Depositional environments and facies analysis of the Cherokee Group in west-central Kansas

Conference · Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5682159

Cuzella, J J; Gough, C P ^[1]; Howard, S C

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1. NCRA, Denver, CO (United States)

The Cherokee Group of early Desmoinesian Pennsylvanian age in west-central Kansas is comprised of a mixed siliciclastic and carbonate sequence. It was deposited in environments that are transitional from continental to marginal marine as the Hugoton Sea transgressed the Mississippian unconformity on to the Central Kansas uplift. Sandstones of the Cherokee Group are important oil reservoirs in west-central Kansas, but they are highly variable and difficult to predict. Core studies and subsurface analysis reveal two persistent and widespread limestone beds that form useful stratigraphic markers within the Cherokee. They provide a framework for facies analysis and regional mapping that may be useful as a predictive tool for oil exploration. Six basic lithofacies are interpreted from lithologies and sedimentary structures observed in cores obtained from four wells in eastern Ness County: (1) basal Pennsylvanian conglomerate, (2) fluvial sands, (3) fine-grained tidal flat deposits, (4) shallow-marine limestones, (5) shoreline sands and tidal channel sands, and (6) braided stream, sandy conglomerates. These facies are correlative with components of an ideal Kansas cyclothem. Two transgressive-regressive cycles are identified and maximum transgression is correlated with two widespread limestone beds. Following burial of the Mississippian karstic surface, deposition of peritidal sediments occurred on a uniform shallow shelf, punctuated by periods of subaerial exposure and weathering. Clastics derived from the eroding Central Kansas uplift were probably supplied to the coastal plain by braided streams and reworked by coastal processes.

• OSTI ID: 5682159
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403-; CODEN: AABUD
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:3; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Dallas, TX (United States), 7-10 Apr 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
58 GEOSCIENCES
KANSAS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
EXPLORATION
RESERVOIR ROCK
LITHOLOGY
STRATIGRAPHY
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
DEPOSITION
DRILL CORES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
LIMESTONE
MAPPING
SANDSTONES
CARBONATE ROCKS
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FEDERAL REGION VII
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
580000 - Geosciences