2D AND 3D MODELING OF THE LARAMIDE FOLD GEOMETRY OF DERBY DOME AND ITS EN ECHELON INTERCHANGE WITH DALLAS DOME, SOUTHERN WIND RIVER BASIN, WYOMING A Thesis presented to the Faculty of the Graduate school University of Missouri In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree Masters of Science ___________________________________________________________ By MICHAEL J. HILMES Dr. Robert L. Bauer, Thesis Supervisor MAY 2014 The undersigned appointed by the Dean of the Graduate School, have examined the thesis entitled 2D AND 3D MODELING OF THE LARAMIDE FOLD GEOMETRY OF DERBY DOME AND ITS EN ECHELON INTERCHANGE WITH DALLAS DOME, SOUTHERN WIND RIVER BASIN, WYOMING Presented by Michael J. Hilmes A Candidate for the degree of Master of Science, And hereby certify that in their opinion it is worthy of acceptance. _______________________________________________________ Professor Robert L. Bauer _______________________________________________________ Professor Eric Sandvol _______________________________________________________ Professor Erik J. Loehr Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to thank my advisor Dr. Robert Bauer for all of his support, patience, insight, and encouragement to help me through my research project. I’ve learned a great deal from him and the knowledge he’s provided me is invaluable. I would like to thank Dr. Eric Sandvol for his encouragement and advice, and for his help with the setup and completion of the seismic reflection experiment. I would also like to extend my thanks to Dr. Erik Loehr for agreeing to be on my defense committee. I would like to thank the University of Missouri-Columbia Department of Geological Sciences for the education, the teaching assistantship that funded my education, and for welcoming me into the department (even though I’m from Kansas). Funding for the field work completed during summer 2013 was provided by a grant from the Geological Society of America (GSA) Graduate Student Research Grants Program. These funds were instrumental in offsetting the cost of various necessities associated with the field work. A very special thanks goes out to Dr. Miriam Barquero-Molina for always being a positive force in the department and extending her passion for geology to her students. I would like to thank her and the rest of the University of Missouri Branson Field Laboratory for the living accommodations as I completed my field work. I also owe a great deal of thanks to the students at the Branson Field Laboratory for their assistance in setting up and conducting the seismic reflection experiment. Thanks to Mark Sutcliffe and Newfield Exploration for providing the well data for the modeling portion of the study, and thanks to Chris Brocka for his assistance with his research materials. I would also like to thank Jenny Ellis and especially Oskar Vidal ii Royo from Midland Valley for their advice and technical support with the Move® software. Finally, I would like to thank my friends and family. Without them, none of this would be possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS……………………………………………….….............…ii LIST OF FIGURES…………………………………………………………….….....…vii LIST OF TABLES………………………………………………………….….…..…...viii ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………..….………....ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION………………………..………………...….….………1 The Wind River Mountains….…………………………………………….……...4 Wind River Basin Margin Folding………………………….…...…..….….……..7 Study Area………………………………………………………….….….……..10 Study Goals and Objectives……………………………………….…….…........11 CHAPTER 2: 2D RESTORATION AND 3D MODEL BUILDING…………………...14 Introduction...…………………………………………….……..……………….14 2D Modeling and Workflows…………………………………………...…….…14 2D Restoration Methodology…………………………...……………….25 Cross Section Restorations………….……...……………………………………28 South Derby Dome Group……………………………………..………..30 Central Derby Dome Group……………………………………..………35 North Derby Dome Group……………………………………..………..42 South Dallas Dome Group……………………………………..………..45 Restoration Conclusions………………………………………..………..47 3D Modeling Methods and Workflows………………………………..………...48 3D Model Building……………………………………………..………..48 3D Restoration…………………………………………………..……….50 iv Discussion…………………………………………………………….….52 CHAPTER 3: FRACTURE PATTERNS AND PALEOSTRESS ANALYSIS….……..57 Introduction………………………………………………………………….…...57 Fold-Fracture Models………………………………………………………….....58 Buckle Folds..………………………………………………...……….....59 Forced Folds……………………………………………………..………62 Influence of Pre-existing Fractures…………….……………...............................67 Methods and Analysis……………………………………………….……..….....68 Discussion………………………………………………….…………...………..71 CHAPTER 4: SEISMIC REFLECTION EXPERIMENT………………………….…....77 Introduction……………………………………………………………....……....77 Methodology…………………..............................................................................79 Field Methods…………………………....................................................79 Seismic Reflection Processing……………………………………..….…80 Results and Interpretations……………………………………………….….…..81 Reflection Processing Results…………………………………….….….81 Discussion…………………………………………………………………...…...86 Data Acquisition Challenges……………………………………..……..86 Data Processing Challenges……………………………………….……87 Conclusions……………………………………………………………….….….87 CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS…………………………...…......89 Discussion……………………………………………………………………….89 Conclusions……………………………………………………………………...90 v Future Research………………………………………………………………...92 APPENDIX A: LITHOLOGIC DESCRIPTIONS………………………………….......94 APPENDIX B: WELL CONSTRAINTS………………………………………………101 APPENDIX C: RAW FRACTURE DATA……………………………………………124 vi LIST OF FIGURES 1.1) Tectonic Map of the Western United States……………………………...2 1.2) Cross Section Profiles of the Western U.S. and Wind River Uplift….…...3 1.3) Geologic Maps of Wyoming and the Wind River Mountains………........5 1.4) COCORP Deep Seismic Line………………………………………….....6 1.5) Geologic Maps of Dome Structures………………………………….…..6 1.6) Buckle Folding and Periclinal Geometry…………………………….…..7 1.7) Forced Fold Model………………………………………………………8 1.8) E-W Trending Structures………………………………………………..10 2.1) Geologic Map of Weiser Pass Quadrangle……………………….…..15-16 2.2) Weiser Pass DEM…………………………………………………….….18 2.3) Weiser Pass DEM w/ Geologic Map Overlay……………………….…..19 2.4) Brocka (2007) Cross Section Interpretations……………………….……20 2.5) 3D View of Brocka (2007) Cross Sections………………………………22 2.6) 3D View of Well Horizon Tops………………………………………….23 2.7) 3D Map View of Cross Section Lines……………………………………24 2.8) Map of Cross Section Groups…………………………………………….28 2.9) A-A’ Restoration – Line Length Unfold…………………………………29 2.10) A-A’ Restoration – Flexural Slip Unfold………………………………...31 2.11) B-B’ Restoration – Line Length Unfold………………………………….32 2.12) B-B’ Restoration – Flexural Slip Unfold…………………………………33 2.13) C-C’ Restoration – Line Length Unfold………………………………….34 2.14) C-C’ Restoration – Flexural Slip Unfold…………………………………35 2.15) D-D’ Restoration………………………...……………………………….38 2.16) E-E’ Restoration……………………………………………...…………..39 2.17) F-F’ Restoration……………………………………………………...…...40 2.18) G-G’ Restoration…………………………………………………..……..41 2.19) H-H’ Restoration…………………………………………………..……..43 2.20) I-I’ Restoration……………………………………………………..…….44 2.21) J-J’ Restoration…………………………………………………..……….46 2.22) 3D Model………………………………………………………..………..49 2.23) 3D Model and Template Horizon…………………………………..…….49 2.24) 3D Restoration w/ Basement as Template…………………………..……51 2.25) 3D Restoration w/ Phosphoria as Template………………………….…..51 2.26) Strain Map of Nugget Sandstone (Basement Template)……………..…..53 2.27) Strain Map of Nugget Sandstone (Phosphoria Template)…………...…...54 2.28) Strain Map of Phosphoria Formation (Basement Template)…………..…56 2.29) Error in Phosphoria Formation Restoration………..……………………..56 3.1) Principal Stress and Fracture Relationship………………….……………58 3.2) Flexural-slip Fold Model………………………………………..………..59 3.3) Buckle Fold Geometries……………………………..…………………...60 3.4) Buckle Fold Fracture Generation………………………………..……….61 3.5) Fractures Patterns Periclinal Buckle Folds……………………………....62 3.6) Timing of Buckle Fold Fracture Generation…………………………….63 vii 3.7) Stress Distribution in Buckle Folds……………………………………..64 3.8) Timing of Fracture Generation During Forced Folding…………….…..65 3.9) Fracture Patterns at Teapot Dome………………………………………66 3.10) Fracture-Stress State Relationships………………………………….…..68 3.11) Fracture History at Sheep Mountain Anticline, Bighorn Basin, WY…...69 3.12) 3D View of Derby Dome Back Limb Fractures………………………...70 3.13) Streoplot of Derby Dome Back Limb Fractures…………………………71 3.14) Stereoplot with Slip and Dilation Tendency Color Map………………...72 3.15) 3D view of Fractures Showing Slip and Dilation Tendency…………….73 3.16) Fractures w/ High Slip and Dilation Tendency………………………….74 3.17) Fractures w/ Low Slip and Dilation Tendency…………………………..75 3.18) Fractures Associated w/ the Regional Stress Field………………………76 4.1) Map of Seismic Profile X-X’…………………………………………….78 4.2) Seismic Reflection Experiment Schematic………………………………79 4.3) X-X’ in Two-Way Travel Time………………………………………….82 4.4) X-X’ in Depth……………………………………………………………82 4.5) 3D View of Profile X-X’………………………………………………...84 4.6) Sandbox Model of Basement Strike-Slip Fault………………………….86 A1) Stratigraphic Column of Weiser Pass Quadrangle………………............95 LIST OF TABLES 1) X-X’ Data Acquisition Parameters………………………………………80 viii Abstract The Wind River Mountains of central Wyoming formed as a basement-cored uplift during the Laramide orogeny (ca. ~75-35 Ma) and produced a series of left stepping, en echelon NW-SE trending periclinal domes, including Dallas Dome