Structure Contour and Overburden Maps of the Niobrara Interval of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3427

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey

Structure Contour and Overburden Maps of the Niobrara Interval of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

By Thomas M. Finn

Pamphlet to accompany Scientific Investigations Map 3427

U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Acting Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director

U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2019

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Suggested citation: Finn, T.M., 2019, Structure contour and overburden maps of the Niobrara interval of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Scientific Investigations Map 3427, pamphlet 9 p., 2 sheets, scale 1:500,000, https://doi.org/10.3133/sim3427.

ScienceBase data release files that support this report can be found at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7BZ65CN.

ISSN 2329-132X (online) iii

Contents

Introduction...... 1 Acknowledgments...... 8 References...... 8

Figures

1. Map of the Rocky Mountain region showing locations of Laramide basins...... 2 2. Index map of the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming...... 3 3. Generalized geologic map and cross section of the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming...... 4 4. Correlation diagram of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale and associated strata in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming...... 6 5. Type log of Lower and lowermost Upper Cretaceous rocks in the southeastern part of the Wind River Basin...... 7

Conversion Factors

U.S. customary units to International System of Units

Multiply By To obtain Length foot (ft) 0.3048 meter (m) mile (mi) 1.609 kilometer (km) Area square mile (mi2) 2.590 square kilometer (km2)

Datum

Horizontal coordinate information is referenced to the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83). Altitude, as used in this report, refers to distance above sea level.

Structure Contour and Overburden Maps of the Niobrara Interval of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming

By Thomas M. Finn

Introduction reservoirs ranging in age from Mississippian through Tertiary (Keefer, 1969; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; De Bruin, 1993; The Wind River Basin is a large northwest-trending struc- Johnson and others, 1996, 2007) (fig. 2). It has been sug- tural depression that is nearly 200 miles (mi) long, 70 mi wide, gested that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales are the and encompasses about 7,400 square miles (mi2) in central principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accu- Wyoming (fig. 1). The present-day structure of the Wind River mulations (see, for example: Meissner and others, 1984; Fox Basin developed during the Laramide orogeny, a period of and Dolton, 1989, 1996; Johnson and Rice, 1993; Nuccio and crustal instability that began during latest Cretaceous time and others, 1996; and Schelling and Wavrek, 1999, 2001). With ended in the early Eocene (Gries, 1983; Love, 1988). Many recent advances in horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydrau- of the structures are the result of compressional deforma- lic fracture stimulation, equivalent Upper Cretaceous marine tion characterized by Precambrian basement-involved thrust source rock intervals, in particular the Niobrara Formation, faults and strongly folded and faulted anticlines and synclines. have become important continuous (unconventional) shale The north, west, and south margins of the basin are bounded gas or shale oil objectives in other Rocky Mountain Laramide by basement-cored uplifts referred to as the Washakie, Owl basins (Matthews, 2011; Sonnenberg, 2011; Williams and Creek, Bighorn, Wind River, and Granite Mountains uplifts Lyle, 2011; Durham, 2012a,b, 2013; Taylor and Sonnenberg, (fig. 2). The Casper arch, a major northwest-trending structural 2014; Hawkins, 2016). In the Wind River Basin, the Niobrara upwarp with a thrust faulted, steeply dipping west limb forms is represented by shales, calcareous shales, marls, siltstones, the east margin of the basin (Keefer, 1970) (fig. 2). These and sandstones in the lower shaly member of the Upper Creta- uplifts are flanked by highly folded and faulted sedimentary ceous Cody Shale (Finn, 2017) (fig. 4). rocks that range from Paleozoic to Paleocene in age, whereas The maps presented in this report were constructed as the central part of the basin is covered by nearly flat-lying part of a project carried out by the U.S. Geological Survey lower Eocene and undifferentiated Tertiary and Quaternary (USGS) to better characterize the geologic framework of rocks that mask the structure of the older rocks in the central potential undiscovered continuous (unconventional) oil and part of the basin (Keefer, 1966; Keefer, 1970; Love and Chris- gas resources in the Niobrara interval of the Upper Cretaceous tiansen, 1985) (fig. 3). Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming According to Knight (1897) and Rountree (1984), the (sheets 1 and 2). The structure contour map is drawn at the first documented account of oil in what is now the State of base of the “chalk kick” marker bed, a distinctive zone or Wyoming was discovered at a seep along the banks of the peak on resistivity logs in the lower 50–300 feet (ft) of the Popo Agie River, about 8 mi southeast of the present-day town Cody Shale that according to Finn (2017) represents the base of Lander near the southwestern margin of the Wind River of the Niobrara interval in the Wind River Basin (fig. 5). Basin (fig. 2). For several decades following its discovery in This horizon was selected because it is easily identified on 1833, this seep, referred to as the “great tar spring,” was used most well logs, is present throughout the basin, and has been by local hunters and fur trappers for medicinal purposes, and identified by the author in about 630 wells (Finn, 2019). later by the military and pioneers for axle grease and lubrica- Data from an additional 90 wells that penetrated the upper tion (Knight, 1897; Rountree, 1984). Then in 1884, Mike part of the Niobrara interval or overlying Cody Shale were Murphy completed the first commercial oil well in Wyoming incorporated by projecting thicknesses from nearby wells and next to the “great tar spring” establishing the first oil produc- estimating a pick for the “chalk kick” marker (Finn, 2019). tion in Wyoming at the Dallas oil field (Biggs and Espach, The structure contouring is based on interpretation of the well 1960; Keefer, 1969; Cardinal and others, 1989) (fig. 2). Since data and surface geologic mapping by Keefer (1970), Keefer then, many important conventional and unconventional oil and Troyer (1964), Love and Christiansen (1985), Green and and gas resources have been discovered and produced from Drouillard (1994), Sutherland and Hausel (2003), and Johnson 2 Structure contour and overburden maps of the Niobrara interval of the Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, WY

112 110 108 106 104 102

Williston Basin belt Bull 46 Crazy Mountains Miles thrust Basin Mountains Reed Point City Basin syncline NORTH DAKOTA arch SOUTH DAKOTA BeartoothNye-Bowler Powder River Basin uplift lineament Sevier Pryor uplift MONTANA ellowstone- Bighorn Basin WYOMING Black ills uplift bsaroka Bighorn volcanic 44 field uplift Teton Washakie uplift uplift Snake PlainRiver Owl Creek uplift

Wind Wind Casper River River Basin arch SOUTH DAKOTA uplift NEBRASKA Granite

belt Mountains Shirley 42 IDAHO uplift Basin Laramie artville uplift

UTAH Rawlins anna Greater Green uplift Basin Laramie

uplift River Basin Basin

thrust Sierra Madre uplift

Park Range uplift WYOMING NEBRASKA Uinta uplift COLORADO

Front Denver Basin

Sevier xial Basin uplift 40 Uinta Basin Range

Piceance White River North and Middle uplift uplift

Park KANSAS Basin Douglas Creek arch Basins Uncompahgre uplift Swell South San Rafael Paradox Basin Park Basin

38 San uan pishapa arch volcanic field

ANAION Las nimas arch

Rift UTAH COLORADO uplift Raton aramideARIZONA sedimentary and NEW MEXICO structural basins Basin

Undifferentiated deposits Cristo San uan OKLAHOMA Basin TEXAS 36 Sevier fold and thrust de Las faulted terrane egas Neogene rift deposits Grande Basin Sangre

ertiary volcanics Nacimiento uplift uni uplift 0 50 100 MIES Approimate eastern limit of Sevier thrust belt Rio 0 50 100 KIMETERS

Base from U.S. Geological Survey, 1985, 1:5,000,000 Albers Eual Area Conic proection

Figure 1. Map of the Rocky Mountain region showing locations of Laramide basins. Introduction 3 T. T. T. N. 40 N. N. 30 35 Casper R. 80 W. R 80 W Bates Creek Province 106°30 ’ Wind Basin River

WYOMING arch ype log ype Fields that produce significant amounts of both oil and natural gas Poison Spider 5,000

5,000 5,000 T N SL 45 Pine Mountain Casper Boone Dome Oil field as field 107° R. 85 W.

-10,000 Poison Spider West R 85 W Grieve Cave Gulch Tepee Flats Tepee Acre Sun Ranch

Hells Half

uplift SL SL Bighorn 5,000 Wallace Creek Wallace Granite Mountains uplift Waltman , sea level. Raderville SL Frenchie Draw Cooper Reservoir 107°30 ’ R. 90 W. Castle Garden R 90 W ighangle fault

-15,000 Chalk ick contour Base of chalk kick marker bed. Contour interval 5,000 feet. SL is sea level Madden

5,000

SL

10,000 − 5,000 ANAION

−5,000

−15,000 Haybarn Muskrat

uplift Fuller 108° Reservoir T N T Sand Draw South N 35 40 Alkali Butte T 5 N T 1 T 1 S N hoshoni R. 95 W. R 95 W R 95 W R 5 E Sand Mesa R 5 E

Creek Wind River Basin rovince boundary hrust fault Sawteeth on upper plate Normal fault Ball and bar on downthrown side Big Sand Draw Riverton Beaver Creek Muddy Ridge 108°30 ’

−10,000 Riverton Dome Owl Derby Pavillion

−5,000 Lander Dallas SL

R 1 E SL R 1 E R. 100 W. Little Dome R 100 W Pilot Butte Lander R 1 W R 100 W 5,000

5,000 R 1 W Maverick Springs 109° Steamboat Butte

SL volcanic rocks ertiary Frontier Formation outcrop recambrian rocks Winkleman T Circle Ridge N 45 5,000 uplift Sheldon Dome T 1 volcanics S R 5 W 40 MILES R 5 W River R. 105 W. 107°30 ’ R 105 W T 5 N − T 1 N T R 105 W N 40 109°30 ’ 30 T N 30 T N bsaroka 35 Wind 40 KILOMETERS Washakie uplift ubois 20 30 20 Index map of the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming showing major structural elements, and principal oil gas producing fields. Structure contours Index map of the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming 10 110°

R. 110 W. 10 R 110 W 0 0 Base from U.S. Geological Survey, 2010, 1:2,000,000, digital data Base from U.S. Geological Survey, Lambert Conformal Conic projection Standard parallels 41° and 45°, Central meridian Latitude of origin 41°, meters North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) Figure 2. drawn at base of the chalk kick marker bed Niobrara interval Cody Shale. Contour is 5,000 feet.

’ ’

43°

43°30 42°30 4 Structure contour and overburden maps of the Niobrara interval of the Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, WY KJ Tmo FEET Tel Sea level 10,000 − 25,000 5,000 − 10,000 − 15,000 − 20,000 − 5,000 A '

Tel North QT Ku Ku Bighorn 106°30 ’ WIND RIER BSIN Mountains KJ WYOMING

Tp TRUST FULT SOUT OWL CREEK Ku CEDR RIDGE

KJ NORML FULT | Sage Brush Draw 1-31 = } KJ KJ ictor 1-14 ictor | 107° | Tmo Tel Tp | = } MDDEN TRUST FULT Madden anticline Bighorn 1-5 Ku KJ QT

A ' Teu = 107°30 ’ Ku Moneta ills 1-29 Teu Moneta ills Tel Moneta ills 1-31 QT Ku 40 MILES O B 1-17 = = Ku Tp QT 108° A 30 Tp KJ | 40 KILOMETERS Tmo Tel 20 30 Tel | Federal anagan 1-1 | QT

KJ } 20 } QT 10 108°30 ’ = 10 Ku 0 0 Tmo QT Castle Garden 1 | Castle Gardens Ku Ku = | 109° Unit 1 orseshoe Creek Tev Federal-Wolf 1 Federal-Wolf Tel | 10 MILES =

Lowe 1 Unit = Muscrat anticline 109°30 ’ QT 10 KILOMETERS 5 Tel 5 1 Govt-Rongis Tev 110° anticline QT 0 0 1 State Conant Creek (NO VERTICAL EXAGGERATION) A South QT | | FEET 5,000 Base from U.S. Geological Survey, 2010, 1:2,000,000-scale digital data Base from U.S. Geological Survey, Lambert Conformal Conic projection Standard parallels 41º and 45º, Central meridian − 107º 30’ Latitude of origin 41º, meters North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) 10,000 − 5,000 QT } Tp − 25,000 − 10,000 − 15,000 − 20,000 Sea level 30 ’ 30 ’ 43° 43° 42° Introduction 5

ANAION

Water features Tp aleocene sedimentary rocks

QT uaternaryertiary undifferentiated Ku Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rocks

ertiary intrusives Kl ower Cretaceous (cross section only) sedimentary rocks

Tmo MioceneOligocene sedimentary rocks KJ ower Cretaceousurassic sedimentary rocks

Teu Upper ocene sedimentary rocks }| Mesooicaleooic sedimentary rocks

Tev ocene volcanic rocks | aleooic sedimentary rocks

Tel ower ocene sedimentary rocks p_ recambrian crystalline rocks

Wind River Basin boundary hrust faultSawteeth on upper plate. Dashed where concealed Normal faultBar and ball on downthrown side. Dashed where concealed ighangle faultDashed where concealed Contact A A' ine of section 1 State Select well locations with name

Figure 3. (above and previous page) Generalized geologic map and cross section of the Wind River Basin in central Wyoming. Geologic map modified from Love and Christiansen (1985), and Green and Drouillard (1994). Cross section segment north of the Madden anticline is modified from Ray and Keefer (1985).

and Sutherland (2009). Additional sources of geologic data include structural cross sections and (or) subsurface maps by Biggs and Espach (1960), Keefer (1970), Skeen and Ray (1983), Sprague (1983), Ray and Keefer (1985), Dunleavy and Gilbertson (1986), Cardinal and others (1989), Blackstone (1990), Natali and others (2000), and Montgomery and others (2001). The structure contour map is at a scale of 1:500,000, the contour interval is 1,000 ft, and the datum is mean sea- level (sheet 1). The overburden map was constructed by using the well data (Finn, 2019) and by calculating the difference between the surface elevation and the structure contours. This map is at a scale of 1:500,000, and the contour interval is 1,000 ft (sheet 2). 6 Structure contour and overburden maps of the Niobrara interval of the Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, WY

Sub- Western Wind River Southern and central Eastern and southeastern System Series Stage stage Basin Wind River Basin Wind River Basin

Upper Mesaverde Formation (part) Mesaverde Formation Wallace Creek Tongue of Cody Shale (part) Middle Mesaverde Fales Sandstone Member Formation (part)

Campanian (part) Upper Conant Creek tongue sandy member lkali Butte member Lower Basal sandstone member Upper sandy member Upper sandy CRETCEOUS (part) CRETCEOUS member UPPER CRETCEOUS (part) UPPER CRETCEOUS Upper Cody Shale

Santonian Middle Niobrara

Cody Shale interval Lower Niobrara Niobrara Lower shaly member Cody Shale interval Upper interval Middle chalk kick chalk kick chalk kick member

Lower shaly Sage Breaks interval

Sage Breaks Sage Breaks Coniacian interval Lower shaly member

Lower interval

Frontier Formation (part) Frontier Formation Frontier Formation (part)

(part) (part) Upper Turonian

Figure 4. Correlation diagram of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale and associated strata in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming. The diagonal lines represent the Niobrara interval in the Wind River Basin, as defined in this report. Modified from Finn (2017). Introduction 7

PI 4902522268 Exxon Corp. Poison Springs Unit 1 sec. 33, T. 32 N., R. 83 W. GR Res. ANAION

Upper sandy Interbedded marine sandstone and shale member (part) Marine and marginal marine sandstone and siltstone 10,000 Sandstone and conglomerate of fluvial origin

stuarine and fluvial sandstone

Calcareous marine shale and marl

Marine shale

10,500 Siliceous marine shale

11,000 Cody Shale (part) Lower shaly member

11,500 Niobrara interval Upper Cretaceous (part)

chalk kick marker Sage Breaks interval 12,000

Frontier Formation

12,500

Clay Spur Bentonite Upper siliceous Mowry part Shale 13,000 Lower part Muddy Sandstone Thermopolis Shale Lower

Cloverly Formation Cretaceous

Figure 5. Type log of Lower and lowermost Upper Cretaceous rocks in the southeastern part of the Wind River Basin. GR, gamma ray log; Res., resistivity log. Location shown in figure 2. From Finn (2017). 8 Structure contour and overburden maps of the Niobrara interval of the Cody Shale in the Wind River Basin, WY

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