Integration of regional gravity modeling, subsidence analysis, and source rock maturity data to understand the tectonic and hydrocarbon evolution of the Permian Basin, west Texas

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-65
Author(s):  
Hualing Zhang ◽  
Paul Mann ◽  
Dale E. Bird ◽  
Kurt Rudolph
Keyword(s):  
Source Rock ◽  
Cross Sections ◽  
The United States ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Gravity Models ◽  
Gravity Modeling ◽  
Late Paleozoic ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
West Texas ◽  
Subsidence Analysis

The Permian Basin of west Texas and southeast New Mexico is currently the most prolific oil-producing basin in the United States. This region experienced deformation and extreme rates of subsidence (up to 500 m/my), especially during the Late Paleozoic. To investigate the larger-scale crustal geometry of the Permian Basin, its tectonic evolution, and the distribution of its most productive late Paleozoic source rocks, we created regional 2D and 3D gravity models that incorporate density and lithological controls from wireline logs, published seismic refractions, and regional cross-sections. These gravity models better define a regional northeast-trending gravity low called the Abilene gravity minimum (AGM) that underlies the northern Permian Basin. We infer this feature to be underlain by a low-density assemblage of Precambrian granitic and metasedimentary rocks. Structural inversion from the gravity model shows that the top of both the lower crust and the Moho is presently depressed beneath the AGM. Subsidence analysis defines five tectonic phases from Cambrian to recent with maximum subsidence during the main, late Paleozoic deformational phase resulting in deposition of sediments up to 2.4 km thick. We propose that the geo-body under the AGM acted as a zone of preferential weakness in a “broken foreland basin” setting that accommodated regional shortening related to the Marathon orogeny and to other coeval orogenies along the Sonoran margin and Nevadan margin. Our new regional map of top basement defines the limits of deep basinal areas that may host the most productive and thermally mature, late Paleozoic source rock kitchens – some of which are localized in depocenters controlled in part by syn-collisional, left-lateral strike-slip faults which align with the edges of the AGM. Our results show a deeper basement ranging from 5.5 to 6.2 km in the Delaware basin that predicts a broader zone of source rock thermal maturity.

U-Pb ages of detrital zircons in lower Permian sandstone and siltstone of the Permian Basin, west Texas, USA: Evidence of dominant Gondwanan and peri-Gondwanan sediment input to Laurentia

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 245-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Liu ◽  
Daniel F. Stockli
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Central America ◽  
Detrital Zircon ◽  
The United States ◽  
Detrital Zircons ◽  
Sediment Provenance ◽  
Early Permian ◽  
Permian Basin ◽  
Sediment Routing ◽  
West Texas

Abstract The Permian Basin of west Texas, one of the most economically significant hydrocarbon basins in the United States, formed along the southwest margin of Laurentia in the foreland of the Ouachita-Marathon orogen during the late Paleozoic. While its stratigraphic record temporally coincides with syn- and post-orogenic Ouachita-Marathon sedimentation, sediment provenance, sediment routing and dispersal, and paleo-drainage evolution have remained controversial. This study presents more than 2000 new detrital zircon U-Pb ages from 16 samples across the Permian Basin to elucidate early Permian sediment provenance and basin-fill evolution. The data show that Wolfcampian sandstones are dominated by 950–1070 Ma and 500–700 Ma detrital zircon U-Pb ages, whereas Leonardian sandstones and siltstones are dominated by 500–700 Ma and 280–480 Ma detrital zircon U-Pb ages. Most of these age clusters are not typical Laurentian basement ages, but rather indicative of a southern Gondwanan and peri-Gondwanan sources of Mexico and Central America. This interpretation is corroborated by zircons with peri-Gondwanan and Gondwanan rim-core relationships, as well as major age components of euhedral zircons, matching Maya block basement ages. Regional comparison of these new detrital zircon results with published data from Carboniferous and Permian sedimentary rocks in various terranes of Mexico and Central America, Appalachian foreland basins, Ouachita orogenic belt, midcontinent of United States, and Fort Worth Basin (Texas), indicates that most sediment influx to the Permian Basin during the early Permian (Wolfcampian and Leonardian) was derived from basement or recycled upper Paleozoic strata associated with Gondwanan and peri-Gondwanan terranes in modern Mexico and Central America. North American basements such as the Appalachian Grenville (950–1300 Ma), Granite-Rhyolite (1300–1500 Ma), and Yavapai-Mazatzal (1600–1800 Ma) provinces, appear to have provided only minor amounts of sediment. In light of depositional age constraints, the timing of Marathon-Ouachita collision, and careful detrital zircon U-Pb age spectra comparison, the sediment provenance shift from Wolfcampian to Leonardian points to a diachronous, oblique continent-continent collision between Gondwana/peri-Gondwanan terranes and Laurentia.

scholarly journals Significance and evolution characteristics of the isobutane/n-butane ratio of natural gas

2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 494-518
Author(s):  
Nian Liu ◽  
Nansheng Qiu ◽  
Zhenming Li ◽  
Chuan Cai ◽  
Xinjie Shan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Gas ◽  
Mathematical Models ◽  
Source Rock ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
The United States ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Initial Increase ◽  
Gas Field ◽  
Gas Source ◽  
Carbonium Ion

In previous studies, two conflicting conclusions existed, which were: (a) the isobutane/n-butane ratio of natural gas increases with the increasing maturity (Ro) of source rocks and (b) decreases with the increasing Ro. In this paper, the correlations between the isobutane/n-butane ratios, dryness of natural gases, and the Ro values of source rocks of 77 gas samples from Cretaceous and Tertiary in Kuqa Depression, Tarim Basin, Triassic Xujiahe Formation in central Sichuan Basin, Carboniferous–Permian in Sulige and Yulin gas field, Ordos Basin, China, and 80 shale gas samples from Mississippian Barnett Shale in the Fort Worth Basin, the United States are analyzed to reveal the evolution of the isobutane/n-butane ratios, then mathematical models of the isobutane/n-butane ratios and Ro are attempted to be established. Results show that the isobutane/n-butane ratio initially increases and then decreases with increasing Ro, both coal-derived gas and oil-type gas. Diverse types of kerogens may be responsible for the different corresponding Ro values when the isobutane/n-butane ratios of gases reach their maximum values. The initial increase in the isobutane/n-butane ratios with increasing Ro is the reason that isobutane is mainly generated at a higher rate by carbonium ion reaction of α-olefins with protons during kerogen primary cracking at lower maturity, whereas free radical reactions to form n-butane relatively quickly during oil cracking at higher maturity and isobutane cracked at a higher rate during the wet gas cracking stage may result in the terminal decreases in the isobutane/n-butane ratios. Besides, mathematical models of the isobutane/n-butane ratios of different types of natural gas and maturity are established. Therefore, the maturity of gas source rock can be obtained quickly based on the models using the isobutane/n-butane ratio combined with other component information (such as dryness, wetness, etc.), which is of great significance to the characterization of natural gas maturity and gas source rock correlation.

Oil to Source Rock Correlation Using Biomarker Data Through Pattern Matching and Fingerprinting Analysis in “Kitkat” Field, Jabung Block, South Sumatra Basin

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S., R. Muthasyabiha
Keyword(s):  
Pattern Matching ◽  
Source Rock ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Maturity Level ◽  
Fingerprinting Analysis ◽  
Kerogen Type ◽  
Oil Characteristics ◽  
Biomarker Data

Geochemical analysis is necessary to enable the optimization of hydrocarbon exploration. In this research, it is used to determine the oil characteristics and the type of source rock candidates that produces hydrocarbon in the “KITKAT” Field and also to understand the quality, quantity and maturity of proven source rocks. The evaluation of source rock was obtained from Rock-Eval Pyrolysis (REP) to determine the hydrocarbon type and analysis of the value of Total Organic Carbon (TOC) was performed to know the quantity of its organic content. Analysis of Tmax value and Vitrinite Reflectance (Ro) was also performed to know the maturity level of the source rock samples. Then the oil characteristics such as the depositional environment of source rock candidate and where the oil sample develops were obtained from pattern matching and fingerprinting analysis of Biomarker data GC/GCMS. Moreover, these data are used to know the correlation of oil to source rock. The result of source rock evaluation shows that the Talangakar Formation (TAF) has all these parameters as a source rock. Organic material from Upper Talangakar Formation (UTAF) comes from kerogen type II/III that is capable of producing oil and gas (Espitalie, 1985) and Lower Talangakar Formation (LTAF) comes from kerogen type III that is capable of producing gas. All intervals of TAF have a quantity value from very good–excellent considerable from the amount of TOC > 1% (Peters and Cassa, 1994). Source rock maturity level (Ro > 0.6) in UTAF is mature–late mature and LTAF is late mature–over mature (Peters and Cassa, 1994). Source rock from UTAF has deposited in the transition environment, and source rock from LTAF has deposited in the terrestrial environment. The correlation of oil to source rock shows that oil sample is positively correlated with the UTAF.

SARS-CoV-2 and The Case for Empirical Treatment (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard P Bartlett ◽  
Alexandria Watkins
Keyword(s):  
Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Type Ii Diabetes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Type Ii Diabetes Mellitus ◽  
Outpatient Setting ◽  
Empirical Treatment ◽  
Residual Effects ◽  
Type Ii ◽  
West Texas

UNSTRUCTURED Background: This is an outpatient case study that examines two patients in the United States with unique cases that involve oncology, hypertension, Type II Diabetes Mellitus, and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), also known as COVID-19. This case study involves two patients in the outpatient setting - treated via telemedicine, with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in the West Texas region between March 29th, 2020, and May 14th, 2020. Case Report: The first patient is a 63-year-old female, non-smoker, who is diagnosed with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (2012) and Primary Cutaneous Marginal Zone Lymphoma (2020) and the second patient is a 38-year-old male, non-smoker, who has the following comorbidities: Type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM), hypertension, and gout. Both patients were empirically started on budesonide 0.5mg nebulizer twice daily, clarithromycin (Biaxin) 500mg tab twice daily for ten days, Zinc 50mg tab twice daily, and aspirin 81mg tab daily. Both patients have fully recovered with no residual effects. Conclusion: The goal is to call attention to the success of proactive, early empirical treatment, combining a classic corticosteroid (budesonide) administered via a nebulizer and an oral macrolide antibiotic known as clarithromycin (Biaxin).

A TALE OF TWO LATE PALEOZOIC ARCS: EVIDENCE FROM VOLCANIC ASH GEOCHEMISTRY IN THE MIDLAND BASIN, WEST TEXAS

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hepeng Tian ◽  
◽  
Majie Fan ◽  
Lowell Waite ◽  
Robert J. Stern ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Volcanic Ash ◽  
Late Paleozoic ◽  
Midland Basin ◽  
West Texas
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document