Hydrocarbon-induced diagenetic alteration of the Permian White Rim Sandstone, Elaterite Basin, southeast Utah

Abstract

Sandstone is well exposed and varies in color from white to red, orange, and brown. Superimposed on eolian and marine deposits are three diagenetic facies that impart the coloration and are defined by iron oxide cement concentration as (1) bleached white (low iron), (2) diffuse (moderate iron), and (3) concretionary (concentrated iron). A yellow alteration aureole of bleaching extends up to 10 m (32 ft) into the underlying Organ Rock Shale and up to 20 m (65 ft) into the overlying Moenkopi Formation. These formations surround the White Rim reservoir as fine-grained seals.Field, petrographic, and geochemical analyses indicate that the White Rim Sandstone records three major diagenetic stages.(1) The reservoir underwent oxidation, which led to the precipitation of thin iron grain coatings. (2) Hydrocarbon migration through the reservoir removed early grain coatings and reprecipitated disseminated and concentrated pyrite cement. (3) The pyrite was later altered to hematite or goethite by oxidizing fluids.In conventional petroleum exploration, the timing of hydrocarbon migration is often difficult to resolve. This study utilizes the record of mobilized and reprecipitated iron as a tool to constrain interpretations of the timing of hydrocarbon migration relative to seal and trap emplacement. This study has broad application as an exploration tool for deciphering fluid flow in similar clastic reservoirs.

A comprehensive review of hydrocarbons and genetic model of the sandstone‐hosted Dongsheng uranium deposit, Ordos Basin, China

“…; Parry et al . ; Gorenc & Chan ). The chemical reduction in ferric iron and bleaching also result in reduction in aqueous sulfate to sulfide and precipitation of pyrite.…”

Petrography, Mineralogy, and Geochemistry of Combustion Metamorphic Rocks in the Northeastern Ordos Basin, China: Implications for the Origin of “White Sandstone”

“…Notable examples of white sandstone facies are found in the Jurassic Navajo Sandstone and Permian White Rim Sandstone in Southeastern Utah (USA), and in the Buntsandstein and Rotliegend sandstones in Central Germany, where white sandstone beds are surrounded by red sandstone beds [51][52][53]95,96].…”

“…In addition, we report the occurrence of a peculiar white sandstone that is commonly associated with CM rocks in the study area. White sandstone facies has been reported in Southeastern Utah and central Germany [50][51][52][53], and it was suggested that it might have originated from the bleaching process of an original red sandstone protolith. Moreover, some researchers also proposed that the white sandstone in the northeastern Ordos basin derived from bleaching of an original red sandstone [54,55].…”

Understanding Oil and Gas Shows and Seals in the Search for Hydrocarbons

“…In the western USA, long range migration through extensive Permo-Pennsylvanian aeolian dune reservoirs is well documented (Claypool et al 1978 ;Gorenc and Chan 2015 ;Hansley 1995 ;Huntoon et al 1994Huntoon et al , 1999Maughan 1984Maughan , 1994. Figure 9.3 summarizes the distribution of source rocks that could potentially charge the Permo-Pennsylvanian reservoirs and locations of major traps in Wyoming and Utah.…”