Whitney Canyon-Carter Creek field: Gas production from carbonate reservoirs in a thrust belt structural setting, western Wyoming, USA

Conference · Fri Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:7024276

Sieverding, J L ^[1]; Royse, F Jr ^[2]

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1. Chevron USA, Inc., Houston, TX (United States)
2. Chevron USA, Inc., Arvada, CO (United States)

Located in the Fossil basin area of the Wyoming thrust belt, giant Whitney Canyon-Carter Creek field has in place reserves of approximately 4.5 tcf of gas, 125 MMBO (condensate), and 24 million long tons sulfur. It is the largest gas field in the U.S. Rocky Mountains. Hydrocarbons are trapped in large, reverse faulted anticlinal closures that formed completely within the Absaroka thrust plate during Laramide deformation. These structures are ramp anticlines that developed when the Absaroka plate was thrust eastward over ramps in the underlying fault plane. Production is sour natural gas and condensate mainly from Paleozoic reservoirs. The most significant are dolomitized carbonate reservoirs of the Mississippian Mission Canyon and Lodgepole formations and the Ordovician Big Horn Dolomite. The Pennsylvanian Weber Sandstone and the Triassic Thaynes Formation have minor production. Source rocks are subthrust Cretaceous shales that were placed in the oil generation window after thrusting and subsidence. The economically most important reservoir is the Mission Canyon Formation with 79% of the total gas in place. Intercrystalline and moldic porosity was created by dolomitization and subsequent partial solution of mud-supported sediments during early diagenesis. Structural deformation fractured the reservoir, but also created a diagenetic environment that allowed calcite, anhydrite, and dolomite cements to sporadically plug all porosity types. Discovery of Whitney Canyon-Carter Creek field began by identifying a large, potentially productive area within the Fossil basin.

• OSTI ID: 7024276
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 75:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030200* -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ANTICLINES
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONIFEROUS PERIOD
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGIC TRAPS
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
NORTH AMERICA
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
USA
WYOMING