Geology Commons^™

Subsurface Stratigraphy And Characterization Of Mississippian (Osagean To Meramecian) Carbonate Reservoirs Of The Northern Anadarko Shelf, North-Central Oklahoma, Brett Robert Wittman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mississippian carbonate strata of the midcontinent contain prolific oil and gas reservoirs. Production from these carbonates has been primarily from two reservoir types, the Mississippi "chat" and recently denser chert-rich mudstone intervals. The"chat" interval is a high porosity chert residuum associated with the both the Osagean and basal Pennsylvanian unconformity. The distribution of the "chat" reservoir is discontinuous and heterogeneous. Recent horizontal drilling successes have reinvigorated academic and industry interest in the Lower Mississippian. Much of the activity is now targeting lower porosity, cherty, mudstone intervals of the Reeds Spring and Cowley Formations, which were previously considered to be non-economic. …

Diagenesis And Reservoir Characterization Of The Pennsylvanian Middle Atoka Formation, Sebastian And Logan Counties, West-Central Arkansas, Elvis Chekwube Bello

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Middle Atoka Formation evolved from a stable passive margin during the early Pennsylvanian time to a rapidly subsiding basin, with the sedimentary fill thickening greatly southward during the middle Pennsylvanian time. The basin dips in north-south direction. An east-west anticlines and synclines were observed.

The purpose of this study is to establish the stratigraphic units, reservoir geometry and distribution, and infer the depositional environments and reservoir quality. Well correlation and petrographic studies are used to achieve the goals.

Sandstone Point Count method was used. The Point Counts was divided into five categories. They include the framework grains (quartz, feldspar, …

Stratigraphic Variations In The Carboniferous Section Across The Arkansas-Oklahoma State Line Arch, Tyler Dean Engelhardt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The State Line Arch is represented by a structural high that trends through the study area in a loose alignment with the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line. Evidence of the arch extending further to the north includes a structural high and stratigraphic variation at an outcrop on Highway 59 near Evansville Mountain in Crawford County, Arkansas. The exact timing of the formation of the arch remains undetermined, but upper Devonian thinning at the top of the arch indicates the structure is pre-Mississippian. The reason for the development of the arch is poorly understood, but evidence linking Mississippian-aged Waulsortian mounds to Precambrian Spavinaw …

Penetration Forces For Subsurface Regolith Probes, Ahmed Elshafie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Investigating planetary bodies using penetrometers can provide detailed information about its history and evolution. An estimation of subsurface density and porosity can be made from the shape of the penetration curve. Using penetrometers mounted on planetary platforms could be challenging due to the uncertainty of the subsurface composition and since the maximum allowed force for penetration is the weight of the lander or rover on the surface. Estimation of penetration forces can provide a reliable constraint on the maximum reachable depth without endangering the whole mission. Therefore, knowledge of the required penetration force to specific depths can be helpful in …

Outcrop Investigation Of The Reeds Spring (Boone, Mississippian) Of The Hindsville Quarry Using Terrestrial Lidar, Terryl Glenn Daniels

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In northern Oklahoma and southern Kansas the Reeds Springs Formation (Boone, Mississippian) is a hydrocarbon exploration objective (Mazullo et al, 2011). The Hindsville quarry located in the northeastern portion of Washington County in Arkansas is the focus of this study. The objective of this study is to characterize the Reeds Spring at the Hindsville Quarry. The use of terrestrial light detecting and ranging(LiDAR) is used to assist in the characterization of the quarry.

The unit architecture within the Hindsville Quarry outlines varying transitional periods that give insight into the deposition of the Reeds Springs Formation. There are comparable formations within …

Groundwater Quality Assessment From Domestic Water Wells In The Fayetteville Shale Gas Play Area In Central Arkansas, Anna Marie Nottmeier

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study establishes a spatially distributed domestic water well groundwater quality data set, throughout the Fayetteville Shale Gas Play (FSGP) in central Arkansas. The data set facilitates characterization of the geology and groundwater quality across the study area, benefits residents who may have concerns about the potential impacts on their well water quality, and provides a groundwater quality basis to which complaints can be compared and resolved. The assessment included: research of the study area, site reconnaissance, water sampling and collection, interviews with owners of the property, analytical analysis, Quality Assurance and Quality Control, and groundwater data interpretation.

The study …

Reservoir Characterization And Outcrop Analog: The Osagean Reeds Spring Formation (Lower Boone), Western Osage And Eastern Kay County, Oklahoma, Taylor Friesenhahn

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Reeds Spring Formation (Osagean) is a member of the Lower Mississippian carbonate series developed on the Cherokee Platform Province of northeastern Oklahoma. On the western flank of the Ozark Dome, these rocks dip in a west-southwest direction into the subsurface where they are oil and gas reservoirs. A series of road cuts and surface exposures are cropped out in the tri-state area of northwest Arkansas, northeastern Oklahoma, and southwestern Missouri. Outcrop characteristics, including an abundant amount of nodular, anastomosing chert, generally finer-grained carbonate texture, and stratigraphic relationships provide an analog for its subsurface counterpart. Based on core description and …

A Subsurface Stratigraphic Study Of The Middle Atoka, Sebastian County, Arkansas, Sara Beth Sutton

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Raster log images were analyzed to study the subsurface stratigraphy of the Middle Atoka in the Arkoma Basin of the western portion (Sebastian County) of Arkansas. The most significant sandstone units of the Middle Atoka in this area were determined to be two generally coarsening-upward sequences in the lower portion of the formation. Based on lithologic correlations, these two units were determined to be the informally named Casey and Freiburg members of the Middle Atoka. Thickness information based on picked tops was used to create isopach maps of the units of interest. The log signatures and geometry of the sand …

Orbital Periodicities Reflected In Ancient Surfaces Of Our Solar System And The Implications For A Record Of Early Life, Dixie Lee Androes

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Uniformitarian processes, governed by invariant physical laws, remain the most reliable source for reconstructing the past. Driving many of the repetitive, predictable processes are the orbital dynamics of the Sun-Planet-Moon systems. Astronomical periodicities range from a few hours (tides) to thousands of years (Milankovitch). These periodicities, combined with geomorphic observations of planetary surfaces, constrain the time-dependent processes and allow for reconstruction of events and conditions favorable for sedimentary accumulations. This research suggests that seasonal sedimentary processes are dominant on Titan and Mars, and have played a significant role in the formation of ancient banded-iron formations (BIF's) on Earth.

Earth, Mars, …

Sequence Stratigraphy And Depositional Systems Of The Mansfield Sand, Upper Atoka Formation, Arkoma Basin, Arkansas, Scott Cherry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Mansfield sand is an informally named member of the Pennsylvanian Atoka Formation in Arkansas. Once a productive gas reservoir, the Mansfield is situated in a double plunging anticline in the southern portion of the Arkoma Basin. The formation is internally composed of sandstone units ranging in thickness from tens of feet to over a hundred feet interbedded with shale units ranging in thickness from several tens of feet to hundreds of feet. Previous studies have focused on the stratigraphy of the lower and middle Atoka. A detailed subsurface study of the stratigraphic framework of the Mansfield sand was conducted …

Impacts Of Hard Stabilization On The Shore Of Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, Usa, John Chandler Dennis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Discussions related to the adverse impacts associated with shore armor (i.e. seawalls and riprap) are a common topic within the coastal community. While many agree that the installation of these structures alters the shores geomorphic response, there is disagreement in the type and degree of response. Furthermore, studies that have delved into this topic have been conducted in numerous settings but have been confounded by a lack of data regarding shore morphologies prior to installation of these structures. At Yellowstone National Park, there is an opportunity to assess the impacts of shore armor quantitatively because the National Park Service requires …

Geoarchaeology Of The Orontes River Floodplain Surrounding Tell Qarqur, Syria, Anna Flora Wieser

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This project combines geoarchaeological soil description and GIS analysis of archaeological site distribution to investigate the history of marsh formation in the northern Ghab Basin, located within the Orontes River Valley of western Syria. Tell Qarqur, the archaeological site around which this project is focused, has a continuous occupational sequence throughout the Holocene. Annual inundation of the site by seasonal marshlands suggests that the marsh was either smaller or non-existent in the past, but its history remains unknown. The objectives of this investigation are to interpret the nature of depositional environments, particularly fluvial action, in the vicinity of Tell Qarqur, …

Data Integration And Reservoir Characterization Of The Pennsylvanian Bartlesville Sandstone, Caroline Vance O'Keefe

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Glenn Pool Oil Field of Northeastern Oklahoma was established as the first major oil discovery of the fledgling state of Oklahoma. Fully developed by 1912, the field is now nearing depletion even under secondary and tertiary recovery efforts after production for approximately 100 years. Large amounts of residual oil estimated to still be in place have motivated exploration into other recovery methods, including polymer flooding and horizontal drilling. Success of these programs is dependent upon accurate characterization of the reservoir. Because most of the drilling occurred many decades ago, much of the data associated with this field predates electric …

Stratigraphy And Provenance Of Shallow Sandstones Endountered In Wells In Townships 9 And 10 North, Ranges 6 And 7 West, White County, Arkansas, Lacie Knight

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Paleozoic formations in western Arkansas have been well-studied; however, they are not well-understood in the eastern part of the state. The study area encompasses Townships 9. N. and 10. N., Ranges 6. W. and 7. W. in north-central White County, Arkansas. This area is at the intersection of four physiographic provinces as defined by the Arkansas Geologic Survey- the Ozark Plateaus, the Arkansas River Valley, the Ouachita Mountains, and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Interpretations of the surface unit in the area disagree. The Arkansas Geologic Map shows that the Morrowan Hale Formation crops out in the area; however, various petroleum …

Field-Based Constraints On The Origin Of The Benton Uplift, Ouachita Mountains, Rachel Victoria Keng

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ouachita Mountains are an east-west trending fold-and-thrust belt exposed in west central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The Mississippian-Pennsylvanian Ouachita orogeny occurred when the Sabine arc terrane collided during south-facing subduction, during closure of the Cambrian passive margin of the North American plate. Deep-water Paleozoic strata were incorporated into an accretionary wedge as the Sabine terrane approached the North American plate. Folds and thrust faults in the Ouachita Mountains generally verge north due to tectonic transport of an accretionary wedge from south to north. Structures in the Benton and Broken Bow Uplifts (located in the core of the wedge) locally …

Geochemical Controls On Mercury Methylation In Backwaters Of A Gulf Coastal Plain River System, Implications For Water Column Processes, Liam N. Schenk

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The abundance and distribution of mercury and methyl mercury were investigated at three sites in the lower Ouachita River in the summer of 2010 in an effort to provide the first characterization of the extent of mercury contamination in this river system, and to investigate the potential for mercury methylation in the water column of backwaters off of the main channel. Results showed that filtered methyl mercury was positively correlated to dissolved organic carbon (r2=0.76) for water samples taken from the bottom 1 ft of the water column at three sites, suggesting the importance of dissolved organic carbon in mercury …

Geologic Map Of The Nez Perce Drainage Basin, Southwestern Montana, Rose Aimee Feinstein

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

A geologic map of the Nez Perce drainage basin in southwestern Montana offers an understanding of the developing paleotopography of the area following the Laramide orogeny, ca. 65 ma. In this project, a small drainage basin was studied in detail, focusing on the geomorphology, structure, lithology, and ages of the various rock units. Based on the results of these studies and the relationships found among four major gravel units mapped within the basin, the basin development was approximated. The youngest unit is a fine-grained (mean diameter = 8.23 cm) channel deposit within Nez Perce Creek, sourced from within the basin, …

Bedrock Geology And Sea-Level History Of Fayetteville Quadrangle, Washington County, Arkansas, Maria E. King, Jack T. King, Stephen K. Boss

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A digital map depicting the detailed bedrock geology of Fayetteville Quadrangle, Washington County, Arkansas was produced at 1:24,000 scale. This map was developed utilizing state-of-the-art Geographic Information Systems technology and represents the most detailed map of the geology of Fayetteville Quadrangle that has been produced. In addition, the stratigraphy was interpreted to develop a regional sea-level history for the quadrangle. The bedrock geology of Fayetteville Quadrangle consists of sedimentary rocks of the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian systems. The Mississippian System is represented by (in ascending order) the Boone, Batesville, Fayetteville, and Pitkin Formations. The Pennsylvanian System is represented by (in ascending …

Description Of The Sections And Subsections Of The Interior Highlands Of Arkansas And Oklahoma, Thomas L. Foti, George A. Bukenhofer

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Sections and subsections of the Interior Highlands of Arkansas and Oklahoma are redefined, mapped and briefly summarized. The map was produced to support the Ozark- Ouachita Highlands Assessment (OOHA), being conducted by the USDA Forest Service. It revises the USDA Forest Service map "Ecological units of the eastern United States, first approximation" by Keys et al. (1995) and the earlier maps of the natural divisions of Arkansas (Foti, 1974; Foti, 1976; Pell, 1983) to reflect new knowledge and to achieve consistency with units recognized in Missouri. Four sections (natural divisions) are defined as opposed to the three of the previous …

Discovery Of Fossil Cretaceous Bird In Southwest Arkansas, Leo Carson Davis, Kathie Harris

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Storm Dominated Channel Sequences On A Shallow Marine Shelf: Morrowan Of Northwest Arkansas, Kimberley R. Jones, Doy L. Zachry

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Brentwood Member of the Bloyd Formation (Morrowan, Pennsylvanian) in northwestern Arkansas contains stratigraphic sequences deposted by tropical storms in middle shelf environments. The deposits are confined to shallow channels incised by strong unidirectional currents into an interval of shale deposited during fair weather conditions. Complete storm sequences reflect initial bottom currents of high competency that declined through time and were succeeded by wave generated oscillatory activity. The storm succession consists of an erosion surface followed by a basal pebble conglomerate, massive grainstone and packstone, whole-fossil wackestone, hummocky cross-strata and a swell lag of platy crinoidcalyxes. As storm activity ceased, …

Sinkhole Excavations In Peccary Cave, Newton County, Arkansas, Kenneth M. Ball, Leo Carson Davis

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Gis Characterization Of Beaver Watershed, H. D. Scott, J. M. Mckimmey

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

Beaver Reservoir watershed is located in Northwest Arkansas including portions of Madison, Washington, Benton, Carroll, Franklin and Crawford counties. This watershed is important to the Northwest Arkansas region because it supplies most of the drinking water for the major towns and cities, and several rural water systems. The watershed consists of 308,971 ha with elevations ranging from approximately 341 m to 731 m above mean sea level. It includes the Springfield Plateau and the Boston Mountains provinces within the Ozark Plateau physiographic region. There are approximately 581 km of streams, 532 km of shore line, and 3712 km of roads …

Development Of Organic Mud Mounds In A Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic Depositional Environment, John M. Ryan, Doy L. Zachry

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Organic carbonate mud mounds in the Prairie Grove Member of the Hale Formation developed on a shallow shelf swept by competent tidal currents. The mounds were stabilized by crustose red algae and fostered a sheltered setting where phylloid algae and marine invertebrates could thrive. The mounds supplied skeletal sediment locally to the intermound areas as well as regionally along the stable platform. This sediment mixed with quartz sand to form a major mixed carbonate-siliciclastic system in northwestern Arkansas.

Botanical Evidence For Holocene Movement Of Rock Streams In Arkansas, S. Marie Lookingbill, Malcolm K. Cleaveland, Margaret J. Guccione

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Botanical studies of rock streams on the western half of Rich Mountain and on the north slope of Mt. Magazine in Arkansas question the common presumption that such streams require periglacial conditions to form, and are now inactive relict features in this area. Trees along the margins of the streams examined show abundant evidence of trauma resulting from Late Holocene movement, in the form of bent and tilted stems. Cross sections of trees demonstrate marked eccentric growth associated with tilting and cambial trauma associated with corrasion by rocks. That this damage is not the result of excessive snow loading is …

Textural And Lithologic Differences Of Cretaceous, Tertiary, And Quaternary Gravels Of South Arkansas, Lesli Wood

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Stream gravels have been derived from the Ouachita Mountains since at least Cretaceous times. Past studies have assigned ages to gravel deposits in the basins of the Saline and Little Missouri Rivers on the basis of altitude above local floodplains. This study examines the lithologies and textures of seven gravel outcrops ranging in age from Cretaceous to Quaternary to determine whether any patterns of variation based on assigned ages, variable sources, or precise depositional setting can be discerned. No variation patterns could be found for size distributions of sand-sized and larger fractions. However, the amount of silt-clay matrix decreases through …

Implications Of Hydrocarbon And Helium Gas Analyses Of Springs From The Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas, Randel T. Cox, Kenneth F. Steele

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

One hundred and three ground water samples (predominantly springs) were analyzed for headspace light hydrocarbon gases and helium. Four of the formations (Arkansas Novaculite, Bigfork Chert, Stanley Shale, and Womble) having the highest mean methane values are the only Ouachita Mountain facies to produce petroleum or exhibit marginally commercial production. This observation suggests that the mean methane values are useful as an indication of the relative hydrocarbon content of these formations Anomalous helium values are generally associated with mapped faults.

Early Pennsylvanian Conodont-Ammonoid Biostratigraphy And The Witts Springs Problem, North-Central Arkansas, Mary Ann Eccher, Daniel J. Murdaugh, Wildon D. Hawkins

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Witts Springs Formation was proposed as a lithostratigraphic unit in north-central Arkansas to include the interval from a horizon equivalent to the base of the Prairie Grove Member, Hale Formation to the top of the Bloyd Formation, of the type Morrowan Series, northwestern Arkansas. The top of the Witts Springs Formation was regarded as being unconformably succeeded by the middle Pennsylvanian Atoka Formation. Recent investigation of this unit in its type area has shown that the presumed Atokan Sandstone is actually a unit confined to the Bloyd Formation. Thus, the type section of the Witts Springs in Searcy County, …

Reconnaissance Of The Bedrock Aquifers And Groundwater Chemistry Of Crawford, Franklin, And Sebastian Counties, Arkansas, Samuel R. Rothermel, Wyndal M. Robison, Julie L. Wanslow, James R. Musgrove, Daryll Saulsberry, Albert E. Ogden

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A ground water reconnaissance of Crawford, Franklin, and Sebastian counties was performed utilizing 122 wells having drillers' logs from bedrock aquifers. North of the Arkansas River, essentially all bedrock wells produce from the Atoka Formation. There are many low producing aquifers within the Atoka with a range in yield of 0.1 to 55 gpm, but having a median yield of only 2 gpm. Well depths range from 18 to 248 feet with a median of 122 feet. More water is generally obtained from the shale/siltstone aquifers than the sandstones due to more bedding-plane partings and more closely spaced fractures. Greater …

Preliminary Investigation Of Ground-Water Occurrence In The Atoka Formation Of Pope And Faulkner Counties, Arkansas, Wyndal M. Goodman, Albert E. Ogden

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

One hundred and twelve wells having drillers' logs were studied in Pope and Faulkner counties. Sixty-six of the wells produced water from shales and siltstones of the Atoka Formation while 46 produced from interbedded Atoka sandstones. Drillers' estimated well yields ranged from 1 to 100 gpm, but the median yield was only 9 gpm. Well depths ranged from 30 to 337 feet with a median depth of 100 feet. Ground-water is usually obtained from a series of low-producing confined aquifers of low artesian pressure. Pressure head and production were shown, statistically (a = .01), to decrease with increasing well depth. …