Hydrocarbon resources of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle
In the Palo Duro Basin, Pennsylvanian and Permian organic shales are present in sufficient richness and volume to generate large amounts of oil and some natural gas. However, the relatively low geothermal gradient and shallow burial depth have combined so that hydrocarbons have probably not been generated in most of the basin. Most fields produce from Pennsylvanian and Permian shelf carbonates and sandstone reservoirs developed in fault-related anticlinal structures adjacent to areas where source rocks have been down-warped to depths in excess of 8000 ft (2438 m) and heated to temperatures in the 160 to 200/sup 0/F (71 to 93/sup 0/C) range. Structurally controlled migration pathways from these ''hot spots'' converge remarkably on existing productive fields. Petroleum production is concentrated around the northern and southern margins of the Palo Duro Basin, leaving the central basin virtually nonproductive. The potential for future oil and gas discoveries is quite modest. At the 95% confidence level, at least 51 million barrels of oil (anti MBO) and 60 billion cubic feet (BCF) of gas are forecast; at the 50% confidence level, at least 81 anti MBO and 136 BCF of gas are predicted; and there is a 5% chance that at least 324 anti MBO and 521 BCF of gas are present. For its size, the Palo Duro Basin, and particularly the central part of the basin, appears to be an extremely ''lean'' petroleum basin. The production potential of two areas that contain potentially acceptable sites for nuclear waste disposal facilities is extremely low.
- Research Organization:
- Telegraph Exploration, Inc., TX (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-83CH10140
- OSTI ID:
- 6010820
- Report Number(s):
- BMI/ONWI-590; ON: DE86007994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Palo Duro Basin, an exploration frontier in the Texas Panhandle
Tectonic structures of the Palo Duro basin, Texas Panhandle
Related Subjects
020100* -- Petroleum-- Reserves-- (-1989)
03 NATURAL GAS
030100 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves-- (-1989)
052002 -- Nuclear Fuels-- Waste Disposal & Storage
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE WASTES FROM NUCLEAR FACILITIES
CARBONATE ROCKS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PALO DURO BASIN
PERMIAN BASIN
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESERVES
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
RESOURCE POTENTIAL
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS