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Earth Sciences

University of Kentucky

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Theses/Dissertations

Chemostratigraphy

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

A Joint Xrf-Δ13CCarb Chemostratigraphic Approach For Characterizing Paleo-Environmental Processes In The Mudstone-Dominated Wolfcamp Formation Of West Texas, Frank Tamakloe Jan 2019

A Joint Xrf-Δ13CCarb Chemostratigraphic Approach For Characterizing Paleo-Environmental Processes In The Mudstone-Dominated Wolfcamp Formation Of West Texas, Frank Tamakloe

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

The Late Paleozoic Ice Age represents a dynamic period in Earth system history recording a shift from icehouse to greenhouse conditions. Concomitant with this change was a series high-frequency, high-amplitude sea level fluctuations leading to the deposition of “Kansas type” cyclothems in the Mid-Continent, and a similar rhythmic expression of interbedded shales and carbonates in the Midland Basin. Stable isotope geochemistry is a particularly powerful tool when examining these mud-rich successions because changes in organic matter partitioning may be recorded first in δ13CDIC of sea-water and consequently in δ13Ccarb of marine rocks. The δ …


Stratigraphic, Geochemical, And Geochronological Analysis Of The Wolfcamp-D Interval, Midland Basin, Texas, Zachary S. Perlman Jan 2017

Stratigraphic, Geochemical, And Geochronological Analysis Of The Wolfcamp-D Interval, Midland Basin, Texas, Zachary S. Perlman

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Subsurface data derived from ~388 ft of drill core from Martin County (TX) were used to understand the depositional setting of the Wolfcamp-D, a petroleum producing interval in the Midland Basin. Elemental geochemistry collected via x-ray fluorescence revealed a highly variable depositional history marked by the deposition of diverse siliciclastic and carbonate lithofacies. Integration of multiple datasets resulted in the interpretation of nine lithofacies, whose deposition appears cyclical. Correlations between molybdenum and total organic carbon indicate slow recharge of bottom waters and anoxic/euxinicconditions within the basin. The presence of phosphatic nodules coinciding with siliceous black mudrocks suggested high levels of …


Stratigraphic, Geochemical, And Well Log Analysis Of The Wolfcamp-D Unconventional Play In The Central Midland Basin, Texas, Patrick Thomas Ryan Jan 2016

Stratigraphic, Geochemical, And Well Log Analysis Of The Wolfcamp-D Unconventional Play In The Central Midland Basin, Texas, Patrick Thomas Ryan

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

This M.S. thesis utilizes diverse subsurface datasets from the central Midland Basin, a recently reinvigorated petroleum producing region, to better understand the depositional history of the prospective Wolfcamp-D interval. An integrated set of methods were applied to ~320 ft of drill core from Midland County (Texas). Elemental chemostratigraphy collected via x-ray fluorescence highlights the pervasive fine-scale variability in the stratigraphy of the core, and aided in the classification of three different mudrock facies types. Organic-rich, siliceous mudrocks are cyclically interbedded with aluminum-rich mudrocks and carbonates throughout the Wolfcamp-D. Trace metal correlations with total organic carbon indicate slow bottom-water recharge from …