Williston Basin Is a Large Geologic Feature of North America That Covers More Than 300,000 Square Miles

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The Williston Basin is a large geologic feature of North America that covers more than 300,000 square miles. Subsidence of the basin for the past 550+ million years has allowed for the accumulation of nearly EAST CROSS SECTION OF 16,000 feet of sedimentary rock near the basin center in western North Dakota. The wealth of natural resources in the Williston Basin is the product of the geologic history of the region. For example, organic material deposited in the shallow seas that repeatedly covered the area has been transformed into oil and gas. In more recent geologic time, large swamps bordering rivers accumulated thick layers of vegetation that were later buried by sediments and slowly converted to lignite coal. WILLISTON BASIN Each activity at the EERC that focuses on the subsurface is developed with a combination of local, state, and federal investment to ensure North Dakota’s resources are used in a wise, safe, and sustainable manner. WEST

67-million-year-old Triceratops skull was

MONTANA excavated in 1964 and

NORTH DAKOTA is on display at UND. MISSOURI 0' RIVER 75-million-year-old Mosasaur KVLY MINNESOTA

COAL NORTH DAKOTA TERTIARY was excavated in 1995. Tower PROTECTED 2063’ RED DRINKING RIVER WATER

CRETACEOUS SEA LEVEL

JURASSIC 5000' TRIASSIC & PERMIAN PERMIAN

MISSISSIPPIAN

DEVONIAN Vertical Exaggeration SILURIAN Relative to its width, the Williston Basin is fairly shallow. To show detail in the vertical 10,000' ORDOVICIAN dimension as depicted in this poster, the basin depth has been vertically exaggerated UPPER CAMBRIAN by a factor of 30. If the vertical and horizontal scales were the same (i.e., no vertical exaggeration), the basin would only be this tall.

GEOLOGIC 15,000' TIME LINE

600 MILLION YEARS AGO 500 400 300 200 100 0 PRECAMBRIAN CAMBRIAN ORDOVICIAN SILURIAN DEVONIAN MISSISSIPPIAN PENNSYLVANIAN PERMIAN TRIASSIC JURASSIC CRETACEOUS TERTIARY

PALEOZOIC MESOZOIC CENOZOIC

Oldest Sedimentary Rocks in Sediments of the Mass Extinction Coal Humans Williston Basin Bakken Formation Arrive Sediments of the Main Saltwater Mass Extinction Deposited Oil Generation Begins in Red River Formation Disposal Target Red River Formation Oil Generation Begins in Deposited Formation Bakken Formation EOR IN UNCONVENTIONAL RESERVOIRS The need to improve the productivity of a world-class oil PIPELINE SAFETY resource and a desire to manage CO2 emissions has led To assess and, ultimately, reduce to interest in the use of CO2 for enhanced oil recovery The EERC is working with pipeline spills, the North Dakota (EOR) and associated storage in the Bakken Formation. partners to assess the feasibility Legislature asked the EERC to provide The EERC is using advanced laboratory characterization of commercial-scale geologic guidance to state authorities on best methods to better understand and quantify the storage of CO2 emissions practices in liquids gathering pipeline geologic factors that control CO2 and oil mobility and captured from coal-based energy installation and operations. The EERC determine the CO2 permeation and oil extraction rates facilities. The research is part of now manages a consortium of pipeline in the organic-rich shales of the Bakken. an ongoing effort to ensure clean, operators that focuses on and funds affordable energy and the wise new technology development targeting CO2 STORAGE use of North Dakota’s resources. small-diameter, highly networked RARE-EARTH ELEMENTS liquids gathering pipelines. MONTANA CEDAR CREE NORT DAOTA ANTICLINE BILLINS NOSE YELLOWSTONE RIVER NESSON ANTICLINE 0' MISSOURI RIVER COAL

T UNION M TERTIARY

PROTECTED PIERRE M PEMBINA BULLION CREE M DRININ MINNESOTA

ESCARPMENT NORT DAOTA WATER NIOBRARA M RED RIVER CARLILE M EERC ELL CREE M O ILLS M

INYAN ARA M SEA LEVEL CRETACEOUS SUBSURFACE PIERRE M ACTIVITIES NIOBRARA M

CARLILE M

REENORN M JURASSIC BELLE OURCE M MOWRY M 5000' NEWCASTLE M DAOTA TRIASSIC & PERMIAN SULL CREE M ROUP INYAN ARA M PERMIAN

SWIT M

RIERDON M PIPER M DUNAM SALT MISSISSIPPIAN PINE SALT OPECE SALT

SPEARIS M

MINNEATA M OPECE M BROOM CREE M AMSDEN M TYLER M DEVONIAN CARLES SALT BI SNOWY ROUP

CARLES M SILURIAN

MADISON MISSION CANYON M ROUP ORDOVICIAN LODEPOLE M 10,000'

BAEN M TREE ORS M UPPER CAMBRIAN SALTWATER DISPOSAL BIRDBEAR M DUPEROW M PRAIRIE SALT SOURIS RIVER M DAWSON BAY M PRAIRIE M For more information about this or any of our other WINNIPEOSIS M exciting projects, contact:

INTERLAE M Nikki Massmann | Director of Communications 701.777.5428 | [email protected] STONY MTN M STONEWALL M Energy & Environmental Research Center RED RIVER M

WINNIPE M University of North Dakota 15 North 23rd Street, Stop 9018

OILASPRODUCIN ONES DEADWOOD M Grand Forks, ND 58202-9018 15,000' EOR IN CONVENTIONAL FIELDS undeerc.org