Geochemistry and Chemistry of Oil Shales - ACS Publications

8

D e v o n i a n Oil S h a l e s i n the E a s t e r n U n i t e d States Distribution and Regional Correlation R. DAVID MATTHEWS and HARLAN FELDKIRCHNER

Downloaded by CORNELL UNIV on July 19, 2016 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: August 1, 1983 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1983-0230.ch008

Institute of Gas Technology,IITCenter, Chicago, IL 60616

Resource studies of oil shale deposits require geologic prediction which is based on the correlation of rock units from surface exposures into the subsurface. Although most of the nation's eastern o i l shales are essentially flat-lying and average 30 to 60 feet thick along nearly 1000 miles of outcrop, the shales are widespread. The usefulness of characterization studies in each of the three geologic basins (Michigan, Illinois, and Appalachian) has been hampered by problems of regional correlation. The Institute of Gas Technology has sampled some 150 locations, and the integration of these studies with published data has resulted in new geochemical and geological patterns clarifying some regional correlations. New stratigraphic interpretations are presented as evidence of source-area changes for organic matter and elastics brought into the various basins. Resource Studies The Devonian-Mississippian black shales of the eastern United States contain varying amounts of organic carbon that can range up to nearly 25 percent by weight or as much as 40 percent by volume O ) , and when they are retorted they will yield shale o i l . The Fischer assay yield is typically less than 10 gallons of o i l per ton of rock. Such a yield by conventional retorting methods has been low enough when compared to western o i l shales to have limited interest in eastern shale until new retorting technology enabled the eastern shales to assume a competitive position. Eastern oil shales having levels of organic carbon similar to those of western shales react comparably when a hydrogen retorting method is used (Table I). The eastern shales occur over a wide expanse from New York to Oklahoma and from Iowa to Alabama (2), yet as rocks that must be 0097-6156/ 83/0230-0139S06.00/0 © 1983 American Chemical Society Miknis and McKay; Geochemistry and Chemistry of Oil Shales ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1983.


GEOCHEMISTRY AND CHEMISTRY OF OIL SHALES

Table I . U.S. O i l Shales Eastern

Western

Ultimate A n a l y s i s , ( d r y b a s i s ) wt % Organic Carbon

13.7

13.6

Hydrogen

1.6

2.1

Sulfur

4.7

0.5

Carbon Dioxide

0.5

15.9

78.3

66.8

4.6

11.4

10.3

29.8

Ash F i s c h e r Assay A n a l y s i s O i l Y i e l d , wt % Assay, g a l / t o n HYTORT Y i e l d s O i l Y i e l d , wt % Assay, g a l / t o n

9.1 23.2

Miknis and McKay; Geochemistry and Chemistry of Oil Shales ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1983.

8.

MATTHEWS AND FELDKIRCHNER

Devonian Oil Shales

141


surface mined to be r e t o r t e d , the shales of g r e a t e s t p o t e n t i a l are those at or near the s u r f a c e . A study of the D e v o n i a n - M i s s i s s i p p i a n shales by the I n s t i t u t e of Gas Technology (IGT) to t e s t them as feedstocks f o r the HYTORT * process (3) i n c l u d e d an i n t e n s i v e samp l i n g of the s h a l e s . IGT has sampled 180 l o c a t i o n s from 15 e a s t ern and western s t a t e s and has analyzed more than 635 shale samples. Included i n these were large-tonnage samples (10 to 50 tons) of shale from seven e a s t e r n shales and from four western geologic basins: Green R i v e r , Washakie, U i n t a , and Piceance Creek. These provided the q u a n t i t y necessary f o r a process d e v e l opment u n i t (PDU) having a 1 ton/h shale c a p a c i t y which has been o p e r a t i n g i n Chicago s i n c e 1976 (4_). Four c r i t e r i a f o r resource assessment were imposed by IGT (5) i n c a l c u l a t i n g resource e s t i mates: •

Organic carbon at l e a s t 10 percent by weight

•

Shale at l e a s t 10 f e e t t h i c k

•

S t r i p p i n g r a t i o l e s s than 2.5 to 1, and

•

Maximum overburden t h i c k n e s s l e s s than 200 f e e t

The most important eastern o i l shale areas are i n Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, and Ohio, where n e a r l y f l a t - l y i n g beds, averaging 30 to 40 f e e t t h i c k , are exposed at the surface i n an outcrop b e l t nearly a thousand miles l o n g . The r e s u l t s of the samp l i n g and t e s t i n g program suggest a resource base i n excess of 420 b i l l i o n b a r r e l s of shale o i l (Table I I ) from shale near the s u r face. Figure 1 shows the area i n square m i l e s considered access i b l e i n each of the s e v e r a l s t a t e s s t u d i e d , i n c l u d i n g t h i c k n e s s and r i c h n e s s data. The shales have been s t u d i e d by many people f o r s e v e r a l r e a sons. They are the source of n a t u r a l gas, a resource that has seen the development of over 9000 gas w e l l s and i s the s u b j e c t of a c t i v e research i n t e r e s t ( 6 ) . The shales are p o t e n t i a l ores f o r uranium, some as high as 0.033 percent of that metal (7_), and they are r e l a t i v e l y high i n other metals: l e a d , copper, and z i n c ( 8 ) . They are l i k e l y source rocks f o r conventional crude o i l and natur a l gas where they have been buried deeply enough to have mat u r e d . The v a r i e t y and widespread nature of the black shales has l e d (9) to a complex l o c a l nomenclature (Figure 2 ) . The u n i t s named i n the g e o l o g i c a l l i t e r a t u r e have been i d e n t i f i e d and used by s t r a t i g r a p h e r s because they are mappable, v i s i b l y r e c o g n i z a b l e i n outcrops or from d r i l l - h o l e data, and not because of any u n i form geochemical c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s that r e l a t e to ore grade or "richness." The s t r a t i g r a p h i e framework, based on c o l o r and



142


Table I I . Estimated Resources of Shale O i l Recoverable by the HYTORT Process i n the Appal a c h i a n , I l l i n o i s and Michigan B a s i n Areas

T o t a l Area S u i t a b l e f o r Surface Mining, sq mi

State

Resources Recoverable by Aboveground H y d r o r e t o r t i n g bbl/acre b i l l i o n bbl

980

140

222,000

Kentucky

2650

190

112,000

Tennessee

1540

44

44,000

Indiana

600

40

104,000

Michigan

160

5

49,000

Alabama

300

4

21,000

6230

423

Ohio

Total

(Reproduced w i t h p e r m i s s i o n from Ref. 5 . Copyright 1 9 8 0 , I n s t i t u t e o f Gas Technology.)



Figure 1. Map showing outcrop areas and resource datafor the Devonian-Mississippian oil shales of the eastern United States. (Outcrop is shown by narrow line.) (Reproduced with permission from Ref 9. Copyright 1981, Institute of Gas Technology.)



Figure 2. Fence diagram showing black shale nomenclature and thickness in feet. (Reproduced with permission from Ref. 9. Copyright 1981, Institute of Gas Technology.)

MICH.



8.


Devonian Oil Shales

145

n a t u r a l r a d i a t i o n l e v e l , that was a v a i l a b l e when eastern shales became of recent i n t e r e s t proved inadequate to the understanding and p r e d i c t i o n of r e t o r t i n g behavior and resource grade. The v e r t i c a l and l a t e r a l v a r i a t i o n s w i t h i n the rocks ( 10) were found to be great enough to r e q u i r e more d e t a i l e d t e s t i n g and c o r r e l a t i o n of shales from s t a t e to s t a t e as w e l l as from b a s i n to b a s i n . The d e p o s i t i o n a l h i s t o r y of Devonian black shales i n the Appal a c h i a n , I l l i n o i s , and Michigan Basins i s s t i l l a subject of academic argument; i t i s complicated by the f a c t that organic matter i n marine sediments can be preserved i n a number of d e p o s i t i o n a l environments which share a common and necessary requirement of l i t t l e or no oxygen ( 1 1 ) . One problem i n developing a r e g i o n a l shale s t r a t i g r a p h y has been the l a c k of f o s s i l s i n the shale that can serve as time markers. A notable exception ( F i g u r e 3) i s the f o s s i l a l g a F o e r s t i a , widely s c a t t e r e d across the Appalachian Basin but only found i n a very narrow v e r t i c a l range. F o e r s t i a l i v e d f o r a b r i e f span of g e o l o g i c a l time and thus serves as a "time l i n e " wherever found. As astronomical observations can be used to give p r e c i s i o n and c o r r e l a t i o n to ancient h i s t o r y , so a f o s s i l l i k e F o e r s t i a provides an accurate c o r r e l a t i o n of g e o l o g i c events. The recent discovery by K e p f e r l e (12) of the f o s s i l a l g a i n the I l l i n o i s Basin has c l a r i f i e d the age r e l a t i o n s h i p of rocks between that b a s i n and the Appalachian B a s i n . Kepperle's work has been confirmed and extended i n t o southern Indiana by Hasenmueller et a l . ( 1 3 ) . Recognition of F o e r s t i a i n the Michigan Basin by Matthews ( 14) has aided the c o r r e l a t i o n of d e p o s i t i o n a l events i n that b a s i n w i t h those i n the Appalachian B a s i n . Stratigraphie Interpretations The Devonian rocks do not present as complete a record as many of the o l d e r , more deeply buried r o c k s , because there has been a l o s s by e r o s i o n of unknown thicknesses of Devonian rocks over the p o s i t i v e areas that separate the g e o l o g i c b a s i n s . These p o s i t i v e areas, or arches, developed and were a c t i v e at v a r i o u s times during the g e o l o g i c past (Figure 4 ) . The Algonquin Arch i n southwestern Ontario e x i s t e d as an e a r l y Upper Cambrian and Lower Ordov i c i a n f e a t u r e ( 1 5 ) , but was not s u f f i c i e n t l y a c t i v e during the Late Devonian P e r i o d to prevent a continuous d e p o s i t i o n of the A n t r i m / K e t t l e Point/Ohio Shales across O n t a r i o . The F i n d l a y Arch now s e p a r a t i n g northern Ohio from southeastern Michigan d i d not come i n t o e x i s t e n c e u n t i l a f t e r Devonian time ( 16) and thus presented no impediment to a complete d e p o s i t i o n of black shales from Michigan through northwestern Ohio. These assumed rocks were l o s t by e r o s i o n as the arch l i f t e d f o l l o w i n g the Pennsylvanian P e r i o d . L i k e w i s e , the Kankakee Arch now s e p a r a t i n g the modern Michigan and I l l i n o i s Basins i n northwestern Indiana d i d not develop u n t i l a f ter the Pennsylvanian and could not have been an o b s t a c l e to continuous black shale d e p o s i t i o n of Antrim/New Albany m a t e r i a l from



146


Figure 3. Photomicrograph o/Foerstiafrom the Huron member of the Ohio shale near Vanceburg, Kentucky. (Millimeter scale in figure.) (Reproduced with permission from Ref. 14. Copyright 1982, institute of Gas Technology.)

Figure 4. Major structural features mentioned in the text.



8.


Devonian Oil Shales

147

Michigan t o I l l i n o i s ; however, these shales no longer e x i s t * The e f f e c t of an o l d e r W i s c o n s i n - I l l i n o i s Arch on the d e p o s i t i o n and s u r v i v a l of the Late Devonian shales can be seen i n the composited Devonian shale thickness map (Figure 5 ) . I n east c e n t r a l I l l i n o i s , the shale t h i n s t o l e s s than 100 f e e t over the arch, and the map t r a c e of the outcrop i s d i s p l a c e d t o the south. The i n f e r e n c e that continuous and r e l a t e d d e p o s i t i o n of shales did occur can be supported by the evidence of s u r v i v i n g l i t h o f a c i e s patterns and u n i t t h i c k n e s s e s . I t i s axiomatic that space must be a v a i l a b l e i f sediments are t o accumulate; thus, the preserved thickness of a sedimentary u n i t i s one measure of c r u s t a l subsidence. Downwarped "negative" areas w i l l r e c e i v e measurable thicknesses of sedimentary rock; however, when there i s e r o s i o n of rock caused by subsequent c r u s t a l u p - l i f t i n " p o s i t i v e " areas, the volume and thickness of rock l o s t cannot be determined e a s i l y . Where rocks are eroded, a gap i n time occurs; that i s t o say, a part of the rock record i s m i s s i n g . Richter-Bernberg (17) holds as a general p r i n c i p l e that no sediments remain t o represent by f a r the g r e a t e s t part of g e o l o g i c time; t h i s would seem t o be the case w i t h the Devonian shales of c e n t r a l Kentucky and Tennessee that were deposited (and a r e preserved) over the p o s i t i v e areas southward along the C i n c i n n a t i Arch, because they are very t h i n (only a few tens of f e e t t h i c k ) or they may be absent. These few feet of shale r e s t i n g on S i l u r i a n o r o l d e r rock and o v e r l a i n by M i s s i s s i p p i a n sediments are a l l that e x i s t s i n that area t o r e p r e sent some 50 m i l l i o n years of the Devonian; however, i n the Appal a c h i a n B a s i n , more than 11,000 f e e t of Devonian sediments are preserved. The thickness of Devonian shale (18) i n northwestern Michigan (Figure 5) e s t a b l i s h e s a depocenter some d i s t a n c e northwest of the center of the modern s t r u c t u r a l Michigan B a s i n . A s i m i l a r area i n west c e n t r a l I l l i n o i s r e c e i v e d an unknown volume of Devonian s e d i ments and has been c a l l e d the Western Depocenter by I l l i n o i s s t r a t i g r a p h e r s ( 1 9 ) . These two depocenters may have been r e l a t e d and j o i n e d as one across the l i n e of the o l d e r W i s c o n s i n - I l l i n o i s Arch. The E l l s w o r t h shale e q u i v a l e n t s i n I l l i n o i s are not preserved i n t h e i r o r i g i n a l t h i c k n e s s because they were eroded by u p l i f t before being covered by the B u r l i n g t o n Limestone of M i s s i s s i p p i a n age (19). These shales t h i c k e n from about 100 f e e t t o 160 feet i n about 15 miles (4 feet/mi l e ) as one approaches the depocenter from the southeast, but the i n c r e a s e i n t h i c k n e s s beyond 160 f e e t , whatever that may have been, was removed by e r o s i o n a l t r u n c a t i o n . The E l l s w o r t h of Michigan reached a t h i c k n e s s of about 800 f e e t (20) and probably was not eroded. A s t r i k i n g f e a t u r e of the upper Antrim shale i n Michigan i s the abrupt change i n rock type from b l a c k , o r g a n i c - r i c h shales i n the east t o greenish-gray, organic-poor shales i n the west. The d i f f e r e n t shales were deposited contemporaneously and e x i s t i n a f a c i e s r e l a t i o n s h i p t o each other. The zone of l i t h o f a c i e s change has been mapped by F i s h e r ( 2 0 ) , and a s i m i l a r f a c i e s change i n

American Chemical Society Library 1155 16th SU N.W. Washington, U.C. 20036




148

Figure 5. Isopach map of total Devonian shale composited from numerous literature sources. (Reproduced with permission from Ref 14. Copyright 1982, Institute of Gas Technology.)



8. MATTHEWS AND FELDKIRCHNER

Devonian Oil Shales

149

Indiana has been described by Lineback (21) and mapped by Hasenmueller ( 2 2 ) . These two maps have been combined ( F i g u r e 6) i n t o a r e g i o n a l composite as evidence of a northwestern source f o r s e d i ment and s i m i l a r , concurrent environments of d e p o s i t i o n throughout a wide area of western Michigan and northern I l l i n o i s . A common f e a t u r e of the E l l s w o r t h / A n t r i m i n Michigan and the Ellsworth/upper New Albany i n the I l l i n o i s Basin i s a s i m i l a r o v e r a l l geometry. The c o n f i g u r a t i o n i n cross s e c t i o n can be i l l u s t r a t e d by a schematic drawing ( F i g u r e 7) d e p i c t i n g two episodes of d e p o s i t i o n . The f i r s t , c a l l e d the "lower black" shale here, i s widespread, c a r r i e s a c o n s i s t e n t i n t e r n a l gamma ray s i g n a t u r e , and i s r e l a t i v e l y uniform i n t h i c k n e s s . The second, composed of two f a c i e s , i s more l o c a l and i s most apparent as a wedge of sediment having a black, o r g a n i c - r i c h f a c i e s (B) forming the t h i n p o r t i o n of the wedge and a green-gray, organic-poor shale (C) comprising the t h i c k part of the wedge. The black shale (B) i s c a l l e d here the "upper black" s h a l e , and the gray shale (C) i s c a l l e d here the "green-gray" f a c i e s . A p p l i e d to the Michigan B a s i n i n east-west cross s e c t i o n , the "lower black" shale (A) represents the Antrim Shale of western Michigan and that part of the e a s t e r n Antrim Shale i d e n t i f i e d by Subunits 1A, IB, 1C and 2. The "green-gray" f a c i e s (C) i s the E l l s w o r t h Shale, and the "upper black" (B) i s represented by a l l Antrim Shale above U n i t 2 and below the base of the Bedford Shale. The u n i f o r m i t y of the lower beds of the Antrim Shale has been noted by s e v e r a l others (20, 23), and a westward source f o r the E l l s w o r t h has been p o s t u l a t e d by s e v e r a l (20, 23-25). Nevert h e l e s s , the westward source seems more a p p l i c a b l e to those beds above the western Antrim Shale, i . e . , above the beds termed "lower black" i n t h i s paper. The schematic black shale sequence a l s o can be a p p l i e d t o the upper New Albany Shale of the I l l i n o i s B a s i n , where a f a c i e s r e l a t i o n s h i p of the green-gray Hannibal/Saverton Shales w i t h the Grassy Creek has been described by Lineback (26): "The upper part of the Grassy Creek and i t s Indiana e q u i v a l e n t s (the combined Morgan T r a i l , Camp Run, and Clegg Creek Members) grades l a t e r a l l y northwestward i n t o a t h i c k e n i n g wedge of greenish-gray shales and s i l t s t o n e , the Saverton and Hannibal shales i n I l l i n o i s , the E l l s worth Member i n Indiana." Thus the Hannibal/Saverton (C) and the upper p a r t of the Grassy Creek (B) form the upper wedge i n the sequence. The "upper b l a c k " (B) can be p o s t u l a t e d to be that part of the Clegg Creek Member of the New Albany i n Indiana above the newly discovered F o e r s t i a zone (13). I f the l i t h o l o g i e and gamma ray c o r r e l a t i o n s developed by the I l l i n o i s G e o l o g i c a l Survey s t r a t i g r a p h e r s e s t a b l i s h time boundaries (19), the F o e r s t i a zone would appear t o cut the Grassy Creek of I l l i n o i s i n t o "upper black" (B) and "lower black" ( A ) .




150

Figure 6. Regional map of the Ellsworth shale zero line, green-gray Ellsworth-type shales to the west and black Antrim-type shales to the east. (Reproduced with permission from Ref. 14. Copyright 1982, Institute of Gas Technology.)




Devonian Oil Shales

ΔΘ2ΙΟΙ823 IGT, 1982

Figure 7. Hypothetical black shale sequence. (Reproduced with permission from 14. Copyright 1982, Institute of Gas Technology.)



152


I f F o e r s t i a extends i n t o northwestern I l l i n o i s , i t should be found j u s t below the base of the Saver ton i n the top of the western Grassy Creek. The sediment source f o r t h i s great wedge of Hannib a l /Saverton and upper Grassy Creek above F o e r s t i a would have been northwest, but the sediments below the presumed p o s i t i o n of Foerst i a i n the I l l i n o i s Basin are not n e c e s s a r i l y from that same source. K e p f e r l e ' s (13) documentation of F o e r s t i a on the eastern edge of the I l l i n o i s Basin has e s t a b l i s h e d that the great bulk of black shale i n the I l l i n o i s Basin predates much of the black shale i n eastern Kentucky and Ohio (27) and i n v a l i d a t e s s e v e r a l r e c e n t l y published c o r r e l a t i o n s . The h y p o t h e t i c a l black shale sequence i s a l s o a p p l i c a b l e to various parts of the Sunbury Shale ( M i s s i s s i p p i a n ) i n Michigan and Ohio. In eastern Michigan the Sunbury Shale i n c r e a s e s from a t y p i c a l thickness of 20 to 40 f e e t across most of the basin to over 140 f e e t i n S a n i l a c County, where both cores and gamma ray logs document a l o c a l i n c r e a s e i n thickness ( 1 9 ) . The "normal" Michigan Sunbury Shale represents the "lower black" (A); part of the unusual added thickness i n the east becomes the "upper black" (B) w i t h some part of the lower Coldwater Shale assumed to be a f a c i e s equivalent and r e p r e s e n t i n g the "green-gray" f a c i e s (C) of the upper wedge. The question whether such a f a c i e s r e l a t i o n s h i p e x i s t s between a part of the Sunbury and the Coldwater Shale has not been answered, and to date no evidence can be advanced to support a d i v i s i o n w i t h i n the lower Coldwater Shale of c e n t r a l Michigan. Unfortunately the Coldwater Shale, over 800 f e e t t h i c k , i s a u n i t of no economic i n t e r e s t and has drawn l i t t l e i n v e s t i g a tion. A s i m i l a r geometry e x i s t s i n the Sunbury Shale of Ohio and can be i l l u s t r a t e d on a s e c t i o n from the 1954 p u b l i c a t i o n (28) by Pepper et a l . ( F i g u r e 8 ) . An abrupt i n c r e a s e i n t h i c k n e s s of dark s h a l e s , logged as Sunbury by d r i l l e r s , l i e s over a "normal" Sunbury Shale spread over most of Ohio. This widespread "normal" u n i t represents the "lower black" ( A ) , the added l o c a l t h i c k n e s s of dark shale becomes the "upper black" ( B ) , and the organic-poor f a c i e s (C) i s represented by a part of the O r a n g e v i l l e Shale at the base of the Cuyahoga Group. The demonstration of a f a c i e s r e l a t i o n s h i p and a d i v i s i o n w i t h i n the lower Cuyahoga i s not a v a i l a b l e at t h i s time; thus, as i n Michigan, a two-part Sunbury Shale based on shape must be considered as conjecture. That two g e n e t i c types of Sunbury Shale e x i s t i n the Appalachian Basin has been recognized by Van Beuren (29), who attempted to e x p l a i n the geometric r e l a t i o n s h i p s between black shales and l a t e r a l l y adjacent gray/green shales and s i l t s t o n e s by means of a c y c l e of t r a n g r e s s i o n and r e g r e s s i o n . His t r a n s g r e s s i v e u n i t i s " c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a l l y t h i n and widespread," and h i s r e g r e s s i v e black shale i s t h i c k e r , more l a t e r a l l y r e s t r i c t e d and r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of the d i s t a l f a c i e s of l a t e r a l l y adjacent non-black e l a s t i c s . Related to the h y p o t h e t i c a l black shale sequence (Figure 8 ) , Van Beuren's t r a n s g r e s s i v e u n i t i s the "lower black" ( A ) , the r e g r e s -



Figure 8. Generalized cross-section from southern Kentucky to northern Ohio showing the abnormal thickness of Sunbury shale as recorded by drillers—after Pepper (25).



154


s i v e Sunbury u n i t i s the "upper b l a c k " ( B ) , and the e l a s t i c s represent the "green-gray" f a c i e s ( C ) . The shape of the wedge composed of "upper b l a c k " (B) and i t s "green-gray" f a c i e s (C) i n d i c a t e s that e l a s t i c s came from the d i r e c t i o n of the t h i c k end and that the "upper b l a c k " was a deeper water deposit formed a greater d i s t a n c e from the source. The shales of the upper wedges are r e l a t i v e l y l o c a l as compared w i t h the "lower b l a c k " (A) u n i t s , which are r e g i o n a l ; the Lower A n t r i m / K e t t l e Point/Ohio ( i n p a r t ) i s continuous and i s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e of the black shales to be deposited over the arches between the three b a s i n s . The source of the lower u n i t i s not as apparent as that of the upper wedges (B/C). I f the "lower black" (A) i s c y c l i c , as Van Beuren advocated f o r the lower Sunbury Shale, i t should have a source s i m i l a r i n d i r e c t i o n to the o v e r l y i n g wedge. A westward or northwestward source f o r the Ellsworth/upper Antrim, Hannibal-Saverton/upper Grassy Creek, and lower Coldwater/ upper Sunbury i s a p p r o p r i a t e f o r the o v e r a l l geometry of those "upper s h a l e " bodies. I t i s c l e a r that i n the Appalachian B a s i n great volumes of c l a s t i c m a t e r i a l came from the east and that some of the black shales i n that b a s i n are true d i s t a l f a c i e s of great i n f l u x e s of c l a s t i c m a t e r i a l from the e a s t . N e v e r t h e l e s s , because the authors b e l i e v e that the h y p o t h e t i c a l black shale sequence a l s o a p p l i e s east of the C i n c i n n a t i / A l g o n q u i n Arches ( i n m i r r o r image), some of the black shales i n the b a s i n may prove to be more r e g i o n a l i n nature and of the "lower s h a l e " (A) type. The pulses of increased c l a s t i c i n f l u x r e f l e c t t e c t o n i c a c t i v i t y , as has been suggested by Ettensohn and Barron (30, 31), but w i t h the a d d i t i o n of a northwestern landmass to provide m a t e r i a l west of the g e n e r a l l i n e of the Algonquin and C i n c i n n a t i Arches. These pulses are represented by the upper wedges (B/C). Between p u l s e s , there was widespread d e p o s i t i o n of the "lower b l a c k " (A) type of shales which, f o r the lower Antrim and lower Sunbury equiva l e n t s , were l i t t l e i n f l u e n c e d by arches. The southwestern source suggested by Ettensohn and Barron f o r the Appalachian Basin (30) seems very p l a u s i b l e f o r the "lower b l a c k " shales (A) of the I l l i n o i s and Michigan Basins as w e l l . The 50 m i l l i o n years of the Devonian P e r i o d provided s u f f i c i e n t time f o r over 11,000 f e e t of sedimentary rocks to accumulate i n the Appalachian B a s i n ; t h i s accumulation was c o n t r o l l e d by pulses of t e c t o n i c u p l i f t to the e a s t . A s i m i l a r c o n t r o l of a northwestern source area by i n t e r m i t t e n t t e c t o n i c movement i s suggested as a source f o r the upper wedges (B/C) i n the Michigan and I l l i n o i s B a s i n s . The lower black shales (A) of r e g i o n a l type represent quiescent periods of slow d e p o s i t i o n f o l l o w e d by r e l a t i v e l y more r a p i d sedimentation o c c u r r i n g i n response to u p l i f t and e r o s i o n of source areas and to d e p o s i t i o n a l r e s t r i c t i o n s caused by r i s i n g arches. The t o t a l t h i c k n e s s of Devonian shales i n e i t h e r the Michigan or I l l i n o i s Basin i s l e s s than 1000 f e e t , so that the sediment volume i n v o l v e d i n these two basins i s f a r l e s s than i n the Appalachian B a s i n . Thus there was ample time f o r


8. MATTHEWS AND FELDKIRCHNER

Devonian Oil Shales

155

tectonic control of depositional patterns within the DevonianMississippian shales of the eastern United States.


Acknowledgments The acquisition of the large shale samples described here was funded most recently by the U.S. Department of Energy; earlier it was funded by the American Gas Association and later by the Gas Research Institute. The authors wish to express their apprecia tion to these organizations for permission to publish this pa per. We also wish to thank personnel of the various state and federal agencies who assisted us in obtaining oil shale samples for testing and provided a considerable amount of geological information. Trademark Notice: IGT provides HYTORT research and development, engineering, and technical services related to hydroretorting of o i l shale. Literature Cited 1.

2. 3.

4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

10.

Leininger, R. Κ., "Inorganic Geochemistry," in Hasenmueller, N. R. and Woodard, G. S., Eds., "Studies of the New Albany Shale (Devonian and Mississippian) and Equivalent Strata in Indiana," 53-61, prepared for U.S. Dept. Energy by State of Indiana Dept. Nat. Resources Geol. Survey, Bloomington, September, 1981. Provo, L. J., Kepferle, R. C. and Potter, P. E . , Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull. 62, 1703-13 (1978). Matthews, R. D., Janka, J . C. and Dennison, J . Μ., "Devonian Shale — A Major American Energy Resource, " presented at Amer. Assoc. Pet. Geol. — Eastern Section Meeting, Evansville, Ind., October 2, 1980. (IGT preprints available.) Feldkirchner, H. L. and Janka, J . C., "The HYTORT Process," in Symposium Papers: Synthetic Fuels from Oil Shale, 489524, Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, April, 1980. Janka, J . C. and Dennison, J . M., "Devonian Oil Shale," in Symposium Papers: Synthetic Fuels from Oil Shale, 21-116, In stitute of Gas Technology, Chicago, April, 1980. Potter, P. E . , Maynard, J . B. and Pryor, W. Α., Oil Gas J., 290-318 (1982) January 25. Conant, L. C. and Swanson, V. E., U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 357 (1961). Silverman, M. E. and Spiewak, I., Sep. Sci. Technol. 16 (9), (1981). Matthews, R. D., Janka, J . C. and Dennison, J . Μ., "New In sights Into the Devonian Oil Shale Resource of the Eastern United States," presented at Amer. Assn. Pet. Geol. Nat. Conv., San Francisco, June 2, 1981. (IGT preprints available.) Leventhal, J. S. and Shaw, V.E.J., Sediment. Petrol., 77-81 (1980).


156 11. 12.

13.


14. 15.

16. 17. 18. 19.

20. 21.

22.

23. 24.

GEOCHEMISTRY AND CHEMISTRY OF OIL SHALES Tourtelot, Η. Α., Clays Clay Miner. 27 (5), 313-21 (1979). Kepferle, R. C., "Correlation of Devonian Shale Between the Appalachian and Illinois Basins Facilitated by Foerstia (Protosalvinia)," in Roberts, T. G., Ed., Geol. Soc. Amer. Cincinnati '81 Field Trip Guidebooks, Vol. II: Economic Geology Structure Field Trip No. 3, 334-35, Amer. Geol. Inst., Falls Church, Va., 1981. Hasenmueller, N. R., "Resource Assessment of the New Albany Shale (Devonian and Mississippian) in Southeastern Indiana — Preliminary Report," in Proceedings, 1981 Eastern Oil Shale Symposium, 173-80, Univ. of Kentucky, Institute for Mining and Minerals Research, Lexington, 1981. Matthews, R. D., "The Discovery of Foerstia in the Antrim Shale of Michigan," presented at an IGT Seminar, Chicago, December 15, 1982. (IGT preprints available.) Sanford, Β. V. and Quillian, R. G., "Subsurface Stratigraphy of Upper Cambrian Rocks in Southwestern Ontario," Paper Geol. Surv. Canada, Canada Dept. of Mines and Techn. Surv., Ottawa, 1959. Levorsen, A. I . , Paleogeologic Maps, 174, W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, 1960. Richter-Bernberg, in Brochert, H. and Muir, R. O., Salt Deposits, p. 41, D. Van Nostrand, London, 1964. Sanford, Β. V., "Devonian of Ontario and Michigan," in Os wald, D. H., Ed., Int. Symp. Devonian System Proc., Vol. 1, 973-99, Alberta Soc. Pet. Geol., Calgary, 1967. Bergstrom, R. E., Shimp, N. F. and Cluff, R. Μ., "Geologic and Geochemical Studies of the New Albany Shale Group (DevonianMississippian) in Illinois," Final Report for U.S. Dept. Energy, Ill. State Geol. Surv., Urbana, 1980. Fisher, James Η., "Stratigraphy of the Upper Devonian-Lower Mississippian of Michigan," U.S. DOE Report No. FE-2346-80, 1980. Lineback, J . Α., "Coordinated Study of the Devonian Black Shale in the Illinois Basin: Illinois, Indiana, and Western Kentucky," Final Report for U.S. Dept. Energy, Ill. State Geol. Survey, Urbana, 1981. Hasenmueller, N. R. and Bassett, J . L . , "Stratigraphy," in Hasenmueller, N. R. and Woodard, G. S., Eds., "Studies of the New Albany Shale (Devonian and Mississippian) and Equivalent Strata in Indiana," 5-32, prepared for U.S. Dept. Energy by State of Indiana Dept. Nat. Resources Geol. Survey, Bloomington, September, 1981. Ells, G. D., "Stratigraphie Cross Sections Extending From Devonian Antrim Shale to Mississippian Sunbury Shale in the Michigan Basin," U.S. DOE Report No. FE-2346-30, 1978. Cohee, G. V . , Macha, C. and Hold, M., "Thickness and Lithology of Upper Devonian and Carboniferous Rocks in Michigan," U.S. Geol. Survey Oil and Gas Inv. Ser., Chart OC-41, 1951.


8. matthews and feldkirchner 25. 26. 27. 28. 29.


30.

31.

Devonian Oil Shales

157

Cross, A. and Bordner, Μ. Α., "Palynology and Environmental Interpretations of the Antrim Shale in Central Michigan," U.S. DOE Report No. FE-2346-81, September, 1980. Lineback, J . Α., op. c i t . , p. 11. de Witt, W., Jr., letter of August 27, 1982. Pepper, J . F . , de Witt, W., Jr. and Demarest, D. F . , U.S. Geol. Surv. Prof. Pap. 259 (1954). Van Beuren, V. V., "The Sunbury Shale of the Central Appala chian Basin — A Depositional Model for Black Basinal Shales" (Abstract Only), in Prior, W., et al., Eds., Energy Resources of Devonian-Mississippian Shales of Eastern Kentucky, Annual Field Conference April 9-11, 1981, Kentucky Geological Survey, Lexington, 1981. Ettensohn, F. R. and Barron, L. S., "Depositional Model for the Devonian-Mississippian Black Shale Sequence of North America: A Tectonic-Climatic Approach," in Blackburn, W. Η., Compiler, "Black Shale Studies in Kentucky," Final Report, Univ. of Kentucky Research Group (Department of Geology and Kentucky Geological Survey), Lexington, 1980. Ettensohn, F. R. and Barron, L. S., "Depositional Model for the Devonian-Mississippian Black Shales of North America: A Paleoclimatic-Paleogeologic Approach," in Roberts, T. G., Ed., Geol. Soc. Amer. Cincinnati '81 Field Trip Guidebooks, Vol. II: Economic Geology Structure Field Trip No. 3, 34461, Amer. Geol. Inst., Falls Church, Va., 1981.

Received May 16, 1983


Geochemistry and Chemistry of Oil Shales - ACS Publications

Recommend Documents