Cheyenne County Research Articles

Morrowan Stratigraphy, Depositional Systems, and Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Sorrento Field, Cheyenne County, Colorado: ABSTRACT

The Sorrento field, located on the western flank of the present-day Las Animas arch in western Cheyenne County, Colorado, has approximately 29 million bbl of oil and 12 bcf of gas in place in sandstones of the Lower Pennsylvanian Morrow units. The sandstones were deposited in a fluvially dominated deltaic system, and the trap for the hydrocarbon accumulation is formed by pinch-out of this deltaic system onto regional dip. The primary reservoirs are point-bar deposits. At the Sorrento field, the basal Keyes limestone member of the Morrow formation rests unconformably on the Mississippian St. Louis Formation. Above the Keyes limestone, the Morrow shale is 180 to 214 ft (55 to 65 m) thick, and locally contains reservoir sands. The Morrow shale consists, in ascending order, of: (1) a lower marine shale averaging 40 ft (12 m) thick with minor limestone, siltstone, and sandstone; (2) a deltaic regressive sequence 10 to 65 ft (3 to 20 m) thick consisting of shoreline siltstone that grades laterally into channel-mouth siltstone and sandstone, flood-plain mudstone and coal, fluvial sandstone and conglomerate, levee deposits, and abandoned-channel mudstone; and (3) an upper marine shale averaging 105 ft (32 m) thick with minor limestone and siltstone. The deltaic system prograded from northwest to southeast into a shallow, low-energy sea. The delta was inundated subsequently by regional transgression. The fluvial system of the delta was confined by levees to a meander belt; within this belt, the streams maintained a meandering character to the channel mouth. The major reservoir facies consists of fining-upward grain-size sequences of conglomerate and sandstone up to 55 ft (17 m) thick which are interpreted as point-bar deposits. Individual point bars within the field are characterized by sharp bases, lobate geometry formed by thinning toward the margins due to loss of section from the top, and diameters of 5,200 to 6,500 ft (1,600 to 2,000 m). The bases of the bars consist of very coarse sandstone and granular conglomerate with rip up clasts of shale and coal. Where complete sequences are developed, the bars fine upward to fine-grained sandstone interbedded with shale at the tops. The point bars are overlain by marine shale with little reworking of the upper parts of the bars by marine energy. Channel-mouth bar deposits are developed only locally and are generally silty and tight. One well has encountered reservoir-quality channel-mouth bar sandstone which is distinguished from point-bar sandstone by better sorting, stratigraphic position, and finer grain size lacking the basal, very coarse sandstone and conglomerate. Gas/oil and oil/water contacts are not uniform through the field owing to discontinuities between separate point bars. One such discontinuity is formed by an apparent mud plug of an abandoned channel separating two point bars on the southeastern end of the field. In a well 7,000 ft (2,100 m) from the edge of the meander belt, the regressive sequence is represented by a shoreline siltstone unit 8 ft (2 m) thick with flaser bedding, graded bedding, load structures, and rare wave-ripple cross-bedding overlain by 3 ft (1 m) of flood-plain mudstone and coal with no indication of proximity to a nearby sand system. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1326------------

Efficacy of Nematicides in Corn in Western Kansas

Efficacy of Nematicides in Corn in Western Kansas

Tourism Feasibility Study, Colorado East Central Council of Governments, Elbert County, Lincoln County, Kit Carson County, Cheyenne County. Professional Design Services, Inc., 1024 8th, Greeley, Colorado 80631. January 1980. Various paging

Tourism Feasibility Study, Colorado East Central Council of Governments, Elbert County, Lincoln County, Kit Carson County, Cheyenne County. Professional Design Services, Inc., 1024 8th, Greeley, Colorado 80631. January 1980. Various paging

The Mammals (Exclusive of the Bats) of Cheyenne County, Kansas

Durlng the 5.5 year period between January 1970 and June 1975, random samples were taken of the mammal communnles wlthin Cheyenne County, Kansas. This study was InOtlated because ot rapEdly occurrlng agricultural transitlons toward Irrlgatlon wtthin the county, whJch will have Impact on future mammal populatlons. Sampilng was done by collecting, credible reports, Inspectlon of roadkills and slghtings by mysolf. The study verlfled 40 specbs as well as Intormation on each relative to abundance, habltat preferences and llmiting tactors, general ranp wlthin the county, and morphological data. Two specles not accounted tor were the southern bog lemming, Synaptomys coonerl stonel Rhoads and the blacktooted ferret, Mustella nigripes ssp. (Audubon and Backman). 1978. Trans. Kansas Acad. Sci., vol. 81:3, pp. 185-230.

Oil and Gas Developments in North Mid-Continent in 1971

Crude oil production in Kansas (78,532,200 bbl), and natural gas production (894,450,803 Mcf) declined in 1971. Production of helium (2,905,503 Mcf) and natural gasoline and natural gas liquids (28,652,786 bbl) increased. LPG production now equals 36% in quantity of that of crude oil produced in Kansas. Drilling was 2% less than in 1970, with 2,413 wells reported. In Nebraska, 51.6% of the 80 field development wells and 5.8% of the 103 exploratory tests were successful. Cheyenne County had a significant channel sandstone oil-field discovery. Increased drilling activity is indicated for 1972. Drilling for oil and gas in Iowa and Missouri was slow in 1971. In Minnesota it was confined to tests drilled by gas storage companies. About 8,000 holes were drilled for water in Wis onsin, during 1971, with no shows of oil or gas reported.

Taxonomic Study of the Fossil Species of the Genus Cryptantha (Boraginaceae)

Distinguishing features of the fossil species of Cryptantha from the Pliocene Ogallala Formation are discussed. Comparisons are made to extant species where possible. Distributional ranges of the species are presented. Great quantities of fossil fruits, particularly of the plant family Boraginaceae, are represented in the Pliocene Ogallala Formation by nutlets of the extinct fossil genus Biorbia and the extant genus Cryptantha. The genus Biorbia has recently been studied (Segal, 1965); but except for a brief nomenclatural clarification (Segal, 1964) the fossil members of the genus Cryptantha have not been taxonomically treated since their original description (Elias, 1932). As Elias (1946) says, specific identification of Cryptantha fruits is possible. If other parts were involved they would be merely assigned to organ-genera (such as Borraginites) of problematic affinities. :I ~ ~ i ! I~~ ^~i Ai Si . . i i i -. -_ i iAAi i ,__,, ] i i ! ! -E . . .....-'.-..'-'-_, .L ._._ . !_o ! i 000i ' ..t ._._ j !i... l. _ ._ _ ,_._._ * I .R ! 'i i ' . . ....1-i . T !.._ . i j._._. I. -.. I_ . .-......... .... r r I (,.) I I i ' i I-.I ... ...... I O ! a ...... i .additionally in Yuma County, Colorado, immediately adjacent to Cheyenne County, Kansas. Plus sign, C. chaney; triangle, C. coroniformis; circle, C. uriculta. The number of times a symbol is repeated indicates the number of sites in a county. 205 ....% ~ ..-,;,,.,.,, 205... Fig. 2. Drawing of Cryptantha chaneyi. Each of the three fossil species discussed in this paper has unique features. No difficulties are encountered in identifying and distinguishing them. It is interesting to note that although extensive field work has been done in other areas by various workers (in addition to publications cited elsewhere: Elias, 1942; Frye and Leonard, 1957; Leonard, 1958), fossil species of Cryptantha are known only from Kansas, and one immediately adjacent site in Yuma County, Colorado (fig. 1). The genus Biorbia, on the other hand, is known to occur from South Dakota to Texas in abundant quantities. Key to the fossil species of Cryptantha A. N utlet m argin w inged B Margins without wings ........ C. coroniformis B. Nutlet width 1.4-1.6 m m C. auriculata Nutlet width 2.4-2.6 m m ......... C. chaneyi 1. Cryptantha chaneyi (Elias) Segal, Trans. Kans. Acad. Sci. 67: 203, 1964. Krynitzkia (Oreocarya) chaneyi Elias, Kans. Acad. Sci. 67: Bull. 20: 357-358, pl. 30, figs. 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d, 1932. Geol. Soc. Amer., Spec. Paper 41, 160, pl. 7, fig. 7, 1942. Type locality: south side of Goose Creek, Wallace County, Kansas.-Only nutlets known; hollow, greatly inflated, triangular-ovoid, acute at apex; triangular areola at base of scar of attachment on ventral surface; areola narrowing into

Exploration Developments in Colorado-Nebraska, 1965-1966: ABSTRACT

During the past 12 months, total exploration and development drilling in the Denver basin maintained the relatively low but consistent plateau established during the previous year. Approximately 80-90% of the tests were drilled by independent operators. Major oil companies have been active in development drilling, secondary-recovery projects, and exploration in pre-Cretaceous formations, particularly the Permian and Pennsylvanian. Significant discoveries in the Cretaceous D and J sandstone bodies were found in the older so-called fairway part of the basin. Here both subsurface control and land are available. In the available-land category are Logan and Morgan Counties, Colorado, and Cheyenne County, Nebraska. Seismic activity took place only in the following areas: Weld County, east of Black Hollow field, the extreme southern part of the basin in Crowley and Pueblo Counties, and in the evaluation of D and J sandstone prospects. The Colorado and Nebraska legislatures passed involuntary unitization laws. This, together with improved secondary-recovery methods, should increase ultimate recovery and profit on a per-well basis. Largely because of the increased number of tests and information available, a few companies are using computers in their exploration programs. The exploration pattern established during the past few years should continue. End_of_Article - Last_Page 2029------------

Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian of Northern Denver Basin, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska

Permo-Pennsylvanian sedimentation in the northern Denver basin was influenced by the positive areas of Frontrangia (ancestral Front Range) and the Cambridge arch. Near these sources, coarse clastics interfinger with shales and limestones of the basin. The Cambridge arch was first covered by marine Pennsylvanian sediments during Desmoinesian time. Frontrangia contributed coarse arkosic sediments from Morrowan into Leonardian time. A northwest trend of Frontrangia and the Cambridge arch is indicated by isopach and lithofacies data. The Transcontinental arch was a positive pre-Morrowan feature which also was very slightly positive during Desmoinesian and Missourian time and at the end of the Pennsylvanian Period. The Hartville, Wyoming, area was basinal until uplifted near the end of Wolfcampian time as indicated by truncated Wolfcampian sediments. lsopach maps indicate that the Las Animas arch was mildly positive during Morrowan, Atokan, and Desmoinesian time. On the east flank of the Laramie Mountains the Casper Formation includes sediments of Atokan through Wolfcampian Age. Sediments of questionable Morrowan Age may be present in the basal Casper or in underlying tongues of the Fountain. At the type locality strata as young as Leonardian are believed to be present in the upper Casper. The Ingleside Formation is the Colorado equivalent of the Casper and near the Wyoming-Colorado boundary line also includes sediments of Atokan through Wolfcampian Age. South of the Wyoming-Colorado boundary line basal Ingleside intertongues with the Fountain Formation and at the type locality the Ingleside is entirely Wolfcampian. The Hartville Formation is divided into seven members ranging in age from Atokan to Leonardian, inclusive. Wolfcampian fusulinids occur 70-80 feet below the subsurface shale marker in Cheyenne County, Nebraska. The Satanka Formation consists of the predominantly red sediments that lie between the Casper or Ingleside Formation below and the Opeche Shale or the Lyons Sandstone above. Lateral equivalents of the Satanka are the uppermost Casper of the type locality, the Cassa Member of the Hartville Formation, the middle part of the Lyons Sandstone at the type locality and rocks of Leonardian Age in northwestern Kansas. Lithofacies maps of Pennsylvanian and early Permian sediments indicate decreasing clastic ratios in progressively younger strata. Pre-Desmoinesian clastics decrease in particle-size toward the center of the Denver basin, whereas in sediments deposited following burial of the Cambridge arch, during Desmoinesian time, the clastic particles become smaller eastward across the basin. The present structure of the northern Denver basin is abruptly asymmetrical, much steeper on the west than on the east side, and slightly elongate in a northerly direction. The deepest part of the basin lies only 18-20 miles east of the Permo-Pennsylvanian outcrop. Isopach maps of the Pennsylvanian and Lower Permian Series show relatively greater subsidence in the center of the basin than on the flanks, and also indicate a general southward tilting. About one well per 400 square miles has penetrated the Lower Permian-Pennsylvanian section. These objectives in the northern Denver basin must be considered largely unexplored.

Distribution, Habitat, and Abundance of the Topeka Shiner Notropis topeka (Gilbert) in Kansas

Notropis topeka (Gilbert) occurs from Minnesota and South Dakota south through Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and (Moore, 1957:134). Compared with distributions of other plains fishes, this range is small. No other fish has a similar area of distribution. In Kansas, N. topeka has been reported from scattered localities that indicate its presence throughout the northern part of the state (Kansas River Basin) and in part of the Arkansas River Basin in south-central (Fig. 1). Approximately 37 localities are represented, 10 of which are west of 970 longitude. Nine of the 10 western records were obtained between 1882 and 1887 when the first general surveys of fishes were made in (Gilbert, 1885:98, 1886:210, 1889:39; Cragin, 1885:108; Evermann and Fordice, 1886: 185; Hay, 1888:245, 248, 251, 252 [as Notropis aeneolus Hay], 246). The tenth record is a single specimen (KU 3108) obtained by A. B. Leonard and A. B. Williams from Cherry Creek, Cheyenne County, in April, 1947. Other recent collections west of 970 longitude have not included Topeka shiners. Breukelman (1940a) failed to find them in extensive surveys of streams in northwestern Kansas, and in 1958, Cross and B. C. Nelson did not find N. topeka at any of 30 western localities, including all those cited by Gilbert, Cragin, and Hay. In the River Basin east of 970 longitude, N. topeka was reported from three localities between 1882 and 1887 (Gilbert, 1884 [types from Shunganunga Creek, Shawnee County, described as Cliola (Hybopsis) topeka], 1886:210; Graham, 1885:73). Graham's record may be erroneous, because it evidently was based on the same collection from the Missouri River that was reported by Jordan and Meek (1886:12-14), who did not list the Topeka shiner from that locality. Breukelman (1940b: 380), reporting on fish in the University of Museum of Natural History, tabulated 27 specimens from the Kansas [river], and tributaries not otherwise named. Presumably, this record refers to specimens collected by the State Biological Survey in 1912, from Rock Creek, Douglas County. Jennings (1942: 365) listed N. topeka from two localities, one of which is the only record from the Marais des Cygnes System (Missouri River Drainage). Minckley (1956:353-354) reported one additional locality in the Basin. The species is now known from many other streams in the eastern part of the basin, mostly in the Flint Hills Region. All of the older records from the Arkansas River System are west of 970 longitude, except for two specimens (formerly Indiana Uni-

A Hoary Bat from Northwestern Kansas

The hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus cinereus (Beauvois), is known to occur in most parts of the United States but is most common in forested areas. On the Great Plains, records of this bat, even on migration, are unusual. Accordingly, it is of interest to report the taking of a female hoary bat on March 26, 1953, by Mr. Charlie Vanderford in extreme northwestern Kansas (121/2 miles N and 51/2 mi. W of St. Francis, Cheyenne County). This bat (KU 52432) was captured alive on the grounds of a school. It was not pregnant and weighed 19.4 grams. According to Cockrum (Univ. Kansas Publ., Mus. Nat. Hist., 7: 73-74, 1952), the hoary bat has not been recorded previously in northwestern Kansas. The date of capture, March 26, is the earliest spring record for the hoary bat in Kansas.

Recent Discoveries of Oil and Gas in Northeastern Colorado: ABSTRACT

The discovery of oil in Cheyenne County, Nebraska, by the Ohio Oil Company in 1949, touched off a major land and exploration play on the east flank of the Denver basin. To date, in the Colorado portion of the basin, this play has resulted in the discovery of seven new fields. The history of exploration which led to these discoveries is reviewed and the extent of present development of each field is described. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1105------------

Developments in Rocky Mountain Region in 1937

The discovery of oil in commercial quantities in the lower part of the Jurassic (?) Morrison formation at 6,664-6,693 feet on Wilson Creek dome, Moffat County, Colorado, in a joint test drilled by The Texas Company and The California Company constitutes one of the most important developments of the year. Development of prolific oil production in the Pennsylvanian Minnelusa formation in the old Lance Creek field, Niobrara County, Wyoming, added a substantial new reserve in the region. Substantial extensions were made during the year to the black oil productive areas of the Garland field, Big Horn County, Wyoming, and the Hamilton Dome field, Hot Springs County, Wyoming. Four new gas-producing areas were drilled in Wyoming during the year. The most important of these is probably the East Allen Lake field where two wells with an initial production of 20 million and 40 million cubic feet per day, respectively, were completed in the Jurassic Sundance formation. Three important dry holes were drilled within the plains region of eastern Colorado. While these failures are discouraging and will probably tend to retard development to some extent, they by no means conclusively condemn the territory. The effect of these dry holes was partly offset by an encouraging showing of oil obtained in a porous Pennsylvanian limestone, tentatively correlated as Kansas City, at 4,808-4,813 feet in the Gulf Oil Corporation's U.P.-Larsen well No. 1 in the Kit Karson area, Cheyenne County, Colorado. All of the major operators of the region carried out active exploratory campaigns during the year. Ten companies had seismic crews in the field. Geophysical investigations consisted largely of reconnaissance surveys throughout large, Tertiary-covered areas for the purpose of mapping the regional structure of the pre-Tertiary formations.