Hydrocarbon Potential of the Barnett Shale (Mississippian), Delaware Basin, West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico

Travis J. Kinley², Clarence W. Cook², John A. Breyer¹, Daniel M. Jarvie³, and Arthur B. Busbey^1
1Geology, Texas Christian Univeristy, Fort Worth, TX
²XTO Energy, Fort Worth, TX
³Humble Geochemical Services, Humble, TX

The Barnett Shale (Mississippian) in the Delaware basin has the potential to be a prolific gas producer. It is organic-rich and thermally mature over large portions of the basin. Depths to the Barnett range from 7,000 feet (2,133 meters) along the western edge of the basin to more than 18,000 feet (5,486 meters) along the basin axis. The Barnett Shale began generating petroleum 250 Ma ago and reached maximum paleo-temperature about 260 Ma. Its present-day thermal maturity is indicative of that maximum burial and paleo-temperature. Wells in southern Reeves County are in the gas window based on measured vitrinite reflectance values and kerogen transformation ratios. The shale can be divided into an upper clastic unit and a lower limy unit by changes in resistivity. The lower unit can be subdivided into five subunits by distinctive well-log markers. Preliminary analyses suggest that intervals in the lower Barnett marked by high resistivity and high neutron porosity readings on well-logs have high gas contents. Areas in which to focus future exploration can be delineated by mapping net-resistivity greater than 50 ohmm in the lower Barnett.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90078©2008 AAPG Annual Convention, San Antonio, Texas