Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College 8-2016 Stratigraphy of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Michigan Basin: Review and Revision with an Emphasis on the Ellsworth Petroleum System Bryan J. Currie Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses Part of the Geology Commons Recommended Citation Currie, Bryan J., "Stratigraphy of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian Michigan Basin: Review and Revision with an Emphasis on the Ellsworth Petroleum System" (2016). Master's Theses. 721. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/721 This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPER DEVONIAN-LOWER MISSISSIPPIAN MICHIGAN BASIN: REVIEW AND REVISION WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ELLSWORTH PETROLEUM SYSTEM by Bryan J. Currie A thesis submitted to the Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Geology Western Michigan University August 2016 Thesis Committee: Dave Barnes, Ph.D., Chair William Harrison III, Ph.D. Peter Voice, Ph. STRATIGRAPHY OF THE UPPER DEVONIAN-LOWER MISSISSIPPIAN MICHIGAN BASIN: REVIEW AND REVISION WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE ELLSWORTH PETROLEUM SYSTEM Bryan J. Currie, M.S. Western Michigan University, 2016 Compression associated with the formation of the Transcontinental Arch and the Acadian Mountains initiated subsidence in the Michigan Basin and lead to a depositional switch in the Michigan Basin from an oxic shallow-water carbonate platform (Traverse Group and Squaw Bay Limestone) to a deep anaerobic sea floor and the beginning of Upper Devonian Antrim Shale. The vertical distribution of the different Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian formations and members demonstrates large scale cycles of anaerobic-dysaerobic transitions attributed fluctuations in sea-level, different rates of subsidence and sediment influx triggered by different orogenic events to. The regional understanding and the distribution of the different lithologies is still poorly understood. This work expands on the mapping of the regional deposits of Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian by incorporating modern logs and high resolution chemostratigraphic data. New stratigraphic relationships suggest the Ellsworth Shale expanded much further east than previously suggested and the Bedford-Berea sequence postdates the Ellsworth Shale eliminating any possibilities of inter-tonguing. In addition to the expansion of the regional framework, special consideration is given to the Ellsworth Shale petroleum system. © 2016 Bryan J. Currie iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first and foremost like to sincerely thank my committee chair, Dr. Dave Barnes for not only encouraging me throughout this project but for also introducing me to new ideas in and out of the classroom. I was fortunate enough to take a majority of the courses he offered prior to his retirement. I would also like to thank the additional members of my committee, Dr. William Harrison III and Dr. Peter Voice for their constant guidance and presence. Dr. Voice is an encyclopedia of resources and is always quick to give feedback. He has supplied me with numerous documents which helped evolve my research. Dr. Harrison’s knowledge of the Michigan Basin is astonishing. He is always thinking of different ways to keep the students involved with the industry and community. The work Dr. Harrison and his wife, Linda Harrison, have put into the MGRRE facility really shows and is a large asset to Western’s Geoscience Department. I would also like to thank Jennifer Trout, Jon Garrett, Matthew Rine, Agam Arief Suhaimi, Cameron Manche, Zaid Naseer Nadhim Nadhim, Steve Kaczmarek, Nick Panyard, Kirk Wagenvelt, Kyle Cox, Frank Sattler, and all other students and faculty who helped make my experience at Western Michigan University a pleasant one. Lastly, I would like to thank my parents, Peter and Linda Currie, and my siblings, Sean, Lauren, and Austin for their constant love and support throughout my academic career. You each have contributed in different ways and I will forever be grateful. Bryan J. Currie ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................................. ii LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................. ix ....................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................... 1 Purpose of Study .......................................................................................................... 1 Regional Stratigraphy .................................................................................................................. 1 Ellsworth Petroleum System ..................................................................................................... 5 Objective ...................................................................................................................... 5 Geologic Setting .......................................................................................................... 7 Stratigraphy ............................................................................................................... 10 Squaw Bay Limestone and Traverse Group ....................................................................... 12 Antrim Shale ................................................................................................................................ 14 Ellsworth Shale ........................................................................................................................... 18 Bedford Shale .............................................................................................................................. 18 Berea Sandstone .......................................................................................................................... 19 Sunbury Shale .............................................................................................................................. 20 Previous Research...................................................................................................... 20 Early Nomenclature ................................................................................................................... 21 United States Geological Survey (USGS) Mapping Project .......................................... 21 Eastern Shale Gas Project (ESGP) ........................................................................................ 23 Production History ..................................................................................................... 26 Antrim Shale ................................................................................................................................ 26 Ellsworth Shale ........................................................................................................................... 27 Berea Sandstone .......................................................................................................................... 28 ..................................................................................................................... 30 METHODOLOGY AND DATA .................................................................................. 30 Wireline Log Analysis Method ................................................................................. 30 Gamma Ray.................................................................................................................................. 31 iii Table of Contents-Continued Bulk Density ................................................................................................................................ 32 Neutron Porosity ......................................................................................................................... 33 Photoelectric ................................................................................................................................ 33 Cross Sections and Maps Data .................................................................................. 34 X-Ray Fluorescence Method ..................................................................................... 36 X-Ray Fluorescence Data .......................................................................................... 39 Limitations.................................................................................................................................... 40 Ellsworth Petroleum System Method ........................................................................ 41 Source Rock Data ...................................................................................................... 43 Kerogen Type .............................................................................................................................. 43 Maturation ...................................................................................................................................