Master of Science / Department of Geology / Matthew W. Totten / Ness County, Kansas is situated along the western flank of the Central Kansas uplift, and
has been an active center of oil exploration since the 1920’s. It currently ranks fourth among
Kansas counties in oil production, largely from Mississippian-age carbonate reservoirs. Some
production has been realized from lower Pennsylvanian-age carbonate formations, although the
distribution of these reservoirs appears sporadic. The goals of this study were to develop an
exploration model that predicts the development of reservoir conditions within the Marmatonage
Fort Scott Limestone.
A two-township area was studied to examine relationships between production rates and
subsurface variations. No core was available through the Fort Scott, hence drill cuttings were
thin-sectioned and examined under a petrographic microscope to see details of porosity type not
easily visible under a binocular microscope. Production appears to be defined by stratigraphic
variations in porosity controlled by original depositional environment. The best wells are within
an oolitic limestone, with subsequent development of secondary, vuggy porosity. These
conditions occur in bands along the Mississippian paleo-topographic highs. I interpret these
bands to be ancient ooid shoals, with geometries and scales analogous to those previously
reported from Lansing/Kansas City reservoirs in Russell County, Kansas. This study provides
insights into production trends within the Fort Scott Limestone, and should be included during
exploration in Ness County, Kansas.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:KSU/oai:krex.k-state.edu:2097/1388 |
| Date | January 1900 |
| Creators | Flenthrope, Christopher |
| Publisher | Kansas State University |
| Source Sets | K-State Research Exchange |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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