The Portland Hills fault forms a strong northwest trending lineament along the east side of the Tualatin Mountains. An en echelon lineament follows North Scappoose Creek, Alder Creek, and the Clatskanie River along the same trend, through Columbia County, Oregon. The possibility that this lineament follows a fault or fault zone was investigated in this study. Geophysical methods were used, with seismic refraction, magnetic and gravity lines run perpendicular to the lineament. The seismic refraction models indicate the near surface basalt is broken in many places, with 15 - 30 meters (50 - 100 feet) vertical displacement, down to the west, at Bunker Hill along the Alder Creek fault. Gravity models required a faulted zone approximately two kilometers wide across the lineament. The proposed fault zone is more clearly defined in the south, becoming more diffuse and branching in the northern part of the study area. The Bouguer gravity values from this study distort the -40 milligal contour farther to the northwest than is shown on the Complete Bouguer Gravity Anomaly Map of Oregon {Berg and Thiruvathukal, 1967b). The existence of sharp topographic features and the geophysical evidence indicate fault activity along the zone.

Northwest Natural Gas Canpany has proposed to convert the Bruer and Flora pools of the Mist Gas Field in west-central Columbia County, Northwestern Oregon, to pipeline gas storage reservoirs. Conversion to underground storage of pipeline gas in these depleted gas reservoirs would be the first in the Pacific Northwest. The Bruer and Flora Pools are fault trapped within the Cowlitz Formation. The shales overlying the Cowlitz Formation create a local seal for these gas reservoirs. X-ray diffraction and density log measurements suggest that the clay in these shales is primarily composed of smectite, which provides an excellent caprock seal. The reservoir rock of the Bruer and Flora Pools is the arkosic Cl ark and Wilson Sand. An average weighted grain density for the sand is 2.65 g/cm3. The abundance of potassium feldspar in the sand, hence K40, creates a background gamma radiation for the sand roughly equal to that of the shale, making the sand and shale virtually indistinguishable on the gamma ray log. Bottan Hole Temperatures (BHT), which were recorded on open hole logs, indicate the Bruer Pool is 7°C (20°F) wanner than the Flora Pool, even though the Flora Pool is deeper. This temperature anomaly may be the result of equipment variation. A calibrated temperature survey would remove any discrepancies. A comparison of the thermal gradient determined in a previous study of the Oregon Coast Range and a gradient determined using BHT, suggest that BHT provide a good approximation of formation temperature. Utilizing the formation water analysis determined from four different wells in the Mist Gas Field, average total dissolved solids was found to be 24, 444 mg/l. Of the four analyses, the sample from Well CC#6 R/D2 is considered to be the most representative of the Bruer and Flora fools formation waters. Analysis of the four samples using the Palmer System suggests that the formation water of the Cowlitz Formation is in the early stages of sea water diagenasis. Formation water resistivity (Rw) was determined using a chemical and spontaneous potential analysis. Rw derived using chemical analysis averaged 0.175 ohm-meters and is considered the ITDst precise. Water saturation determined using the Archie saturation equation averaged 47.5% and ranged from 26.4 to 80.0% for the zone 814-836 meters (2670-2742 feet) in CC#10. These results are similar to those determined by the Thermal Time Decay (TDT) log.

The study area is located in northwestern Columbia County, and covers an area of approximately 70 square kilometers. The purpose of the study was to investigate the possible correlation of the Scappoose and Astoria Formations and determine their stratigraphic relationship to the Columbia River Basalt Group through mapping, geochemistry and petrography.

Graduation date: 1992

The Upper Eocene Cowlitz Formation is exposed in surface outcrops southwest of the town of Vernonia, in Columbia County, Oregon. The Cowlitz Formation also occurs in the subsurface of the Mist gas field where its Clark and Wilson (C and W) sandstone member (informal) acts as a natural gas reservoir, and its upper Cowlitz mudstone member (informal) acts as a cap rock. Surface exposures and continuous core were studied in order to determine Cowlitz Formation stratigraphy, and its depositional environment. Fresh core samples were also studied petrographically, and with a scanning electron microscope, in order to determine the effects of diagenesis in the gas producing C and W sandstone member.