Granite Wash, Palo Duro Basin, Texas
General Setting
The Palo Duro Basin of the Texas Panhandle may be considered a northern extension of the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico. A basement high called the Matador Arch separates the two basins. The Matador Arch and other block-faulted Precambrian basement highs to the north, such as the Amarillo Uplift and the Bravo Dome, form the boundaries of the basin. The target reservoir in this basin, the Pennsylvanian Granite Wash, was deposited in a series of alluvial fans and fan deltas that formed rims around these structural highs that developed during the Pennsylvanian Period in response to major continental collision associated with the Ouachita Orogeny (Dutton and others, 1982a). Conversely, units of early Paleozoic age (older than the Granite Wash) were deposited on a stable, shallow shelf periodically covered by epicontinental seas. Eventually erosion of the basement uplifts led to their planation and burial, which was followed by deposition of a series of Permian-age red-bed and evaporite facies. It is these evaporites that form the top seal for the Granite Wash.
Information Search and Selection
In some cases, we did not find data for the Granite Wash as a separate hydrologic unit. However, there may have been data available for a unit called the "deep brine aquifer," which includes the Granite Wash and time-equivalent carbonates. In such instances, we have specifically mentioned that the data are for the deep brine aquifer as a whole. Granite Wash is locally used for deep-well injection.
References
Bassett, R. L., and Bentley, M. E., 1983, Deep brine aquifers in the Palo Duro Basin: regional flow and geochemical constraints: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations No. 130, 59 p.
Budnik, R., and Smith, D., 1982, Regional stratigraphic framework of the Texas Panhandle, in Gustavson, T. C., Bassett, R. L., Budnik, R., Finley, R., Goldstein, A. G., McGowen, J. H., Roedder, E., Ruppel, S. C., Baumgardner, R. W., Jr., Bentley, M. E., Dutton, S. P., Fogg, G. E., Hovorka, S. D., McGookey, D. A., Ramondetta, P. J., Simpkins, W. W., Smith, D., Smith, D. A., Duncan, E. A., Griffin, J. A., Merritt, R. M., and Naiman, E. R., Geology and geohydrology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle: a report on the progress of the nuclear waste isolation feasibility studies, 1981: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Geological Circular 82-7, p. 38-86.
Dutton, S. P., 1980, Depositional systems and hydrocarbon resource potential of the Pennsylvanian System, Palo Duro and Dalhart Basins, Texas Panhandle: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Geological Circular 80-8, 49 p.
___________ 1982a, Depositional history and reservoir quality of Granite Wash, in Gustavson, T. C., Bassett, R. L., Budnik, R., Finley, R., Goldstein, A. G., McGowen, J. H., Roedder, E., Ruppel, S. C., Baumgardner, R. W., Jr., Bentley, M. E., Dutton, S. P., Fogg, G. E., Hovorka, S. D., McGookey, D. A., Ramondetta, P. J., Simpkins, W. W., Smith, D., Smith, D. A., Duncan, E. A., Griffin, J. A., Merritt, R. M., and Naiman, E. R., Geology and geohydrology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle: a report on the progress of the nuclear waste isolation feasibility studies, 1981: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Geological Circular 82-7, p. 87-90.
Dutton, S. P., 1982b, Pennsylvanian fan-delta and carbonate deposition, Mobeetie Field, Texas Panhandle: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 66 , p. 389-407.
Dutton, S. P., Goldstein, A. G., and Ruppel, S. C., 1982, Petroleum potential of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations No. 123, 87 p.
Handford, C. R., and Dutton, S. P., 1980, Pennsylvanian-Lower Permian depositional systems and shelf-margin evolution, paleogeography, and petroleum potential: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations No. 102, 31 p.
Holtz, M. H., 1997, Oil atlas database of major Texas reservoirs: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Internal Report.
National Imagery and Mapping Agency, 2000, Digital terrain elevation data (DTED Level 0)
Orr, E. D, Kreitler, C. W., and Senger, R. K., 1985, Investigation of the underpressuring in the deep-brine aquifer, Palo Duro Basin, Texas: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Geological Circular 85-1, 44 p.
Presley, M. W., 1979, Upper Permian evaporites and red beds, in Dutton, S. P., Finley R. J., Galloway, W. E., Gustavson, T. C., Handford, C. R., and Presley, M. W., Geology and hydrology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle: a report on the progress of nuclear waste isolation feasibility studies, 1978: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Geological Circular 79-1, p. 39-49.
Senger, R. K., 1991, Regional hydrodynamics of variable-density flow systems, Palo Duro Basin, Texas: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations No. 202, 54 p.
Senger, R. K., Fogg, G. E., and Kreitler, C. W., 1987, Effects of hydrostratigraphy and basin development on hydrodynamics of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology Report of Investigations No. 165, 48 p.
Smith, D. A., 1983, Permeability of the deep-basin aquifer system, Palo Duro Basin, in Gustavson, T. C., Kreitler, C. W., Bassett, R. L., Budnik, R. T., Ruppel, S. C., Baumgardner, R. W., Jr., Caran, S. C., Collins, E. W., Dutton, A. R., Dutton, S. P., Fisher, R. S., Fogg, G. E., Hovorka, S. D., Kolker, A., McGookey, D. A., Orr, E. D., Roberts, M. P., Senger, R. K., Smith, Dale, A., and Smith, D. Anderson, Geology and geohydrology of the Palo Duro Basin, Texas Panhandle: a report on the progress of the nuclear waste isolation feasibility studies, 1982: The University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Geological Circular 83-4, 156 p.
Prepared by Ramon Trevino.
