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Thesis Sequence Stratigraphic Distribution THESIS SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF COAL-BEARING ROCKS FROM THE MESAVERDE GROUP IN THE EASTERNMOST ATLANTIC RIM OF THE WASHAKIE BASIN, WYOMING Submitted by Jeffrey M. Dereume Department of Geosciences In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the Degree of Master of Science Colorado State University Fort Collins, Colorado Fall 2010 COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY August 25, 2010 WE HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER OUR SUPERVISION BY JEFFREY M. DEREUME ENTITLED SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF COAL-BEARING ROCKS FROM THE MESAVERDE GROUP IN THE EASTERNMOST ATLANTIC RIM OF THE WASHAKIE BASIN, WYOMING BE ACCEPTED AS FULFILLING IN PART REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE. Committee on Graduate work _________________________________________ Joseph C. von Fischer _________________________________________ Dennis L. Harry _________________________________________ Advisor: Sven O. Egenhoff _________________________________________ Department Head: Sally Sutton ii ABSTRACT OF THESIS SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF COAL-BEARING ROCKS FROM THE MESAVERDE GROUP IN THE EASTERNMOST ATLANTIC RIM OF THE WASHAKIE BASIN, WYOMING Coals occur in various levels of the siliciclastic Campanian upper Mesaverde Group in the Atlantic Rim area, Washakie Basin, south central Wyoming. This unit consists of continental, delta, and offshore facies showing several orders of internal cyclic architecture. At least five large-scale cycles form the upper part of the Mesaverde Group, internally arranged in stacks of up to five medium-scale cycles that are in turn subdivided into a maximum of five small- scale cycles. These cycles reflect million-year to Milankovitch-type sea-level fluctuations causing trans- and regression of varying magnitude, within an overall transgressive regime. Coals developed preferentially in paralic and lower coastal plain environments in the Atlantic Rim in relative proximity to a nearby delta. The position closest to the shoreline was occupied by coal-rich mudstones reflecting siliciclastic input from the delta and the sea during floods. Both coals and coal- rich siliciclastic mudstones occur during all stages of a sea-level curve. While previous models suggested a preferential accumulation of coals during early iii transgressions, a peak in coal frequency characterizes early regressive sediments within the Mesaverde Group in the Atlantic Rim. This is believed to be the result of a heightened water table during early regressions promoting anoxic swamp and marsh environments, and frequent flooding of floodplains forming an ideal setting for accumulation of organic matter. The lateral continuity of Mesaverde coals is also positively influenced by development within paralic settings. Many of the most correlative coal seams in the Atlantic Rim occur within close stratigraphic proximity and/or lateral to marine deposits. Integrating a sequence stratigraphic framework into the upper Mesaverde Group significantly enhances prediction patterns of coaly rocks by constraining their stratigraphic and lateral distributions. Clay- and silt-bearing organic-rich mudstones mark the transition from continental to marine facies, while pure coals only occur at a distance from the shoreline. The overall transgressive nature of the upper part of the Mesaverde Group reveals a highly diachronous facies distribution within the Washakie Basin. A significantly thicker coal-bearing interval characterizes the southern part, while successions further north show abundant mudstones, representing an overall earlier transition to marine conditions. Jeffrey M. Dereume Department of Geosciences Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 80523 Fall 2010 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Warren Resources Inc., and the Warner College of Natural Resources Geosciences Department for their financial and technical support. I would also like to acknowledge Anadarko staff members Ana Meyer, Andy Taylor, Troy Beserra, and Russell Stands-Over- Bull for their continuous direction and assistance, as well as the Anadarko field personnel in Rawlins, Wyoming for making fieldwork possible. I am very grateful to my committee Dr. Sven Egenhoff, Dr. Dennis Harry, and Dr. Joe von Fischer for all the help and supervision they have offered me. I am especially grateful to my advisor Dr. Sven Egenhoff who accompanied me on numerous field trips, provided critical insight, and conducted countless edits and corrections. A special thanks to my field assistants Dale Hernandez and Patrick Boyle, the Colorado State sedimentology working group including Ali Jaffri, Aaron Van Dolah, Chris Cassle, Khaled Amrouni, Warren Newby and Zach Wessel, and to my family whose support and guidance has shaped the person that I am. Finally, I would like to thank my girlfriend Kathryn, who not only helped with editing and formatting, but also provided endless love, patience, and encouragement when it was needed the most. v This thesis is dedicated in loving memory to my father August John Dereume Jr., whose everlasting hard work and positive attitude has set the standard for which I strive to live my life. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS SIGNATURE PAGE………………………………………………………………… ii ABSTRACT OF THESIS.................................................................................... iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................. v DEDICATION..................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 2 GEOLOGICAL SETTING 2.1 GENERAL ASPECTS AND TECTONIC EVOLUTION................. 7 2.2 DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENTS............................................. 10 2.3 STRATIGRAPHY AND BASIN FILL............................................. 12 CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY......................................................................... 17 CHAPTER 4 SEDIMENTOLOGY OF THE MESAVERDE GROUP 4.1 INTRODUCTION.......................................................................... 21 4.2 FACIES DESCRIPTION AND INTERPRETATION...................... 21 4.3 FACIES ASSOCIATIONS............................................................ 37 CHAPTER 5 STACKING PATTERNS AND DEPOSITIONAL MODEL 5.1 OVERALL FACIES ORGANIZATION.......................................... 43 5.2 DEPOSITIONAL MODEL............................................................. 49 vii CHAPTER 6 DISCUSSION 6.1 CORRELATION STRATEGY....................................................... 55 6.2 SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC FRAMEWORK........................... 58 6.3 SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF COAL- BEARING ROCKS........................................................................ 62 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSIONS............................................................................ 66 BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................ 70 APPENDIX I…………………………………………………………………………. 77 APPENDIX II………………………………………………………………………… 82 APPENDIX III………………………………………………………………………... 87 APPENDIX IV………………………………………………………………………... 94 APPENDIX V………………………………………………………………………… 96 viii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION The Mesaverde Group of south-central Wyoming represents a succession of Upper Cretaceous strata that has recently become one of the most prominent new coalbed methane plays in the Rocky Mountain region (Cross, 1986; Lamarre and Ruhl, 2004; Livingston, 1982; Martinsen, 1993). Deposited landward of, and at the margins of the Western Interior Cretaceous Seaway, this succession contains transgressive-regressive cycles that are the product of tectonically and glacially-induced sea-level fluctuations (Glass, 1980; Livingston, 1982; Neuendorf, 1997). These changes have resulted in stratigraphic sequences that are proven to contain significant accumulations of methane-bearing coal source and reservoir rocks (Garcia-Gonzalez et al., 1996; Levey, 1985; Nummedal et al., 2002). The unconventional gas play covers 275 square miles of the 3,000 square mile Washakie Basin, targeting potential coals and carbonaceous shales of the Allen Ridge, Pine Ridge Sandstone, and Almond Formations of the Mesaverde Group. The stratigraphic accumulations of thermogenic and biogenic gas within this play have led to drilling and producing methane gas from fully saturated coals and carbonaceous shales of this area (Lamarre and Ruhl, 2004; Rice and Claypool, 1981; Tyler et al., 1992). 1 A detailed sedimentological model is needed in order to reassess and delineate marine versus nonmarine paleoconditions during Upper Cretaceous deposition of the Mesaverde Group. Numerous studies over the past few decades have returned ambiguous results, and a greater understanding is necessary to create predictive patterns for the formation and accumulation of coal-forming peat (Asquith, 1974; Ayers, 2002; Cobb and Cecil, 1993; Emery and Myers, 1996; Levey, 1985; Lewis, 1961; Livingston, 1982; McCord, 1984; Newman, 1981; Roehler, 1992; Roehler, 1990; Weimer, 1965; Weimer, 1966). Additionally, a sequence stratigraphic framework needs to be created in order to understand the stratigraphic occurrence and distribution of coaly rocks within transgressive-regressive cycles (Bohacs, 1997; Cross, 1988; Embry, 2002). Current concepts envision that wide continental shelves which are successively flooded during initial transgression are ideal sites for accumulation and preservation of organic material (Cross,
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