Bedding-orientation contours of Middle Devonian shales exposed in the Middle Mountain syncline, Valley and Ridge province, West Virginia

Technical Report · Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:6603344

Wilson, T H

Bedding-orientation contours have been used to estimate the effect of the Parsons structural lineament on exposed Middle Devonian shales in the Middle Mountain syncline of the Valley and Ridge province, Pendleton County, West Virginia. Models are developed which permit the interpretation of bedding-orientation contours in terms of fold geometry and faulting. Patterns in the contours of bedding strike and dip have been related to: (1) the regional structure of the syncline, and (2) internal faulting and folding related to structure in the underlying Devonian Oriskany Sandstone. The analysis shows that the strike line map and contours of standard deviations in bedding dip are most useful as a tool to locate structure. Deformation domains defined as areas of high standard deviation in bedding dip have been used to locate and define the extent of faulting. Deformation domains are found to be larger and more numerous within the Parsons structural lineament where it intersects the exposed Middle Devonian shales of the syncline. These deformation domains contain more intensely jointed shale, and are directly related to faults and folds in the underlying Devonian Oriskany Sandstone. Deformation domains therefore represent a small scale analogue to Shumaker's fracture facies. Thus information on the Oriskany structure can be used to predict the location of intensely fractured reservoirs.Structural shortening in the Parsons structural lineament is taken up by more numerous faults and low amplitude folds, and thus more numerous fractured reservoirs. Future exploration for fractured gas reservoirs can then be optimized by concentrating subsurface studies along cross-strike structural discontinuities (such as the Parsons structural lineament), and determining their westward extent into the Plateau. 11 figures.

• Research Organization: West Virginia Univ., Morgantown (USA). Dept. of Geology and Geography
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-76ET12138
• OSTI ID: 6603344
• Report Number(s): DOE/ET/12138-1334; ON: DE83006559
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products. Original copy available until stock is exhausted
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
BLACK SHALES
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
WEST VIRGINIA
GEOLOGY
DEFORMATION
DEVONIAN PERIOD
FRACTURED RESERVOIRS
ORIENTATION
SANDSTONES
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION III
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SHALES
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
040201 - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Site Geology- (-1989)