Creating a Geologic Play Book for Trenton-Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration

Abstract

The Research Corporation, working with the AONGRC, created an industrygovernment-academic partnership, the "Trenton-Black River Appalachian Basin Exploration Consortium" (the Consortium), to co-fund and conduct the research effort. Seventeen gas exploration companies joined the Consortium. Each contributed cost share through a two-year membership fee, and several expressed an interest in supplying data and expertise while taking an active research role.

Jeptha Knob, Kentucky, a probable meteorite impact structure

“…The interpretation in this paper should be viewed as preliminary, since the exact depths and petrography of the samples are not given in Patchen et al. (2006).…”

“…Using fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures and the measured δ 18 O composition, one can calculate the isotopic composition of the waters coexisting with the dolomite. Using the homogenization temperatures given above, the coexisting waters range in composition from δ 18 O = 2–6.5‰ (Patchen et al., 2006).…”

“…The strontium isotope composition indicates a further complication in the mixing hypothesis. Twenty‐six samples of dolomites from the Jeptha Knob cores were analyzed and their 87 Sr/ 86 Sr ratios ranged from 0.7080 to 0.7096 (Patchen et al., 2006). Eight of the 87 Sr/ 86 Sr measurements were in the range of Late Ordovician seawater and 10 of the values are >0.7091, the maximum seawater value for the time period from the beginning of Ordovician to the present (Veizer, 1989).…”

“…Dolomite is denser than calcite (2850 kg m −3 vs. 2710 kg m −3 ) (Carmichael, 1989) and hence the observed positive anomaly (Seeger, 1968). Study of the cores discussed below shows that the dolostone has up to 25% porosity due to the formation of vugs (Patchen et al., 2006), so the density contrast is not well defined.…”

“…Various origins have been proposed for the Jeptha Knob structure in Kentucky (USA): cryptovolcano (Bucher, 1925, 1963); meteorite impact (Seeger, 1968); and positive flower structure (Patchen et al., 2006). The contention of this paper is that Jeptha Knob is of impact origin, based on calcite twin analysis.…”