Potential strippable oil-shale resources of the Mahogany Zone Eocene, Cathedral Bluffs Area, Northwestern Colorado

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1971 · U.S. Geol. Surv., Prof. Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5568017

Donnell, J R; Austin, A C

Recent improvement of equipment used in strip mining coal deposits may make large tracts of oil-shale land in W. Colorado amenable to strip mining. At present, it is technically possible to remove as much as 200 ft of overburden, and in the future it may be possible to remove as much as 400 ft. In four 7-1/2-min quadrangles in NW. Colorado, about 75 sq miles is underlain by the oil-shale-bearing Mahogany Zone (in the Parachute Creek Member of the Eocene Green River Formation) where it has less than 400 ft of overburden. In the 75-sq-mile area, the Mahogany Zone has resources in the ground of 8 billion bbl of shale oil. Part of this area--approx. 25 sq miles--is overlain by less than 200 ft of overburden and has resources in the ground of about 2.5 billion bbl of shale oil. The ratio of overburden thickness ranges from 0 to 7:1. The area is underlain by several deeper rich oil-shale zones of unappraised thickness and richness that may also contain sodium minerals of potential economic interest.

• OSTI ID: 5568017
• Journal Information: U.S. Geol. Surv., Prof. Pap.; (United States), Journal Name: U.S. Geol. Surv., Prof. Pap.; (United States) Vol. 750-C; ISSN XGPPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040100* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Reserves & Exploration-- (-1989)
040300 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Drilling
Fracturing & Mining
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CENOZOIC ERA
COLORADO
ENERGY SOURCES
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
MATERIALS
MINERAL OILS
MINERAL RESOURCES
MINING
NORTH AMERICA
OIL SHALE DEPOSITS
OIL SHALE MINING
OIL SHALES
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RESERVES
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SHALE OIL
SURFACE MINING
TERTIARY PERIOD
USA