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U.S. Department of Energy
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Tectonic structures of the Palo Duro basin, Texas Panhandle

Book ·
OSTI ID:5345153

As part of an extensive basin analysis program conducted by the Bureau for the U.S. Department of Energy, this research summarizes the structural geology of the Palo Duro Basin. Surface and subsurface study, including examinations of outcrop, well log, and seismic reflection data, indicate that the structures within and adjoining the Palo Duro Basin consist primarily of isolated, fault-bounded, basement highs and poorly defined subbasins. Overall structural configuration of these features was produced during the Pennsylvanian Ancestral Rocky Mountain Orogeny and modified by subsidence during the Permian and Triassic Periods, although some structures formed before the late Paleozoic and were later reactivated. Recognized structures in the Palo Duro Basin include the Arney positive in Castro, Randall, and Swisher Counties, the central Randall High in Randall County, and the Littlefield-Illusion Lake structure in Lamb County. Structures marginal to the Palo Duro Basin include the Amarillo Uplift, Whittenburg Trough, Oldham-Harmon trend, and the Matador Arch; in this report the author delineates these and other structures in detail.

OSTI ID:
5345153
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English