Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Structure, burial history, and petroleum potential of frontal thrust belt and adjacent foreland, southwest Montana

Journal Article · · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)
OSTI ID:6735642

The frontal thrust belt in the Lima area of southwestern Montana consists of blind (nonsurfacing) thrusts of the Lima thrust system beneath the Lima anticline and the Tendoy thrust sheet to the west. The Laramide Blacktail-Snowcrest uplift east of the frontal thrust belt is asymmetric. The intersection of thrust-belt and foreland trends, similar to the Uinta uplift area to the south, probably formed a number of structural traps for hydrocarbons which have not yet been tested. Potential petroleum source beds and reservoir rocks are both present in southwest Montana. However, remnants of Tertiary lava flows through much of the area, Tertiary to recent basin-and-range faulting, and supermaturity with respect to oil of Permian and older rocks in the western Centennial uplift area are additional factors which must be considered in any estimate of hydrocarbon potential of the Cordilleran overthrust belt and adjacent foreland in extreme southwestern Montana.

Research Organization:
U.S. Geological Survey, Denver, CO
OSTI ID:
6735642
Journal Information:
Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Vol. 67:5; ISSN AAPGB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English