Geologic characterization of Shannon reservoirs, West Short Pine Hills field, Harding County, South Dakota
The West Short Pine Hills field produces natural gas from shallow marine sandstones of the Upper Cretaceous Shannon Formation in the Williston basin of northwestern South Dakota. These sandstones were deposited as a series of submarine bars at least 175 mi east of equivalent shoreline deposits and represent one sequence of multiple submarine bars which are sporadically developed on the Shannon paleosea floor. With the exception of the Cady Creek field to the south, the nearest Shannon production is more than 125 mi away in the Powder River basin. Core analysis of the Shannon at West Short Pine Hills field show that reservoir characteristics here are somewhat different from what has been reported in other Shannon fields in the region. The Shannon here has been divided into five facies types which represent a complete depositional cycle; complete cycles are, however, rarely preserved because of migration of the sandbars and reworking due to storm surges and ocean currents. Effective reservoir communication in the field is provided for by intercommunication among sand-filled burrows and trails, which bring thin-bedded, laterally discontinuous sands into communication with more massively bedded units. The result is an internal boxwork network of narrow permeability conduits within normally tight, very low-permeability facies. Some fracturing may be operative in parts of the field to further enhance communication, although none was seen in core.
- OSTI ID:
- 5567513
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8910195-; CODEN: AABUD
- Journal Information:
- AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA), Vol. 73:9; Conference: AAPG Rocky Mountain Section meeting, Albuquerque, NM (USA), 1-4 Oct 1989; ISSN 0149-1423
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
RESERVOIR ROCK
SOUTH DAKOTA
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DIAGENESIS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
WILLISTON BASIN
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration