Oil and gas exploration near Yucca Mountain, southern Nevada

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:60759

Grow, J A; Barker, C E ^[1]; Harris, A G ^[2]

---

1. Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)
2. Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States)

Three oil exploration wells were drilled within 20 km of Yucca Mountain in 1991. Conodont samples from two of these new wells and 190 locations near Yucca Mountain and have been analyzed for color alteration indices (CAI), which can be correlated to thermal maturity and petroleum generation. Cambrian through Triassic rocks in the vicinity of Yucca Mountain have experienced temperatures too high to be capable of generating oil, except for a narrow zone (20 x 100 km) northeast of Yucca Mountain, where Mississippian through Triassic rocks are just within the upper limit of the oil generating window. Organic geochemical samples from the Mississippian Eleana Formation in this zone have low total organic carbon and low hydrogen indices, which, combined with overall pattern of CAI values, indicates that the entire Cambrian through Triassic sedimentary column is unfavorable as oil source rocks. While much of the Cambrian through Triassic rocks have thermal potential for gas, extensive Late Tertiary faulting at Yucca Mountain suggest that seals might be inadequate for retaining gas. No commercial gas fields have been found to date in Nevada or adjacent parts of California. Organic geochemistry on samples from a few Tertiary lacustrine deposits do show high carbon and hydrogen indices. However, the lacustrine deposits in these basin and range type valleys lack long range continuity and none of the present Nevada oil fields produce from such Tertiary valley-fill.

• Research Organization: American Society of Civil Engineers, New York, NY (United States); American Nuclear Society, La Grange Park, IL (United States)
• OSTI ID: 60759
• Report Number(s): CONF-940553--Vol.3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
05 NUCLEAR FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
EXPLORATORY WELLS
GEOCHEMISTRY
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
RADIOACTIVE WASTE DISPOSAL
SITE CHARACTERIZATION
YUCCA MOUNTAIN
Yucca Mountain Project