Tag Archive for: Eocene Green River Formation
© Michael Vanden BergUinta Basin Photomicrograph. Photo by Michael Vanden Berg.
Photomicrograph of limestone from the Eocene-age Green River Formation showing small ostracod shells surrounding and filling larger
gastropod fossils.
© Emily KleberNine Mile Canyon Road, Carbon County, Utah. Photo by Emily Kleber.
Cliffs of deltaic sandstone in the Eocene-age Green River Formation tower over Nine Mile Canyon, an area rich in geologic and human history.
aapg.org
Geologic intervals that may have looked a bit ho-hum when pierced by the drill bit on its way to the Real Target can, on second look, yield some pleasant surprises.
The Uteland Butte Member of the Eocene Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin in Utah is one of these.
It’s the basal member of the Green River, above the Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene Wasatch Formation, which is predominantly a sandstone with red, green and gray shales deposited in a fluvial setting.
In contrast, the Uteland Butte is indicative of a lacustrine environment and is mainly limestone, dolomite, organic rich calcareous mudstone and siltstone, with some thin sandstones, according to AAPG member Michael Vanden Berg.
MULTIPROXY ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LAKE LEVEL CYCLES IN THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION OF UTAH AND COLORADO
Jessica H. Whiteside and Marc A. Van Keuren
The Eocene Green River Formation represents the largest unconventional petroleum resource in Utah. While oil shale has figured prominently in the literature for the past century, surprisingly little basic knowledge of the geochemistry of these deposits exists, especially within the context of the characteristic and permeating lacustrine cyclicity. This research documents the ecosystem context of this cyclicity using sedimentary facies, oil-shale yield, total organic carbon, bulk nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon isotopic (δ13C) signatures of organic matter, and specific biomarker hydrocarbons (δ13Calk) sampled at millennial resolution through a series of cycles at multiple localities in core and outcrop. This project should lead to a greater understanding of the most fundamental aspects of the depositional history of these oil shales and the predictive power of facies models, all of which should ultimately play a part in Utah’s hydrocarbon potential. Also included are high-resolution photographs of the core studied during this project.
CD (22 p.)
ORF-544………. $7.95 (print on demand)………. $14.95 (CD)
Tag Archive for: Eocene Green River Formation
Uinta Basin Photomicrograph. Photo by Michael Vanden Berg.
Photomicrograph of limestone from the Eocene-age Green River Formation showing small ostracod shells surrounding and filling larger
gastropod fossils.
Nine Mile Canyon Road, Carbon County, Utah. Photo by Emily Kleber.
Cliffs of deltaic sandstone in the Eocene-age Green River Formation tower over Nine Mile Canyon, an area rich in geologic and human history.
aapg.org
Geologic intervals that may have looked a bit ho-hum when pierced by the drill bit on its way to the Real Target can, on second look, yield some pleasant surprises.
The Uteland Butte Member of the Eocene Green River Formation in the Uinta Basin in Utah is one of these.
It’s the basal member of the Green River, above the Upper Paleocene to Lower Eocene Wasatch Formation, which is predominantly a sandstone with red, green and gray shales deposited in a fluvial setting.
In contrast, the Uteland Butte is indicative of a lacustrine environment and is mainly limestone, dolomite, organic rich calcareous mudstone and siltstone, with some thin sandstones, according to AAPG member Michael Vanden Berg.
MULTIPROXY ENVIRONMENTAL CHARACTERIZATION OF LAKE LEVEL CYCLES IN THE GREEN RIVER FORMATION OF UTAH AND COLORADO
Jessica H. Whiteside and Marc A. Van Keuren
The Eocene Green River Formation represents the largest unconventional petroleum resource in Utah. While oil shale has figured prominently in the literature for the past century, surprisingly little basic knowledge of the geochemistry of these deposits exists, especially within the context of the characteristic and permeating lacustrine cyclicity. This research documents the ecosystem context of this cyclicity using sedimentary facies, oil-shale yield, total organic carbon, bulk nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon isotopic (δ13C) signatures of organic matter, and specific biomarker hydrocarbons (δ13Calk) sampled at millennial resolution through a series of cycles at multiple localities in core and outcrop. This project should lead to a greater understanding of the most fundamental aspects of the depositional history of these oil shales and the predictive power of facies models, all of which should ultimately play a part in Utah’s hydrocarbon potential. Also included are high-resolution photographs of the core studied during this project.
CD (22 p.)
ORF-544………. $7.95 (print on demand)………. $14.95 (CD)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE UTAH GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
The Utah Geological Survey (UGS) is a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. Several specialized programs comprise the UGS: Data Management, Energy & Minerals, Geologic Hazards, Geologic Information & Outreach, Geologic Mapping, Groundwater & Wetlands, and Paleontology.
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