Assessment of Appalachian Basin Oil and Gas Resources: Devonian Shale–Middle and Upper Paleozoic Total Petroleum System By Robert C. Milici and Christopher S. Swezey Open-File Report Series 2006-1237 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior Dirk A. Kempthorne, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey P. Patrick Leahy, Acting Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia 2006 For product and ordering information: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/pubprod/ Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment: World Wide Web: http://www.usgs.gov/ Telephone: 1-888-ASK-USGS This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North American Stratigraphic Code. 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Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted material contained within this report. 2 Contents Abstract ......................................................................................................................................9 Acknowledgments ......................................................................................................................9 Introduction…………………………………………………………………….…..……….…...9 Stratigraphy…………………………………………………………………….…..……….….10 Devonian stable shelf……………………………………………………..……….…..10 The Acadian delta……………………………………………………..……….… .......12 The regional facies model...................................................................12 The Catskill delta................................................................................13 Middle Devonian strata…………………………………….…13 Hamilton Group and equivalent strata.......................13 Tully Limestone.........................................................14 Regional unconformity ..............................................14 Upper Devonian and Lower Mississippian strata...................14 Post-unconformity Devonian and Mississippian black gas shales..........................................................14 Brallier Formation and equivalent strata ...................16 Price-Rockwell (Pocono) delta ...........................................................17 Definition and distribution .....................................................17 Price Formation…………………………………….… ..........17 Virginia and southern West Virginia .........................17 Northern West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania ..............................................................18 Progradational delta deposits.....................................19 Patton Shale Member.................................................20 Sea level transgression and unconformities ...............20 Burgoon and Purslane Formations……………………………21 Maccrady Fomration ..............................................................21 The Berea delta...................................................................................22 Mississippian stable shelf ............................................................................................22 Upper Mississippian Greenbrier/Newman Limestones...................................22 Tennessee, southwestern Virginia, eastern Kentucky, and southern West Virginia.....................................................................................23 Northern West Virginia ......................................................................23 Pennsylvania and Maryland................................................................23 Ohio ....................................................................................................24 Regional isopach.................................................................................24 Petroleum geology....................................................................................................................25 General.........................................................................................................................25 The assessment model.....................................................................................25 Thermal maturation data .................................................................................25 Petroleum system events .................................................................................26 Devonian Shale–Middle and Upper Paleozoic total petroleum system.......................27 Part I: Continuous oil and gas resources .........................................................27 Greater Big Sandy Assessment Unit (GBS AU) ................................28 Introduction ............................................................................28 Stratigraphy ............................................................................28 3 Greater Big Sandy Assessment Unit (GBS AU) )–Continued Geologic structure ..................................................................29 Devonian shale as a source rock for methane ........................29 Gas-in-place data....................................................................30 Thermal maturity, hydrocarbon generation, and migration....30 Reservoir and production data................................................31 Greater Big Sandy AU fields and pools .................................31 Assessment results..................................................................31 Northwestern Ohio Shale Assessment Unit (NWOS AU)..................31 Introduction ............................................................................31 Stratigraphy ............................................................................32 Geologic structure ..................................................................32 Devonian shale as a source rock for methane ........................33 Gas-in-place data....................................................................33 Thermal maturity, hydrocarbon generation, and migration....34 Reservoir and production data................................................34 Northwestern Ohio Shale AU fields and pools ......................35 Assessment results..................................................................35 Devonian Siltstone and Shale Assessment Unit (DSS AU) ...............35 Introduction ............................................................................35 Stratigraphy ............................................................................35 Geologic structure ..................................................................36 Devonian shale as a source rock for methane ........................36 Gas-in-place data....................................................................36 Thermal maturity, hydrocarbon generation, and migration....37 Reservoir and production data................................................37 Devonian Siltstone and Shale fields and pools ......................37 Assessment results..................................................................38 Marcellus Shale Assessment Unit (MS AU) ......................................38 Introduction ............................................................................38 Stratigraphy ............................................................................38 Geologic structure ..................................................................38 Devonian shale as a source rock for methane ........................38 Gas-in-place data....................................................................39 Thermal maturity, hydrocarbon generation, and migration....39 Marcellus Shale fields and pools............................................39 Assessment results..................................................................39 Catskill Sandstone and Siltstone Assessment Unit.............................39 Introduction ............................................................................39 Stratigraphy ............................................................................40 Depositional environments.....................................................40 Petroleum system model ........................................................40 Catskill fields and pools .........................................................41 Assessment results..................................................................41 Berea Sandstone Assessment Unit......................................................42 Introduction ............................................................................42 Stratigraphy ............................................................................42 Depositional environments.....................................................42 4 Berea Sandstone Assessment Unit–Continued Petroleum system model ........................................................43 Berea Sandstone fields and pools...........................................43 Assessment results..................................................................43 Part II: Conventional oil and gas resources.....................................................44 The Oriskany Sandstone Stratigraphic and Structural Assessment Units....................................................................................................44 Introduction ............................................................................44