Structural development and oil occurrence on northeast flank of Uinta Mountains near Irish Canyon, northwestern Colorado

Conference · Wed May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1985 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5078890

Roehler, H W

The study area is located along Vermillion Creek, 1-3 mi (1.6-5 km) east of Irish Canyon, in northwestern Colorado. The exposed stratigraphic section consists of steeply dipping to vertical Upper Cretaceous Almond Formation, Ericson, Sandstone, and Mancos Shale along the toe of the Sparks Ranch thrust fault, and of lesser dipping older Mesozoic and Paleozoic formations in distant parts of the thrust plate. In most places, the Almond Formation is in contact across the thrust fault with the Eocene Wasatch and Green River Formations, and all of these formations are unconformably overlain by the Oligocene Bishop Conglomerate and the Miocene Browns Park Formation. The structural development of the area has involved three major events: (1) Late Cretaceous uplift of the Uinta Mountains; (2) Paleocene and Eocene thrust movements of the sparks Ranch fault; and (3) late Tertiary normal faulting associated with a collapse of the eastern Uinta Mountains. Oil-saturated sandstones are present in outcrops of 10 Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Tertiary formations adjacent to several of the late Tertiary normal faults. Oil is escaping to the surface along these faults, probably from a large, deep-seated reservoir located below the Sparks Ranch thrust fault.

• Research Organization: Geological Survey, Denver, CO
• OSTI ID: 5078890
• Report Number(s): CONF-8506201-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 69:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
CENOZOIC ERA
COLORADO
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SHALES
STRATIGRAPHY
TERTIARY PERIOD
USA