Hydrocarbon Potential of the Upper Green River Petroleum System in the Uinta Basin, Utah: A Basin Modeling Approach

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dc.contributor.advisorVan Wijk, Jolante W.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberRobinson, Alexander C.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberBurton, Darrin
dc.creatorRaschilla, Robert N. 1987-
dc.date.accessioned2015-08-17T02:40:11Z
dc.date.available2015-08-17T02:40:11Z
dc.date.createdMay 2013
dc.date.issued2013-05
dc.date.updated2015-08-17T02:40:11Z
dc.description.abstractThe Late Cretaceous Uinta Basin is a foreland basin located in northeastern Utah within the northern most portion of the Colorado Plateau. The basin's uplift and subsidence history and thermal evolution have impacted the maturity of source beds in the Parachute Creek Member. Sixty wells and three 2-D models generated from well logs are used in a basin modeling study of the Uinta Basin’s thermal structure, tectonic history, and petroleum system. These factors impact the maturation of source rocks within the Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation. All models were calibrated to measured data, including vitrinite reflectance and transformation ratios from Rock-Eval pyrolysis. The models predict that the heat flow ranges from 65 mW/m2 to 45 mW/m2 from south to north in the study area. Additionally, model calibration provides a means for estimating the amount of uplift and erosion in the Uinta Basin. For the three 2-D models, uplift and erosion predicted for the Uinta Basin ranges from 6700 ft to 7200 ft (2042 m to 2195 m). Based on the eroded thicknesses and heat flow values determined from calibration to measured thermal maturity indicators, the maturity of the rich oil shales of the Parachute Creek Member is inferred. Model predictions have suggested that source intervals of the Parachute Creek Member follow a general trend of increasing maturity from south to north in the study area. Local variations in predicted maturity that deviate from this trend most likely occur due to the effects of decreasing heat flow outpacing the effects of greater burial depths from south to north.
dc.description.departmentEarth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10657/969
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectUinta
dc.subjectBasins
dc.subjectPetroleum
dc.subjectModel
dc.subjectGreen River Formation
dc.subjectUplift
dc.subjectSubsidence
dc.subjectErosion
dc.subjectHeat Flow
dc.subject.lcshGeology
dc.titleHydrocarbon Potential of the Upper Green River Petroleum System in the Uinta Basin, Utah: A Basin Modeling Approach
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Natural Sciences and Mathematics
thesis.degree.departmentEarth and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
thesis.degree.disciplineGeology
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science

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