ABSTRACT: Regional Extent
and Hydrocarbon Potential of the Tuscaloosa Marine
Shale
JOHN, CHACKO J., BOBBY L. JONES, BRIAN J. HARDER, and JAMES E. MONCRIEF*
The Gulf Coast region
of the United States is considered a mature producing province. In order
to maintain and/or increase future hydrocarbon production, future trends
must include the research and evaluation of untested ideas about non-conventional
hydrocarbon occurrences. Many studies have been conducted on hydrocarbon
production associated with shale formations e.g. the Bakken shale, Williston
Basin; Antrim shale, Michigan basin; etc. However, no published information
is available relative to the lithological characteristics or existence
of hydrocarbons in the Tuscaloosa Marine
Shale.
The marine
shale section lies
between sands of the upper and lower Tuscaloosa sections and varies in
thickness from 500 ft in southwestern Mississippi to more than 800 ft in
the southern part of the Florida Parishes, southeastern Louisiana. The
primary zone of interest, a high log resistivity (10+/- ohms) zone at the
base of the above referenced shale section, varies in thickness from 100
ft to 180+ ft over the area and is found at the shallowest depth of approximately
11,500 ft. Two wells have produced from the
marine
shale in southeastern
Louisiana with one having produced over 20,000 barrels of oil in the last
eighteen years. Since the wells do not appear to be on a structural high,
fracturing is thought to be the cause of porosity and permeability. Preliminary
evaluations indicate that the Tuscaloosa
Marine
Shale may be a sizeable
hydrocarbon resource. Horizontal drilling, if feasible, could maximize
production and minimize environmental impacts.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90941©1997 GCAGS 47th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana