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Upper Jurassic carbonate deposition, Smackover and Buckner Formations, east Texas

Conference · · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6326812

Examination of cores from the upper Smackover Formation from 30 wells in east Texas confirms the presence of a belt of blanket high-energy ooid sandstone throughout much of the area. In the easternmost part of the study area, ooid grainstones grade updip into lower energy lagoonal facies including pellet and Favreina wackestones and packstones. Lower in the Smackover, low-energy skeletal, pellet and oncolite wackestones and packstones dominate. Two cores contain coralgal fragments suggesting nearby reef development. The overlying lower Buckner Formation is composed dominantly of red beds and evaporites deposited in a sabkha setting. Environments and depocenters within the Buckner are thought to have ben partly controlled by movement of the underlying Louann Salt and by rejuvenation of basement structures. Movement along the Mexia-Talco fault system began in Late Jurassic time and may have affected Smackover and Buckner deposition to an as yet undetermined extent. The extent of the influence of the incipient Sabine uplift on deposition in east Texas has not been determined. The major influence of Louann Salt movement on Smackover and Buckner deposition is confined to the western half of the study area. Salt movement began after the close of Smackover time. Withdrawal of Louann Salt into ridges formed a series of strike-trending linear troughs in the western part of the study area. A second linear zone of thickened Buckner section, apparently unrelated to Louann Salt movement, lies to the northeast of the area of salt structures.

Research Organization:
Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge
OSTI ID:
6326812
Report Number(s):
CONF-8304200-
Journal Information:
Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 67:3; ISSN AAPGB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English