Regional lithofacies patterns of the louark group in northeast Texas

Conference · Wed Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1993 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:7134153

Swenson, D R ^[1]

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1. Energy Development, Bellaire, TX (United States)

The northeasternmost part of the East Texas basin is a relatively simple area in which to observe the lithologic patterns of the Late Jurassic Smackover, Buckner and Gilmer sedimentary wedge. Throughout most of the area, the Smackover is a shallowing-upward carbonate capped by a variably dolomitized grainstone. The overlying Buckner grades from updip red beds to downdip anhydrite with red beds overlying anhydrite in most of the area. The Buckner grades into the Smackover and thus pinches out downdip. The Gilmer consists largely of limestone that grades updip into sandstone and downdip into shale or muddy limestones. Those gross patterns, coupled with critical interpretations of paleoenvironment based on more detailed lithologic observations, lead to a simple synthesis of geologic history. With marine inundation of the east Texas area and a lack of terrigenous influx, carbonate began to accumulate and a Smackover shallow marine/shoreline complex prograded basinward. Behind the shoreline complex, a starved area developed whose landward side filled with a red bed wadi plain and marine side with gypsum precipitated in a hypersaline lagoon. The most restricted areas of the lagoon saw halite precipitation. The Buckner complex prograded basinward behind the Smackover paralic facies creating a sedimentary platform that projected 70 km into the basin. A marine transgression reestablished limestone deposition of the Gilmer on the Buckner platform. The shallow-marine Gilmer prograded across the shallow platform back to the location of the youngest Smackover shoreline. The shoreline facies aggraded at the platform edge until Terrigenous clastics in the western part of the area near the top of the Gilmer evidently record a short-lived regression. Since the Buckner/Gilmer boundary represents a more profound depositional change than the gradational Buckner/Smackover contact, it seems appropriate to consider the Buckner a formation rather than a member of the Gilmer.

• OSTI ID: 7134153
• Report Number(s): CONF-9310237--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States) Journal Volume: 77:9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
03 NATURAL GAS
030200 -- Natural Gas-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
ANHYDRITE
CARBONATE ROCKS
DEPOSITION
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
EXPLORATION
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
GYPSUM
HALIDE MINERALS
HALITE
JURASSIC PERIOD
LIMESTONE
LITHOLOGY
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERALS
NORTH AMERICA
PETROLOGY
PRECIPITATION
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SHALES
SULFATE MINERALS
TEXAS
USA