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Peter D. Warwick

Publications and source records attributed to Peter D. Warwick.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
USGS2007

Results from Coalbed Methane Drilling in Winn Parish, Louisiana

A coalbed methane (CBM) well in Winn Parish, Louisiana, named CZ Fee A No. 114, was drilled by Vintage Petroleum, Inc., in January 2004. The CZ Fee A No. 114 CBM well was drilled to a total depth of 3,114 ft and perforated at 2,730-2,734 ft in a Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) coal bed. Analytical data from the drilling project have been released by Vintage Petroleum, Inc., and by the current well operator, Hilcorp Energy Corporation (see Appendix) to the Louisiana Geological Survey (LGS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for publication. General information about the CZ Fee A No. 114 CBM well is compiled in Table 1, and analytical data from the well are included in following sections. The CZ Fee A No. 114 well is located in eastern Winn Parish, approximately 30 mi east of where Wilcox Group strata crop out on the Sabine Uplift (fig. 1). In the CZ Fee A No. 114 well, lower Wilcox Paleocene coal beds targeted for CBM production occur at depths of 2,600-3,000 ft (fig. 2). Average monthly gas production for the reporting period August 1, 2004, through May 1, 2005, was 450 thousand cubic feet (Mcf) (Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, 2005).

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata of the U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters

This report presents a review of the U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) 2007 assessment of the undiscovered oil and gas resources in Paleogene strata underlying the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and state waters. Geochemical, geologic, geophysical, thermal maturation, burial history, and paleontologic studies have been combined with regional cross sections and data from previous USGS petroleum assessments have helped to define the major petroleum systems and assessment units. Accumulations of both conventional oil and gas and continuous coal-bed gas within these petroleum systems have been digitally mapped and evaluated, and undiscovered resources have been assessed following USGS methodology. The primary source intervals for oil and gas in Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs are coal and shale rich in organic matter within the Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) and Sparta Formation of the Claiborne Group (Eocene); in addition, Cretaceous and Jurassic source rocks probably have contributed substantial petroleum to Paleogene (and Cenozoic) reservoirs. For the purposes of the assessment, Paleogene strata have divided into the following four stratigraphic study intervals: (1) Wilcox Group (including the Midway Group and the basal Carrizo Sand of the Claiborne Group; Paleocene-Eocene); (2) Claiborne Group (Eocene); (3) Jackson and Vicksburg Groups (Eocene-Oligocene); and (4) the Frio-Anahuac Formations (Oligocene). Recent discoveries of coal-bed gas in Paleocene strata confirm a new petroleum system that was not recognized in previous USGS assessments. In total, 26 conventional Paleogene assessment units are defined. In addition, four Cretaceous-Paleogene continuous (coal-bed gas) assessment units are included in this report. Initial results of the assessment will be released as USGS Fact Sheets (not available at the time of this writing). Comprehensive reports for each assessment unit are planned to be released via the internet and distributed on CD-ROMs within the next year.

U.S. Gulf Coast↗
USGS2007

USGS assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources for the Oligocene Frio and Anahuac formations, U.S. Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters: Review of assessment units

The Oligocene Frio and Anahuac formations were examined by the U.S. Geological Survey ( USGS ) as part of an assessment of technically recoverable undiscovered conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon resources in Paleogene and Neogene strata underlying the U.S. Gulf of Mexico Coastal Plain and state waters. Work included the identification of structural, stratigraphic, and tectonic relations between petroleum source rocks and migration pathways to Frio and Anahuac reservoirs; preliminary evaluation of the potential for shallow (less than 3,000 ft) biogenic gas accumulations; and evaluation of the potential for deep, undiscovered gas and oil accumulations in slope and basin floor areas. All assessments were conducted using USGS methodology (http://energy.cr.usgs.gov/oilgas/noga/methodology.html). Final products from the USGS assessment of the Paleogene and Neogene were reported in USGS fact sheets (Dubiel et al. , 2007; Warwick et al. , 2007). Five assessment units for the Frio Formation were defined, and three of these were based on the character of the reservoirs in relation to growth faults and other related factors: (1) the Frio stable shelf oil and gas assessment unit, which contains thin (average thickness of 34 ft) and shallow reservoirs (average depth of 4,834 ft); (2) the Frio expanded fault zone oil and gas assessment unit, which contains thick (average thickness of 56 ft) and deep reservoirs (average depth of 9,050 ft) in over-pressured intervals; and (3) the Frio slope and basin floor gas assessment unit, which has potential for deep gas (greater than 15,000 ft) and extends from the downdip boundary of the expanded fault zone to the offshore State/Federal water boundary. The fourth Frio assessment unit is the Hackberry oil and gas assessment unit. The Hackberry embayment of southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana consists of a slope facies in the middle part of the Frio Formation. The fifth unit, the Frio basin margin assessment unit, extends from the updip boundary of the Frio stable shelf oil and gas assessment unit to the outcrop of the Frio. Because the basin margin unit has no production data and little potential for biogenic gas, it was not assessed; however, a description of this unit will be included in the final assessment report. An assessment unit also was defined for the Anahuac Formation, a major transgressive unit overlying the Frio.

Gulf of Mexico↗
USGS2007

Thermal maturation history of the Wilcox group (Paleocene-Eocene), Texas: Results of regional-scale multi-1D modeling

The thermal maturation history of the Paleocene-Eocene Wilcox Group has been reconstructed based on burial history models of 53 wells in the Texas coastal plain. This modeling study has been conducted in conjunction with a geologically based assessment of the oil and gas resources in Cenozoic strata of the Gulf of Mexico coastal plain and state waters. In the onshore Texas coastal plain, coals and organic-rich shales, predominantly of terrestrial origin, within the Wilcox Group are the primary source of oil ( Wenger et al. , 1994 ) as well as a source of gas. The Wilcox, however, is modeled as a single unit, without subdivision into source rock and non-source rock intervals. Generation of oil from Type III kerogen within the Wilcox Group is modeled using hydrous pyrolysis reaction kinetic parameters (Lewan, M.D., written communication, 2006). Gas generation from Type III kerogen is represented using calculated Ro values. The models are calibrated with bottom hole temperature ( BHT ), and vitrinite reflectance ( Ro % ) data for the Wilcox Group. Ro data from near-coastal sites have been selected to minimize the possible effects of uplift and erosion and then composited to give a regional Ro depth trend. Model calculations for the study area, the onshore Texas coastal plain, indicate that downdip portions of the basal Wilcox had reached sufficient thermal maturity to generate hydrocarbons by early Eocene (~50 Ma). This relatively early maturation is explained by rapid sediment accumulation in the early Tertiary combined with the reaction kinetic parameters used in the models. Thermal maturation increases through time with increasing burial depth and temperature, gradually moving the maturation front updip. At present day, hydrocarbon generation is complete in the downdip Wilcox within the study area but is currently ongoing in the updip portions of the formation.

Texas↗
USGS2006

Review of lignite resources of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area, western Kentucky

Introduction: This review of the lignite deposits of western Tennessee and the Jackson Purchase area in western Kentucky (Fig. 1) is a preliminary report on part of the U.S. Geological Survey's National Coal Resource Assessment of the Gulf Coastal Plain Coal Province. Lignite deposits of western Kentucky and Tennessee are an extension of the Gulf Coastal Plain Coal Province (Cushing and others, 1964), and currently are not economic to mine. These deposits have not been extensively investigated or developed as an energy resource. This review includes a description of the geology of the lignite-bearing units, a discussion of the available coal quality data, and information on organic petrology. Palynological data for lignite samples collected in Kentucky and Tennessee as part of this work are presented in an Appendix.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Reflectance measurements of well cuttings from Ashley and Bradley Counties, Arkansas

Vitrinite reflectance measurements were determined for twenty-three well cuttings samples from Ashley and Bradley Counties, Arkansas, to evaluate coal rank and coalbed gas potential in the Desha Basin of the southern Missisissippi Embayment. Samples were selected from the Norman F. Williams Well Sample Library using geophysical logs to identify coaly shale and coal intervals from conventional oil and gas wells. Results indicate that maturation of vitrinite ranges from lignite to subbituminous B in the Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) at depths of 1400 to 2300 feet, and from subbituminous C to subbituminous A/high volatile bituminous C in the Trinity Group/Hosston Formation (Lower Cretaceous) at depths of 3000 to 3100 feet.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2006

Analytical results from samples collected during coal-bed methane exploration drilling in Caldwell Parish, Louisiana

In 2001, and 2002, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Louisiana Geological Survey (LGS), through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Devon SFS Operating, Inc. (Devon), participated in an exploratory drilling and coring program for coal-bed methane in north-central Louisiana. The USGS and LGS collected 25 coal core and cuttings samples from two coal-bed methane test wells that were drilled in west-central Caldwell Parish, Louisiana. The purpose of this report is to provide the results of the analytical program conducted on the USGS/LGS samples. The data generated from this project are summarized in various topical sections that include: 1. molecular and isotopic data from coal gas samples; 2. results of low-temperature ashing and X-ray analysis; 3. palynological data; 4. down-hole temperature data; 5. detailed core descriptions and selected core photographs; 6. coal physical and chemical analytical data; 7. coal gas desorption results; 8. methane and carbon dioxide coal sorption data; 9. coal petrographic results; and 10. geophysical logs.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2005

Tar yields from low-temperature carbonization of coal facies from the Powder River Basin, Wyoming, USA

Tar yields from low-temperature carbonization correlate with the amount of crypto-eugelinite in samples selected to represent petrographically distinct coal facies of the Wyodak-Anderson coal zone. Tar yields from Fischer Assay range from <1 to 11 wt.% on a dry basis and correspond ( r = 0.72) to crypto-eugelinite contents of the coal that range from 15 to 60 vol.%. Core and highwall samples were obtained from active surface mines in the Gillette field, Powder River Basin, Wyoming. Because the rank of the samples is essentially the same, differences in low-temperature carbonization yields are interpreted from compositional differences, particularly the crypto-eugelinite content. In the Wyodak-Anderson coal zone, crypto-eugelinite probably was derived from degraded humic matter which absorbed decomposition products from algae, fungi, bacteria, and liptinitic plant parts (materials possibly high in hydrogen). Previous modeling of the distribution of crypto-eugelinite in the discontinuous Wyodak-Anderson coal zone indicated that tar yields should be greater from coal composing the upper part and interior areas than from coal composing the lower parts and margins of the individual coal bodies. It is possible that hydrocarbon yields from natural coalification processes would be similar to yields obtained from laboratory pyrolysis. If so, the amount of crypto-eugelinite may also be an important characteristic when evaluating coal as source rock for migrated hydrocarbons.

Wyoming↗
USGS2005

Petrology, mineralogy and geochemistry of mined coals, western Venezuela

Upper Paleocene to middle Miocene coal samples collected from active mines in the western Venezuelan States of Táchira, Mérida and Zulia have been characterized through an integrated geochemical, mineralogical and petrographic investigation. Proximate, ultimate, calorific and forms of sulfur values, major and trace element, vitrinite reflectance, maceral concentrations and mineral matter content have been determined for 16 channel samples from 14 mines. Ash yield generally is low, ranging from < 1 to 17 wt.% (mean = 5 wt.%) on a dry basis (db). Total sulfur content is low to moderate, ranging from 1 to 6 wt.%, db (average = 1.7 wt.%). Calorific value ranges from 25.21 to 37.21 MJ/kg (10,840–16,000 Btu/lb) on a moist, mineral-matter-free basis (average = 33.25 MJ/kg, 14,300 Btu/lb), placing most of the coal samples in the apparent rank classification of high-volatile bituminous. Most of the coal samples exhibit favorable characteristics on the various indices developed to predict combustion and coking behavior and concentrations of possible environmentally sensitive elements (As, Be, Cd, Cr, Co, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Th and U) generally are similar to the concentrations of these elements in most coals of the world, with one or two exceptions. Concentrations of the liptinite maceral group range from < 1% to 70 vol.%. Five samples contain > 20 vol.% liptinite, dominated by the macerals bituminite and sporinite. Collotelinite dominates the vitrinite group; telinite was observed in quantities of ≤ 1 vol.% despite efforts to better quantify this maceral by etching the sample pellets in potassium permanganate and also by exposure in an oxygen plasma chamber. Inertinite group macerals typically represent < 10 vol.% of the coal samples and the highest concentrations of inertinite macerals are found in distantly spaced (> 400 km) upper Paleocene coal samples from opposite sides of Lago de Maracaibo, possibly indicating tectonic controls on subsidence related to construction of the Andean orogen. Values of maximum reflectance of vitrinite in oil ( R o max ) range between 0.42% and 0.85% and generally are consistent with the high-volatile bituminous rank classification obtained through ASTM methods. X-ray diffraction analyses of low-temperature ash residues indicate that kaolinite, quartz, illite and pyrite dominate the inorganic fraction of most samples; plagioclase, potassium feldspar, calcite, siderite, ankerite, marcasite, rutile, anatase and apatite are present in minor or trace concentrations. Semiquantitative values of volume percent pyrite content show a strong correlation with pyritic sulfur and some sulfide-hosted trace element concentrations (As and Hg). This work provides a modern quality dataset for the western Venezuela coal deposits currently being exploited and will serve as the foundation for an ongoing coal quality research program in Venezuela.

International Journal of Coal Geology↗
USGS2005

Coal systems analysis: A new approach to the understanding of coal formation, coal quality and environmental considerations, and coal as a source rock for hydrocarbons

Coal is an important and required energy source for today's world. Current rates of world coal consumption are projected to continue at approximately the same (or greater) levels well into the twenty-first century. This paper will provide an introduction to the concept of coal systems analysis and the accompanying volume of papers will provide examples of how coal systems analysis can be used to understand, characterize, and evaluate coal and coal gas resources. Coal systems analysis incorporates the various disciplines of coal geology to provide a complete characterization of the resource. The coal system is divided into four stages: (1) accumulation, (2) preservation-burial, (3) diagenesis-coalification, and (4) coal and hydrocarbon resources. These stages are briefly discussed and key references and examples of the application of coal systems analysis are provided.

Special Papers of the Geological Society of Americ↗
USGS2005

Huminite reflectance measurements of Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous coals from borehole cuttings, Zavala and Dimmit counties, South Texas

The reflectance of huminite in 19 cuttings samples was determined in support of ongoing investigations into the coal bed methane potential of subsurface Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous coals of South Texas. Coal cuttings were obtained from the Core Research Center of the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. Geophysical logs, mud-gas logs, driller's logs, completion cards, and scout tickets were used to select potentially coal-bearing sample suites and to identify specific sample depths. Reflectance measurements indicate coals of subbituminous rank are present in a wider area in South Texas than previously recognized.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2005

Wilcox group coal-bed methane in north-central Louisiana

Significant coal-bed gas resources may exist in subsurface Wilcox Group (Paleocene-Eocene) coal beds that are found across much of north-central Louisiana. About a dozen wells recently completed in Wilcox Group coal zones in this area have an initial production that ranges from 7 to 229 thousand cubic feet (Mcf) of gas per day. Production of saline water from these wells ranges from 0 to 550 barrels (bbls) per day. Depth to the targeted Wilcox coal beds, which have a maximum thickness of about 20 ft, ranges from 1,500 to 5,000 ft. The thickest coal beds tend to be in the lower Wilcox coal zone. Cumulative Wilcox coal thickness can exceed 100 ft. Measured gas content of the coal beds ranges from less than 40 standard cubic ft per ton (scf/t, raw basis; or 65 scf/t dry, ash free basis, daf) at depths less than 1,600 ft, to greater than 158 scf/t (213 scf/t daf) in deeper (>2,700 ft) parts of the basin. Although geochemical and petrographic data from Wilcox Group coals from across the region show that the coal beds are lignite in rank at depths less than about 350 ft, they reach a rank of subbituminous B, or greater, at depths of approximately 2,500 ft. Preliminary gas isotope data indicate that Wilcox coal gas originated from the microbial reduction of CO 2 and that, in some places, these gases may be mixed with migrated thermal gases.

Louisiana↗
USGS2004

Chronostratigraphic and depositional sequences of the Fort Union formation (Paleocene), Williston Basin, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana

The Fort Union Formation in the Williston Basin of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana comprises chronostratigraphic and depositional sequences of Paleocene age. Individual chronostratigraphic sequences are defined by palynostratigraphic (pollen and spore) biozones and radiometric ( 40 Ar/ 39 Ar) ages obtained from tonsteins or volcanic ash layers. Analyses of depositional sequences are based on lithofacies constrained by the radiometric ages and biozones. The lower Paleocene (biozones P1-P3) contains three marine parasequences (landward stepping) in southwestern North Dakota that sequentially onlapped westward between 65 and 61 Ma (lower Ludlow and Cannonball Members). Maximum flooding (transgressive systems tract) occurred during an approximate 1-m.y. interval from 65 to 64 Ma, which regionally is correlated biostratigraphically to a tidally influenced, distributary-shoreface, and fluvial-channel complex in the Cave Hills, northwestern South Dakota, and to channel-dominated fluvial (low-stand incised paleovalley systems) and tidally influenced, flood-plain-deltaic transition facies in the Ekalaka area of southeastern Montana. The progradational parasequences in the Cannonball Member consist of shore-face sandstone beds (with ravinement lag deposits) deposited by strand-plain barrier systems. Landward of the barrier systems, tidal-estuarine and mire deposits included thick but laterally discontinuous peat accumulations (e.g., Beta and Yule coal beds in the Ludlow Member, southwestern North Dakota). However, landward of the coastal deposits, the laterally equivalent T-Cross-Big Dirty coal zone (dated 64.78 Ma) in southeastern Montana formed as thick, laterally extensive peat accumulations in mires in a fluvial setting. In the flood-plain-deltaic, tidal transition zone near Ekalaka, Montana, the Ludlow Member consists of flood-plain facies, discontinuous coal beds, and rooted and burrowed horizons that contain the marine or brackish trace fossil Skolithos. The flood-plain-deltaic tidal transition zone facies are incised by a massive, agglomerated channel sandstone complex (paleovalley fill) that is exposed along the modern Snow Creek drainage south of Mill Iron, Montana. The flood-plain-tidal transition zone was reworked during the maximum sea level highstand during the early Paleocene. This event was followed by a fall of sea level and deposition of the paleovalley fill. Sea level fall during the mid-Paleocene (biozones P3 and P4) produced a regressive shallow-marine and lower deltaic tidal system (seaward stepping) that deposited strata that thin toward the east. These strata are overlain by a widespread paleosol (Rhame bed) and, in turn, a lignite-bearing fluvial facies (Tongue River Member) containing the laterally persistent Harmon-Hanson coal zone (61.23 Ma). Upper Paleocene biozone P5 is represented by fluvial, coal-bearing strata that contain several economically minable coal beds (HT Butte, Hagel, and Beulah-Zap zones, Sentinel Butte Member). The Fort Union Formation of the Williston Basin contains significant coal resources. These coal deposits are now being explored for their potential coal-bed gas resources. A better understanding of the depositional setting for these deposits can lead to improved exploration and exploitation practices and a better understanding of regional paleogeography and paleoclimate during the Paleocene.

Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota↗