Regional Stress Regime Study of East Texas Based on Orientation of Fractures in the Weches Formation
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Stephen F. Austin State University SFA ScholarWorks Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 4-2-2018 REGIONAL STRESS REGIME STUDY OF EAST TEXAS BASED ON ORIENTATION OF FRACTURES IN THE WECHES FORMATION Cory D. Ellison Stephen F Austin State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds Part of the Geology Commons, Geomorphology Commons, Geophysics and Seismology Commons, Sedimentology Commons, and the Tectonics and Structure Commons Tell us how this article helped you. Repository Citation Ellison, Cory D., "REGIONAL STRESS REGIME STUDY OF EAST TEXAS BASED ON ORIENTATION OF FRACTURES IN THE WECHES FORMATION" (2018). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 164. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/164 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by SFA ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SFA ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. REGIONAL STRESS REGIME STUDY OF EAST TEXAS BASED ON ORIENTATION OF FRACTURES IN THE WECHES FORMATION Creative Commons License This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License. This thesis is available at SFA ScholarWorks: https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/etds/164 REGIONAL STRESS REGIME STUDY OF EAST TEXAS BASED ON ORIENTATION OF FRACTURES IN THE WECHES FORMATION By CORY DEAN ELLISON, Bachelor of Science Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Stephen F. Austin State University In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements For the degree of Master of Science STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY May 2018 REGIONAL STRESS REGIME STUDY OF EAST TEXAS BASED ON ORIENTATION OF FRACTURES IN THE WECHES FORMATION By CORY DEAN ELLISON, Bachelor of Science APPROVED: __________________________________ Dr. Chris Barker, Thesis Director __________________________________ Dr. Wesley Brown, Committee Member __________________________________ Dr. LaRell Nielson, Committee Member __________________________________ Dr. Chris Aul, Committee Member ______________________________ Pauline Sampson, Ph.D. Dean of Research and Graduate Studies ABSTRACT Fractures in the Weches Formation in a roughly 50 mile radius around Nacogdoches, Texas were observed and measured at many outcrops. This data was used to infer the direction of maximum/minimum horizontal stresses that created the fractures. These joints are typically steeply dipping (700 – 900) and iron filled. Crack-seal formation, steep dip and a lack of shear movement suggests these fractures were predominantly opening mode joints. Slickenlines are visible on some fracture planes; however, their bearings show random orientation indicating unloading movement during erosion. Limonite veins and iron ledges are a late stage diagenetic event which indicates a late origin for fractures during exhumation. Orientation data of 540 fractures from 14 different outcrops show three main joint sets: N75-85W, N75-85E, and N40E. These sets persist over distances of up to 90 miles (145 km). The orientations are believed to be the result of Neogene to very recent tectonic stress states related to large scale deformational events including gulfward extension, salt movement in the East Texas Basin and possibly the Sabine Arch or basement faulting. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................... i LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................ xi LIST OF APPENDICES ....................................................................................... x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 1 Overview: Joints in East Texas ......................................................................... 1 Study Area ........................................................................................................ 5 Eastern Outcrops ............................................................................................ 6 Central Outcrops .......................................................................................... 13 Western Region ............................................................................................ 16 Northern Region ........................................................................................... 20 CHAPTER 2: STRATIGRAPHY ......................................................................... 24 The Weches Formation Depositional Setting................................................... 34 CHAPTER 3: STRUCTURAL SETTING ............................................................ 38 Overview.......................................................................................................... 38 East Texas Basin ............................................................................................. 45 Mexia-Talco Fault Zone ................................................................................... 52 Elkhart Graben – Mt. Enterprise Fault Zone .................................................... 55 Sabine Arch ..................................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER 4: STRESS REGIME AND FRACTURE ANALYSIS ....................... 69 Our understanding of joints.............................................................................. 69 Inferring stresses from natural fracture patterns .............................................. 69 Lineaments as stress indicators ...................................................................... 75 CHAPTER 5: ORIGIN AND NATURE OF JOINTS ............................................ 79 Introduction ...................................................................................................... 79 Origin of joints .................................................................................................. 80 Classification of joints ...................................................................................... 83 ii Surface morphology ........................................................................................ 90 CHAPTER 6: METHODOLOGY ......................................................................... 92 Introduction ......................................................................................................... 92 Collection ............................................................................................................ 93 Analysis ........................................................................................................... 94 Sources of error ............................................................................................... 96 CHAPTER 7: FIELD RESULTS ......................................................................... 98 Introduction .................................................................................................... 100 Trends in orientation ........................................................................................ 99 Set J1a ......................................................................................................... 99 Set J1b ....................................................................................................... 104 Set J2 ......................................................................................................... 107 Stereonet and rose diagram analysis ............................................................ 108 CHAPTER 8: DISCUSSION ............................................................................. 113 Introduction .................................................................................................... 113 Nature of joints in the Weches Formation ...................................................... 113 Iron Veins ................................................................................................... 114 Ironstone Layers ......................................................................................... 120 Hackle Marks .............................................................................................. 122 Relative ages of jointing ................................................................................ 126 Crosscutting relationships........................................................................... 127 Relation to the stress regime in East Texas .................................................. 135 Joint set J1a ............................................................................................... 137 Joint set J1b ............................................................................................... 139 Joint set J2 ................................................................................................. 142 Three stress provinces ............................................................................... 142 Causes of jointing .......................................................................................... 147 Gulfward Extension and the J1b joint set ................................................... 151 Salt Movement and the J2 joint set ............................................................. 153 iii Multiple causes of the J1a joint set .............................................................