Author ORCID Identifier
Date Available
5-11-2019
Year of Publication
2018
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Document Type
Master's Thesis
College
Arts and Sciences
Department/School/Program
Earth and Environmental Sciences (Geology)
First Advisor
Dr. Andrea Erhardt
Abstract
The Late Pennsylvanian was a time of frequent, rapid glacioeustatic sea-level changes. These changes were recorded in the Wolfcamp D Formation of the Midland Basin as a series of cyclothems similar to those studied in the Midcontinent region (e.g., Algeo and Heckel, 2008). This study focuses on identifying the mechanisms and controls on carbonate deposition and diagenesis through the Upper Pennsylvanian Wolfcamp D Formation and evaluating the potential for these layers to be stratigraphically significant. A stepwise progression of diagenetic processes was identified through the use of δ13Ccarb and δ18Ocarb, bulk geochemical and petrographic analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Carbonate deposition and early-burial diagenesis appears to be strongly influenced by frequent changes in sea-level and benthic redox conditions. The transition to deep-burial diagenesis was controlled by the thermal gradient in the basin and the extent of diagenesis by the amount of clays and organic matter in the surrounding mudrocks. Further diagenesis was induced through interactions with a brine following clay diagenesis. The presence of multiple phases of diagenesis in this system further highlights the need for several lines of inquiry when evaluating the post-depositional evolution of carbonates in a mud-rich setting.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2018.183
Recommended Citation
Reis, Alex J., "A MULTI-INDICATOR APPROACH TO UNDERSTANDING THE DIAGENESIS OF CARBONATES IN PENNSYLVANIAN MUDROCKS OF THE MIDLAND BASIN" (2018). Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences. 56.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/ees_etds/56
Supplemental Table 1: Upton County Stable Isotopes
Supplemental Table 2_Midland County Isotopes.pdf (29 kB)
Supplemental Table 2: Midland County Stable Isotopes
Supplemental Table 3_Upton County Probe Data.pdf (228 kB)
Supplemental Table 3: Upton County Electron Microprobe Analysis
Supplemental Table 4_Midland County Probe Data.pdf (173 kB)
Supplemental Table 4: Midland County Electron Microprobe Analysis
Supplemental Table 5_Upton XRD.pdf (18 kB)
Supplemental Table 5: Upton County X-Ray Diffraction Analysis
Supplemental Table 6_Midland XRD.pdf (21 kB)
Supplemental Table 6: Midland County X-Ray Diffraction Analysis
