This study investigates the internal facies architecture of a river-dominated delta deposit using outcrops of the Cretaceous Panther Tongue of the Star Point Sandstone in central Utah, U.S.A. A series of photorealistic virtual outcrop models (VOM) were created from ~13 linear-km of outcrop. These VOMs, alongside field observations, were used to identify and map facies and facies associations over the ~25 m-thick stratigraphic interval. A new workflow for querying VOMs as outcrop analogs for subsurface reservoir analogs was developed, using a database of measurements (Panther Tongue - outcrop analog - metric database) was constructed using 60 digital sections that were measured within the VOMs at 152 m (~500 ft) spacing. This database characterizes a total of 508 sandstone beds by their thickness, length, and dip, from which the average thickness (0.78 m), bed length (330 m), and bed dip (2˚ towards the south) were calculated. Thinning rates were also calculated in both depositional strike and depositional dip directions (1.37x10-2 and 1.01x10-2 respectively). The workflow established in this study is applicable to other sedimentary outcrops and environments, thus demonstrating that VOMs can be used as a basis for quantitative database development and reservoir modeling inputs.

Last modified

• 11/28/2023

Creator

• Emma Morris
• Cari Johnson
• Claire Atlas

Subject

• Cretaceous Period
• Outcrops
• Deltas

Language

• English

Identifier

• https://doi.org/10.7278/S50d-njws-r7tz

Keyword

• shallow marine sedimentology
• outcrop metrics
• Virtual outcrop models of ancient river-dominated delta system

Date created

• 2020-01-01 to 2022-05-31

Location

• Helper, Utah, United States

Resource type

• Other

Source

• NASA Thesaurus

License

• CC BY NC - Allows others to use and share your data non-commercially and with attribution.