Ellen Wilcox
Evolution of fluvial deposits in the Mesaverde Group, Uinta Basin: Observations from detailed core facies characterization
Abstract:
On the eastern side of the Uinta Basin, significant gas production in the Greater Natural Buttes Field comes from the Mesaverde Total Petroleum System. As of August 2019, cumulative production from the Mesaverde Group in the Greater Natural Buttes Field was more than 800 BCF of gas and 11.75 MMBL of oil. Prospective reservoirs are vertically stacked, discontinuous, lenticular sandstones interpreted as channel deposits that reflect an overall transition from coastal plain to alluvial plain. Historical studies and interpretations relied on outcrops, located more than 50 miles to the southwest. Lateral facies changes that occur between the outcrops and the Natural Buttes Field result in correlation uncertainty in the subsurface and highlight the importance of detailed core studies for reservoir characterization. The Mesaverde Group was analyzed through detailed core analysis to quantify facies, facies associations, and stratigraphic variability to define the depositional environments. This project provided greater subsurface resolution and refined depositional architecture within this 2,000 ft succession of fluvial channel deposits. The results partially agreed with previous descriptions and interpretations and allowed for greater resolution and quantification of how these channel and overbank deposits evolved stratigraphically
Biography: Ellen Wilcox
Ellen earned a B.S. in Geology from SUNY (State University of New York) Oswego before moving west to pursue an M.S. in Geology from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She credits much of her success to Gus Gustason and David Budd among others she has met in the Denver community. She was fortunate to find employment during the downturn and has been working for Liberty Resources since the fall of 2015, with exposure to all aspects of business in a medium sized, equity-backed E&P company.