Reconnaissance coal study in the Susitna basin, 2014
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Abstract
The Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys (DGGS) conducted fieldwork during the summer of 2014 in the Susitna basin as part of an ongoing evaluation of the hydrocarbon potential of frontier basins, particularly those near the Railbelt region (for example, Decker and others, 2013; Gillis and others, 2013). Topical studies associated with this recent work include sedimentary facies analysis (LePain and others, 2015) and structural geology investigations (Gillis and others, 2015). The Susitna basin contains coal-bearing Paleogene and Neogene strata correlative with formations that host oil and gas in Cook Inlet basin to its south. Isotopic signatures of natural gas reservoired in the Miocene/Pliocene Sterling and Miocene Beluga Formations suggest a biogenic origin for Cook Inlet gas (Claypool and others, 1980). To assess the biogenic gas potential of the Susitna basin, it is important to obtain information from its coal-bearing units.
Characteristics of coal, such as maturity/rank and cleat development are key parameters influencing viability of a biogenic gas system (Laubach and others, 1998). In an early study of the Susitna basin (Beluga–Yentna region), Barnes (1966) identified, analyzed, and recognized potentially valuable subbituminous coal resources at Fairview Mountain, Canyon Creek, and Johnson Creek. Merritt (1990), in a sedimentological study to evaluate surface coal mining potential of the Tertiary rocks of the Susitna basin (Susitna lowland), concluded that the basin contained several billion tons of mineable reserves. This preliminary report offers a brief summary of new information on coals in the Susitna Basin acquired during associated stratigraphic studies (see LePain and others, 2015).
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | State or Local Government Series |
| Title | Reconnaissance coal study in the Susitna basin, 2014 |
| DOI | 10.14509/29466 |
| Year Published | 2015 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys |
| Contributing office(s) | Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center |
| Description | 6 p. |
| First page | 5 |
| Last page | 10 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | Sustina Basin |
| Google Analytic Metrics | Metrics page |