Master of Science / Department of Geology / Matthew Totten / The Woodford shale is recognized as an abundant source rock across Oklahoma and much of the midcontinent (Lambert, 1990), and up to 8% of the world’s hydrocarbon reserves are estimated to have been sourced by the Woodford and its equivalents (Fritz et al, 1991). The Woodford shale is far more complex than other Devonian black shales found in North America due to the presence of alternating bands of chert-like amorphous silica and silica-rich shale. Analysis of chert and its possible role in gas generation and storage in shales has been largely overlooked. The goal of this study is to determine if chert size, amounts, or polycrystallinity can be indicators of thermal maturity within the Woodford shale. Handheld XRF analysis was conducted on the whole rock samples, and a mudrock specific sodium bisulfate fusion was used to separate the non-clay fraction. SEM was performed on the resulting separates to study and observe changes in chert fabric, grain-size, and amount. No correlations were observed to indicate that chert is an indicator of thermal maturity within the Woodford shale. Increase in chert growth and amount was also not detected within the size fractions as thermal maturity increases. Handheld XRF proved to be a good proxy for quick, onsite analysis of silica concentrations, as well as the amount of organic matter within drill core. This could be beneficial as hydraulic fracking produces best results in areas of higher silica content, and the wells with the highest organic matter have the highest potential for petroleum accumulations.

Master of Science / Geology / Joel Q. Spencer / Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating is a relatively new dating method, tangibly introduced in 1985 when Huntley et al. demonstrated the ability to use light-sensitive traps to measure radiation exposure and determine the age of sediment. Quartz and feldspar grains are commonly used for the method, with quartz receiving significantly more attention than feldspars until the past decade. Recent research has improved the practicality of using feldspars as a reliable dosimeter –an appealing notion as the intrinsic properties of feldspars allow them to date older sediment that may lie beyond the reliable range of quartz dosimetry. This work explores and utilizes the contemporary feldspar technique termed post-infrared, high-temperature infrared stimulated luminescence (pIRIR) dating to add to the existing knowledge base of this method, particularly by testing different preheat and measurement temperature combinations. Analysis of the each pIRIR method indicates that the pIRIR signal stimulated at 225°C is more appropriate for dating than the pIRIR signal stimulated at 290°C. Techniques and protocols developed in this work are done so via their application to a marine terrace that is displaced by the San Andreas Fault. Corals from the terrace along the Pacific plate, dated with U-series by Muhs et al. (2002), offer an age estimate. Comparison of the pIRIR ages to the U-series ages yield an underestimation, suggesting the pIRIR method may be more useful as a means of correlating terraces across the fault, than for providing ages of terrace formation.