Geochemistry of Natural Gases of the Anadarko Basin
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Chapter 4 Geochemistry of Natural Gases of the Anadarko Basin Click here to return to Volume Title Page By Geoffrey S. Ellis Chapter 4 of 13 Petroleum Systems and Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas in the Anadarko Basin Province, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas—USGS Province 58 Compiled by Debra K. Higley U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS–69–EE U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior SALLY JEWELL, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey Suzette M. Kimball, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2014 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod To order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Ellis, G.S., 2014, Geochemistry of natural gases of the Anadarko Basin, chap. 4, in Higley, D.K., compiler, Petroleum systems and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas in the Anadarko Basin Province, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas—USGS Province 58: U.S. Geological Survey Digital Data Series DDS–69–EE, 31 p., http://dx.doi.org/10.3133/ds69EE. ISSN 2327-638X (online) iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Geologic Setting and Gas Geochemistry ...................................................................................................1 Methods...........................................................................................................................................................3 Gas Sample Collection .........................................................................................................................3 Analytical Techniques ..........................................................................................................................3 Results .............................................................................................................................................................5 Gas Molecular Composition ................................................................................................................5 Stable Isotopic Composition ...............................................................................................................6 Discussion .....................................................................................................................................................24 Central Anadarko Basin .....................................................................................................................26 Panhandle Hugoton Field ..................................................................................................................27 Sooner Trend .......................................................................................................................................28 Central Kansas Uplift ..........................................................................................................................28 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................................28 Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................................29 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................29 Figures 1. Map showing the locations of the Anadarko Basin Province (red line on inset map) and the interpretive regions used in this study: central Anadarko Basin (red line), Panhandle-Hugoton field (green line), Sooner trend (blue line), and central Kansas uplift (yellow line). The boundaries of the interpretive regions are modified from Rice and others (1988b) and Jenden and others (1988). The well locations for the gas geochemistry data used in this study are shown as black circles ...............................2 2. Generalized stratigraphic column for the Anadarko Basin Province with oil and gas source rocks highlighted (red text). Greater source rock potential is indicated by larger numbers. The expected hydrocarbons header indicates whether the source rock is more oil- or gas-prone (Burruss and Hatch, 1989; J. Hatch, oral communication, 2010). Vertical lines show a generalized time range of unconformity from Bebout and others (1993, fig. 5). Gp., Group; Fm., Formation ...............4 3. Plot of the stable carbon isotopic composition of methane, ethane, and propane versus the reciprocal of the carbon number of the hydrocarbon species. Data are average values for each of the interpretive regions of the study area. Heavy black lines indicate the expected trends for thermogenic and abiogenic sources of hydrocarbon gases. Microbial gases have isotopically depleted methane compositions as shown by the arrow .....................................................................................24 4. Plot of the stable carbon versus the stable hydrogen isotopic composition of methane. Note that stable hydrogen isotopic data for methane are not available for all of the gases in this study. Assoc. Gas, oil associated natural gas ...............................25 5. Plot of the gas wetness (ΣC2+/ΣC1+C2+) versus the stable carbon isotopic composition of methane ............................................................................................................26 iv Tables 1. Molecular compositional data (in mole percent) for natural gases from the Anadarko Basin Province by region ..........................................................................................6 2. Molecular and stable isotopic composition of gases from the central Anadarko Basin ...............................................................................................................................................7 3. Molecular and stable isotopic composition of gases from the Panhandle Hugoton region of the Anadarko Basin Province ..................................................................................16 4. Molecular and stable isotopic composition of gases from the Sooner trend region of the Anadarko Basin Province ..............................................................................................22 5. Molecular and stable isotopic composition of gases from the central Kansas uplift region of the Anadarko Basin Province ..................................................................................23 Geochemistry of Natural Gases of the Anadarko Basin By Geoffrey S. Ellis Abstract Anadarko Basin which is bounded by the Nemaha ridge to the east, the Amarillo-Wichita uplift to the south, and a broad shallow shelf (Hugoton embayment) to the west and northwest The sources and timing of natural gas generation as well of the basin proper (Higley, 2014). The Anadarko Basin is one as the migration pathways that lead to the distribution of gas of the deepest basins on the North American craton, containing accumulations throughout the Anadarko Basin Province were in excess of 40,000 feet of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks (Ham investigated using a geochemical dataset from more than 400 and Wilson, 1967); it is also the setting for the Bertha Rogers natural gas wells. The molecular and stable isotopic composi- 1 well, which at a total depth of 31,441 feet (9,583 meters) is tion of the hydrocarbon gases indicate that there is no signifi- the deepest well ever drilled in the United States (Johnson and cant contribution of gas from abiogenic sources, and that the others, 1988). majority of the gases are derived from thermal maturation of Oil and gas development in the province dates back to the organic matter. Limited contributions from microbial sources early 1900s. It contains one of the largest commercial accu- may be possible in localized areas, but this is not thought to mulations of hydrocarbons in the United States (Petroleum be a significant source of gas in the province. The molecular Information Corporation, 1982); as of mid-2011, the Anadarko and stable carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of Basin Province has produced approximately 5 billion barrels the hydrocarbon gases indicate mature (oil window) to post of oil and 150 trillion cubic feet of natural gas (IHS Energy, mature (dry gas window) sources for gas generation, which 2011). In 2009, the Hugoton gas field was ranked the 9th larg- is consistent with the findings of previous studies. Gases est natural gas accumulation in the United States in terms of produced from the deepest reservoirs in the central Anadarko proved reserves (Energy Information Administration, 2010). Basin show evidence for