Mark J. Pawlewicz

Characterization of coal-derived hydrocarbons and source-rock potential of coal beds, San Juan Basin, New Mexico and Colorado, U.S.A.

Coal beds are considered to be a major source of nonassociated gas in the Rocky Mountain basins of the United States. In the San Juan basin of northwestern New Mexico and southwestern Colorado, significant quantities of natural gas are being produced from coal beds of the Upper Cretaceous Fruitland Formation and from adjacent sandstone reservoirs. Analysis of gas samples from the various gas-producing intervals provided a means of determining their origin and of evaluating coal beds as source rocks. The rank of coal beds in the Fruitland Formation in the central part of the San Juan basin, where major gas production occurs, increases to the northeast and ranges from high-volatile B bituminous coal to medium-volatile bituminous coal (Rm values range from 0.70 to 1.45%). On the basis of chemical, isotopic and coal-rank data, the gases are interpreted to be thermogenic. Gases from the coal beds show little isotopic variation (δ13C1 values range −43.6 to −40.5 ppt), are chemically dry (C1/C1–5 values are > 0.99), and contain significant amounts of CO2 (as much as 6%). These gases are interpreted to have resulted from devolatilization of the humic-type bituminous coal that is composed mainly of vitrinite. The primary products of this process are CH4, CO2 and H2O. The coal-generated, methane-rich gas is usually contained in the coal beds of the Fruitland Formation, and has not been expelled and has not migrated into the adjacent sandstone reservoirs. In addition, the coal-bed reservoirs produce a distinctive bicarbonate-type connate water and have higher reservoir pressures than adjacent sandstones. The combination of these factors indicates that coal beds are a closed reservoir system created by the gases, waters, and associated pressures in the micropore coal structure. In contrast, gases produced from overlying sandstones in the Fruitland Formation and underlying Pictured Cliffs Sandstone have a wider range of isotopic values (δ13C1 values range from −43.5 to −38.5 ppt), are chemically wetter (C1/C1–5 values range from 0.85 to 0.95), and contain less CO2 (< 2%). These gases are interpreted to have been derived from type III kerogen dispersed in marine shales of the underlying Lewis Shale and nonmarine shales of the Fruitland Formation. In the underlying Upper Cretaceous Dakota Sandstone and Tocito Sandstone Lentil of the Mancos Shale, another gas type is produced. This gas is associated with oil at intermediate stages of thermal maturity and is isotopically lighter and chemically wetter at the intermediate stage of thermal maturity as compared with gases derived from dispersed type III kerogen and coal; this gas type is interpreted to have been generated from type II kerogen. Organic matter contained in coal beds and carbonaceous shales of the Fruitland Formation has hydrogen indexes from Rock-Eval pyrolysis between 100 and 350, and atomic H:C ratios between 0.8 and 1.2. Oxygen indexes and atomic O:C values are less than 24 and 0.3, respectively. Extractable hydrocarbon yields are as high as 7,000 ppm. These values indicate that the coal beds and carbonaceous shales have good potential for the generation of liquid hydrocarbons. Voids in the coal filled with a fluorescent material that is probably bitumen is evidence that liquid hydrocarbon generation has taken place. Preliminary oil-source rock correlations based on gas chromatography and stable carbon isotope ratios of C15+ hydrocarbons indicate that the coals and (or) carbonaceous shales in the Fruitland Formation may be the source of minor amounts of condensate produced from the coal beds at relatively low levelsof thermal maturity (Rm=0.7).

An empirical determination of the minimum number of measurements needed to estimate the mean random vitrinite reflectance of disseminated organic matter

Abstract In coal samples, published recommendations based on statistical methods suggest 100 measurements are needed to estimate the mean random vitrinite reflectance ( R v−r ) to within ±2%. Our survey of published thermal maturation studies indicates that those using dispersed organic matter (DOM) mostly have an objective of acquiring 50 reflectance measurements. This smaller objective size in DOM versus that for coal samples poses a statistical contradiction because the standard deviations of DOM reflectance distributions are typically larger indicating a greater sample size is needed to accurately estimate R v−r in DOM. However, in studies of thermal maturation using DOM, even 50 measurements can be an unrealistic requirement given the small amount of vitrinite often found in such samples. Furthermore, there is generally a reduced need for assuring precision like that needed for coal applications. Therefore, a key question in thermal maturation studies using DOM is how many measurements of R v−r are needed to adequately estimate the mean. Our empirical approach to this problem is to compute the reflectance distribution statistics: mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis in increments of 10 measurements. This study compares these intermediate computations of R v−r statistics with a final one computed using all measurements for that sample. Vitrinite reflectance was measured on mudstone and sandstone samples taken from borehole M-25 in the Cerro Prieto, Mexico geothermal system which was selected because the rocks have a wide range of thermal maturation and a comparable humic DOM with depth. The results of this study suggest that after only 20–30 measurements the mean R v−r is generally known to within 5% and always to within 12% of the mean R v−r calculated using all of the measured particles. Thus, even in the worst case, the precision after measuring only 20–30 particles is in good agreement with the general precision of one decimal place recommended for mean R v−r measurements on DOM. The coefficient of variation ( V = standard deviation/mean) is proposed as a statistic to indicate the reliability of the mean R v−r estimates made at n ⪡ 20. This preliminary study suggests a V V > 0.2 suggests an unreliable mean in such small samples.

Source Rock Potential of Middle Cretaceous Rocks in Southwestern Montana

The middle Cretaceous in southwestern Montana is composed of a marine and nonmarine succession of predominantly clastic rocks that were deposited along the western margin of the Western Interior Seaway. In places, middle Cretaceous rocks contain appreciable total organic carbon (TOC), such as 5.59% for the Mowry Shale and 8.11% for the Frontier Formation in the Madison Range. Most samples, however, exhibit less than 1.0% TOC. The genetic or hydrocarbon potential (S1+S2) of all the samples analyzed, except one, yield less than 1 mg HC/g rock, strongly indicating poor potential for generating commercial amounts of hydrocarbons. Out of 51 samples analyzed, only one (a Thermopolis Shale sample from the Snowcrest Range) showed a moderate petroleum potenti l of 3.1 mg HC/g rock. Most of the middle Cretaceous samples are thermally immature to marginally mature, with vitrinite reflectance ranging from about 0.4 to 0.6% R0. Maturity is high in the Pioneer Mountains, where vitrinite reflectance averages 3.4% R0, and at Big Sky, Montana, where vitrinite reflectance averages 2.5% R0. At both localities, high R0 values are due to local heat sources, such as the Pioneer batholith in the Pioneer Mountains.

Deposition of sedimentary organic matter in black shale facies indicated by the geochemistry and petrography of high-resolution samples, blake nose, western North Atlantic

Abstract A transect of three holes drilled across the Blake Nose, western North Atlantic Ocean, retrieved cores of black shale facies related to the Albian Oceanic Anoxic Events (OAE) 1b and 1d. Sedimentary organic matter (SOM) recovered from Ocean Drilling Program Hole 1049A from the eastern end of the transect showed that before black shale facies deposition organic matter preservation was a Type III–IV SOM. Petrography reveals that this SOM is composed mostly of degraded algal debris, amorphous SOM and a minor component of Type III–IV terrestrial SOM, mostly detroinertinite. When black shale facies deposition commenced, the geochemical character of the SOM changed from a relatively oxygen-rich Type III–IV to relatively hydrogen-rich Type II. Petrography, biomarker and organic carbon isotopic data indicate marine and terrestrial SOM sources that do not appear to change during the transition from light-grey calcareous ooze to the black shale facies. Black shale subfacies layers alternate from laminated to homogeneous. Some of the laminated and the poorly laminated to homogeneous layers are organic carbon and hydrogen rich as well, suggesting that at least two SOM depositional processes are influencing the black shale facies. The laminated beds reflect deposition in a low sedimentation rate (6m Ma−1) environment with SOM derived mostly from gravity settling from the overlying water into sometimes dysoxic bottom water. The source of this high hydrogen content SOM is problematic because before black shale deposition, the marine SOM supplied to the site is geochemically a Type III–IV. A clue to the source of the H-rich SOM may be the interlayering of relatively homogeneous ooze layers that have a widely variable SOM content and quality. These relatively thick, sometimes subtly graded, sediment layers are thought to be deposited from a Type II SOM-enriched sediment suspension generated by turbidites or direct turbidite deposition.

The use of visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra for estimating organic matter thermal maturity

Measurements of visible and near-infrared spectral reflectance of 41 samples of mudstone, siltstone, and carbonate rocks representing two major depositional settings in Nevada were compared to vitrinite reflectance (R0) and hydrogen index (HI) measurements to determine the relation between spectral reflectance and organic matter (OM) maturity. The samples range in age from Devonian to Paleogene and have highly variable total organic carbon (TOC) contents, recycled OM contents, and kerogen compositions. Visible and near-infrared spectral reflectance of the samples changes systematically as OM maturity increases from submature to supermature (R0 range of 0.28 to 4.32); therefore, spectral reflectance generally can be used to estimate the thermal maturity of the contained OM. The sum of several ratios (compound ratio) used to express spectral changes in the visible and near-infrared wavelength region is high for most submature samples, decreases rapidly with increasing R0 into the mature range, and then decreases less rapidly through the remaining mature range and the supermature range. A similar trend is displayed in the plot of HI vs. compound ratio. Some spectra are affected by iron absorption features and the presence of recycled OM. Iron absorption generally causes the compound ratio values to be anomalously high relative to the OM maturity, whereas recycled OM results in unusually low ratio values. TOC variations do not affect the ratio-OM maturity relation substantially. Iron absorption occurs in the short wavelength part of the visible and near-infrared region and is readily identified in the laboratory spectra. Spectra affected by recycled OM were identified by using a pair of ratios that expresses the difference in spectral shape between these spectra and spectra of supermature samples, which they resemble. Samples containing recycled kerogen are much more numerous from the Mississippian prodelta basin of the Antler foreland basin than from the Antler orogene; this difference indicates derivation of much of he kerogen from the orogene.

Assessment of Undiscovered Oil and Gas Resources of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province, Russia, 2008

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province in Russia as part of the USGS Circum-Arctic Oil and Gas Resource Appraisal program. Geologically, the Timan-Pechora Basin Province is a triangular-shaped cratonic block bounded by the northeast-southwest trending Ural Mountains and the northwest-southeast trending Timan Ridge. The northern boundary is shared with the South Barents Sea Province (fig. 1). The Timan-Pechora Basin Province has a long history of oil and gas exploration and production. The first field was discovered in 1930 and, after 75 years of exploration, more than 230 fields have been discovered and more than 5,400 wells have been drilled. This has resulted in the discovery of more than 16 billion barrels of oil and 40 trillion cubic feet of gas. Several studies have presented geological summaries of the Timan-Pechora Basin Province and the potential for its remaining oil and gas resources (for example, Ulmishek, 1982; Lindquist, 1999; Ulmishek, 2000). This report summarizes a reassessment of the undiscovered oil and gas potential of the province, as the last assessment was completed in 2000 (Ulmishek, 2000). The total petroleum system and three assessment units defined by the USGS for the assessment in 2000 were adopted for this reassessment.

A Surface Vitrinite Reflectance Anomaly Related to Bell Creek Oil Field, Montana U.S.A.: ABSTRACT

Vitrinite reflectance measurements from surface samples of mudrock and coal show anomalously high values over the Bell Creek oil field. The average vitrinite reflectance (Rm) increases to a peak of 1.2% over the field against background values of about 0.3%. The Rm anomaly coincides with a geochemical anomaly indicated by ^dgr13C in carbonate-cemented sandstones. These samples were taken from the Upper Cretaceous Lance and Paleocene Fort Union formations, which form an essentially conformable sequence. The depositional environment is apparently similar in both formations, and we expect little variation in the source and composition of the organic matter. Rm should be rather constant across the field if conditions of diagenesis w re uniform. The limited topographic relief (< 1,000 ft or 305 m) over the shallow-dipping homoclinal structure of the field and the poor correlation coefficient of Rm regressed against sample locality elevation (r = 0.2) indicate that the Rm anomaly is not due to burial, deformation, and subsequent erosion. Temperature studies over local oil fields with similar geologic conditions suggest the expected thermal anomaly would be less than 10°C (50°F), which is too small to account for the significantly higher rank over the field. Coal clinkers are rare in the vicinity of the Bell Creek and widespread heating by burning of coal seams is unlikely. We suggest that activity by petroleum-metabolizing bacteria is a possible explanation of the Rm anoma y. Microseepages from oil fields support large colonies of these organisms, which could also metabolize aliphatic side-chains on the kerogen molecule. The loss of these side-chains increases the aromaticity of the vitrinite and consequently increases its reflectance. End_of_Article - Last_Page 418------------