydrocarbon (HC) gases) are thought to originate from in-reservoir thermal cracking of oil and C2+ HC gases to methane. However, because methanes from Anadarko Basin dry-gas deposits do not carry the isotopic signature characteristics of C15+ HC destruction, an origin of these methanes from this process is considered improbable. Instead, the isotopic signature of these methanes suggests that they were cogenerated with C15+ HC's. Only a limited resource of deep-basin gas deposits may be expected by the accepted model for the origin of dry-gas deposits because of a limited number of deep-basin oil deposits originally available to be thermally converted to dry gas. However, by the models of this paper (inefficient source-rock oil and gas expulsion, closed fluid systems in petroleum-basin depocenters, and most dry-gas methane cogenerated with C15+ HC's), very large, previously unrecognized, unconventional, deep-basin gas resources are expected. -from Author

Far-travelled permian chert of the North Fork terrane, Klamath mountains, California

Science.gov (United States)

Mankinen, E.A.; Irwin, W.P.; Blome, C.D.

1996-01-01

Permian chert in the North Fork terrane and correlative rocks of the Klamath Mountains province has a remanent magnetization that is prefolding and presumably primary. Paleomagnetic results indicate that the chert formed at a paleolatitude of 8.6?? ?? 2.5?? but in which hemisphere remains uncertain. This finding requires that these rocks have undergone at least 8.6?? ?? 4.4?? of northward transport relative to Permian North America since their deposition. Paleontological evidence suggests that the Permian limestone of the Eastern Klamath terrane originated thousands of kilometers distant from North America. The limestone of the North Fork terrane may have formed at a similar or even greater distance as suggested by its faunal affinity to the Eastern Klamath terrane and more westerly position. Available evidence indicates that convergence of the North Fork and composite Central Metamorphic-Eastern Klamath terranes occurred during Triassic or Early Jurassic time and that their joining together was a Middle Jurassic event. Primary and secondary magnetizations indicate that the new composite terrane containing these and other rocks of the Western Paleozoic and Triassic belt behaved as a single rigid block that has been latitudinally concordant with the North American craton since Middle Jurassic time.

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in the Uteland Butte Member of the Eocene Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Ronald C.; Birdwell, Justin E.; Mercier, Tracey J.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Klett, Timothy R.; Leathers, Heidi M.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.

2015-09-03

Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated mean undiscovered resources of 214 million barrels of oil, 329 billion cubic feet of associated/dissolved natural gas, and 14 million barrels of natural gas liquids in the informal Uteland Butte member of the Green River Formation, Uinta Basin, Utah.

sedimentology, depositional environments and basin evolution

African Journals Online (AJOL)

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ABSTRACT: The Inter-Trappean coal and oil shale-bearing sedimentation in the Delbi-Moye Basin took place in tectonically controlled grabens and half-grabens formed by extensional fault systems and accompanied by passive subsidence. The sedimentation history of the basin is related to the tectonic events that affected ...

Saline water in southeastern New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Hiss, W.L.; Peterson, J.B.; Ramsey, T.R.

1969-01-01

Saline waters from formations of several geologic ages are being studied in a seven-county area in southeastern New Mexico and western Texas, where more than 30,000 oil and gas tests have been drilled in the past 40 years. This area of 7,500 sq. miles, which is stratigraphically complex, includes the northern and eastern margins of the Delaware Basin between the Guadalupe and Glass Mountains. Chloride-ion concentrations in water produced from rocks of various ages and depths have been mapped in Lea County, New Mexico, using machine map-plotting techniques and trend analyses. Anomalously low chloride concentrations (1,000-3,000 mg/l) were found along the western margin of the Central Basin platform in the San Andres and Capitan Limestone Formations of Permian age. These low chloride-ion concentrations may be due to preferential circulation of ground water through the more porous and permeable rocks. Data being used in the study were obtained principally from oil companies and from related service companies. The P.B.W.D.S. (Permian Basin Well Data System) scout-record magnetic-tape file was used as a framework in all computer operations. Shallow or non-oil-field water analyses acquired from state, municipal, or federal agencies were added to these data utilizing P.B.W.D.S.-compatible reference numbers and decimal latitude-longitude coordinates. Approximately 20,000 water analyses collected from over 65 sources were coded, recorded on punch cards and stored on magnetic tape for computer operations. Extensive manual and computer error checks for duplication and accuracy were made to eliminate data errors resulting from poorly located or identified samples; non-representative or contaminated samples; mistakes in coding, reproducing or key-punching; laboratory errors; and inconsistent reporting. The original 20,000 analyses considered were reduced to 6,000 representative analyses which are being used in the saline water studies. ?? 1969.

Final report on the sampling and analysis of sediment cores from the L-Area oil and chemical basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1985-08-01

Nine vibracores were collected in the L-Area oil and chemical basin (904-83G) during late March and early April 1985. These cores were collected for analysis of the sludge on the basin floor and the underlying sediment. Several different field and laboratory analyses were performed on each three inch segment of all the cores. These included: (1) Sediment characterization; (2) Percent moisture; (3) Dry weight; (4) Spectral gamma analysis; (5) Gross alpha and beta analysis. Detailed chemical analysis were measured on selected intervals of 2 cores (LBC-5 and 6) for complete chemical characterization of the sediments. This sampling program was conducted to provide information so that a closure plan for the basin could be developed. This report describes the methods employed during the project and provide a hard copy of the analytical results from the sample analyses. Included in the appendices are copies of all field and laboratory notes taken during the project and copies of the gas chromatograms for the petroleum hydrocarbon analysis. All chemical results were also submitted on a 5-inch floppy disk.

Global nickel anomaly links Siberian Traps eruptions and the latest Permian mass extinction.

Science.gov (United States)

Rampino, Michael R; Rodriguez, Sedelia; Baransky, Eva; Cai, Yue

2017-09-29

Anomalous peaks of nickel abundance have been reported in Permian-Triassic boundary sections in China, Israel, Eastern Europe, Spitzbergen, and the Austrian Carnic Alps. New solution ICP-MS results of enhanced nickel from P-T boundary sections in Hungary, Japan, and Spiti, India suggest that the nickel anomalies at the end of the Permian were a worldwide phenomenon. We propose that the source of the nickel anomalies at the P-T boundary were Ni-rich volatiles released by the Siberian volcanism, and by coeval Ni-rich magma intrusions. The peaks in nickel abundance correlate with negative δ 13 C and δ 18 O anomalies, suggesting that explosive reactions between magma and coal during the Siberian flood-basalt eruptions released large amounts of CO 2 and CH 4 into the atmosphere, causing severe global warming and subsequent mass extinction. The nickel anomalies may provide a timeline in P-T boundary sections, and the timing of the peaks supports the Siberian Traps as a contributor to the latest Permian mass extinction.

Organic richness and gas generation potential of Permian Barren

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The organic geochemistry of shales in terms of its organic richness, hydrocarbon source potential, thermal maturity, depositional environment, etc., are essential stipulations for shale gas resources assessment. In this study, a total of 32 core samples of Permian Barren Measures from four boreholes in Raniganj field of ...

Genetic Types and Source of the Upper Paleozoic Tight Gas in the Hangjinqi Area, Northern Ordos Basin, China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xiaoqi Wu

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The molecular and stable isotopic compositions of the Upper Paleozoic tight gas in the Hangjinqi area in northern Ordos Basin were investigated to study the geochemical characteristics. The tight gas is mainly wet with the dryness coefficient (C1/C1–5 of 0.853–0.951, and δ13C1 and δ2H-C1 values are ranging from -36.2‰ to -32.0‰ and from -199‰ to -174‰, respectively, with generally positive carbon and hydrogen isotopic series. Identification of gas origin indicates that tight gas is mainly coal-type gas, and it has been affected by mixing of oil-type gas in the wells from the Shilijiahan and Gongkahan zones adjacent to the Wulanjilinmiao and Borjianghaizi faults. Gas-source correlation indicates that coal-type gas in the Shiguhao zone displays distal-source accumulation. It was mainly derived from the coal-measure source rocks in the Upper Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation (C3t and Lower Permian Shanxi Formation (P1s, probably with a minor contribution from P1s coal measures from in situ Shiguhao zone. Natural gas in the Shilijiahan and Gongkahan zones mainly displays near-source accumulation. The coal-type gas component was derived from in situ C3t-P1s source rocks, whereas the oil-type gas component might be derived from the carbonate rocks in the Lower Ordovician Majiagou Formation (O1m.

Geochronological and sedimentological evidences of Panyangshan foreland basin for tectonic control on the Late Paleozoic plate marginal orogenic belt along the northern margin of the North China Craton

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jialiang; Zhou, Zhiguang; He, Yingfu; Wang, Guosheng; Wu, Chen; Liu, Changfeng; Yao, Guang; Xu, Wentao; Zhao, Xiaoqi; Dai, Pengfei

2017-08-01

There is a wide support that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift on the northern margin of the North China Craton has undergone an uplifting history. However, when and how did the uplift occurred keeps controversial. Extensive field-based structural, metamorphic, geochemical, geochronological and geophysical investigations on the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift, which suggested that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift was an uplifted region since the Early Precambrian or range from Late Carboniferous-Early Jurassic. The geochemical characteristics of the Late Paleozoic to Early Mesozoic intrusive rocks indicated that the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift was an Andean-type continental margin that is the extensional tectonic setting. To address the spatial and temporal development of the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift, we have carried out provenance analysis of Permian sedimentary rocks which collected from the Panyangshan basin along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The QFL diagram revealed a dissected arc-recycled orogenic tectonic setting. Moreover, the framework grains are abundant with feldspar (36-50%), indicating the short transport distance and unstable tectonic setting. Detrital zircon U-Pb analysis ascertained possible provenance information: the Precambrian basement ( 2490 and 1840 Ma) and continental arc magmatic action ( 279 and 295 Ma) along the northern margin of the North China Craton. The projection in rose diagrams of the mean palaeocurrent direction, revealing the SSW and SSE palaeoflow direction, also shows the provenance of the Panyangshan basin sources mainly from the Inner Mongolia Palaeo-uplift. The andesite overlying the Naobaogou Formation has yielded U-Pb age of 277.3 ± 1.4 Ma. The additional dioritic porphyry dike intruded the Naobaogou and Laowopu Formations, which has an emplacement age of 236 ± 1 Ma. The above data identify that the basin formed ranges from Early Permian to Middle Triassic (277-236 Ma). Accordingly, the Inner Mongolia

Gondwana sedimentation in the Chintalapudi sub-basin, Godavari Valley, Andhra Pradesh

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lakshminarayana, G. [Geological Survey of India, Calcutta (India). Division of Monitoring

1995-10-01

A 3000 m thick Gondwana lithic fill consisting of multifacies associations were preserved in a NW-SE oriented intracratonic Chintalapudi sub-basin set across the Eastern Chat Complex (EGC). Sedimentation commenced with the deposition of diamictite-rhythmite sequence of the Talchir Formation in glacio-lacustrine environment. The succeeding sandstone-coal cyclothems of the Barakar Formation were formed in fluvial-coal swamps complex. The fluvial streams flowed across the EGC, originating somewhere in the southeast beyond the East Coast of India. Phase wise upliftment of the EGC during Mesozoic imparted changes to the Permian intercontinental drainage system which started supplying increased amount of detritus to the basin. Basin marginal faults were first formed at the beginning of Triassic. Alluvial fans originated in the east and southeast and northwesterly flowing braided streams deposited the conglomerate sandstone sequence of the Kamthi Formation. The Early Jurassic uplift of the Mailaram high in the north imparted westerly shift to the braided rivers during the Kota sedimentation. Due to prominence of Kamavarapukota ridge in the south by Early Cretaceous, the drainage pattern became centripetal and short-lived high sinuous rivers debouched into the basin. The silting up of the Chintalapudi sub-basin with the sandstone-claystone sequence of the Gangapur Formation marks the culmination of the Gondwana sedimentation, perhaps, coinciding with the breakup of India from the Gondwanaland.

Naturally fractured reservoirs: Optimized E and P strategies using a reaction-transport-mechanical simulator in an integrated approach. Annual report, 1996--1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoak, T.; Jenkins, R. [Science Applications International Corp., McLean, VA (United States); Ortoleva, P.; Ozkan, G.; Shebl, M.; Sibo, W.; Tuncay, K. [Laboratory for Computational Geodynamics (United States); Sundberg, K. [Phillips Petroleum Company (United States)

1998-07-01

The methodology and results of this project are being tested using the Andector-Goldsmith Field in the Permian Basin, West Texas. The study area includes the Central Basin Platform and the Midland Basin. The Andector-Goldsmith Field lies at the juncture of these two zones in the greater West Texas Permian Basin. Although the modeling is being conducted in this area, the results have widespread applicability to other fractured carbonate and other reservoirs throughout the world.

Contrasting styles of aeolian, fluvial and marine interaction in the Cutler Group of the Paradox Basin, SE Utah, USA

OpenAIRE

Wakefield, Oliver; Mountney, Nigel

2017-01-01

The Permian-Pennsylvanian Cutler Group of the Paradox foreland basin of southeast Utah is characterised by a variety of styles of interaction between coeval aeolian, fluvial and marine environments that have resulted in the generation and preservation of a complex suite of stratal architectures. Detailed 3D architectural element analysis has enabled the nature of these interactions to be interpreted in order to constrain both the spatial and temporal scale over which competing ...

Analysis of cyclical sedimentation in the lower Permian Mchuchuma coalfield (South-West-Tanzania)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Casshyap, S M; Kreuser, T; Wopfner, H

1987-01-01

A statistical approach by a modified Markov process model was used to prove that the lower Permian coal measures of the Tanzanian Mchuchuma basin developed distinct cyclicities during deposition. From results the transition path of lithologic states typical for this coal sequence is as follows: (A) coarse sandstone, (B) medium sandstone, (C) fine-very fine sandstone, (D) shale, (E) mudstone, (F) coal or (E+F) and again (A) coarse sandstone. The majority of cycles is asymmetric (ABCDEF-ABC..) but symmetrical cycles are present as well (ABCDEFED). The statistical results concur with observed sedimentological evidence of depositional environment. Fining upward cycles correspond to the development of basal channel bars, changing into levees, then into back swamps which are topped by coal swamps. Frequent interbedding of coal and mudstone in the upper part of the coal measures calls for periodic flooding and flushing of fine clastics into coal-forming swamps causing interruption of peat formation. Cyclical deposition is explained by wandering channels in response to varying discharge and rate of deposition, their lateral frequent shifting caused the formation of asymmetrical cycles in this fluviodeltaic depositional model. 33 refs., 7 figs., 1 tab.

Permian-Triassic Tethyan realm reorganization: Implications for the outward Pangea margin

Science.gov (United States)

Riel, Nicolas; Jaillard, Etienne; Martelat, Jean-Emmanuel; Guillot, Stéphane; Braun, Jean

2018-01-01

We present a new conceptual model to explain the first order Permian-Triassic evolution of the whole > 30 000 km long Pangea margin facing the Panthalassa ocean. Compilation of available geological, geochemical, geochronogical and paleomagnetic data all along this system allowed us to distinguish three part of the margin: western Laurentia, western Gondwana and eastern Gondwana. These segments record distinct tectonic and magmatic events, which all occur synchronously along the whole margin and correlate well with the main geodynamic events of this period, i.e. subduction of the Paleotethys mid-ocean ridge at 310-280 Ma, opening of the Neotethys at 280-260 Ma, counterclockwise rotation of Pangea at 260-230 Ma and closure of the Paleotethys at 230-220 Ma. Between 260 and 230 Ma, the reorganization of the Tethyan realm triggered the up to 35° rotation of Pangea around an Euler pole located in northernmost South America. This implied both an increase and a decrease of the convergence rate between the margin and the Panthalassa ocean, north and south of the Euler pole, respectively. Thus, the Permian-Triassic Pangean margin was marked: in western Laurentia by marginal sea closure, in western Gondwana by widespread bimodal magmatic and volcanic activity, in eastern Gondwana by transpressive orogenic phase. Therefore, we propose that the Permian-Triassic evolution of the outward margin of Pangea was controlled by the Tethyan realm reorganization.

Late Permian marine ecosystem collapse began in deeper waters: evidence from brachiopod diversity and body size changes.

Science.gov (United States)

He, W-H; Shi, G R; Twitchett, R J; Zhang, Y; Zhang, K-X; Song, H-J; Yue, M-L; Wu, S-B; Wu, H-T; Yang, T-L; Xiao, Y-F

2015-03-01

Analysis of Permian-Triassic brachiopod diversity and body size changes from different water depths spanning the continental shelf to basinal facies in South China provides insights into the process of environmental deterioration. Comparison of the temporal changes of brachiopod diversity between deepwater and shallow-water facies demonstrates that deepwater brachiopods disappeared earlier than shallow-water brachiopods. This indicates that high environmental stress commenced first in deepwater settings and later extended to shallow waters. This environmental stress is attributed to major volcanic eruptions, which first led to formation of a stratified ocean and a chemocline in the outer shelf and deeper water environments, causing the disappearance of deep marine benthos including brachiopods. The chemocline then rapidly migrated upward and extended to shallow waters, causing widespread mass extinction of shallow marine benthos. We predict that the spatial and temporal patterns of earlier onset of disappearance/extinction and ecological crisis in deeper water ecosystems will be recorded during other episodes of rapid global warming. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Compositional modification of crude oil during oil recovery

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhu, Yangming; Weng, Huanxin [Department of Earth Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027 (China); Chen, Zulin; Chen, Qi [Petroleum Geochemistry Research Center, Jianghan Petroleum University, Jingzhou, Hubei (China)

2003-05-01

Ten crude oils from two recovery stages spanning 5-10-year interval of five productive wells in the Tarim Basin, northwest China were analyzed for their compositional modification during production process. Significant compositional changes in polar and nonpolar fractions between the previous oil samples and the latter ones were noted at both bulk and molecular level. The latter oil samples appear to contain more aromatic fraction and less asphaltenes and resin, and their gas chromatography (GC) data for whole oil show reduced alkanes with low molecular weight and enhanced high homologue relative to the previous oil samples. Compared with the oils collected from the previous recovery stage, the concentration of basic type of nitrogen-containing compounds and organic acids in oils from the latter recovery stage have a reducing trend, suggesting the occurrence of interaction between crude oil and reservoir rock.

The salt that wasn't there: Mudflat facies equivalents to halite of the Permian Rustler Formation, southeastern New Mexico

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Powers, D.W.; Holt, R.M.

2000-01-01

Four halite beds of the Permian Restler Formation in southeastern New Mexico thin dramatically over horst lateral distances to correlative classic (mudstone) beds. The mudstones have long been considered residues after post-burial dissolution (subrosion) of halite, assumed to have been deposited continuously across the area. Hydraulic properties of the Culebra Dolomite Member have often been related to Rustler subrosion. In cores and three shafts at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), however, these mudstones display flat bedding, graded bedding, cross-bedding, erosional contacts, and channels filled with intraformational conglomerates. Cutans indicate early stages of soil development during subaerial exposure. Smeared intraclasts developed locally as halite was removed syndepositionally during subaerial exposure. The authors interpret these beds as facies formed in salt-pan or hypersaline-lagoon, transitional, and mudflat environments. Halite is distributed approximately as it was deposited. Breccia in limited areas along one halite margin indicates post-burial dissolution, and these breccials are key to identifying areas of subrosion. A depositional model accounts for observed sedimentary features of Restler mudstones. Marked facies and thickness changes are consistent with influence by subsidence boundaries, as found in some modern continental evaporites. A subrosion model accounts for limited brecciated zones along (depositional)halite margins, but bedding observed in the mudstones would not survive 90% reduction in rock volume. Depositional margins for these halite beds will be useful in reconstructing detailed subsidence history of the Late Permian in the northern Delaware Basin, It also no longer is tenable to attribute large variations in Culebra transmissivity to Rustler subrosion

Yukon's common oil and gas regime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Love, B.

1998-01-01

The Yukon's common oil and gas regime was developed in partnership with First Nations and it sets out the rules that will apply throughout the Yukon and on Yukon and First Nation lands. While separate and distinct, it conforms with and is compatible with other government systems and regimes. The major elements of the common regime include the Oil and Gas Act, regulations, policies, processes and agreements. The specific opportunities that are available in each phase of oil and gas development in the Yukon are described, with a map showing all basins, reserves and sites of current oil and gas activity. The Yukon has eight potential oil and gas basins: North Coast, Old Crow, Kandik, Eagle Plain, Peel Plateau, Bonnet Plume, Whitehorse Trough, and Liard Plateau. Only three of the eight, the Liard Plateau, Whitehorse Trough and Eagle Plain, have been explored. No wells have been drilled in several of Yukon's basins. Factors influencing economic opportunities in the Territory are also described, including: (1) international events and energy markets, (2) North American gas markets, (3) environmental factors, (4) competitiveness of the Yukon regime, and (5) the commitment of industry resources. 4 figs

Maturity in the Styrian Basin. Maturitaet im Steirischen Tertiaerbecken

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sachsenhofer, R.F. (Montanuniversitaet Leoben (Austria). Inst. fuer Geowissenschaften/Geologie)

1991-01-01

The Styrian basin, situated at the south-eastern margin of the Alps, contains up to 3 km of Ottnangian to Pliocene sedimentary rocks. Main subsidence occured between Ottnangian and Sarmatian. Miocene and Plio-/Pleistocene volcanic phases can be distinguished. Maturity in the Styrian basin was studied with vitrinite reflectance curves of 25 boreholes. The oil window lies at shallow depths in the vicinty of Miocene volcanos. This is due to high heating rate during Karpatian to Lower Badenian times. Depth and thickness of the oil window increase with increasing distance from these volcanos. At a distance of some kilometers the thermal influence of this Miocene volcanism disappears. According to high recent heat flow the oil window is located below 1 500 to 2 000 m in these parts of the basin. An influence of Plio-/Pleistocene volcanism on maturity cannot be observed. (orig.).

Analysis of the saturated hydrocarbon in coal, carbonaceous mudstone and oils from the lower Jurassic coal measures in the Turpan Basin by GC/MS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang Xuan; Meng Qianxiang; Sun Minzhuo; Du Li; Ding Wanren

2005-01-01

Saturated hydrocarbon of coal, carbonaceous mudstone and oils from the Lower Jurassic coal measures in the Turpan basin were studied, and biomarker characteristics and coal thermal maturity analyzed to draw the following conclusions. T here are many similar biomarker characteristics between oil from middle-lower Jurassic of Turpan Basin and coal and carbonaceous mudstone in the same strata. They all contain specific r-lupane, I-norbietane, C 24 -tetracyclic and high content of C 29 -steranes. These characteristics suggest that they have similar matter source of the organic matter derived from matter with abundant high plants. Meanwhile, biomarkers often used to indicate depositional environments characterized by high Pr/Ph ratio, little or no gammacerane and high abundance dibenzofurans, such biomarker distributions are indicative of suboxic and freshwater environment. Although coal and carbonaceous mudstone remain in lower thermal maturity (Ro=0.47-0.53), but C 29 -ββ/(αα+ββ) sterane ratio (0.294-0.489) and bezohopane are detected. Because these ferture are related to bacterial activity, bacterial degradation of organic matter maybe take an important role in coal-derived oil. (authors)

Organic Substances from Unconventional Oil and Gas Production in Shale

Science.gov (United States)

Orem, W. H.; Varonka, M.; Crosby, L.; Schell, T.; Bates, A.; Engle, M.

2014-12-01

composition of shale formation water, and that some injected organic substances are retained on the shale and slowly released. Thus, appropriate safe disposal of produced water is needed long into production. Changes in organic substances in formation water may impact microbial communities. Current work is focused on UOG production in the Permian Basin, Texas.

Geologic assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources--Middle Eocene Claiborne Group, United States part of the Gulf of Mexico Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Hackley, Paul C.

2012-01-01

The Middle Eocene Claiborne Group was assessed using established U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessment methodology for undiscovered conventional hydrocarbon resources as part of the 2007 USGS assessment of Paleogene-Neogene strata of the United States part of the Gulf of Mexico Basin including onshore and State waters. The assessed area is within the Upper Jurassic-Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite total petroleum system, which was defined as part of the assessment. Source rocks for Claiborne oil accumulations are interpreted to be organic-rich downdip shaley facies of the Wilcox Group and the Sparta Sand of the Claiborne Group; gas accumulations may have originated from multiple sources including the Jurassic Smackover and Haynesville Formations and Bossier Shale, the Cretaceous Eagle Ford and Pearsall(?) Formations, and the Paleogene Wilcox Group and Sparta Sand. Hydrocarbon generation in the basin started prior to deposition of Claiborne sediments and is ongoing at present. Emplacement of hydrocarbons into Claiborne reservoirs has occurred primarily via vertical migration along fault systems; long-range lateral migration also may have occurred in some locations. Primary reservoir sands in the Claiborne Group include, from oldest to youngest, the Queen City Sand, Cook Mountain Formation, Sparta Sand, Yegua Formation, and the laterally equivalent Cockfield Formation. Hydrocarbon traps dominantly are rollover anticlines associated with growth faults; salt structures and stratigraphic traps also are important. Sealing lithologies probably are shaley facies within the Claiborne and in the overlying Jackson Group. A geologic model, supported by spatial analysis of petroleum geology data including discovered reservoir depths, thicknesses, temperatures, porosities, permeabilities, and pressures, was used to divide the Claiborne Group into seven assessment units (AU) with distinctive structural and depositional settings. The AUs include (1) Lower Claiborne Stable Shelf

The three-dimensional geologic model used for the 2003 National Oil and Gas Assessment of the San Joaquin Basin Province, California: Chapter 7 in Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California

Science.gov (United States)

Hosford Scheirer, Allegra

2013-01-01

We present a three-dimensional geologic model of the San Joaquin Basin (SJB) that may be the first compilation of subsurface data spanning the entire basin. The model volume spans 200 × 90 miles, oriented along the basin axis, and extends to ~11 miles depth, for a total of more than 1 million grid nodes. This model supported the 2003 U.S. Geological Survey assessment of future additions to reserves of oil and gas in the SJB. Data sources include well-top picks from more than 3,200 wildcat and production wells, published cross sections, regional seismic grids, and fault maps. The model consists of 15 chronostratigraphic horizons ranging from the Mesozoic crystalline basement to the topographic surface. Many of the model units are hydrocarbon reservoir rocks and three—the Cretaceous Moreno Formation, the Eocene Kreyenhagen Formation, and the Miocene Monterey Formation—are hydrocarbon source rocks. The White Wolf Fault near the southern end of the basin divides the map volume into 2 separate fault blocks. The construction of a three-dimensional model of the entire SJB encountered many challenges, including complex and inconsistent stratigraphic nomenclature, significant facies changes across and along the basin axis, time-transgressive formation tops, uncertain correlation of outcrops with their subsurface equivalents, and contradictory formation top data. Although some areas of the model are better resolved than others, the model facilitated the 2003 resource assessment in several ways, including forming the basis of a petroleum system model and allowing a precise definition of assessment unit volumes.

The sequence stratigraphy, sedimentology, and economic importance of evaporite carbonate transitions: a review

Science.gov (United States)

Sarg, J. F.

2001-04-01

-energy, shallow water grainstones and packstones to nonporous evaporitic lagoonal dolomite and sabkha anhydrite occurs in the Upper Permian San Andres/Grayburg sequences of the Permian basin. This facies change provides the trap for secondary oil pools on the basinward flanks of fields that are productive from highstand facies identical to the lowstand dolograinstones. Type 2 lowstand systems, like the Smackover Limestone of the Gulf of Mexico, show a similar relationship. Commonly, these evaporite systems are a facies mosaic of salina and sabkha evaporites admixed with wadi siliciclastics. They overlie and seal highstand carbonate platforms containing reservoir facies of shoalwater nonskeletal and skeletal grainstones. Further basinward these evaporites change facies into similar porous platform facies, and contain separate hydrocarbon traps. Transgressions in arid settings over underfilled platforms (e.g. Zechstein (Permian) of Europe; Ferry Lake Anhydrite (Cretaceous), Gulf of Mexico) can result in deposition of alternating cyclic carbonates and evaporites in broad, shallow subaqueous hypersaline environments. Evaporites include bedded and palmate gypsum layers. Mudstones and wackestones are deposited in mesosaline, shallow subtidal to low intertidal environments during periodic flooding of the platform interior. Highstand systems tracts are characterized by thick successions of m-scale, brining upward parasequences in platform interior settings. The Seven Rivers Formation (Guadalupian) of the Permian basin typifies this transition. An intertonguing of carbonate and sulfates is interpreted to occur in a broad, shallow subaqueous hypersaline shelf lagoon behind the main restricting shelf-edge carbonate complex. Underlying paleodepositional highs appear to control the position of the initial facies transition. Periodic flooding of the shelf interior results in widespread carbonate deposition comprised of mesosaline, skeletal-poor peloid dolowackestones/mudstones. Progressive

Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spinti, Jennifer [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Birgenheier, Lauren [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Deo, Milind [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Facelli, Julio [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Hradisky, Michal [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Kelly, Kerry [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Miller, Jan [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); McLennan, John [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Ring, Terry [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Ruple, John [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States); Uchitel, Kirsten [Inst. for Clean and Secure Energy, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)

2015-09-30

This report summarizes the significant findings from the Clean and Secure Energy from Domestic Oil Shale and Oil Sands Resources program sponsored by the Department of Energy through the National Energy Technology Laboratory. There were four principle areas of research; Environmental, legal, and policy issues related to development of oil shale and oil sands resources; Economic and environmental assessment of domestic unconventional fuels industry; Basin-scale assessment of conventional and unconventional fuel development impacts; and Liquid fuel production by in situ thermal processing of oil shale Multiple research projects were conducted in each area and the results have been communicated via sponsored conferences, conference presentations, invited talks, interviews with the media, numerous topical reports, journal publications, and a book that summarizes much of the oil shale research relating to Utah’s Uinta Basin. In addition, a repository of materials related to oil shale and oil sands has been created within the University of Utah’s Institutional Repository, including the materials generated during this research program. Below is a listing of all topical and progress reports generated by this project and submitted to the Office of Science and Technical Information (OSTI). A listing of all peer-reviewed publications generated as a result of this project is included at the end of this report; Geomechanical and Fluid Transport Properties 1 (December, 2015); Validation Results for Core-Scale Oil Shale Pyrolysis (February, 2015); and Rates and Mechanisms of Oil Shale Pyrolysis: A Chemical Structure Approach (November, 2014); Policy Issues Associated With Using Simulation to Assess Environmental Impacts (November, 2014); Policy Analysis of the Canadian Oil Sands Experience (September, 2013); V-UQ of Generation 1 Simulator with AMSO Experimental Data (August, 2013); Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, Resource Management Plan Constraints, and Land Exchanges

Ocean anoxia did not cause the Latest Permian Extinction

Science.gov (United States)

Proemse, Bernadette C.; Grasby, Stephen E.; Wieser, Michael E.; Mayer, Bernhard; Beauchamp, Benoit

2014-05-01

The Latest Permian Extinction (LPE, ~252 million years ago) was a turning point in the history of life on Earth with a loss of ~96% of all marine species and ~70% of all terrestrial species. While, the event undoubtedly shaped the evolution of life its cause remains enigmatic. A leading hypothesis is that the global oceans became depleted in oxygen (anoxia). In order to test this hypothesis we investigated a proxy for marine oxygen levels (molybdenum isotopic composition) in shale across the LPE horizon located on the subtropical northwest margin of Pangea at that time. We studied two sedimentary records in the Sverdrup basin, Canadian High Arctic: Buchanan Lake (eastern Axel Heiberg Island; 79° 26.1'N, 87° 12.6'W), representing a distal deep-water slope environment, and West Blind Fiord (southwest Ellesmere Island; 78° 23.9'N, 85° 57.2'W), representing a deep outer shelf environment (below storm wave base). The molybdenum isotopic composition (δ98/95Mo) of sediments has recently become a powerful tool as a paleo-oceanographic proxy of marine oxygen levels. Sample preparation was carried out in a metal-free clean room facility in the isotope laboratory of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Calgary, Canada, that is supplied by HEPA-filtered air. Molybdenum isotope ratios were determined on a Thermo Scientific multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (MC-ICP-MS) with an uncertainty better than ±0.10o for δ98/95Mo values. Results from the Buchanan Lake section show a large shift in δ98/95Mo values from 2.02o to +2.23o at the extinction horizon, consistent with onset of euxinic conditions. In contrast, West Blind Fiord shales, representing the sub-storm wave base shelf environment, show little change in the molybdenum isotopic composition (1.34o to +0.05), indicating ongoing oxic conditions across the LPE (Proemse et al., 2013). Our results suggest that areas of the Pangea continental shelf (North West Pangea) experienced

New results of microfaunal and geochemical investigations in the Permian-Triassic boundary interval from the Jadar Block (NW Serbia)

Science.gov (United States)

Sudar, Milan N.; Kolar-Jurkovšek, Tea; Nestell, Galina P.; Jovanović, Divna; Jurkovšek, Bogdan; Williams, Jeremy; Brookfield, Michael; Stebbins, Alan

2018-04-01

Detail results of microfaunal, sedimentological and geochemical investigations are documented from a newly discovered section of the Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB) interval in the area of the town of Valjevo (northwestern Serbia). The presence of various and abundant microfossils (conodonts, foraminifers, and ostracodes) found in the Upper Permian "Bituminous limestone" Formation enabled a determination of the Changhsingian Hindeodus praeparvus conodont Zone. This paper is the first report of latest Permian strata from the region, as well as from all of Serbia, where the PTB interval sediments have been part of a complex/integrated study by means of biostratigraphy and geochemistry.

Paleomagnetic results from Late Pennsylvanian marls and Early Permian red paleosols of the Dunkard group, Ohio and West Virginia, U.S.A.

Science.gov (United States)

Abrajevitch, A.; Oliva, B.; Peters, S.; Beehr, A.; van der Voo, R.

2006-12-01

Sediments of the Dunkard Gr. were deposited in the Appalachian foreland basin during the Pennsylvanian and Early Permian, an interval encompassing the long reverse polarity Kiaman chron. Lithofacies in the Dunkard Gr. in eastern Ohio and western West Virginia include lenticular and sheet-form cross-bedded micaceous sandstones, coal, mottled red and purple mudstones, gray laminated mudstones and argillaceous lime mudstones. They are indicative of deposition on a low-gradient, tropical wet-dry fluvial plain. Few lithofacies are laterally persistent over sufficiently long distances, so that correlation schemes are based largely on coal horizons, partly for historical economic reasons and partly because coal beds appear to be more laterally persistent than most other lithofacies. Magnetostratigraphy would therefore provide a powerful additional correlation tool in the Dunkard Gr, A short normal polarity interval has been reported in the Dunkard Gr. (Helsley, 1965), but to date such a change in magnetic field polarity has not been confirmed by later studies. To confirm the presence of the normal polarity subchron and to explore the possibility of using it as a correlation tool in the Dunkard Gr., we sampled 5 sections thought to straddle the Late Pennyslvanian-Early Permian boundary. Sampled lithofacies include red and mottled red-purple paleosols, grey mudstones containing siderite concretions, micaceous sandstones, and dark gray argillaceous limestones. Samples were demagnetized thermally and by AF. The remanent magnetic directions agree with those expected for the Early Permian. A change in polarity was detected in three of the studied sections. Magnetization is carried by several different magnetic minerals, mostly hematite in paleosols and iron sulfides in combination with magnetite in sandstones, marls and limestones. Although we have found good evidence for the normal polarity interval within Kiaman age rocks of the Dunkard Gr., additional magnetostratigraphic

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Yukon Flats Basin Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Bird, Kenneth J.; Stanley, Richard G.; Moore, Thomas E.; Gautier, Donald L.

2017-12-22

The hydrocarbon potential of the Yukon Flats Basin Province in Central Alaska was assessed in 2004 as part of an update to the National Oil and Gas Assessment. Three assessment units (AUs) were identified and assessed using a methodology somewhat different than that of the 2008 Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal (CARA). An important difference in the methodology of the two assessments is that the 2004 assessment specified a minimum accumulation size of 0.5 million barrels of oil equivalent (MMBOE), whereas the 2008 CARA assessment specified a minimum size of 50 MMBOE. The 2004 assessment concluded that >95 percent of the estimated mean undiscovered oil and gas resources occur in a single AU, the Tertiary Sandstone AU. This is also the only AU of the three that extends north of the Arctic Circle.For the CARA project, the number of oil and gas accumulations in the 2004 assessment of the Tertiary Sandstone AU was re-evaluated in terms of the >50-MMBOE minimum accumulation size. By this analysis, and assuming the resource to be evenly distributed across the AU, 0.23 oil fields and 1.20 gas fields larger than 50 MMBOE are expected in the part of the AU north of the Arctic Circle. The geology suggests, however, that the area north of the Arctic Circle has a lower potential for oil and gas accumulations than the area to the south where the sedimentary section is thicker, larger volumes of hydrocarbons may have been generated, and potential structural traps are probably more abundant. Because of the low potential implied for the area of the AU north of the Arctic Circle, the Yukon Flats Tertiary Sandstone AU was not quantitatively assessed for the 2008 CARA.

Source rock contributions to the Lower Cretaceous heavy oil accumulations in Alberta: a basin modeling study

Science.gov (United States)

Berbesi, Luiyin Alejandro; di Primio, Rolando; Anka, Zahie; Horsfield, Brian; Higley, Debra K.

2012-01-01

The origin of the immense oil sand deposits in Lower Cretaceous reservoirs of the Western Canada sedimentary basin is still a matter of debate, specifically with respect to the original in-place volumes and contributing source rocks. In this study, the contributions from the main source rocks were addressed using a three-dimensional petroleum system model calibrated to well data. A sensitivity analysis of source rock definition was performed in the case of the two main contributors, which are the Lower Jurassic Gordondale Member of the Fernie Group and the Upper Devonian–Lower Mississippian Exshaw Formation. This sensitivity analysis included variations of assigned total organic carbon and hydrogen index for both source intervals, and in the case of the Exshaw Formation, variations of thickness in areas beneath the Rocky Mountains were also considered. All of the modeled source rocks reached the early or main oil generation stages by 60 Ma, before the onset of the Laramide orogeny. Reconstructed oil accumulations were initially modest because of limited trapping efficiency. This was improved by defining lateral stratigraphic seals within the carrier system. An additional sealing effect by biodegraded oil may have hindered the migration of petroleum in the northern areas, but not to the east of Athabasca. In the latter case, the main trapping controls are dominantly stratigraphic and structural. Our model, based on available data, identifies the Gordondale source rock as the contributor of more than 54% of the oil in the Athabasca and Peace River accumulations, followed by minor amounts from Exshaw (15%) and other Devonian to Lower Jurassic source rocks. The proposed strong contribution of petroleum from the Exshaw Formation source rock to the Athabasca oil sands is only reproduced by assuming 25 m (82 ft) of mature Exshaw in the kitchen areas, with original total organic carbon of 9% or more.

Assessing impacts of oil-shale development on the Piceance Basin mule deer herd

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, G.C.; Garrott, R.A.

1983-01-01

Development of energy resources on big game ranges generally negatively impacts these important wildlife resources. Although habitat disturbance is generally important, this impact is overshadowed by the negative impacts due to an increasing human population in the area. Increased human activities particularly stress animals during winter periods when inadequate nutrition levels may have already severely impacted the population. Increased road traffic and poaching causes additional deaths, which a decline in survival rates expected, or at least changes in the cause of mortality. This paper describes the experimental design to monitor and mitigate the impact of oil shale development in northwestern Colorado on the Piceance Basin mule deer herd. Biotelemetry techniques are used to measure changes through time in movements, habitat utilization, and survival rates between control and treatment areas. 2 figures.

Molecular Evidence for Radical Changes in Ocean Chemistry Across the Permian Triassic Boundary at Meishan in South China

Science.gov (United States)

Love, G. D.; Cao, C.; Jin, Y.; Summons, R. E.

2004-12-01

Samples from outcrop and from a new core drilled through the Permian Triassic Boundary at the type section at Meishan have been examined for biomarker and isotopic evidence of biotic and associated environmental change. Late Permian sediments from Meishan Beds 22-27 are characterized by indicators of anoxia including low Pr/Ph ratios and abundant aryl isoprenoids and isoreneieratane derived from the precursor carotenoid isorenieratene. The latter compounds are biomarkers for green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobiaceae) and are considered reliable indicators of euxinic water columns where sulfide extends to the photic zone. The peak of Chlorobiaceae biomarker abundance coincides with a rapid and synchronous drop in the ƒO13C and ƒO15N values of kerogen. On passing up into the Early Triassic, the biomarker signal for Chlorobiaceae wanes and is almost absent by Bed 30 where it is replaced by one for cyanobacteria including abundant hopanes and 2-methylhopanes and accompanying methyl and dimethyl alkanes. A very high value for the hopane/sterane ratio from Beds 30-38 indicates continuing dominant cyanobacterial productivity and only minor inputs from an algal plankton. The prevalence of aryl isoprenoids in P-Tr sediments at the Meishan section of South China is also recorded in a recently cored borehole, Hovea-3, of the Perth Basin, Western Australia. This suggests similar paleoenvironmental conditions prevailed across the Tethys Ocean during and immediately after the P-Tr Boundary. In particular, the presence of biomarkers for Chlorobiaceae at two separate locations indicates that water column euxinia was pervasive during the extinction event and suggests that sulfide may have been a key toxic agent.

New discovery of Permian belemnoids in Hunan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Z.; Su, L. [Xiangtan Mining Institute, Hunan (China). Dept. of Geology

1999-06-01

The fossil belemnoids described here were discovered from the Upper Permian Dalong Formation in Hunan province. There are nearly one hundred specimens, including one genus and one species. The diagnosis of the species is as follows: Genus: palaeobelemnopsis Chen, 1982; Species: Palaeobelemnosis sp. The guard is small and slender, about six times the maximum transverse diameter in length, with outline slightly hastate or fusiform. The maximum transverse diameter locates the border between the apical region and the stem region, and is nearly cycloid or slightly compressed in the anterior of the alveolus. The apical angle is about 70{degree}. The median ventral groove is wide and shallow, and is sometimes absent. Two dorso-lateral grooves are apparent and extending from the alveolus to the apex. The Phragmocone is slender. The outer shape of the guard is very similar to that of P. sinensis and P. minor. Nevertheless, this species differs from the two latters in having many transverse lines covering on the whole surface of the guard. Because all of these specimens are fossils of external mold and no inner structures have been preserved except a piece of siphuncle remains, the species is not given a new species name. Permian belemnoids are rarely found and the Palaeobelemnopsis is a primitive genus of belemnoids, therefore these specimens have important significance for research on the origin of COLEOIDEA. 4 refs., 3 figs.

The Permian basin geology in the north of Uruguay.Sedimentology exam about the uranium signs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lhomer, A.; Manigault, B.; Doyhenart, A.; Rossi, P.; Spoturno, J.; De Santana, H.; Vaz, N.

1982-01-01

The basin is located in the Precambrian insular shelf limited to the North. East and South. The North (Brazil) and south (Uruguay) edge are constituted by the insular shelf ancient nucleus which dates from 2000 million years.

Sr evolution in the Upper Permian and Lower Triassic carbonates, northeast Sichuan basin, China: Constraints from chemistry, isotope and fluid inclusions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Kaikai; Cai, Chunfang; Jiang, Lei; Cai, Liulu; Jia, Lianqi; Zhang, Bing; Xiang, Lei; Yuan, Yuyang

2012-01-01

Petrographic features, C, O and Sr isotopes, rare earth and trace elements were determined, and fluid inclusions were analyzed on various stages of interparticle cements and vug-fillings from the Upper Permian and Lower Triassic sour reservoirs in northeastern Sichuan basin. The aim was to assess the origin and evolution of palaeo-waters in the carbonates. The original water was contemporary seawater, from which marine cements precipitated with slightly high Sr contents (mean 1911 ppm), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios from 0.7067 to 0.7082 and nonluminescent CL. The palaeo-seawater was diluted by meteoric water, as indicated by bright cathodoluminescence (CL) and Sr-depletion (0–516 ppm) in low-temperature calcite. When buried to temperatures of about 60–90 °C during Middle to Late Triassic, the palaeo-water was enriched in Sr released from the transformation of precursor aragonite and calcite to dolomite, resulting in precipitation of substantial pre-bitumen Sr-rich minerals (SrSO 4 and SrCO 3 ). For un-dolomitized limestone sections, aragonite neomorphism may have contributed Sr to the precipitation of small amounts of Sr-bearing minerals and calcite crystals with elevated homogenization temperatures (HTs, mainly from 90 to 130 °C) and wide Sr contents (from 34 to 3825 ppm), as recorded in stage III calcite. Since the Middle Jurassic, almost all of the early stage celestite and significant amounts of solid CaSO 4 have been consumed by reactions with hydrocarbons (i.e., TSR), resulting in water enriched in isotopically light CO 2 and HCO 3 - ,Sr 2+ ,Ba 2+ and Eu 2+ , as recorded in calcite with low δ 13 C values (down to −18.9‰), 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios from 0.7072 to 0.7076, high HTs (mainly 110–198 °C), positive Eu anomalies and high Sr and Ba contents. Subsequently, the water was uplifted and cooled down to about 115 °C, celestite and strontianite were precipitated with the occurrence of natural elemental S immiscible inclusions. TSR may have produced

Petroleum system of Northwest Java basin based on gravity data analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Widianto, E.

2018-01-01

Energy management in the upstream oil and gas sector becomes very important for the country’s energy security. The renewal of energy resources and reserves becomes necessary and is a must. In the oil and gas industry, gravity data is usually used only for regional surveys, but with the development of instrumentation technology and gravity software development, this method can be used for assessing oil and gas survey stages from exploration to production. This study was conducted to evaluate aspects of petroleum system and exploration play concept in the part of Northwest Java Basin, covering source rock deposition regions (source kitchen area, migration direction), development of reservoirs, structural and stratigraphic trap, based on gravity data. This study uses data from Bouguer gravity anomaly map by filtering process to produce a residual map depicting sedimentation basin configuration. The mapping generated 20 sedimentary basins in Java Island with the total hydrocarbon resources of 113 BBOE (Billion Barrel of Oil Equivalent). The petroleum system analysis was conducted in the Northwest Basin section. The final map produced illustrates the condition of petroleum system and play concept that can be used as exploration direction, expectedly reducing the risk of drilling failure.

Palaeomagnetism of the Early Permian Mount Leyshon Intrusive Complex and Tuckers Igneous Complex, North Queensland, Australia

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, D. A.; Lackie, M. A.

2003-06-01

This study provides reliable, precisely defined and well-dated Early Permian (286 +/- 6 Ma) palaeomagnetic poles for Australia from the Mount Leyshon Intrusive Complex (MLIC) and the Tuckers Igneous Complex (TIC). Both complexes are associated with prominent negative magnetic anomalies, indicating the presence of rocks carrying stable remanence of reverse polarity, with a Koenigsberger ratio greater than unity. The characteristic remanence carried by the intrusive phases and by locally remagnetized, contact-metamorphosed host rocks is always of reverse polarity, consistent with acquisition during the Permo-Carboniferous (Kiaman) Reverse Superchron. The corresponding palaeopoles confirm that Australia occupied high latitudes in the Early Permian. The pole positions are: MLIC: lat. = 43.2 °S, long. = 137.3 °E dp = 6.0°, dm = 6.4° Q= 6; TIC: lat. = 47.5 °S, long. = 143.0 °E, dp = 6.0°, dm = 6.6° Q= 6. Permian palaeomagnetic overprinting is detectable at considerable distances from the MLIC (2-3 km), well beyond the zone of visible alteration. The primary nature of the Early Permian palaeomagnetic signature is established by full baked contact/aureole tests at both localities. Other new data from Australia are consistent with the poles reported here. Comparison of the Australian, African and South American Apparent Polar Wander Paths (APWP) suggests that mean Permian and Triassic poles from West Gondwana, particularly from South America, are biased by remagnetization in the Jurassic-Cretaceous and that the Late Palaeozoic-Mesozoic APWP for Gondwana is best defined by Australian data. The Australian APWP exhibits substantial movement through the Mesozoic. Provided only that the time-averaged palaeofield was zonal, the Early Triassic palaeomagnetic data from Australia provide an important palaeogeographic constraint that the south geographic pole was within, or very close to, SE Australia around 240 Ma. The new Early Permian poles are apparently more consistent

Tectonic control in source rock maturation and oil migration in Trinidad

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Persad, K.M.; Talukdar, S.C.; Dow, W.G. (DGSI, The Woodlands, TX (United States))

1993-02-01

Oil accumulation in Trinidad were sourced by the Upper Cretaceous calcareous shales deposited along the Cretaceous passive margin of northern South America. Maturation of these source rocks, oil generation, migration and re-migration occurred in a foreland basin setting that resulted from interaction between Caribbean and South American plates during Late Oligocene to recent times. During Middle Miocene-Recent times, the foreland basin experienced strong compressional events, which controlled generation, migration, and accumulation of oil in Trinidad. A series of mature source rock kitchens formed in Late Miocene-Recent times in the Southern and Colombus Basins to the east-southeast of the Central Range Thrust. This thrust and associated fratured developed around 12 m.y.b.p. and served as vertical migration paths for the oil generated in Late Miocene time. This oil migrated into submarine fans deposited in the foreland basin axis and older reservoirs deformed into structural traps. Further generation and migration of oil, and re-migration of earlier oil took place during Pliocene-Holocene times, when later thrusting and wrench faulting served as vertical migration paths. Extremely high sedimentation rates in Pliocene-Pleistocene time, concurrent with active faulting, was responsible for very rapid generation of oil and gas. Vertically migrating gas often mixed with earlier migrated oil in overlying reservoirs. This caused depletion of oil in light hydrocarbons with accompanied fractionation among hydrocarbon types resulting in heavier oil in lower reservoirs, enrichment of light hydrocarbons and accumulation of gas-condensates in upper reservoirs. This process led to an oil-gravity stratification within about 10,000 ft of section.

Geochemical studies based in microconstituent elements of oils, betuminous shales and its extracts from Parana Basin, Brazil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clain, Almir Faria

1997-01-01

Petroleum contains a high number of elements, considered as microconstituents, once they contribute with less than 1 % of its constitution. The concentration of those elements in the petroleum is very low, because it varies from ng/g to μg/g, therefore the use of sensitive and multielemental techniques is essential for their determination. The objective of this work is to determine the concentration of 46 microconstituent elements in organic extracts from the betuminous shales of the Irati Formation, and correlate oils from Paraná Basin, Brazil, using the instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) techniques. Aspects associated with origin, secondary migration, oil age, pH and E h values, and the redox conditions in the depositional environment of the organic matter are discussed. The concentration behavior of the microconstituent elements is presented using statistical techniques of multivariate analysis The determined oil concentration was about 10% and 0.14-0.91% for the reservoir rocks and organic extracts from source rocks, respectively. The concentration values of the elements in oils trended to decrease with the atomic number, ranging from 5-166 μg/g for AI, 24-238 for Fe and 0.0007-0.38 for U. For some elements, which are organically bound to oil, the results were 0.48-39 μg/g to V, 4.4-28 μg/g for Ni and 0.13-27 μg/g for Mo. The concentration values in oils and organic extracts samples presented a statistic distribution almost log-normal for most of determined elements. The concentration ratios U/Th and V/Cr are representative of paleo-redox condition index. (author)

Oil and gas in China: The door opens wider to international oil companies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tao, Wang

1993-01-01

This paper reviews new incentives offered by the China National Petroleum Corporation to help develop China's oil and gas fields. The initial offer for bids by foreign investors is for exploration and joint development contracts for western China's Tarim basin. However, the expansion to other basins and areas of China is well underway. It also discusses a pipeline project which will be connect the western China oil and gas fields with the eastern markets, approximately 2,200 miles. A historical review of the oil and gas production and utilization of China is presented along with forecasts of future production. It also provides estimates of gas and oil reserves and information on enhanced recovery techniques used to maintain a stable production level. The second half of the paper is an interview with Dr. Wang Tao, a PhD graduate of Moscow's Petroleum Institute, and president of the China National Petroleum Corporation. He reviews the government policies with regards to foreign investment in his country

The Nature of Temporally Variable Methane Emissions at Oil and Natural Gas Operations in the Eagle Ford Basin

Science.gov (United States)