Interpretive bedrock-geologic map of the Sagavanirktok B-1 Quadrangle, eastern North Slope, Alaska
Dates
Publication Date
2000
Start Date
1999
End Date
2000
File Modification Date
2014-05-22 11:36:00
Citation
Reifenstuhl, R.R., Mull, C.G., Harris, E.E., LePain, D.L., and Wallace, W.K., 2000, Interpretive bedrock-geologic map of the Sagavanirktok B-1 Quadrangle, eastern North Slope, Alaska: State of Alaska, Department of Natural Resources, Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys, http://dx.doi.org/10.14509/2676.
Summary
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has conducted 1:63,360-scale geologic mapping of the Sagavanirktok B-1 Quadrangle (640 square km�equivalent to four 7.5 minute quadrangles). This mapping project reinterprets micropaleontologic correlations for 17 Sagavanirktok Quadrangle wells, and reprocesses data from the one publicly-available seismic line. Surface geologic mapping, subsurface-to-surface stratigraphic age control, and seismic framework are required to reliably decipher the complex geology of this key area of the Brooks Range. Outcrops within the Sagavanirktok B-1 Quadrangle are the closest surface expressions of Prudhoe Bay source and reservoir rocks. This study yields critical petroleum-related information [...]
Summary
Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) has conducted 1:63,360-scale geologic mapping of the Sagavanirktok B-1 Quadrangle (640 square km�equivalent to four 7.5 minute quadrangles). This mapping project reinterprets micropaleontologic correlations for 17 Sagavanirktok Quadrangle wells, and reprocesses data from the one publicly-available seismic line. Surface geologic mapping, subsurface-to-surface stratigraphic age control, and seismic framework are required to reliably decipher the complex geology of this key area of the Brooks Range. Outcrops within the Sagavanirktok B-1 Quadrangle are the closest surface expressions of Prudhoe Bay source and reservoir rocks. This study yields critical petroleum-related information from these surface exposures, and how they relate to the area subsurface stratigraphy.
At the time this project was published, the State of Alaska depended on the petroleum industry for approximately 80 percent of its revenue, most of which comes from oil fields on the North Slope. North Slope oil production is declining. This mapping project addresses this problem by providing the state and industry with the first published geologic map of this part of the North Slope oil province at a scale other than 1:2,500,000. Detailed geologic mapping of the quadrangle addresses the lack of understanding of the petroleum-geology framework of the eastern North Slope, Colville basin, and the stratigraphic transition from the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). This detailed mapping and petroleum-related data is pertinent to oil exploration for Prudhoe Bay satellite fields and new play-type reevaluations, as well as assist private-sector exploration efforts, and speed the exploration process. This data will contribute to increased confidence in exploration and evaluation efforts in areas west of Prudhoe Bay.
