Pottsville Formation, Black Warrior Basin (09)

Alabama and Mississippi

Comments on Geologic Parameters

09 Hydrocarbon Production:

Gas production in the Black Warrior Basin is from Pennsylvanian and Upper Mississipian sandstones. The Upper Mississipian also has some noncommercial oil accumulations. Coalbed gas production was first established in the basin from the Mary Lee/Blue Creek and Pratt coal beds in the Lower Pennsylvanian Pottsville Formation. Gas production from this unconventional reservoir accounted for 75 percent of the gas produced in the basin. In the Alabama part of the basin, 90 conventional nonassociated gas fields, 15 coalbed gas fields, and 20 oil-associated gas fields have been discovered. In the Mississippi part of the basin, 27 conventional nonassociated gas fields, 28 conventional gas-associated oil fields, and 9 oil fields have been discovered. The dominant reservoirs of the conventional gas fields in both parts of the basin (Mississippi and Alabama) are the Carter and Sanders sandstones of Late Mississipian age. The following conventional plays are recognized in the Black Warrior Basin: Cambrian and Ordovician Carbonate Play, Upper Mississipian Sandstone Play, Pennsylvanian Sandstone Play, and Devonian Chert and Carbonate Play. A detailed map by play was found for each side of the basin, and all were combined for the GIS data base (Masingill, 1992; Petroleum Frontiers, 1986).

09 Map:

09 Reference:

Epsman, M., 1987, Subsurface geology of selected oil and gas fields in the Black Warrior basin of Alabama, 255 p., 1 app., 8 figs., 1 table.

Masingill, J., 1992, The petroleum industry in Alabama: Geological Survey of Alabama, Oil and Gas Report 3-P, 127 p.

Petroleum Frontiers, 1986, The Black Warrior Basin: proving the potential of the southeast: v. 3, no. 3, 62 p.