A 48 m.y. history of fracture opening, temperature, and fluid pressure: Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation, East Texas basin

Abstract

Research Article| July 01, 2010 A 48 m.y. history of fracture opening, temperature, and fluid pressure: Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation, East Texas basin S.P. Becker; S.P. Becker * 1Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station Box X, Austin, Texas 78713-8924, USA *Current address: ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company, P.O. Box 2189, Houston, Texas 77252-2189, USA. Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P. Eichhubl; P. Eichhubl † 1Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station Box X, Austin, Texas 78713-8924, USA †E-mail: peter.eichhubl@beg.utexas.edu Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar S.E. Laubach; S.E. Laubach 1Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station Box X, Austin, Texas 78713-8924, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R.M. Reed; R.M. Reed 1Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station Box X, Austin, Texas 78713-8924, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R.H. Lander; R.H. Lander 2Geocosm LLC, 3311 San Mateo Drive, Austin, Texas 78738, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar R.J. Bodnar R.J. Bodnar 3Department of Geosciences, 4044 Derring Hall, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia 24061, USA Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar GSA Bulletin (2010) 122 (7-8): 1081–1093. https://doi.org/10.1130/B30067.1 Article history received: 05 Apr 2009 rev-recd: 03 Aug 2009 accepted: 24 Aug 2009 first online: 08 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation S.P. Becker, P. Eichhubl, S.E. Laubach, R.M. Reed, R.H. Lander, R.J. Bodnar; A 48 m.y. history of fracture opening, temperature, and fluid pressure: Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation, East Texas basin. GSA Bulletin 2010;; 122 (7-8): 1081–1093. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/B30067.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGSA Bulletin Search Advanced Search Abstract Quartz cement bridges across opening-mode fractures of the Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation provide a textural and fluid inclusion record of incremental fracture opening during the burial evolution of this low-porosity sandstone. Incremental crack-seal fracture opening is inferred based on the banded structure of quartz cement bridges, consisting of up to 700 cement bands averaging ∼5 μm in thickness as observed with scanning electron microscope–cathodoluminescence. Crack-seal layers contain assemblages of aqueous two-phase fluid inclusions. Based on fluid inclusion microthermometry and Raman microprobe analyses, we determined that these inclusions contain methane-saturated brine trapped over temperatures ranging from ∼130°C to ∼154°C. Using textural crosscutting relations of quartz growth increments to infer the sequence of cement growth, we reconstructed the fluid temperature and pore-fluid pressure evolution during fracture opening. In combination with published burial evolution models, this reconstruction indicates that fracture opening started at ca. 48 Ma and above-hydrostatic pore-fluid pressure conditions, and continued under steadily declining pore-fluid pressure during partial exhumation until present times. Individual fractures opened over an ∼48 m.y. time span at rates of 16–23 μm/m.y. These rates suggest that fractures can remain hydraulically active over geologically long times in deep basinal settings. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.