Oil and gas prospecting beneath Precambrian of Foreland thrust plates in Rocky Mountains

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5718030

Gries, R

Only 16 wells in the Rocky Mountain region have drilled through precambrian rocks to test the 3 to 6 million acres of sedimentary rocks concealed and virtually unexplored beneath mountain-front thrust. One recent test is a major gas discovery, another a development oil well, and over half of the unsuccessful tests had oil or gas shows. These wells have helped define the structural geometry of the mountain-front thrusts, including angle of the thrust, amount of horizontal displacement, and presence or absence of fault silvers containing overturned Mesozoic or Paleozoic rocks. Important for further geophysical exploration, these wells have provided data on seismic velocities in Precambrian rocks. Analysis of these data has stimulated further exploration along the fronts already drilled: in Wyoming, the Emigrant Trail, Washakie, and Wind River thrusts, the thrust at the north end of the Laramie Range, and the Casper arch; in Utah and Colorado, the Uncompahgre and Uinta uplits. The geologic success of these wells has encouraged leasing and seismic acquisition on every other mountain-front thrust in the Rockies. An unsuccessful attempt to drill through the Arlington thrust of the Medicine Bow Range will probably only momentarily daunt that play, and attempted penetration of the Axial arch in Colorado has not condemned that area; in fact, another well is being drilled at this time. Untested areas that will be explored in the near furture are: in Wyoming, south flank of the Owl Creek Range, southwest flank of the Gros Ventre Range, east and west flanks of the Big Horn Mountains, west flank of the Big Horn basin, north flank of the Hanna basin; in Utah, south flank of the Uinta Mountains; in Colorado, White River uplift, the north flank of North Park basin, and the Front Range.

• Research Organization: Amarex, Inc., Denver, CO
• OSTI ID: 5718030
• Journal Information: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 67:1; ISSN AAPGB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
020300 -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
COLORADO
EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
PRECAMBRIAN ERA
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
SURVEYS
USA
UTAH
WELLS
WYOMING