Piceance Basin Field Trip
0700–1700, Shuttle departs from Colorado Convention Center
Sunday’s field trip will provide a broad overview of the geologic framework for oil shale and natural gas resources in the Piceance Basin of northwest Colorado.
The trip leader is Rex Cole, who is a professor of geology at Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. Cole has focused much of his professional career on the Piceance Basin and has previously worked for Unocal Corporation, Multi-Mineral Corporation, Bendix Field Engineering Corporation, Southern Illinois University–Carbondale, and Asarco Corporation. He has degrees in geology from Colorado State University and the University of Utah.
During the first three hours of the field trip, we will drive over the Front Range, across the Eagle Basin, through Glenwood Canyon, and into the Piceance Basin. The geology of the leg between Vail and Rifle, Colorado, will be described in the handout. Two stops are planned near Rio Blanco and Rifle Gap Dam.
At Rio Blanco, the upturned edge of the oil shale deposits in the Green River Formation are well exposed and accessible. Discussions will involve the stratigraphy of the Green River Formation, oil shale characteristics, and resource development issues. The Rifle Gap Dam stop will focus on a complete stratigraphic section of the Late Cretaceous Iles and Williams Fork Formations, which are the major natural gas producers in the Piceance Basin. Discussions will cover the characteristics of sandstone reservoir analogs, plus correlation to nearby producing fields.
The bus will depart the Colorado Convention Center at 0700 hours and return by 1700 hours. Lunch, beverages, and a handout with supporting illustrations are included in the registration cost. Separate ticket purchase required.
