Abstract: Stratigraphy, Structure, and Regional Trends of Incised Valley Systems Along the North Side of the Anadarko Basin, in Clark, Comanche, and Ford Counties, Kansas

WEBSTER, ROBERT J.

New well control, accumulated since 1980, has enabled the redefinition of the Pre-Pennsylvanian erosional surface in Ford, Clark, and Comanche Counties Kansas. A fault has been discovered in adjacent Comanche County to the east, and new evidence from subsurface mapping in the area has revealed new subsequent stream patterns not before recognized. The sandstone bodies normally referred to as "Morrow," accumulated in these subsequent valleys, as well as in seemingly genetically unrelated deposits. The sands were later reworked and additionally accumulated in an estuarine environment during Early Pennsylvanian marine transgression. The age term "Morrow" that frequently is attached to the sands is probably incorrect. New correlations show that these sands are more likely Atokan to Cherokee in age. These new interpretations of the "Morrow" sands can be used to enhance the success of exploration for oil and gas fields in the area. Also, the presence of glauconite in the sands of the Atokan-Cherokee can be used to distinguish them from the sands of the Mississippian Chester, which are deficient in glauconite. Distinction between Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sands is important for defining the Absaroka-Kaskaskia sequence boundary.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90944©1997 AAPG Mid-Continent Section Meeting, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma