Geology topics

J. D. King

Publications and source records attributed to J. D. King.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2003

Petroleum systems and geologic assessment of oil and gas in the Uinta-Piceance Province, Utah and Colorado

The purpose of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) National Oil and Gas Assessment is to develop geology-based hypotheses regarding the potential for additions to oil and gas reserves in priority areas of the United States, focusing on the distribution, quantity, and availability of oil and natural gas resources. The USGS has recently completed an assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Uinta-Piceance Province of northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado (USGS Province 5020). The Uinta- Piceance Province is a priority province for the National Assessment because of its potential for significant natural gas resources. The assessment of this province is based on geologic principles and uses the total petroleum system concept. The geologic elements of a total petroleum system include hydrocarbon source rocks (source rock maturation, hydrocarbon generation and migration), reservoir rocks (sequence stratigraphy, petrophysical properties), and hydrocarbon traps (trap formation and timing). In the Uinta-Piceance Province, the USGS used this geologic framework to define five total petroleum systems and 20 assessment units within the total petroleum systems, and quantitatively estimated the undiscovered oil and gas resources within each assessment unit. Many more details about the project and about individual chapters of this report are readily available in the very readable Chapter 2 of this volume, 'The Uinta-Piceance Province-Introduction to a geologic assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources.' Use Acrobat Reader to access the PDF for this chapter.

Colorado, Utah↗

USGS1998

Organic geochemistry of oils from Oil Spring and Florence oil field near Canon City, Colorado

Oil Spring is an oil seep located approximately 6 miles north of Ca?on City, Colorado. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the oil from Oil Spring and the oil from nearby Florence oil field share a common source. Bulk and molecular geochemical analyses show that the oil seep is most likely derived from a group of geochemically similar Cretaceous source rocks including the Carlile Shale, Greenhorn Limestone, Graneros Shale, and the Mowry Shale. The Florence oil is derived from the Sharon Springs Member of the Upper Cretaceous Pierre Shale.

Open-File Report↗

USGS1997

Geochemistry of oils from the Junggar basin, northwest China

The Junggar basin of northwestern China is a structural basin containing a thick sequence of Paleozoic-Pleistocene rocks with estimated oil reserves of as much as 5 billion bbl. Analyses of 19 oil samples from nine producing fields and two oil-stained cores in the Junggar basin revealed the presence of at least five genetic oil types. The geochemistry of the oils indicates source organic matter deposited in fresh to brackish lake and marine environments, including coaly organic matter sources. The volumetrically most important oil type discovered to date is produced from Late Carboniferous-Middle Triassic reservoirs in the giant Karamay field and nearby fields located along the northwestern margin of the Junggar basin. Oil produced from the Mahu field, located downdip in a depression east of the Karamay field, is from a different source than Karamay oils. Unique oil types are also produced from an upper Permian reservoir at Jimusar field in the southeastern part of the basin, and from Tertiary (Oligocene) rocks at Dushanzi field and Lower Jurassic rocks at Qigu field, both located along the southern margin of the basin. Previous studies have demonstrated the presence of Upper Permian source rocks, and the possibility of Mesozoic or Tertiary sources has been proposed, but not tested by geochemical analysis, although analyses of some possible Jurassic coal source rocks have been reported. Our findings indicate that several effective source rocks are present in the basin, including local sources of Mesozoic or younger age for oil accumulations along the southern and southeastern margins of the basin. Future exploration or assessment of petroleum potential of the basin can be improved by considering the geological relationships among oil types, possible oil source rocks, and reservoirs.

Junggar Basin↗

USGS1987

Effects of weathering on biological marker and aromatic hydrocarbon composition of organic matter in Phosphoria shale outcrop

GC-MS analyses were performed on core samples collected from a shale outcrop of the Permian Phosphoria Formation in Utah, U.S.A., to study effects of weathering on selected biological marker and aromatic (phenanthrene) hydrocarbon compounds. Among the biological markers, the most important weathering effects are a decrease in the 20S 20R "> 20S20R diastereomer ratio of the C 29 steranes and loss of low molecular weight triaromatic steroids. A decrease in the C 19 through C 22 tricylcic terpanes occurs relative to the total C 19 -C 26 tricyclic fraction. Pronounced loss of methyl-substituted phenanthrenes occurs relative to phenanthrene. No major effect on the overall distribution of pentacyclic terpanes is evident.

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta↗

USGS1986

Petroleum associated with polymetallic sulfide in sediment from Gorda Ridge

A sediment sample, impregnated with asphaltic petroleum and polymetallic sulfide, was dredged from the southern end of Gorda Ridge (the Escanaba Trough) off northern California, within the offshore Exclusive Economic Zone of the United States. The molecular distributions of hydrocarbons in this petroleum show that it was probably derived from terrestrial organic matter in turbidite sediment filling the Escanaba Trough. Hydrothermal activity at the Gorda Ridge spreading center provided the heat for petroleum formation and was the source of fluids for sulfide mineralization.

California↗