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Reservoir
Geometry of the Regressive Fox Hills Sandstone:
Control on Aquifer Quality
In the Sandstone was deposited during the early phase of the Laramide orogeny as the
Cretaceous Interior Seaway retreated to the northeast. This approximately 68 MY
regressive sandstone is composed of a series of shingles reflecting episodic
seaway retreat. We illustrate the detailed geometry of the sandstone elements
that make up the Fox Hills Sandstone. This unit is an important aquifer in the porosity, permeability, and facies
tracts is important in predicting the performance of water wells.
A data base of thousands of oil and gas wells and thousands
of water wells is available for study. A subset of these wells has been
analyzed to create a three-dimensional model using ArcGIS
software. Seven shingles are mapped in detail. Our three dimensional model
permits the effective and efficient communication of critical reservoir
parameters to resource planners. Comparisons are made to other well-studied
regressive systems in the sandstone and of coal-bearing strata. These parameters
are critical to predicting reservoir
performance and quality. The patterns we
document are relevant to any effort to extract fluids from rocks of this facies association.