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At least 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Detrital U-Pb zircon and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar muscovite geochronology from Middle Pennsylvanian strata in the Anadarko Basin, Texas Panhandle, USA

The Late Mississippian-Permian Anadarko Basin formed in Texas and Oklahoma, USA as the result of inversion of Neoproterozic and Cambrian rift structures. Subsidence was driven by flexural loading of the Amarillo-Wichita Uplift, and this uplift may represent the easternmost element of the Ancestral Rocky Mountains system. The northwestern part of this basin has generally been interpreted to have been filled by sediment derived from the Ancestral Front Range Uplift, ~475 km to the northwest during the early stages of basin filling. We test this model using U-Pb detrital zircon and 40 Ar/ 39 Ar detrital muscovite results from three subsurface samples of the Morrow B sandstone in the northwestern part of the Anadarko Basin. We provide a new maximum depositional age of 310.9 ± 4.9 Ma that indicates the age of the Morrow B to be no older than late Atokan to early Desmoinesian Age (Moscovian), ~10 Myr younger than previously interpreted. In contrast to some previous interpretations, we propose that the most likely source for the sediment in the Morrow B is the Amarillo Uplift to the south. Detrital zircon and detrital muscovite data have age peaks at 900–1300 Ma, 1370 Ma and 1600–1800 Ma corresponding to derivation from Grenville, Granite-Rhyolite and Yavapai-Mazatzal basement provinces, respectively. A dominant detrital zircon peak at 1370 Ma suggests that Mesoproterozoic granites in the Amarillo Uplift were exposed by Middle Pennsylvanian time, and detritus eroded from the Amarillo Uplift dominated the lowstand sediment budget of the Texas Panhandle during this time; small volumes of sediment were likely sourced from the Ancestral Front Range. In conclusion, this study presents the first detrital geochronology data from the subsurface Anadarko Basin and the first detrital muscovite data from late Paleozoic southwestern Laurentia. The results presented here highlight the interpretive power of combined detrital zircon and muscovite datasets.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
NASA NTRS1985

Post-carboniferous tectonics in the Anadarko Basin, Oklahoma: Evidence from side-looking radar imagery

The Anadarko Basin of western Oklahoma is a WNW-ESE elongated trough filled with of Paleozoic sediments. Most models call for tectonic activity to end in Pennsylvanian times. NASA Shuttle Imaging Radar revealed a distinctive and very straight lineament set extending virtually the entire length of the Anadarko Basin. The lineaments cut across the relatively flat-lying Permian units exposed at the surface. The character of these lineaments is seen most obviously as a tonal variation. Major streams, including the Washita and Little Washita rivers, appear to be controlled by the location of the lineaments. Subsurface data indicate the lineaments may be the updip expression of a buried major fault system, the Mountain View fault. Two principal conclusions arise from this analysis: (1) the complex Mountain View Fault system appears to extend southeast to join the Reagan, Sulphur, and/or Mill Creek faults of the Arbuckle Mountains, and (2) this fault system has been reactivated in Permian or younger times.

Nielsen, K. C.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Analysis of Geologic CO 2 Migration Pathways in Farnsworth Field, NW Anadarko Basin

This study reports on analyses of natural, geologic CO 2 migration paths in Farnsworth Oil Field, northern Texas, where CO 2 was injected into the Pennsylvanian Morrow B reservoir as part of enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration efforts. We interpret 2D and 3D seismic reflection datasets of the study site, which is located on the western flank of the Anadarko basin, and compare our seismic interpretations with results from a tracer study. Petroleum system models are developed to understand the petroleum system and petroleum- and CO 2 -migration pathways. We find no evidence of seismically resolvable faults in Farnsworth Field, but interpret a karst structure, erosional structures, and incised valleys. These interpretations are compared with results of a Morrow B well-to-well tracer study that suggests that inter-well flow is up-dip or lateral. Southeastward fluid flow is inhibited by dip direction, thinning, and draping of the Morrow B reservoir over a deeper, eroded formation. Petroleum system models predict a deep basin-ward increase in temperature and maturation of the source rocks. In the northwestern Anadarko Basin, petroleum migration was generally up-dip with local exceptions; the Morrow B sandstone was likely charged by formations both below and overlying the reservoir rock. Based on this analysis, we conclude that CO 2 escape in Farnsworth Field via geologic pathways such as tectonic faults is unlikely. Abandoned or aged wellbores remain a risk for CO 2 escape from the reservoir formation and deserve further monitoring and research.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

Late Paleozoic Evolution of the Anadarko Basin: Implications for Laurentian Tectonics and the Assembly of Pangea

Abstract Interplay between marginal and intraplate late Paleozoic tectonics in southeastern Laurentia is a subject of debate. In southern Laurentia, intraplate deformation has been attributed to combinations of compressive forces from orogenic belts in the west, southwest, and southeast. While left‐lateral transpression is generally an accepted mechanism for formation of uplifts in the Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen (SOA), to date no studies have explained the driving mechanisms of these kinematics. Here, we analyze the Southern Oklahoma Transpressional System (SOTS), a ∼500 km long ∼50 km wide fault zone that extends from the southeastern Laurentian margin into the plate interior along Cambrian lithospheric weaknesses inherited from the SOA. We use a compilation of published studies to present detailed, time‐integrated sedimentary thickness maps of SOTS‐related basins. We combine these maps with a new interpretation of three 2D seismic reflection lines to constrain timing and kinematics of all major late Paleozoic SOTS fault zones. We show that the SOTS kinematics evolved from contraction to left‐lateral strike‐slip during Mississippian‐Pennsylvanian time. Tectonic activity and fault kinematics in the SOTS are explained by a model in which a remnant ocean basin closed diachronously from northeast to southwest along the Southern Appalachian and Ouachita‐Marathon orogens. Left‐lateral transpression during diachronous closure of the Rheic oceanic basin along the Ouachita‐Marathon margin is related to rotation of the stress field due to changes in slab‐pull and eastward drift of Laurentia toward Gondwana. We speculate that the SOTS acted in part as a STEP (subduction‐transfer edge propagator) fault that followed the pre‐existing SOA.

Hobbs, Noah. F.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Creating Accurate Methane Emission Inventories through Data-Driven Airborne Survey Strategies

Because natural gas emits less carbon than other fossil fuels, it holds promise as a green energy transition fuel. However, the overall carbon footprint of natural gas is significantly elevated by methane emissions that occur during its production and transmission (Cusworth et al. 2022). Methane “super-emitters,” while comprising only about 1% of sites, are responsible for the majority of oil- and gas-sourced methane emissions, making their detection and mitigation critical in reducing the climate impact of natural gas and in meeting national and global sustainability goals (Sherwin et al. 2024). Yet, despite advancements in detection, significant uncertainties remain regarding the size, frequency, and duration distributions of methane emissions (e.g., Frankenberg et al. 2016, Cusworth et al. 2022, Chen, Sherwin et al. 2022, Conrad et al. 2023, Johnson et al. 2023, Sherwin et al. 2024) underscoring the need for comprehensive emissions inventories segmented by basin across the US. Airborne surveys are well-suited for collecting data to build these comprehensive, basin-level inventories because they allow for extensive spatial coverage, and have the spatial resolution, and the sensitivity to pinpoint individual methane sources. As remote sensing technologies enable rapid basin-scale surveys, it is imperative to establish scientifically and statistically robust standards to generate reliable and actionable emissions inventories. Recent work has shown that differences in airborne sampling strategies, detection technologies, and analysis can lead to large differences between survey conclusions if not correctly accounted for (Chen et al. 2024). This elevates the importance of incorporating proper sampling and analysis techniques when designing a methane emissions monitoring campaign to produce accurate results and facilitate cross-study comparisons. In this paper, we describe a survey strategy designed using the latest conclusions from the literature to align results from different aerial surveys. We identify several sampling and analysis principles, including large sample sizes, balanced sampling across oil and gas production, careful survey area definition, and a unified protocol for analysis, to be vital to producing an unbiased estimate of basin-scale emissions. We present results from a Department of Energy-funded project that deployed this survey strategy in two understudied oil and gas- producing regions in the United States: the Haynesville Basin in Texas and Louisiana, and the Woodford Shale in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1975

Quantification of geologic lineaments by manual and machine processing techniques

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of operator variability and subjectivity in lineament mapping and to examine methods to minimize or eliminate these problems by use of several machine preprocessing methods. LANDSAT scenes from the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma and the Colorado Plateau were analyzed as test cases. Four geologists mapped lineaments on an Anadarko Basin scene, using transparencies of MSS bands 4-7, and their results are compared statistically. The total number of fractures mapped by the operators and their average lengths varied considerably, although comparison of lineament directions revealed some consensus. A summary map (785 linears) produced by overlaying the maps generated by the four operators showed that only 0.4% were recognized by all four operators, 4.7% by three, 17.8% by two and 77% by one operator. Two methods of machine aided mapping were tested, both simulating directional filters. One consists of computer (digital) processing of CCTs using edge enhancement algorithms, the other employs a television (analog) scanning of an image transparency which superimposes the original image and one offset in the direction of the scan line.

Podwysocki, M. H.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Exploration for fossil and nuclear fuels from orbital altitudes

Studies of LANDSAT and Skylab-EREP data have defined both the advantages and limitations of space platforms as a new 'tool' in mineral exploration. One LANDSAT investigation in the Anadarko Basin of Oklahoma has demonstrated a correlation between several types of anomalies recognized in the imagery and the locations of known oil and gas fields. In addition to supporting several LANDSAT follow-on investigations in petroleum exploration, NASA has approved a broad in-house study at Goddard Space Flight Center designed to verify the general applicability of the initial Anadarko Basin results. Using both conventional photogeologic methods and special computer processing, imagery taken over oil-producing areas is being subjected to detailed analysis in search of definitive recognition criteria.

Short, N. M.↗
NASA NTRS1973

An evaluation of the suitability of ERTS data for the purposes of petroleum exploration

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS-1 imagery seems to be good to excellent for reconnaissance level investigations of large sedimentary basins such as the Anadarko Basin. Many lithologic boundaries, and geomorphic features, and linear features inferred to be indicative of geologic structure are visible in the imagery. This imagery in conjunction with high altitude photography seems to be useful as a tool for intermediate level geologic exploration. Several types of crudely circular anomalous features, such as geomorphic/structural anomalies, hazy areas and tonal anomalies, are identifiable in the imagery. There seems to be a strong correlation between the geomorphic/structural and hazy anomalies and known structurally controlled oil and gas fields. The features recognizable on ERTS-1 imagery and their ease of recognition vary from area to area even in imagery acquired at the same time under essentially uniform atmospheric conditions. Repeated coverage is exceedingly valuable in geologic applications. One time complete coverage even for the various seasons does not reveal all the features that ERTS-1 can reveal.

Collins, R. J., Jr.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Creating Accurate Methane Emission Inventories through Data-Driven Airborne Survey Strategies: Methods and Results from the Haynesville, Anadarko, and Permian Basins

Significantly reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector can decrease the rate of climate change over the next two decades, buying critical time for a global energy transition. However, emissions inventories that can be used by oil and gas operators and environmental regulators to identify optimal methane emission mitigation strategies are either based on conservative emission factor methods, or are inconsistent between studies due to differences in sampling strategies or survey technologies. We developed a new approach for methane emissions survey design that yields representative basinwide methane emissions inventories by surveying a subset of total assets in a given oil and gas basin. We identify several sampling and analysis principles, including large sample sizes, balanced sampling across oil and gas production, careful survey area definition, and a unified protocol for analysis, to be vital to producing an unbiased estimate of basin-scale emissions that can be reconciled with future studies. We further present results from deploying this strategy in two oil and gas producing regions in the United States: the Haynesville Basin in Texas and Louisiana, and the Woodford Shale in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma. Aerial surveys were performed in 2023 using the Insight M LeakSurveyor™ technology. Preliminary results from methane emissions detected by Insight M indicate that aerially detected emissions above roughly 30 kg(CH4)/hr by themselves contribute a fractional loss rate of 1.13% of gross gas production across oil and gas operations in the Haynesville Basin, with aerially detected emissions equivalent to 2.67% of gross gas production in the Woodford Shale. We supplement these aerial estimates with modeled emissions that are below the LeakSurveyor’s survey sensitivity using a recently published inventory-based model of methane emissions, which we update for our survey areas. We then combine our aerial detections with modeled emissions to yield methane emission distributions and inventories that incorporate the full range of potential methane emissions from the smallest to the largest. These results can be used to identify the most effective methane mitigation strategies for our study areas, and can be reconciled with future methane emissions surveys that use different technologies.

Sherwin, Evan (ORCID:0000000321804297)↗
DOE OSTI2026

Developing Methane Emissions Inventories by Fusing Airborne, Satellite, and Modeled Assessments: Comprehensive Surveys of the Anadarko and Haynesville Basin

The objective of this program is to create basin-specific methane emissions inventories of the Haynesville and Anadarko (Woodford shale) basins, based on truly basin-scale data collection and analysis. Emissions of natural gas, predominantly composed of methane, present a significant financial loss to the oil and gas sector and reduce the competitiveness of American energy sources. While large emissions, above 10 kg/h, occur at only a small percentage of oil and gas sites, they account for a disproportionately large volume of emissions. To address this, we executed a concurrent campaign combining cutting-edge bottom-up modeling with top-down aerial and satellite surveys to capture the heavy-tailed distribution of these large emissions to accurately characterize total emissions throughout both regions.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Paying it Forward: How an Emerging Unconventional Play can Hit the Ground Running

While every tight oil play is unique, there are lessons that can be transferred from one play to another to improve the efficiency and pace of production operations and development. These improvements may not fit precisely in every basin or play but generally hold to themes that can be tested against and built upon. Themes such as the quantity of proppant, longer lateral length, or the number of stages can be directly tied to increased productivity. However, there are diminishing returns on these investment activities for which each operator, within a given play, will be required to identify and mitigate against. This is especially true as the industry steps in and begins developing new tight oil plays. In their nascent stages, these plays may have limited well penetrations and, as a result, limited geological and performance data from which to extrapolate. Pulling together an understanding of where the industry currently resides in terms of how to exploit these resources can provide a boost in terms of working towards greatly improved well completions. In 2019, the US EIA estimated that nearly 8 million barrels of oil per day were produced from tight oil reservoirs in the United States (US EIA, 2020). This represents over 60% of the domestic crude production, originating from multiple reservoirs in the Permian Basin (TX) as well as the Bakken (MT, ND), Eagle Ford (TX), Niobrara (CO, WY), and Anadarko Basin (OK) formations, among others. As such, there are 1,000s of wells across these numerous tight oil plays that can relate an informative story. To build this story, the interplay of geology, well spacing, lateral length, and stimulation, all critical to economic success, will be explored. This paper proposes to look back at these mature tight oil (and gas) basins and bring forth an understanding of what lessons can be applied to the emerging Powder River Basin tight oil reservoirs (Mowry and the Turner/Frontier). The authors will delve into the four broad topics of geology, well spacing, lateral length, and stimulation, highlighting case studies to demonstrate those lessons from established tight oil plays that will underpin planned activities at a Field Laboratory Test Site in the southern Powder River Basin.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2022

Microbial colonization and persistence in deep fractured shales is guided by metabolic exchanges and viral predation

Background: Microbial colonization of subsurface shales following hydraulic fracturing offers the opportunity to study coupled biotic and abiotic factors that impact microbial persistence in engineered deep subsurface ecosystems. Shale formations underly much of the continental USA and display geographically distinct gradients in temperature and salinity. Complementing studies performed in eastern USA shales that contain brine-like fluids, here we coupled metagenomic and metabolomic approaches to develop the first genome-level insights into ecosystem colonization and microbial community interactions in a lower-salinity, but high-temperature western USA shale formation. Results: We collected materials used during the hydraulic fracturing process (i.e., chemicals, drill muds) paired with temporal sampling of water produced from three different hydraulically fractured wells in the STACK (Sooner Trend Anadarko Basin, Canadian and Kingfisher) shale play in OK, USA. Relative to other shale formations, our metagenomic and metabolomic analyses revealed an expanded taxonomic and metabolic diversity of microorganisms that colonize and persist in fractured shales. Importantly, temporal sampling across all three hydraulic fracturing wells traced the degradation of complex polymers from the hydraulic fracturing process to the production and consumption of organic acids that support sulfate- and thiosulfate-reducing bacteria. Furthermore, we identified 5587 viral genomes and linked many of these to the dominant, colonizing microorganisms, demonstrating the key role that viral predation plays in community dynamics within this closed, engineered system. Lastly, top-side audit sampling of different source materials enabled genome-resolved source tracking, revealing the likely sources of many key colonizing and persisting taxa in these ecosystems. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of resource utilization and resistance to viral predation as key traits that enable specific microbial taxa to persist across fractured shale ecosystems. We also demonstrate the importance of materials used in the hydraulic fracturing process as both a source of persisting shale microorganisms and organic substrates that likely aid in sustaining the microbial community. Moreover, we showed that different physicochemical conditions (i.e., salinity, temperature) can influence the composition and functional potential of persisting microbial communities in shale ecosystems. Together, these results expand our knowledge of microbial life in deep subsurface shales and have important ramifications for management and treatment of microbial biomass in hydraulically fractured wells.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

DISSPATCH H2: Assessing Subsurface Storage Potential for Hydrogen

This project evaluates the technical feasibility of long-term underground hydrogen storage in the Anadarko Basin, integrating subsurface science, reservoir engineering, and system-level analysis to build a cohesive understanding of how hydrogen may be stored and recovered in porous media. Although salt caverns currently dominate commercial-scale hydrogen storage, their limited geographic availability necessitates alternative options that can support a more resilient energy system. Depleted oil and gas reservoirs offer a widely distributed and potentially high-capacity solution, but their suitability depends on formation-specific geologic, petrophysical, microbial, and operational factors. This study provides the first coordinated assessment of these factors within the Simpson Group of Oklahoma.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mechanisms of Waterflood Inefficiency: Analysis of Geological, Petrophysical and Reservoir History, a Field Case Study of FWU (East Section)

The petroleum reservoir represents a complex heterogeneous system that requires thorough characterization prior to the implementation of any incremental recovery technique. One of the most commonly utilized and successful secondary recovery techniques is waterflooding. However, a lack of sufficient investigation into the inherent behavior and characteristics of the reservoir formation in situ can result in failure or suboptimal performance of waterflood operations. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of the geological history, static and dynamic reservoir characteristics, and petrophysical data is essential for analyzing the mechanisms and causes of waterflood inefficiency and failure. In this study, waterflood inefficiency was observed in the Morrow B reservoir located in the Farnsworth Unit, situated in the northwestern shelf of the Anadarko Basin, Texas. To assess the potential mechanisms behind the inefficiency of waterflooding in the east half, geological, petrophysical, and reservoir engineering data, along with historical information, were integrated, reviewed, and analyzed. The integration and analysis of these datasets revealed that several factors contributed to the waterflood inefficiency. Firstly, the presence of abundant dispersed authigenic clays within the reservoir, worsened by low reservoir quality and high heterogeneity, led to unfavorable conditions for waterflood operations. The use of freshwater for flooding exacerbated the adverse effects of sensitive and migratory clays, further hampering the effectiveness of the waterflood. In addition to these factors, several reservoir engineering issues played a significant role in the inefficiency of waterflooding. These issues included inadequate perforation strategies due to the absence of detailed hydraulic flow units (HFUs) and rock typing, random placement of injectors, and uncontrolled injected fresh water. These external controlling parameters further contributed to the overall inefficiencies observed during waterflood operations in the east half of the reservoir. A detailed understanding of the mechanistic factors of inefficient waterflood operation will provide adequate insights into the development of the improved recovery technique for the field.

Morgan, Anthony (ORCID:0000000211519153)↗