Master of Science / Geology / Matthew W. Totten / The Mississippian-aged St. Louis Limestone of Western Kansas is a carbonate resource play that has been producing oil, gas, and natural gas liquids (NGL) for over 50 years. The Mississippian Limestone is made up of heterogeneous limestones with interbedded layers of porous and non-porous units, abrupt facies changes, and diagenetic alterations. These factors combine to characterize the St. Louis Limestone's internal complexity, which complicates hydrocarbon exploration. This study focuses on improving the understanding of the geometry, distribution, and continuity of depositional facies within Kearny County, Kansas. Petrophysical analysis of a suite of geophysical logs integrated with core provided the basis for establishing facies successions, determining vertical stacking patterns within a sequence stratigraphic framework, and correlating areas of high porosity with a respective facies. The following depositional facies were identified; 1) porous ooid grainstone, 2) highly-cemented ooid grainstone, 3) quartz-carbonate grainstone, 4) peloidal grainstone, 5) micritic mudstone, and the 6) skeletal wackestone/packstone. The porous ooid grainstone is the chief reservoir facies, with log-derived porosity measurements between four and eighteen percent. In areas without available core, depositional facies were predicted and modeled using a neural network analysis tool (Kipling2.xla). Values derived from the evaluated core intervals and their respective geophysical logs served as the framework for the neural network model. This study illustrates the advantages of correlating depositional facies with reservoir quality and correlating those specific facies to geophysical logs, ultimately to create a greater understanding of the reservoir quality and potential within the St. Louis Limestone of western Kansas.

Master of Science / Department of Geology / Abdelmoneam Raef / Seismic reservoir characterization and prospect evaluation based 3D seismic attributes analysis in Kansas has been successful in contributing to the tasks of building static and dynamic reservoir models and in identifying commercial hydrocarbon prospects. In some areas, reservoir heterogeneities introduce challenges, resulting in some wells with poor economics. Analysis of seismic attributes gives insight into hydrocarbon presence, fluid movement (in time lapse mode), porosity, and other factors used in evaluating reservoir potential. This study evaluates a producing lease using seismic attributes analysis of an area covered by a 2010 3D seismic survey in the Morrison Northeast field and Morrison field of Clark County, KS. The target horizon is the Viola Limestone, which continues to produce from seven of twelve wells completed within the survey area. In order to understand reservoir heterogeneities, hydrocarbon entrapment settings and the implications for future development plans, a seismic attributes extraction and analysis, guided with geophysical well-logs, was conducted with emphasis on instantaneous attributes and amplitude anomalies. Investigations into tuning effects were conducted in light of amplitude anomalies to gain insight into what seismic results led to the completion of the twelve wells in the area drilled based on the seismic survey results. Further analysis was conducted to determine if the unsuccessful wells completed could have been avoided. Finally the study attempts to present a set of 3D seismic attributes associated with the successful wells, which will assist in placing new wells in other locations within the two fields, as well as promote a consistent understanding of entrapment controls in this field.

Master of Science / Department of Geology / Mary Hubbard / The southern Sawatch Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains of south-central Colorado is composed of Precambrian crystalline igneous and metamorphic rocks that have undergone at least three major mountain building events during the Phanerozoic, the Ancestral Rockies Orogeny, the Laramide Orogeny, and Rio Grande rifting. In order to determine how the ancient basement structures might have influenced later episodes of deformation, a small area of basement terrain was mapped along the western margin of the Poncha Pass transfer zone between the San Luis and Upper Arkansas basins in the northern Rio Grande rift. The two dominant rock types in the map area, (hornblendic) amphibolite gneiss and (felsic) quartzofeldspathic gneiss, may represent interlayered metabasalt/metadiorite and metarhyolite/metagranite, with lenses of exotic lithologies throughout. Metamorphic foliations were found to be oriented predominantly N35ºW 47ºNE and to have had an influence on younger brittle structures related to the rifting episode. Lineations and fractures in the gneissic fabric also are parallel to brittle deformation structures. Apatite Fission-Track (AFT) analysis provided a means of determining when this crust was exhumed and cooled by the removal of overburden in response to erosion and/or tectonics. The resultant AFT age distribution revealed that exhumation occurred at the higher elevations during the Laramide orogeny (~299-46 Ma), and at lower elevations during Rio Grande rifting (~29-19 Ma). Although it is commonly thought that these mountains were exhumed during the rifting episode, the results of this study indicate that older events played a significant role in the exhumation.

Master of Arts / Department of Geography / Richard A. Marston / River migration has resulted in a land owner losing 80% of his farmable land along the west bank of a reach h of the Big Blue River near Marysville, Kansas. Analysis of meander geometry and meander movement revealed that a single meander is moving down valley, resulting in the loss of farmland. The rate and direction of river meander migration were measured using photogrammetric analysis of aerial photographs and topographic maps covering a period from 1956 to 2006. The greatest annual rates of channel migration and farmland erosion were closely associated with high flow events on the river between 1983 and 1986 and between 1986 and 1988. Analysis of recurrence interval, riparian vegetation, and bend curvature indicate that the rates of farmland lost and total meander migration are explained largely by the magnitude of floods. The direction in which the meander moved is largely explained by the bend curvature.

Master of Science / Department of Geology / Matthew Totten / The Petersilie oil field in Ness County, Kansas produces out of the Mississippian System, a reservoir composed mainly of shallow water carbonates, at depths of around 4375 ft (1334 m). The lithology of the field ranges from limestone to dolomite, to interlaminated limestone-dolomite beds. Chert is commonly found throughout. Petersilie field lies to the west of the Central Kansas Uplift, and to the east of the Hugoton Embayment. The field saw much drilling activity in the 1960’s, when it reached a production peak of nearly 378,000 barrels of oil per year. Production declined swiftly after that until the late 1990’s, when waterflooding was successfully employed. In this study, a reservoir model was produced for the Mississippian as it occurs in Petersilie field using the Department of Energy’s EdBOAST reservoir modeling software, with the intent of providing a reference for future drilling activity in the Mississippian and determining reservoir characteristics that may have contributed to the effectiveness of waterflooding in this area. The reservoir model was checked by simulation with a companion reservoir simulator program, BOAST 98. Subsequent comparison of simulated and actual oil production curves demonstrates the reliability of well log and drill stem test data for the field and proves the reservoir model to be a good fit for the Mississippian in Petersilie. Production curve analysis of Petersilie indicates the field was an ideal candidate for waterflooding because it has a solution-gas drive mechanism. As the field approached depletion from primary recovery, oil saturations remained high. Petersilie also exhibits high porosity and good permeability. The BOAST software was found to be an effective and inexpensive means for understanding the Mississippian reservoir in central to south-central Kansas. It was determined that BOAST has potential for practical use by smaller independent oil companies targeting the Mississippian in Kansas.

Master of Science / Department of Geology / Matthew Brueseke / The Southern Oklahoma Aulacogen (SOA) produced more than 250,000 km[superscript]3 of Cambrian mafic to silicic magmatism, associated with the opening of the Iapetus Ocean. In the Arbuckle Mountains, oil and gas exploration showed mafic to intermediate volcanic rock interbedded with rhyolite lavas. The first description of these lavas was a result of the 1982 drilling of the Hamilton Brothers Turner Falls well. Cuttings have been collected from this well and five others, and whole rock major and trace element analysis, Sr and Nd isotope analysis, and rare earth element analysis has been completed on these samples. These samples plot primarily as tholeiitic to transitional basalts to andesites. Trace element ratios show Zr/Nb values ranging from 8-10, K/Nb values ranging from 300-600, and Ba/Nb values ranging from 10-20, which overlap with known EM1 OIB values. Applying a conservative age of 535 Ma for these rocks yields [superscript]87Sr/[superscript]86Sr[subscript]i values of 0.703970 to 0.706403 and epsilon Nd values of 1.67 to 3.22, which also fall within the accepted range of EMI values. [superscript]87Sr/[superscript]86Sr[subscript]i increases with wt. % SiO[subscript]2 and K/P, consistent with the generation of evolved compositions via open-system processes. The sample with the least radiogenic Sr isotope ratio, combined with its trace element ratios is most consistent with an EM1-type source. These results, coupled with existing isotope and trace element constraints from regionally exposed dikes and plutonic rocks that crop out in the Wichita Mts., give better insight into understanding what tectonic model (lower-mantle derived hotspot or extension of the lithosphere) drove the magmatic production of the SOA. The results are more consistent with a lower-mantle origin for SOA mafic-intermediate magmatism, and indicate the potential for flood basalt volcanism.

Master of Science / Department of Geology / Matthew Totten / Oil production in Kansas has a long history with plays being found on all sides of the state. The source of Kansas’s hydrocarbons has been traditionally thought to be outside the state due to low thermal maturity and the shallow burial of potential source rocks within Kansas. This research addresses the question regarding the source of the oil in Kansas, at least within a small geographic area of roughly 146mi[superscript]2. The Spivey-Grabs-Basil Field has been one of the more successful fields within the state of Kansas since the 1960’s. This field is compartmentalized and offers a natural laboratory in which to conduct the field’s first formal oil-source rock correlation since oils are locked into place. While the main focus of this research relies heavily on pyrolysis and GCMS for biomarker analysis, it also investigates the possibility of using rare earth element (REE) concentrations as a possible fingerprint of organic matter within a source bed. TOC values of the Chattanooga shale samples from the Spivey-Grabs-Basil filed range from 0.75 and 3.95 wt. %, well within productive capacity. Pyrograms show both the potential for additional production, and the likely previous expulsion of hydrocarbons. Biomarker concentration percentages between C[subscript]27, C[subscript]28, and C[subscript]29 steranes, as well as pentacyclic terpane ratios compared between crude oil from the Spivey-Grabs-Basil and the Chattanooga shale show a definite genetic relationship. REE values of the organic fraction of the Chattanooga inversely correlate with those of the crude oils, suggesting fractionation during oil generation. After comparison of results with the Woodford shale in Oklahoma, the conclusion of this study is that the Chattanooga shale which underlies the Spivey-Grabs-Basil oil field of southern Kansas is the probable source rock which generated the oil now being produced.

Master of Science / Geology / Matthew W. Totten / The most common practice of typing crude oils utilizes biomarkers to gain insight on the history of the oil. This practice only considers the organic chemistry of the oil, and does not consider the trace element concentrations within the oil. Rare earth element and other trace element concentrations in crude oil might provide further insight into the oil’s source and origin. This study analyzed REE and other trace metal concentrations of crude oil in the Spivey-Grabs field of south-central Kansas through analysis by ICP-MS and ICP-AES that, coupled with visual physical characteristics of oil and FT-IR analysis, could explain the reported “compartmentalization” of the field and provide insight on the origin of the oils. Analysis of physical characteristics of the crude oils suggested the presence of two types of oil, of differing viscosities, in the field. FT-IR confirmed the presence of these two oil types based on functional groups present in the oils. The existence of a high viscosity oil could potentially explain the compartmentalization behavior in the field. PAAS-normalized REE distribution patterns showed a general LREE enrichment, a positive cerium and negative europium anomaly, and a MREE and HREE depletion, but higher viscosity oils showed additional MREE and HREE enrichment. K/Rb values ranged from 2,864 to 44,118, with oils from mixed-viscosity wells having lower ratios overall. K/Rb values of Spivey-Grabs crude oils more closely resembled those of the Lansing-Kansas City formation than the K/Rb values of the Woodford shale and Mississippian formation of the Anadarko basin. Comparing the rare earth element distribution patterns and K/Rb values from this study to those of the Woodford shale suggests the Spivey-Grabs oil originated from a local source and not from the Woodford shale.

Master of Science / Department of Geology / Saugata Datta / With the ever-rising atmospheric concentrations of CO₂ there arises a need to either reduce emissions or develop technology to store or utilize the gas. Geologic carbon storage is a potential solution to this global problem. This work is a part of the U.S. Department of Energy small-scale pilot studies investigating different areas for carbon storage within North America, with Kansas being one of them. This project is investigating the feasibility for CO₂ storage within the hyper-saline Arbuckle aquifer in Kansas. The study incorporates the investigation of three wells that have been drilled to basement; one well used as a western calibration study (Cutter), and the other two as injection and monitoring wells (Wellington 1-28 and 1-32). Future injection will occur at the Wellington field within the Arbuckle aquifer at a depth of 4,900-5,050 ft. This current research transects the need to understand the lateral connectivity of the aquifers, with Cutter being the focus of this study. Three zones are of interest: the Mississippian pay zone, a potential baffle zone, and the Arbuckle injection zone. Cored rock analyses and analyzed formation water chemistry determined that at Wellington there exists a zone that separated the vertical hydrologic flow units within the Arbuckle. This potential low porosity baffle zone within the Arbuckle could help impede the vertical migration of the buoyant CO₂ gas after injection. Geochemical analysis from formation water within Cutter indicates no vertical separation of the hydrologic units and instead shows a well-mixed zone. The lateral distance between Cutter and Wellington is approximately 217 miles. A well-mixed zone would allow the CO₂ plume to migrate vertically and potentially into potable water sources. Formation brine from Cutter was co-injected with supercritical CO₂ into a cored rock from within the Arbuckle (7,098 ft.). Results show that the injected CO₂ preferentially preferred a flow pathway between the chert nodules and dolomite. Post reaction formation chemistry of the brine showed the greatest reactivity occurring with redox sensitive species. Reactivity of these species could indicate that they will only be reactive on the CO₂ plumes front, and show little to no reactivity within the plume.

Master of Arts / Department of Geography / Richard A. Marston / The Black Vermillion River (watershed area = 1310 square kilometers) contributes runoff and sediment into Tuttle Creek Reservoir, a large federal reservoir (volume = 327 million cubic meters) northeast of Manhattan, Kansas. Tuttle Creek, completed in 1962, is filling with sediment faster than other federal reservoirs in the region. The Reservoir’s conservation pool is about 40 percent full of sediment and is predicted to fill by 2023. Debate rages over the relative contribution of sediment from upland sources (largely croplands and pasture) versus channel incision. In the Black Vermillion watershed, bedrock is overlain in most of the watershed by pre-Illinoian age easily erodible glacial till and loess. Row crop agriculture is the most common land use in the watershed and stream channels are incised and prone to frequent flooding and channel instability. This research focused on the spatial extent, timing, and causes of channel incision in the Black Vermillion watershed. I conducted a watershed-wide survey of channel cross-sections in 56 locations repeated at sites that had been surveyed 45 years ago by the Soil Conservation Service. Further, I collected channel cross sections in 2008 at a total of 51 more locations for a total of 107 study sites. Channel depths between 1963 and 2008 increased by a mean of 1.6 meters (maximum = 5.2 meters). Most channels throughout the watershed have incised, are actively incising, or incising and widening. Statistical testing between channel depths as measured in 1963 and 2008 showed that the amount of incision was related to land use/land cover, riparian buffer widths, upstream drainage area, and geology. As channels incise, they progress through six stages of channel evolution, which complicates the relationship between channelization and incision. Channel stage, as identified in the field, was statistically related to geology, occurrence and timing of channelization, land use/land cover, and upstream drainage area. Channelization has reduced channel length by a significant portion and was identified as one of the leading causes of incision. This finding suggests that planting buffers and/or expanding existing buffers along streams should be encouraged in the watershed to alleviate flooding and channel instability.