Suitability of River Delta Sediment As Proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015
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Prepared in cooperation with Midwest Region Initiative on Natural Sources of Fracture Sand Suitability of River Delta Sediment as Proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015 Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5105 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. Collecting capacitively coupled resistivity data on a sandbar complex, Missouri River. View is looking upstream with Standing Bear Bridge shown in background. Photograph by Chris Hobza, U.S. Geological Survey. Suitability of River Delta Sediment as Proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015 By Ronald B. Zelt, Christopher M. Hobza, Bethany L. Burton, Nathaniel J. Schaepe, and Nadine Piatak Prepared in cooperation with Midwest Region Initiative on Natural Sources of Fracture Sand Scientific Investigations Report 2017–5105 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior RYAN K. ZINKE, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey William H. Werkheiser, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2017 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 https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://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: Zelt, R.B., Hobza, C.M., Burton, B.L., Schaepe, N.J., and Piatak, Nadine, 2017, Suitability of river delta sediment as proppant, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, Nebraska and South Dakota, 2015: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investi- gations Report 2017–5105, 51 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20175105. ISSN 2328-0328 (online) iii Contents Abstract ...........................................................................................................................................................1 Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................2 Purpose and Scope ..............................................................................................................................5 Description of the Study Area ............................................................................................................5 Previous Studies ...................................................................................................................................7 Methods...........................................................................................................................................................8 Site Selection.........................................................................................................................................8 Missouri River Delta ....................................................................................................................8 Upstream Sources .......................................................................................................................8 Field Methods ......................................................................................................................................12 Surface-Geophysical Reconnaissance .................................................................................12 Overview of Resistivity Method ......................................................................................12 Capacitively Coupled Resistivity Methods ...................................................................12 Data Acquisition .......................................................................................................12 Data Processing and Inversion .............................................................................13 Missouri River Delta Sampling ................................................................................................14 Sampling Upstream Sources of Sand ....................................................................................14 Laboratory Methods ...........................................................................................................................15 Proppant Research Laboratory ...............................................................................................15 Mineralogy by X-Ray Diffraction .............................................................................................17 Data Analysis Methods ......................................................................................................................18 Proppant Size and Size Distribution .......................................................................................18 Proppant Shape .........................................................................................................................20 Proppant Strength .....................................................................................................................20 Bulk Density ................................................................................................................................21 Transportation Considerations ................................................................................................21 Other Considerations ................................................................................................................21 Quality Assurance and Quality Control ...........................................................................................22 Methods for Interlaboratory Comparison ..............................................................................22 Quality Assurance for U.S. Geological Survey Laboratory ........................................22 Quantification for Interlaboratory Comparison ............................................................23 Uncertainty Estimates from Sampling Replicates ................................................................23 Uncertainty Estimates from Interlaboratory Comparisons .................................................25 Other Quality-Assurance Review and Exploratory Data Analyses ...................................27 Suitability Assessment of River Delta Sediment ....................................................................................27 River Delta Sediment ..........................................................................................................................27 American Petroleum Institute 40/70 Dominant-Size Class .................................................29 American Petroleum Institute 70/140 Dominant-Size Class ...............................................29 Surface-Geophysical Reconnaissance ..........................................................................................32 Mineralogy ...........................................................................................................................................34 iv Suitability Assessment of Upstream Sources .........................................................................................35 Deposits Impounded by Spencer Dam ............................................................................................36 Results for Washed Sediment Samples .................................................................................36 Results for Dominant Proppant Size Class ............................................................................37 Sandbar Deposits along the Lower Niobrara River Downstream from Spencer Dam ...........37 Results for Washed Sediment Samples .................................................................................38 Downstream Trend from Spencer Dam to Eagle Creek..............................................38 Reach A—Where Medium Sand is Dominant ....................................................38 Reach B—Where Fine Sand is Dominant ...........................................................40 Reach C—Between Eagle Creek and Streamgaging Station 06465500 .........40 Reach D—At the Niobrara River Mouth ..............................................................40 Results for Dominant Proppant Size Class ............................................................................40 Reach A—Where Medium Sand is Dominant ....................................................41 Reach B—Where Fine Sand is Dominant ...........................................................41 Reach C—Between Eagle Creek and Streamgaging Station 06465500 .........41 Reach D—At the Niobrara River Mouth ..............................................................42 Summary and Conclusions .........................................................................................................................42 References Cited..........................................................................................................................................45 Glossary .........................................................................................................................................................51 v Figures 1. Map showing location of the study area, Missouri and Niobrara Rivers, and Lewis