About This Item
- Full TextFull Text(subscription required)
- Pay-Per-View PurchasePay-Per-View
Purchase Options Explain
Share This Item
The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
AAPG Bulletin
Abstract
AAPG Bulletin, V.
2009. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.
DOI:10.1306/10150807015
Local tectonic control on parasequence architecture: Second Frontier sandstone, Powder River Basin, Wyoming
Boyan K. Vakarelov,1 Janok P. Bhattacharya2
1Australian School of Petroleum, Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC), University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
2Geosciences Department, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204
ABSTRACT
The Cenomanian Second Frontier sandstone, one of the major producing units of the Frontier Formation in the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, is a basin-isolated sand body that pinches out to zero thickness in both seaward and basinward direction. The Second Frontier has previously been viewed as a single, relatively homogeneous, wave-dominated sediment succession. Our high-resolution study, integrating detailed facies relationships in outcrop, core, and well
logs, shows that the Second Frontier sandstone comprises an offlapping parasequence set, formed from seven regionally mappable wave-dominated parasequences. The parasequences are bounded by minor flooding surfaces that represent previously unrecognized potential flow barriers or baffles. Parasequence boundaries are oriented obliquely to the
well
-defined regional north-northwest–south-southeast–elongated trend of the unit, and successive parasequences offlap to the south in an along-strike direction. The seaward pinch-out of the Second Frontier sandstone is depositional in nature, as illustrated by
well
-preserved healing-phase deposits, whereas the basinward pinch-out is caused by marine truncation over a tectonically uplifted area. Parasequence architecture was strongly affected by syndepositional tectonic movement, which determined both (1) the distribution of the entire parasequence set, forming a depositional remnant, and (2) the position and shape of parasequences internal to the remnant. The Second Frontier is thus interpreted as a depositional remnant of a once more extensive wave-dominated deltaic shoreface complex.
Pay-Per-View Purchase Options
The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.
Watermarked PDF Document: $14 | |
Open PDF Document: $24 |
AAPG Member?
Please login with your Member username and password.
Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].