• Login
    View Item 
    •   Home
    • Theses & Dissertations
    • 2015 - Mines Theses & Dissertations
    • View Item
    •   Home
    • Theses & Dissertations
    • 2015 - Mines Theses & Dissertations
    • View Item
    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

    Browse

    All of Mines RepositoryCommunitiesPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionPublication DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

    My Account

    Login

    Mines Links

    Arthur Lakes LibraryColorado School of Mines

    Statistics

    Display Statistics

    Petrographic and biostratigraphic assessment of the Aristocrat PC H11-07, Niobrara, Wattenberg field, Weld County, Colorado

    • CSV
    • RefMan
    • EndNote
    • BibTex
    • RefWorks
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Rietman_mines_0052N_10732.pdf
    Size:
    28.01Mb
    Format:
    PDF
    Description:
    Thesis
    Download
    Thumbnail
    Name:
    Rietman_mines_0052N_316.zip
    Size:
    184.9Mb
    Format:
    Unknown
    Description:
    Data
    Download
    Author
    Rietman, Jennie Marie
    Advisor
    Sonnenberg, Stephen A.
    Date issued
    2015
    Keywords
    calcareous nannofossils
    biostratigraphy
    microfossils
    Niobrara formation
    planktonic foraminifera
    Wattenberg field
    Petrology -- Colorado -- Weld County
    Plankton, Fossil -- Colorado -- Weld County
    Nannofossils -- Colorado -- Weld County
    Facies (Geology) -- Colorado -- Weld County
    Scanning electron microscopy
    Niobrara Formation
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    URI
    https://hdl.handle.net/11124/17138
    Abstract
    The Niobrara Formation in the Wattenberg Field, Denver Basin, Colorado consists of interbedded chalks and marls. The Niobrara Formation is cyclic in nature resulting in chalky marls and marly chalks. The biostratigraphic data set has dated the Niobrara at the Coniacian to lower Campanian stages of the Upper Cretaceous. The Niobrara Formation is just over 300 feet in thickness in the Wattenberg Field. Petrographic and biostratigraphic framework characterization, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and Quantitative Evaluation of Minerals by scanning electron microscopy (QEMSCAN), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) are essential accessory tools to the petroleum potential of any formation. This study uses all five approaches to provide an overview of the Niobrara Formation in the Wattenberg Field located in the Denver Basin. This study focuses on taking observations from macro to the micro-scale level. The high resolution petrographic, SEM, and QEMSCAN, and XRD methods have yielded seven microfacies that were identified in this study. The microfacies show distinctive characteristics and a great deal of variability found in the Niobrara Formation. The additional method for reservoir characterization in this study was the biostratigraphic analysis. The microfauna in the Wattenberg distinctly show how much the Wattenberg paleohigh has affected the diversity, abundance, and preservation. The low abundance, and diversity of the microfauna present in the Niobrara Formation suggest that the microfauna livelihood are highly dependent on food supply, nutrient supply, water temperature, and water salinity. The fact that not having any benthonic foraminifera in the Smoky Hill Member, and only a single species in the Fort Hays Member is evidence and suggestive that the food supply was low during the deposition of these members. There are twenty three planktonic species from 10 genera that have been identified in this study. Generally all samples were dominated by Heterohelix globulosa, Globigerinelloides ultramicrus and two Archaeoglobigerina species. Additionally, the significant nannofossils found are the Watznaueria, Prediscophaera, Zeugrhabdotus, and Tranolithus. The common planktonic foraminifera in the Niobrara Formation include Hedbergella and Heterohelix. Several nannofossil events approximate the top of the Coniacian, including the first appearance datum (FAD) of Micula concava and the last appearance datum (LAD) of Eprolithus floralis, and the LAD of Quadrum gartneri. The planktonic foraminifer Whiteinella archaeocretacea defines the top of the Coniacian. Other significant nannofossil events include the FAD of Lithastrinus grillii, and the LAD of Rhagodiscus achlyostaurion and the FADs of Micrantholithus quasihoschulzi and the Micula decassata. The latter two are within the low Coniacian Fort Hays Member.
    Rights
    Copyright of the original work is retained by the author.
    Collections
    2015 - Mines Theses & Dissertations

    entitlement

     
    DSpace software (copyright © 2002 - 2023)  DuraSpace
    Quick Guide | Contact Us
    Open Repository is a service operated by 
    Atmire NV
     

    Export search results

    The export option will allow you to export the current search results of the entered query to a file. Different formats are available for download. To export the items, click on the button corresponding with the preferred download format.

    By default, clicking on the export buttons will result in a download of the allowed maximum amount of items.

    To select a subset of the search results, click "Selective Export" button and make a selection of the items you want to export. The amount of items that can be exported at once is similarly restricted as the full export.

    After making a selection, click one of the export format buttons. The amount of items that will be exported is indicated in the bubble next to export format.