New Paleozoic frontier play in eastern Great Basin
Discovery of two new oil fields have made the eastern Great Basin province one of the most attractive frontier areas in North America. The Grant Canyon field in east-central Nevada is producing from Devonian carbonates. It has already flowed more than 2 million bbl of oil since its discovery. The new Blackburn discoveries are producing from Mississippian siliciclastic and Devonian carbonate sediments in north-central Nevada. These hydrocarbons as well as the other 11 million bbl of oil produced from eastern Nevada fields were generated from shallow-water Mississippian siliciclastic sediments that shed eastward off the Antler Mountains. Some of these hydrocarbons were probably generated before and during the Laramide thrusting event, and were consequently trapped in large Laramide age thrusts and folds in eastern Nevada. Some of these structures have since been modified by Tertiary Basin and Range normal faulting, and hydrocarbons have remigrated into smaller fault traps. Unfortunately, Tertiary sediments in these small traps have been the main target of exploration for the last three decades, which has precluded a concerned effort to explore Paleozoic sediments in large Laramide structures. A new effort is underway to evaluate the potential of Paleozoic sediments in Tertiary fault traps, which may lead to exploration of Paleozoic sediments in large Laramide structures.
- Research Organization:
- Cedar Strat, Inc., Reno, NV
- OSTI ID:
- 5378786
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-860624-
- Journal Information:
- Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 70:5; ISSN AAPGB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Petroleum exploration in Nevada, then and now
Related Subjects
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
CARBONATE ROCKS
DEVONIAN PERIOD
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION IX
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGIC TRAPS
GEOLOGY
MINERAL RESOURCES
MISSISSIPPIAN PERIOD
NEVADA
NORTH AMERICA
OIL FIELDS
PALEOZOIC ERA
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA