Depositional history and seismic stratigraphy of Lower Cretaceous rocks in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and adjacent areas

Journal Article · Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA)

OSTI ID:7129102

Molenaar, C M

Lower Cretaceous rocks, which are widespread throughout the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) and adjacent areas north of the Brooks Range, make up the major part of the thick sedimentary fill of the Colville basin. Much seismic and well information obtained since 1974 has aided considerably in understanding these rocks. These data include about 20,000 km of seismic lines, covering much of the NPRA with a grid spacing of 10-20 km, and 28 exploratory wells that bring the total to more than 50 wells in and adjacent to the NPRA. The purpose of this chapter is to interpret the depositional history of Lower Cretaceous rocks in the NPRA and adjacent areas on the basis of the latest seismic and well data and well data and on information from outcrops in the southern part of the Colville basin. The basin geometry and depositional history described in earlier reports are repeated here in the context of the overall Lower Cretaceous depositional history. Well data (including paleontology) and seismic data are used almost exclusively to interpret relations in the northern foothills and coastal plain areas. Surface data and some well data are used in the southern parts of the northern foothills, and surface data are used exclusively to interpret the depositional history in the southern foothills and Brooks Range. The quality of seismic data is fair to good in most of the coastal plain, where the structure is simple. In the northern foothills, tracing seismic reflections is more difficult, especially in the shallower part of the section because of structural complications in the thrust-faulted anticlines. The quality of seismic data across the structurally complex southern foothills area is inadequate to correlate stratigraphic units of the outcrop area of the southern foothills with subsurface units to the north.

• OSTI ID: 7129102
• Journal Information: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA), Journal Name: United States Geological Survey, Professional Paper; (USA)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
ALASKA
STRATEGIC PETROLEUM RESERVE
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
GEOLOGIC HISTORY
STRATIGRAPHY
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DEPOSITION
EXPLORATORY WELLS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
GEOMETRY
PALEONTOLOGY
QUALITY ASSURANCE
SEISMIC SURVEYS
WELL LOGGING
FEDERAL REGION X
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGY
GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
MATHEMATICS
MESOZOIC ERA
NORTH AMERICA
RESERVES
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SURVEYS
USA
WELLS
020200* - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration