Upper Pennsylvanian Stratigraphy and Facies Analysis in the Wolf Camp Hills, West Texas
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UPPER PENNSYLVANIAN STRATIGRAPHY AND FACIES ANALYSIS IN THE WOLF CAMP HILLS, WEST TEXAS A Thesis by JAKE KARL SLEIGHT Submitted to the Office of Graduate and Professional Studies of Texas A&M University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Chair of Committee, Juan Carlos Laya Co-Chair of Committee, Art Donovan Committee Members, Michael Pope Sara Abedi Head of Department, Julie Newman May 2021 Major Subject: Geology Copyright 2021 Jake Sleight ABSTRACT The Latest Pennsylvanian to Early Permian strata of the Cisco and Wolfcamp Groups, were deposited across the Greater Permian Basin and outcrop at the base of the Glass Mountains, as a series of low-lying hills in Pecos and Brewster Counties. Known as the Wolf Camp Hills, these outcrops, which are the type locality of the Wolfcamp Group, also provide a window to examine strata of the underlying Pennsylvanian Gaptank Supergroup, which is equivalent to the Canyon and Cisco Groups in the subsurface. Most importantly, however, these outcrops, which have not been studied in detail in over 50 years, provide seismic-scale exposures to study the stratal geometries within the Cisco and Wolfcamp Groups, as well as the opportunity to define the Cisco/Wolfcamp boundary based on stratal terminations and modern sequence stratigraphic methodologies. By leveraging modern drone photography, in conjunction with traditional field methods, the Cisco/Wolfcamp boundary was recognized as a tectonically-enhanced angular unconformity marked by truncation of Cisco (Gaptank) strata below and onlap of Wolfcamp strata above. Within the underlying Cisco (Gaptank) succession, a series of high-frequency sequences were also defined. Within these high-frequency sequences, the interpreted lowstands are marked by the onset siliciclastics and sediment gravity flows, while the carbonate-prone transgressive and highstands, are dominated shallowing-upward into high-energy carbonate shoals containing phylloid algal mounds. The lensoidal asymmetry of these phylloid algal mounds suggests limited accommodation space during deposition and within them, four growth phases are recognized. ii DEDICATION I should thank my wife, Corey Sleight, for making sure my belly was always full, and for putting up with my nonsense and my busy weekends. She is the real hero in this tale. Also, big shout out to my pups, Koda and Lainy, for dragging me out of the house and taking me for walks. The vet said I needed the exercise. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This research was funded by the Unconventional Reservoir and Outcrop Characterization (UROC) Consortium in the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University. We would like to thank our industry partners, Exxon Mobil, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips, Oasis, and University Lands, for funding graduate and undergraduate researchers involved in this study. Additionally, we would like to recognize EasyCopy, for their student licensing and making EasyCore available for outcrop descriptions. We would like to especially thank Johnny Rebler and Conner Sullivan, for without them, field and lab work would still be in progress. Additionally, we would like to recognize Maria Gutierrez and Ben Richards whose research is intimately linked to this study and have been essential contributors. iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES Contributors This work was supervised by a thesis committee consisting of Professors Juan Carlos Laya, Art Donovan, and Michael Pope of the Department of Geology and Geophysics and Sara Abedi of the Department of Petroleum Engineering. All other work for this thesis was completed by the student independently Funding Sources Graduate study was supported by the Unconventional Reservoir and Outcrop Characterization (UROC) Consortium within the Berg-Hughes Center of the College of Geosciences at Texas A&M University. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ............................................................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES .......................................................................... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................... vi LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... xiii 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................. 1 2 GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................................................... 9 2.1 Previous Work .................................................................................................................. 9 2.2 The Base of the Wolfcamp and Its Ever-Changing Position and Age ............................. 9 2.3 Canyon and Cisco Groups (“Gaptank Supergroup”) ..................................................... 13 2.4 Tectonics ........................................................................................................................ 16 3 METHODS ........................................................................................................................... 21 3.1 Measured Sections.......................................................................................................... 21 3.2 Hand-Held Gamma Ray ................................................................................................. 21 3.3 Sampling and Petrography ............................................................................................. 21 3.4 X-Ray Diffraction .......................................................................................................... 22 3.5 Aerial Photography Mapping ......................................................................................... 22 4 RESULTS ............................................................................................................................. 24 4.1 X-Ray Diffraction .......................................................................................................... 24 4.2 Spectral Gamma Ray ...................................................................................................... 26 4.3 Facies .............................................................................................................................. 26 4.3.1 Microbial Nodular Mudstone/Wackestone ............................................................. 28 vi 4.3.2 Brecciated Carbonate Mudstone/Wackestone ........................................................ 28 4.3.3 Fusulinid Crinoidal Wackestone/Packstone ........................................................... 30 4.3.4 Phylloid Algal Skeletal Wackestone/Packstone ..................................................... 30 4.3.5 Phylloid Algal Skeletal Boundstone ....................................................................... 30 4.3.6 Crinoidal Packstone/Grainstone (Encrinite) ........................................................... 30 4.3.7 Fusulinid Skeletal Grainstone ................................................................................. 31 4.3.8 Oolitic/Peloidal Grainstone ..................................................................................... 31 4.3.9 Crystalline Dolomite ............................................................................................... 31 4.3.10 Polymict Carbonate Conglomerate ......................................................................... 33 4.3.11 Polymict Carbonate Breccia ................................................................................... 33 4.3.12 Sandstone ................................................................................................................ 33 4.3.13 Siliciclastic Mudstone/Shale ................................................................................... 33 4.4 Thickness, Lateral Variation, Geobody Shape, and Depositional Architecture ............. 38 5 DISCUSSION ....................................................................................................................... 40 5.1 Facies Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy ................................................................... 40 5.1.1 Depositional Profile ................................................................................................ 40 5.1.2 Sequence Development and Depositional Architecture ......................................... 42 5.1.3 Depositional Sequence H ........................................................................................ 44 5.1.4 Depositional Sequence I ......................................................................................... 45 5.1.5 Depositional Sequence J ......................................................................................... 50 5.1.6 Wolfcamp 01 Depositional Sequence ..................................................................... 54 5.2 Phases of Phylloid Algal Mound Construction .............................................................. 59 5.3 Sequence Scale, Duration, and