Coal bed methane potential of the Sand Wash Basin, Green River coal region, Colorado
The Sand Wash Basin covers most of the Colorado portion of the Green River coal region. Significant coal beds are found in four Cretaceous formations in the basin: the Iles and Williams Fork Formations of the Mesaverde Group, the Lance Formation, and the Fort Union Formation. Individual coal beds can reach thicknesses of 36 ft in the Mesaverde, 13 ft in the Lance, and 50 ft in the Fort Union. Net coal isopach maps of these formations indicate coal resources of: 128 billion short tons in the Mesaverde Group, 16 billion short tons in the Lance Formation, and 52 billion short tons in the Fort Union Formation. Several lines of evidence indicate coal bed methane is present in some of the coals in the basin: 1) gas emissions from coal mines (up to 11,400 cubic feet of gas per ton (cf/t) of coal mined per day), 2) 23 desorbed coal samples with gas contents ranging from 0 to 376 cf/t, 3) mud log reports of gas coming from coals in all four formations, and 4) successful drill stem tests and production tests from mixed sandstone and coal zones. A 414 sq mi area of Mesaverde coals (5000+- ft deep) may contain nearly 14 trillion cubic feet of gas in place. 13 references, 10 figures, 1 table.
- Research Organization:
- Colorado Geological Survey, Denver (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG21-80MC14256
- OSTI ID:
- 5340310
- Report Number(s):
- USGS-OFR-81-6; ON: DE84001920
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Portions are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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