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Title: Distribution and origin of sulfur in Colorado oil shale

Abstract

The sulfur content of 1,225 samples of Green River oil shale from two core holes in the Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, ranges from nearly 0 to 4.9 weight percent. In one core hole, the average sulfur content of a sequence of oil shale 555 m thick, which represents nearly the maximum thickness of oil shale in the basin, is 0.76 weight percent. The vertical distribution of sulfur through the oil shale is cyclic. As many as 25 sulfur cycles have lateral continuity and can be traced between the core holes. Most of the sulfur resides in iron sulfides (pyrite, marcasite, and minor. pyrrhotite), and small amounts are organically bound in kerogen. In general, the concentration of sulfur correlates moderately with oil shale yield, but the degree of association ranges from quite high in the upper 90 m of the oil shale sequence to low or none in the leached zone and in illitic oil shale in the lower part of the sequence. Sulfur also correlates moderately with iron in the carbonate oil shale sequence, but no correlation was found in the illitic samples. Sulfide mineralization is believed to have occurred during early and late stages of diagenesis, and after lithification,more » during development of the leached zone. Significant amounts of iron found in ankeritic dolomite and in illite probably account for the lack of a strong correlation between sulfur and iron.« less

Authors:
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
OSTI Identifier:
5232531
Report Number(s):
CONF-830434-
Journal ID: CODEN: OSSPD
Resource Type:
Conference
Journal Name:
Oil Shale Symp. Proc.; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Conference: 16. oil shale symposium, Golden, CO, USA, 13 Apr 1983
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS; GREEN RIVER FORMATION; SULFUR CONTENT; OIL SHALES; SULFUR; ORIGIN; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; COLORADO; CORRELATIONS; DIAGENESIS; DRILL CORES; GEOCHEMISTRY; IRON SULFIDES; KEROGEN; MINERALOGY; OIL SHALE DEPOSITS; OIL YIELDS; PICEANCE CREEK BASIN; SHALE OIL; BITUMINOUS MATERIALS; CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS; CHALCOGENIDES; CHEMISTRY; DISTRIBUTION; ELEMENTS; ENERGY SOURCES; FEDERAL REGION VIII; FOSSIL FUELS; FUELS; GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS; IRON COMPOUNDS; MATERIALS; MINERAL OILS; MINERAL RESOURCES; NONMETALS; NORTH AMERICA; OILS; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; ORGANIC MATTER; OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; RESOURCES; SULFIDES; SULFUR COMPOUNDS; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS; USA; YIELDS; 040201* - Oil Shales & Tar Sands- Site Geology- (-1989)

Citation Formats

Dyni, J R. Distribution and origin of sulfur in Colorado oil shale. United States: N. p., 1983. Web.
Dyni, J R. Distribution and origin of sulfur in Colorado oil shale. United States.
Dyni, J R. 1983. "Distribution and origin of sulfur in Colorado oil shale". United States.
@article{osti_5232531,
title = {Distribution and origin of sulfur in Colorado oil shale},
author = {Dyni, J R},
abstractNote = {The sulfur content of 1,225 samples of Green River oil shale from two core holes in the Piceance Creek Basin, Colorado, ranges from nearly 0 to 4.9 weight percent. In one core hole, the average sulfur content of a sequence of oil shale 555 m thick, which represents nearly the maximum thickness of oil shale in the basin, is 0.76 weight percent. The vertical distribution of sulfur through the oil shale is cyclic. As many as 25 sulfur cycles have lateral continuity and can be traced between the core holes. Most of the sulfur resides in iron sulfides (pyrite, marcasite, and minor. pyrrhotite), and small amounts are organically bound in kerogen. In general, the concentration of sulfur correlates moderately with oil shale yield, but the degree of association ranges from quite high in the upper 90 m of the oil shale sequence to low or none in the leached zone and in illitic oil shale in the lower part of the sequence. Sulfur also correlates moderately with iron in the carbonate oil shale sequence, but no correlation was found in the illitic samples. Sulfide mineralization is believed to have occurred during early and late stages of diagenesis, and after lithification, during development of the leached zone. Significant amounts of iron found in ankeritic dolomite and in illite probably account for the lack of a strong correlation between sulfur and iron.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5232531}, journal = {Oil Shale Symp. Proc.; (United States)},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1983},
month = {Fri Apr 01 00:00:00 EST 1983}
}

Conference:
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