Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation (Middle Ordovician), Michigan Basin, U.S.A.1
G. C. Nadon,2 J. A. (Toni) Simo,3 R. H. Dott, Jr.,3 and C. W. Byers3
ABSTRACT The Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation (Ancell Group) represent a significant target for gas exploration at the base of the Tippecanoe sequence in the Michigan basin. Core and well log data show that the St. PeterGlenwood interval contains numerous carbonate units that provide the basis for both regional correlation and subdivision of the section into at least 20 high-frequency sequences. The temporal resolution afforded by these sequences allows a detailed analysis of sediment partitioning as the basin evolved. The spatial distribution of the basal sequences illustrates the pronounced east-to-west onlap of the Wisconsin arch. An abrupt increase in sequence thickness upsection indicates that a major episode of basin-centered subsidence began during middle St. Peter deposition and continued through the deposition of the Glenwood Formation. The upper sequences show a significant beveling of the Glenwood Formation and the top of the St. Peter Sandstone in the north, south, and southeast areas of the basin prior to deposition of the overlying Black River carbonates. Although eustatic sea level changes were undoubtedly operating at several scales, the facies distribution of this mixed clastic/carbonate system also documents significant changes of local and regional tectonics.
Copyright 2000. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved. 1 Manuscript received August 20, 1998; revised manuscript received August 18, 1999; final acceptance November 15, 1999. 2 Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701. 3Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wisconsin, 1215 W. Dayton St., Madison, Wisconsin 53706. This paper stems from research of basin compartments and seals funded by the Gas Research Institute under contract 5089-260-1810. The project could not have been completed without the foresight of W. B. Harrison, Western Michigan University, in collecting the numerous St. Peter cores and his generosity in allowing access to this core repository. Our thanks to Shell Resources, Unocal, and Marathon Oil companies for access to core, the colleagues and students at the University of Wisconsin, and the other universities that participated in this project for numerous discussions and critiques. The reviews of P. Catacosinos, P. Daniels, and J. May helped sharpen the focus of the paper.
INTRODUCTION The Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone is an historically famous and economically significant formation of the north-central cratonic portion of the United States. The St. Peter is a classic blanket or sheet sandstone that covers most of six states; either it or correlative sandstones extend into several more states (Dapples, 1955). The St. Peter is famous for its extreme compositional and textural maturity, as well as the fact that it is the basal unit of the Tippecanoe sequence (Sloss, 1963, 1982). In most of its outcrop area the formation is of the order of 3040 m thick, but in the Michigan basin it is over 350 m thick (Figure 1). The overlying Glenwood Formation is only a few meters thick where exposed on the Wisconsin arch, but reaches about 60 m in Michigan. In contrast, in outcrop the St. Peter is a very homogeneous, crossstratified quartzarenite, but the Glenwood Formation contains interstratified green shale and fine sandstones with considerable bioturbation. Although the St. PeterGlenwood interval has been well documented from exposures during the past century, it was not until a resurgence of deep drilling for hydrocarbons that its character in the Michigan basin could be determined. Commercial gas accumulations in anticlinal structures within the St. PeterGlenwood interval spurred exploration during the 1980s and early 1990s (Catacosinos et al., 1991). During the earliest stages of this phase of deeper drilling, the mistaken identification of the newly discovered gas reservoir as Upper Cambrian to Lower Ordovician (Jordan Sandstone, Prairie du Chien Group, or Knox sandstone) caused much confusion (Catacosinos, 1973; Fisher and Barratt, 1985; Catacosinos and Daniels, 1991). Harrison (1987) corrected this confusion and showed that the Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation names should be applied to the strata in question. In addition to a marked contrast in thickness between outcrops and the subsurface, the St. PeterGlenwood interval also displays significant
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Figure 1Location map showing the thickness variations in the St. PeterGlenwood interval in the midwestern United States. Contour interval 50 m (after Dapples, 1955; Willman et al., 1975; Mai and Dott, 1985; Droste et al., 1982; Bricker et al., 1983).
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changes of lithology. In south-central Wisconsin, fine- to medium-grained eolian sandstones dominate the St. Peter (Mai and Dott, 1985), whereas the Glenwood is a bioturbated medium- to coarsegrained sandstone with sporadic phosphatic granules and some very sandy dolomite. In central Michigan, by contrast, much of the upper St. Peter and the Glenwood are intensely bioturbated. Both units in the subsurface contain a greater variety of trace fossils than in outcrop. In Michigan eolian sandstones are inferred only in the western counties; there, the St. Peter is a monotonous, unbioturbated, homogeneous, pure quartz sandstone with rare adhesion structures. Carbonate facies (mostly
dolomite) are entirely absent in outcrop, but in the subsurface they occur widely within the south and east portions of the Michigan basin, representing the northwestward extension of equivalent, entirely carbonate, Middle Ordovician strata. In a broad sense the St. PeterGlenwood interval represents a transgressive systems tract onlapping the Wisconsin arch and capped by a condensed section (Barnes et al., 1992, 1996; Schutter, 1996). The base of the St. PeterGlenwood interval, which forms part of the craton-wide Sauk-Tippecanoe sequence boundary, lies on the Shakopee Formation of the Prairie du Chien Group, a complex surface that is probably locally karsted (Nadon and Smith, 1992).
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Figure 2Isopach map for the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation in the Michigan basin showing the distribution of wells used in this study. The locations of cross sections of Figures 1012 and the Ruppert well (Figure 5) are shown.
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The carbonate and black shale facies of the Black River formation define the top of the interval. Thermal modeling (Cercone and Pollack, 1991; Wang et al., 1994) and backstripping (Coakley et al., 1994; Howell and van der Pluijm, 1999) show that the Michigan basin underwent basin-centered subsidence during deposition of both the Prairie du Chien and Ancell groups. Postdepositional variations in fluid flow influenced by both compaction and orogenesis along the eastern and southern margins of North America produced a complex diagenetic overprint. Fluid inclusion and isotopic data from quartz overgrowths and carbonate cements provide evidence of a complex history of fluid flow and diagenesis after burial (Drzewiecki et al., 1994; Winter et al., 1995). One result of this diagenetic complexity is the variation of porosity and permeability within the St. PeterGlenwood interval from 2 to 21% and 0.001 to 4 md over relatively short intervals (Moline et al., 1994; Bahr et al., 1994).
Hydrocarbons, mainly gas, are found within fields defined by small anticlines (Catacosinos et al., 1991). Gas has been recovered from two main horizons, one near the middle and one near the top of the interval. Pressure data within the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation indicate the presence of overpressured compartments (Bahr et al., 1994). The overpressures occur mainly in the deepest portion of the basin. The regional distribution of overpressures, which are in excess of 1034 kPa (150 psi) above hydrostatic, suggests formation by glacial loading. Within individual wells, the overpressured zones are highly variable over a few tens of meters within formations (Bahr et al., 1994). Exploration and development of potential reservoirs from such vertically limited compartments within a thick succession require more detail than a generalized transgressive systems tract (TST) framework provides. A high-resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis of the St. PeterGlenwood can provide the
Table 1. Lithofacies within the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation and Their Typical Log Responses*
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Lithofacies Fine- to coarse-grained, well-sorted to very well sorted sandstone. Occurs as beds 0.1 to >10 m thick. No burrows observed. Most common in the lower St. Peter Sandstone. Shallow subtidal. Shallow subtidal, high energy. High-energy shallow, subtidal to eolian. Shallow subtidal to nonmarine. Gamma-ray = 1520 API units PEF** = 22.6 Density = 2.42.5 g/cm3 Porosity ranges from 1 to 14%
Description
Depositional Environment
Well-Log Response
Cross-bedded sandstone
Fine- to coarse-grained, well-sorted to very well sorted sandstone. Occurs as beds 0.1 to >10 m thick. Densely bioturbated by Skolithos. Most common in the upper St. Peter (Figure 3A). Parallel to horizontally laminated fine- to medium-grained wellsorted to very well sorted sandstone in beds 0.1 m to several meters thick. Rare Skolithos burrows. Present throughout the St. Peter Sandstone (Figure 3B). Planar tabular to trough cross-bedded, fine- to coarse-grained sandstone. Rare adhesion ripples. Well-sorted to very well sorted. Rare bioturbation (Skolithos). Most common in St. Peter Sandstone. Massive to poorly bedded, very fine to medium-grained sandstone. Abundant detrital clays as clasts and dispersed by bioturbation. Skolithos and Planolites common. Most common in the basal Glenwood Formation. Shallow subtidal, low energy.
Gamma-ray = 2090 API (usually 3090) PEF** = 2.52.7 Density = 2.422.69 g/cm3 Porosity = 116% Serrated gamma-ray log profile that straddles the facies cutoff at the scale of resolution. Gamma-ray > 90 API PEF** = 2.52. Density < 2.55 g/cm3 Porosity > 16% Log responses characteristically serrated with an increasing gamma-ray value upsection (fining upward).
Facies e3 Interbedded e1 & e2 Thinly interbedded sets of facies e1 and e2 at the scale of resolution of the gamma log (<0.6 m).
Facies e4 Shales
Fissile mudstone interbedded with thin laminae of quartz siltstone Relatively deep, and very fine grained sandstone. Burrows are rare. Occurs in 0.1 m low energy, beds in the middle and upper Glenwood. subtidal.
Intervals with variable proportions of siliciclastics and carbonates in beds of 0.50.3 m thick. The carbonate beds increase in number and thickness upsection.
Table 1. Continued
Lithofacies Dolomitized carbonate mudstone with up to 60% quartz grains. Relatively shallow, Grains range from silt to coarse sand. Rare horizontal bedding subtidal. preserved. Rare ooids, coated grains, and fossils (bivalve and trilobite fragments). Most common in the lower St. Peter Sandstone and upper Glenwood Formation (Figure 4A). Mudstones, wackestones, grainstones, and algal boundstones. Mudstones are thinly laminated to massive. Rare shale intraclasts. Bivalve and trilobite fragments, ooids, and coated grains common. Burrows range from common to absent. Rare anhydrite crystals in lower St. Peter Sandstone. Present in both formations (Figure 4B). Intervals with variable proportions of siliciclastics and carbonates Shallow marine. in beds of 0.50.3 m thick. The sandstone beds increase in number and thickness upsection. Ranges from intertidal to shallow subtidal.
Description
Depositional Environment
Well-Log Response Low to high gamma ray PEF** = 33.6 (Black River Limestone PEF = 4.55) Density > 2.74 Porosity = 13% (Glenwood porosity = 36%)
Dolomite
Log responses characteristically serrated with an upward decrease in gamma-ray values (coarsening-upward). Shallow marine. Low-density, high-porosity values. Low gamma-ray and high PEF** values. Evaporitic ponds. Low gamma-ray values density greater than 3.0 and PEF** values greater than 6.
*Lithofacies compiled from Vandrey (1991), Barnes et al. (1992), and Drzewiecki et al. (1994). **PEF = Photoelectric factor.
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necessary detail to enhance both exploration and production strategies, but requires a means of accurate correlation. The carbonate rocks within this mixed system provide the means for the correlation and subdivision of the St. PeterGlenwood interval within the basin. This paper presents a detailed stratigraphic analysis based on 30 cores and 74 well logs, with the interpretation of facies from well log analysis receiving special emphasis (Figure 2). FACIES The St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation together contain 13 lithofacies (Table 1). Facies descriptions and interpretations, which are briefly summarized here, are presented in more detail by Barnes et al. (1992) and Drzewiecki et al. (1994). The two main lithologic components in core are quartzarenites and carbonates, with minor amounts of shale and siltstone. The depositional environment of the siliciclastics ranged from marine to possibly eolian, whereas the carbonates were all shallow marine and are largely dolomitized. The log responses for the lithofacies are represented by a suite of nine electrofacies (Serra, 1986; Moline et al., 1994) that are presented in Table 1. The siliciclastics range from massive to parallel laminated and trough cross-bedded, quartz-cemented, medium- to coarse-grained sandstones (Figure 3A) to medium- to fine-grained sandstones with a highly variable clay and silt component and intensity of bioturbation (Figure 3B). All of these may be present throughout the St. Peter Sandstone, with the massive sandstones most common low in the section. The bioturbated sandstones are characteristic of Glenwood Formation and are common in the upper St. Peter. The ichnofacies include zones of Teichichnus, Asterosoma, Planolites, Terebellina, and Chondrites, which are typical of Ordovician normal marine conditions (MacEachern et al., 1992), and zones where only abundant Skolithos are present. The amount of nonmarine sandstone facies within the section is unknown. Barnes et al. (1992) and Drzewiecki et al. (1994) interpreted all the nonbioturbated massive and cross-bedded sandstones as marine deposits; however, the possibility of a fluvial component in this facies, especially in the more proximal sections to the north and northwest, cannot be eliminated. Crossbedded sandstones with adhesion ripples in one core in southwestern Michigan may represent eolian strata. Shales with little or no carbonate content are rare (<1%) and are found only in the middle and upper Glenwood Formation. Variations in gamma-ray response subdivide the siliciclastic intervals into four electrofacies. A cutoff of 98% on the gamma-ray log (i.e., the cleanest 2%), rather than the conventional 90% cutoff for clean
Figure 3Examples of arenite lithofacies within the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation in the Michigan basin. (A) Horizontally laminated quartz-cemented sandstones from the St. Peter Sandstone (facies e1) in the State Foster 1-12 well, Ogemaw County. (B) Heavily bioturbated clay-rich sandstones from the Glenwood Formation (facies e2) in State Foster 1-19, Ogemaw County.
sandstone (Asquith and Gibson, 1982), separates facies e1 (clean sandstone) and e2 (clay-rich sandstone) because of the compositionally mature nature of the St. Peter Sandstone. Facies e3 (interbedded e1 and e2) occurs where the gamma-ray response shows closely spaced alternations between facies e1/e2 near the limit of resolution for the logs (approx. 0.6 m). A 50% gamma-ray cutoff and higher values on porosity logs (CNL) allows determination of facies e4 (shale). Carbonates, which are a minor component in most wells, are typically absent in the north and northwest portion of the basin, but generally compose between 38 and 50% of the section (maximum 84%) in the south and southeast. The carbonates in cores are mainly dolomitic mudstones, wackestones, grainstones, and algal boundstones (Figure 4A). Bivalve, trilobite, and gastropod shells are common, as are oolites and coated grains (Figure 4B). Stromatolites and brachiopod coquinas are present but not common. Limestones in cores are rare (Vandrey, 1991). Bioturbation ranges from absent to intense. Density logs indicate the presence of anhydrite in three wells from the southeastern portion of the basin. The anhydrite may be a
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Figure 4Examples of carbonate lithofacies within the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation in the Michigan basin. (A) Algal boundstone from the Glenwood Formation (facies e6) in Brinks 1-3, Missaukee County. (B) Oolites and coated grains from the St. Peter Sandstone (facies e6) in State Foster 6-21, Ogemaw County.
result of local restriction due to fault movement in that area (Nadon et al., 1991). The carbonate and anhydrite electrofacies were defined by a combination of gamma-ray, density, and PEF logs. The carbonate units within the section commonly have the highest gamma-ray responses due to the presence of silt-size feldspar grains (Drzewiecki et al., 1994). All the facies variations within the dolomites and the limestones group into two electrofacies, facies e6 and e8, respectively. The anhydrite beds (electrofacies e9) are easily determined from the density logs. The siliciclastic and carbonate intervals display transitional zones within which both lithologies are interbedded. Intervals of increasing carbonate or increasing sandstone are present throughout the central portion of the basin; however, variations in rates of sedimentation and subsidence within the basin produced several distinct types of transition. In the center of the basin, these zones are relatively thick. Toward the margins of the basin, the transition zones become thinner until, just before the carbonates disappear to the north and northwest, the transitions are absent and the end-member lithologies are in abrupt contact. Similarly, abrupt contacts occur in the southeastern portion of the basin where carbonates are the predominate lithology. Figure 5 illustrates one of the cores that contain these abrupt transitions. The electrofacies classification includes the siliciclastic/carbonate transitional zones (Table 1). A serrated log response that shows an increase in gamma-ray values coupled with an increase in density upsection is designated facies e5. A similar serrated log style, but one showing a decrease in
gamma ray and density response upsection, composes facies e7. Both record interbedded siliciclastics and carbonates at or near the limit of resolution of the logs (approximately 0.6 m). Facies e5 reflects an increase in the amount of carbonate upsection, whereas facies e7 is a result of a decrease in carbonate. A SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC MODEL The overall depositional framework for the St. PeterGlenwood interval is one of a shallow ramp with a clastic source to the north and northwest and a carbonate factory to the south and southeast (Drzewiecki et al., 1994) (Figure 6). The core and log facies are arranged in recurring vertical patterns. An ideal vertical succession in the central Michigan basin (Figure 7) consists of a basal clean quartz sandstone of facies e1, which is gradationally overlain by either sandstones of facies e2 or the interbedded sandstones and carbonates of facies e5. The interbedded lithologies give way to a zone of predominantly carbonate deposition (facies e6, e8) that usually contains the maximum gamma-ray response in the sequence. Facies e7, which overlies the carbonates, records an influx of siliciclastics (facies e2, e3). The upper boundary of the sequence is marked by an abrupt shift to facies e1. The facies assemblages are interpreted in sequence stratigraphic terms to represent lowstand system tracts (LST = massive + parallel laminated sandstone), transgressive system tracts (TST = bioturbated sandstone + increasing carbonate transition zones), and highstand system tracts (HST = increasing sandstone
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Figure 5Core description and well log from the Ruppert well, Tuscola County in the southeastern portion of the study area (see Figure 2 for location). A complete sequence is cored that illustrates the siliciclastic/ carbonate transitions in the St. Peter Sandstone.
GRAIN SIZE pebble granule Intensity of sand Bioturbation silt v cm f v clay 3191 3192
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transition zones + massive, bioturbated, and trough cross-bedded sandstones) (Table 1). The variations in character of the systems tracts within the basin record the local and regional changes in the rate of formation of accommodation space. The resulting model, although similar to others interpreted for ramp settings (Posamentier and Allen, 1993a, b), can be used to interpret the well-log data where core data are absent.
The sharp contact at the base of facies e1 sandstones is interpreted to be a sequence boundary followed by an abrupt basinward shift of facies. Facies e1 constitutes an LST (Posamentier and Allen, 1993a, b; Mitchum et al., 1993). As the rate of formation of accommodation space then increased, a TST was deposited composed of either clastics with a higher silt component (facies e2) or interbedded sandstones and carbonates (facies e5). The increase in carbonate
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Figure 6Sequence stratigraphic model of the St. Peter Sandstone and the Glenwood Formation across the Michigan basin. LST = lowstand systems tract, TST = transgressive systems tract, HST = highstand systems tract. Letters and numbers refer to electrofacies described in the text.
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sedimentation is a result of the trapping of coarse clastic material farther landward by rising base level. Continued high rates of formation of accommodation space ultimately resulted in a zone of predominantly carbonate deposition (facies e6 and e8). The maximum gamma-ray values that occur within the carbonates are the result of an influx of silt-size material (Drzewiecki et al., 1994), which entered the basin as relative sea level began to fall and the material trapped landward was flushed into the basin. In this scenario, the gamma-ray maxima is therefore just above, rather than coincident with, the maximum flooding surface (MFS) (Mitchum et al., 1993). A further decrease in rate of formation of accommodation space resulted in the deposition of an HST represented by facies e7, e2, and e3. The decreased carbonate content and gamma-ray response upsection record the arrival of coarse clastics, which were once again transported into the basin. The HST is capped by another sequence boundary marked by an abrupt shift to facies e1. Variation in the rates of formation of accommodation space within the basin led to predictable lateral and vertical variations of electrofacies within sequences and stacking patterns of sequences (Figure 8). The transitional facies (e5 and e7) occur only where the rate of formation of accommodation
space was a maximum. To the north and northwest, where high rates of siliciclastic input lowered the rate of formation of accommodation space, the entire section is composed solely of facies e1. The carbonates used for correlation are absent, and the identification of sequence boundaries is problematic. Sequence boundaries were extrapolated into the northern area based on curve matching rather than electrofacies variations. To the south and southwest, similar problems occur because of the distance from a siliciclastic source. The absence of siliciclastic sediments within some sequences poses as many problems for correlation as the absence of carbonates. In addition, even in the basin center, where the maximum rate of formation of accommodation space is expected to form and preserve the sequences, many sequences are attenuated. The maximum gamma-ray response seen in the middle of sequence 11 of the Weingartz well (Figure 9 near 3436 m) marks a major change in the thickness of sequences within the interval. Above this level the sequences are both thicker and more complete than the sequences below. This marker, which is widespread throughout the basin, informally subdivides the St. Peter Sandstone into upper and lower members. The 20 sequences correlated within the basin are those present in the zone of maximum preservation
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Figure 7Model for a sequence based on electrofacies data compared to a well-preserved sequence within the JEM Weingartz well, Clare County. See Figure 2 for well location.
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of section. There are, however, significant changes that occur within wells that are not predictable. These changes include abrupt thickening or thinning of facies, the presence of additional sequences, or the absence of sequences within the section (Nadon et al., 1991). RESULTS Lithostratigraphic correlation throughout the St. PeterGlenwood interval used the quasiregional carbonate beds that contain the maximum flooding surfaces (Figures 911). Correlation along the southern margin of the depocenter, where significant thickness changes occur over relatively short distances, requires multiple overlapping datums (Figures 10, 11). The sequences thin and undergo a facies change to the south. This change is interpreted as the result of onlap of the topography forming the southern margin of the basin in the lower St. Peter interval. The maximum thinning occurs at and just above the boundary between the lower and upper St. Peter Sandstone. The chronostratigraphic implications of sequence stratigraphy were the impetus to extend the well-log interpretations beyond simple lithologic correlation (Van Wagoner et al., 1988). The extension of the 20 sequences throughout the basin allows for the construction of a series of maps that illustrate the nature of the controls on basin infill. Map views of the contact of the basal sequences with the underlying Prairie du Chien Group (Figure 12A) and the accompanying Wheeler diagram (Figure 12B) show the progressive basal onlap of the St. Peter Sandstone onto the Wisconsin arch. A similar map of the upper sequences directly below the Black River formation (Figure 13A) and Wheeler diagram (Figure 13B) document the erosional truncation of both the Glenwood Formation and St. Peter Sandstone along both the northern and southern margins of the basin. The chronostratigraphic subdivision of the section also enabled us to document the temporal and spatial variations in sediment types throughout the section. This was accomplished by partitioning the siliciclastic and carbonate sediments within individual sequences using clastic/carbonate ratio maps of each sequence (Figures 1416). These maps show (1) the variations in the extent of carbonate deposition, (2) areas where siliciclastic deposits are absent within specific sequences, and (3) areas where each sequence is absent. DISCUSSION The sediment partitioning displayed in Figures 1416 reveals significant trends in the basin. These
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Electro-Facies Associations e1 e2 e5 e6, e8, e9 e7 Clean Sst. (gamma-ray >98%) "Dirty" Sst. (gamma-ray <98% and >50%) Sst. with interbedded Carbonate (e6) Carbonate = Dolomite + Limestone + Evaporites Carbonate with Interbedded Sst. (e1 and/or e2)
Figure 8Model for the variations expected in a single sequence across the Michigan basin. Sections proximal to the siliciclastic source area preserve only sandstones (facies e1, e2, or e3). The sections toward the center of the basin preserve the entire sequence. The increasing deposition of carbonates (facies e5, e6, e8, and e9) reflects increasing distance from a clastic source. The reduction of facies in both proximal and distal sections makes sequence boundary identification difficult.
trends include (1) variations in thickness of the lower St. Peter Sandstone in the center of the basin, (2) vertical changes in thickness and facies within the St. PeterGlenwood interval, and (3) changes in siliciclastic source direction and basin geometry through time. The onlap of the lower St. Peter Sandstone (Figure 12B) is consistent with the overall transgressive nature at the base of the Tippecanoe sequence (Sloss, 1963; Barnes et al., 1992, 1996). The spatial pattern of sequences (Figure 12A) may represent the infilling of a valley system with local highlands in the south and north of the basin. The presence of incised valleys in a similar stratigraphic position on the Wisconsin arch (Mai and Dott, 1985) suggests that an incised valley fill model is a logical extrapolation, but too few data are available to evaluate fully this hypothesis. The local and regional variability in the sequences suggests several spatial and temporal scales for the tectonic control of the rates of formation of accommodation space. Howell and van der Pluijm (1999) used the similarity of basin-centered subsidence style to group the St. PeterGlenwood interval with the underlying Shakopee Formation as a single tectonic sequence. They argued there was no evidence of the major Sauk-Tippecanoe sequence boundary in the central basin and suggested this was consistent with the increased subsidence rates calculated for both units; however, the pattern of sequences of the basal St. Peter Sandstone in contact with the Shakopee Formation (Figure 12) suggests otherwise.
The regional variations in sequence thickness in Figures 9 and 11 show that there were also higher order variations in subsidence rate, at least within the St. PeterGlenwood interval, that must be taken into account when considering regional patterns of formation of accommodation space. At the local or field scale, penecontemporaneous movement on fault-cored anticlines determined the thickness and preservation potential of individual sequences within wells (Nadon et al., 1991). Although this complexity makes detailed correlations more difficult, it also presents the possibility of additional hydrocarbon traps within the basin. Structural and stratigraphic traps resulting from either erosional truncation or thinning of sequences over the crest of structures or the changes in facies due to sediment partitioning as a result of changes in rates of formation of accommodation space may be present on the flanks of the major structures. Spatial variations in the sequences at the top of the section (Figure 13B) occur in parallel tracts that are essentially orthogonal to the onlap at the base of the section. Detailed cross sections in the southeast (Figure 11) illustrate the removal of the entire Glenwood Formation and the erosion of the upper sequences within the St. Peter Sandstone. A similar geometry is developed on the northern margin of the basin (Figure 2). This pattern reflects the beveling of the strata due to uplift prior to, or in some cases possibly contemporaneous with, deposition
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Figure 9East-west well-log cross section through the central portion of the Michigan basin (see Figure 2 for location). Note the basal onlap at the base of the western end of the section. The producing intervals in the region bordering Saginaw Bay are marked on the Whyte well. The stratigraphic datum is the maximum gamma-ray response within sequence 11 that lies just above the MFS (maximum flooding surface).
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Figure 9Continued.
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Figure 10North-south well-log cross section through the southeastern portion of the study interval in the Michigan basin (see Figure 2 for location). Note the abrupt and sequential truncation of the upper three sequences to the south. This truncation reflects upwarping, probably due to faulting, of the basin margin that was contemporaneous with deposition in the central portion of the basin. The datum is the same as in Figure 9.
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Figure 11North-south well-log cross section through the southwestern portion of the St. Peter Sandstone in the Michigan basin (see Figure 2 for location). Note the marked thinning or truncation of the sequences within the Butler Highland well. The sequences within the lower St. Peter Sandstone are composed largely of carbonate sediments. Sequence 10 illustrates how abruptly the transition from terrigenous to carbonate sedimentation can occur. The datum is the same as for Figure 9.
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Figure 12(A) Map view showing the distribution and extent of the basal sequences of the St. Peter Sandstone. The general trend within the basin center is one of progressive onlap of the Wisconsin arch to the west. The abrupt changes in the north and south are inferred to represent nondeposition (or subsequent erosion) over active basement structures. Numbers refer to sequences shown on Figures 911. (B) Wheeler diagram showing the east-towest onlap of the arch by successive sequences.
Figure 13(A) Map view at the base of the Black River formation carbonates showing the sequences that form the top of the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation. The absence of the upper sequences on the northern and southern margins of the basin are interpreted to reflect truncation due to uplift (see also Figure 12). Numbers refer to sequences shown on Figures 911. (B) Wheeler diagram summary showing the sequential southward truncation of the upper sequences of the Glenwood Formation and St. Peter Sandstone.
of the carbonates of the Black River formation. The preservation of sequences in the central basin, but not the distal (southeastern) margin, eliminates base-level fall as a possible cause. The result is the formation of another series of untapped potential stratigraphic traps on the basin margins.
The clastic/carbonate maps illustrate the dynamic nature of the basin during deposition of the sequences. The western source for the St. Peter sand component, the Wisconsin arch, should have produced a monotonous blanket of siliciclastics to the west (Figure 6). Instead, substantial variation occurred in the accumulation and preservation of sandstone in the basal St. Peter Sandstone (Figure 14). The causes for these departures from the model include (1) sediment partitioning related to the filling of an incised drainage system and (2) local concentration of sandstones over anticlines within the basin (Catacosinos et al., 1991) in
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3
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Figure 14Clastic/carbonate ratio maps for sequences 38 within the lower St. Peter Sandstone. Contours are at 25% intervals from 0 to 100% siliciclastics. Within the St. Peter Sandstone the 100% siliciclastic regions are essentially sandstones. Shales are restricted to Glenwood Formation. The two lowest sequences are not presented because of such limited areal extent. Note the onlap signified by the reduction in the areas with diagonal striping where a particular sequence is absent.
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Figure 15Clastic/carbonate ratio maps for sequences 914 in the St. Peter Sandstone. Sequence 9 marks the onset of a significant and long-lasting northwestern source area for terrigenous material. The absence of sequences 9 and 12 in some wells is interpreted to be a consequence of fault movement. Note that the consistent boundary of 100% siliciclastics in the west-central portion of the basin is orthogonal to the onlap pattern of Figure 12A.
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Figure 16Clastic/carbonate ratio maps for sequences 1520 in the upper St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation. Note the infill of the basin by sandstone from sequences 1517, followed by a transgression in sequences 18 and 19. Truncation of the upper sequences along the southern margin provided a source of reworked St. Peter terrigenous material to the central basin as shown by the 100% siliciclastics contour of sequences 19 and 20.
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response to a decrease in rate of formation of accommodation space. Limestones are present in the western sections throughout sequences 36 (Figure 14). If the Wisconsin arch is a source area, the sands brought into the basin had to bypass these areas. An incised valley system may be the reason, but too few wells are available in critical areas to test that hypothesis. The ramp geometry depicted in Figure 6 was established by the time sequence 9 was deposited. The termination of terrigenous deposition coincided with the start of uplift along the northern and southern margins of the basin by the time sequence 16 was deposited (Figure 16). The final two sequences, which occur solely within the Glenwood Formation, show that the former terrigenous source area to the north was shut down, and local sources around the rising margins of the basin provided more siliciclastic input to the basin. The subsequent removal of strata from the margins of the basin by erosion is a consistent pattern throughout the history of the Michigan basin (Wang et al., 1994). Diagenetic alterations and the patterns of pressure compartmentalization were both controlled by the distribution and preservation of the high-frequency sequences. The diagenesis scenarios proposed by Drzewiecki et al. (1994) and Winter et al. (1995) illustrate the control on cements by both local and regional facies variations evident in the sediment partitioning. These facies variations were a function of both high-frequency relative sea level changes and long-term tectonic subsidence. The regional overpressures within the St. PeterGlenwood interval are probably a transient effect of glacial loading (Bahr et al., 1994). Maintenance of the pressure anomalies is due in part to lateral seals created by both small-scale structure and regional truncation patterns (Bahr et al., 1994). CONCLUSIONS The presence of carbonate rocks within the predominantly clastic Middle Ordovician cratonic section allows a high-resolution sequence stratigraphic analysis of the St. Peter Sandstone and Glenwood Formation at a much higher chronostratigraphic resolution than was previously available. The mapping of 20 sequences within the St. Peter Sandstone and overlying Glenwood Formation shows lateral and vertical facies changes that are the result of a combination of preexisting geography, syndepositional interaction of sediment supply with tectonics, and eustatic sea level change. The distribution of sandstone in the basal St. Peter was probably controlled largely by deposition in a preexisting drainage system rather than by a simple ramp geometry. The increase in thickness and completeness of sequences at the base of the upper St. Peter Sandstone reflects an
increase in rate of formation of accommodation space due to increased subsidence rates, especially in the central basin. The change in sedimentary regime during deposition of the Glenwood Formation was a response to a significant deepening within the basin (or retreat of the source area from near the basin center), which ultimately led to deposition of the carbonates of the Black River formation. Tectonic influence was manifested on several spatial and temporal scales. The local abrupt variations in sequence thickness and facies over structural highs within the basin and the truncation of the upper sequences along the margins of the basin may provide additional structural and stratigraphic traps. The basin margin was probably a significant local sediment source of the Glenwood Formation. On a larger scale, eustatic control on the rate of formation of accommodation space can be inferred for the basal onlap pattern, which corresponds to the overall rise in sea level seen in the Middle Ordovician (Sloss, 1963). The result of the interaction of the tectonic and eustatic rates within the Michigan basin is the production of low-permeability carbonates that act as vertical seals for pressure compartments. Truncation of sequences over anticlines or adjacent to basin margins provide lateral seals. REFERENCES CITED
Asquith, G. B., and C. R. Gibson, 1982, Basic well log analysis for Geologists: AAPG Methods in Exploration 3, 216 p. Bahr, J. M., G. R. Moline, and G. C. Nadon, 1994, Anomalous pressures in the deep Michigan basin, in P. Ortoleva, ed., Basin compartments and seals: AAPG Memoir 61, p. 153165. Barnes, D. A., C. E. Lundgren, and M. W. Longman, 1992, Sedimentology and diagenesis of the St. Peter Sandstone, central Michigan basin: AAPG Bulletin, v. 76, p. 15071532. Barnes, D. A., W. B. Harrison III, and T. H. Shaw, 1996, LowerMiddle Ordovician lithofacies and interregional correlation, Michigan basin, U. S. A., in B. J. Witzke, G. A. Ludvigson, and J. Day, eds., Paleozoic sequence stratigraphy: Geological Society of America Special Paper 306, p. 3554. Bricker, D. M., R. L. Milstein, C. R. Reszka, Jr., 1983, Selected studies of CambroOrdovician sediments within the Michigan basin: Michigan Geological Division Report of Investigation no. 26, 54 p. Catacosinos, P. A., 1973, Cambrian lithostratigraphy of the Michigan basin: AAPG Bulletin, v. 57, p. 24042418. Catacosinos, P. A., and P. A. Daniels, Jr., 1991, Stratigraphy of middle Proterozoic to Middle Ordovician formations of the Michigan basin: Geological Society of America Special Paper 256, p. 5372. Catacosinos, P. A., W. B. Harrison III, and P. A. Daniels, Jr., 1991, Structure, stratigraphy, and petroleum geology of the Michigan basin, in, M. W. Leighton, D. R. Kolata, D. F. Oltz, and J. J. Eidel, eds., Interior cratonic basins: AAPG Memoir 51, p. 561601. Cercone, K. R., and H. N. Pollack, 1991, Thermal maturity of the Michigan basin: Geological Society of America Special Paper 256, p. 112. Coakley, B. J., G. C. Nadon, and H. F. Wang, 1994, Spatial variations in tectonic subsidence during Tippecanoe I in the Michigan basin: Basin Research, v. 7, p. 131140. Dapples, E. C., 1955, General lithofacies relationships of St. Peter
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Sandstone and Simpson Group: AAPG Bulletin, v. 39, p. 345367. Droste, J. B., T. F. Abdulkareem, and J. B. Patton, 1982, Stratigraphy of the Ancell and Black River groups (Ordovician) in Indiana: Indiana Geological Survey Occasional Paper no. 36, 15 p. Drzewiecki, P. A., A. Simo, P. Brown, E. Castrogiovanni, G. C. Nadon, L. D. Shepherd, J. W. Valley, M. R. Vandrey, B. L. Winter, and D. Barnes, 1994, Diagenesis, diagenetic banding, and porosity evolution of the Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone and the Glenwood Formation in the Michigan basin, in, P. Ortoleva, ed., Basin compartments and seals: AAPG Memoir 61, p. 179199. Fisher, J. H., and M. W. Barratt, 1985, Exploration in Ordovician of central Michigan basin: AAPG Bulletin, v. 69, p. 20652076. Harrison, W. B., III, 1987, Michigan deep St. Peter gas play continues to expand: World Oil, v. 204, no. 4, p. 5661. Howell, P. D., and B. A. van der Pluijm, 1999, Structural sequences and styles of subsidence in the Michigan basin: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 111, p. 974991. MacEachern, J. A., I. Raychaudhur, and S. G. Pemberton, 1992, Stratigraphic application of the Glossifungites ichnofacies: delineating discontinuities in the rock record, in S. G. Pemberton, ed., Applications of ichnology to petroleum exploration: SEPM Core Workshop 17, p. 169198. Mai, H., and R. H. Dott, Jr., 1985, A subsurface study of the St. Peter Sandstone in southern and eastern Wisconsin: Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey Information Circular 47, 27 p. Mitchum, R. M., J. B. Sangree, P. R. Vail, W. W. Wornardy, 1993, Recognizing sequences and systems tracts from well logs, seismic data, and biostratigraphy: examples from the late Cenozoic of the Gulf of Mexico, in P. Weimer and H. Posamentier, eds., Siliciclastic sequence stratigraphy: AAPG Memoir 58, p. 163197. Moline, G. R., J. M. Bahr, and P. A. Drzewiecki, 1994, Permeability and porosity estimation by electrofacies determination, in P. J. Ortoleva, ed., Basin compartments and seals: AAPG Memoir 61, p. 201209. Nadon, G. C., and G. L. Smith, 1992, Extending unconformities into basin centers; an example from the Early to Middle Ordovician of the central Michigan basin, in M. Candellaria and C. Reed, eds., Paleokarst, karst-related diagenesis, and reservoir diagenesis: examples from OrdovicianDevonian age strata from west Texas and the mid-continent: Permian Basin Section, SEPM Publication 92-33, p. 153164. Nadon, G. C., A. Simo, C. W. Byers, and R. H. Dott, Jr., 1991,
Controls on deposition of the St. Peter Sandstone (midLate Ordovician), Michigan basin: AAPG Bulletin, v. 75, p. 13881389. Posamentier, H. W., and G. P. Allen, 1993a, Siliciclastic sequence stratigraphic patterns in foreland ramp-type basins: Geology, v. 21, p. 455458. Posamentier, H. W., and G. P. Allen, 1993b, Variability of the sequence stratigraphic model: effects of local basin factors: Sedimentary Geology, v. 86, p. 91109. Schutter, S. R., 1996, The Glenwood Shale as an example of a Middle Ordovician condensed section, in B. J. Witzke, G. A. Ludvigson, and J. Day, eds., Paleozoic sequence stratigraphy: Geological Society of America Special Paper 306, p. 5566. Serra, O., 1986, Fundamentals of well-log interpretation 2; the interpretation of logging data: Developments in Petroleum Science, v. 15B: Amsterdam, Elsevier, 684 p. Sloss, L. L., 1963, Sequences in the cratonic interior of North America: Geological Society of America Bulletin, v. 74, p. 93113. Sloss, L. L., 1982, The midcontinent province, United States, in A. R. Palmer, ed., Perspectives in regional geological synthesis: Geological Society of America, Decade of North American Geology, Special Publication 1, p. 2739. Vandrey, M. R., 1991, Stratigraphy, diagenesis, and geochemistry of the Middle Ordovician Glenwood Formation: M.S. thesis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 239 p. Van Wagoner, J. C., H. W. Posamentier, R. M. Mitchum, P. R. Vail, J. F. Sarg, T. S. Loutit, and J. Hardenbol, 1988, An overview of the fundamentals of sequence stratigraphy and key definitions, in C. K. Wilgus, B. S. Hastings, C. G. St. C. Kendall, H. W. Posamentier, C. A. Ross, and J. C. Van Wagoner, eds., Sea level changes: an integrated approach: SEPM Special Publication 42, p. 3945. Wang, H. F., K. D. Crowley, and G. C. Nadon, 1994, Thermal history of the Michigan basin from fission track ages and vitrinite reflectances, in P. Ortoleva, ed., Basin compartments and seals: AAPG Memoir 61, p. 167177. Willman, H. B., E. Atherton, T. C. Buschbach, C. Collinson, J. C. Frye, M. E. Hopkins, J. A. Lineback, and J. A. Simon, 1975, Handbook of Illinois stratigraphy: Illinois State Geological Survey Bulletin, v. 95, 261 p. Winter, B. L., J. W. Valley, J. A. Simo, G. C. Nadon, and C. M. Johnson, 1995, Hydraulic seals and their origin: evidence from the stable isotope geochemistry of dolomites in the Middle Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone, Michigan basin: AAPG Bulletin, v. 79, p. 3048.
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