Preliminary delineation of geologic trends and processes controlling petroleum accumulation in the Upper Jurassic of southwestern Alabama
The recent Upper Jurassic petroleum discoveries (Hatter's Pond and Chunchula Fields) in Mobile County indicate that southwestern Alabama is an important area for petroleum exploration. The geologic history of the Upper Jurassic (Smackover and Norphlet Formations) appears to be ideal for petroleum generation, migration, and entrapment. The petroleum trap in Chunchula Field is an anticline, probably resulting from salt tectonics, associated with favorable stratigraphy. The petroleum trapping mechanism in Hatter's Pond Field is a combination of extensional faulting of the Jackson fault, salt movement, and favorable stratigraphy. Additional anticlinal structures are present in southwestern Alabama to the northeast and east of the producing fields. Smackover medium-grained dolomite and Norphlet eolian sandstone are the petroleum reservoirs. The Smackover grainstones probably accumulated on shoal areas on a shallow shelf or near the shelf margin. The Smackover medium-grained dolomite grades into fine-grained dolomite to the east and northeast of the fields. The apparently more diagenetically altered carbonate reservoir in Chunchula Field is probably a result of leaching, cementation, and dolomitization of paleohighs during the time of Smackover deposition or post-depositionally. Smackover fine-grained carbonates are speculated to be the petroleum source.
- OSTI ID:
- 6223768
- Report Number(s):
- NP-23725
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ALABAMA
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONATES
DOLOMITE
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
JURASSIC PERIOD
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PROSPECTING
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SOUTHEAST REGION
USA