Surface thermal maturity map of Uinta, Piceance, and Eagle basins area, Utah and Colorado

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:6135678

Nuccio, V F; Johnson, R C

Knowledge of thermal maturity is essential for basin analysis studies because heat and heat flow play major roles in mineral formation, hydrocarbon generation and destruction, ground-water flow, and petroleum reservoir quality. The authors studied the thermal maturity of several hundred outcrop samples of coal and carbonaceous shale from Pennsylvanian through Quaternary rocks in the area encompassing the Uinta, Piceance, and Eagle basins of Utah and Colorado. All samples were analyzed for mean random vitrinite reflectance (R/sub m/); thus, thermal maturity is defined by R/sub m/ for this study. The authors' data show that R/sub m/ generally increase with age of the rock, reflecting increase burial depth and residence time at maximum temperature. Some coals show local anomalously high maturities because of proximity to Tertiary intrusives. Rocks of the same age show a general decrease in maturity from south to north in all three basins, which probably results from a decrease in geothermal gradients from south to north. In the Uinta basin, R/sub m/ values range from about 0.40 to 0.70% around the margins of the basin to 0.45% in the Altamont-Bluebell oil field near the basin center. In the Piceance basin, R/sub m/ values range from about 0.50 to 0.70% around the margins to about 0.25 to 0.35% in the center. The Eagle basin shows the widest range of R/sub m/ values, from 0.30 to 0.50% around the margins to values in the 4.0% range near the center.

• OSTI ID: 6135678
• Report Number(s): CONF-880301-
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
011000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
02 PETROLEUM
020200 -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040500 -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Properties & Composition
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
COAL
COLORADO
DATA
ENERGY SOURCES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION VIII
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOTHERMAL GRADIENTS
HEAT FLOW
INFORMATION
MACERALS
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL FIELDS
OIL SHALES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PICEANCE CREEK BASIN
RESOURCES
SAMPLING
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
THERMAL ANALYSIS
UINTA BASIN
USA
UTAH