PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE SPATIAL VARIATION OF POROSITY AND MINERALOGY IN THE LAMOTTE SANDSTONE IN SW MISSOURI

Anthropogenic release of carbon dioxide has been accepted as a possible cause of global climate change. In order to reduce the amount of CO₂ released into the atmosphere from the burning of fossil fuels, steps are being taken to capture and sequester the carbon from these emissions. A proposed target unit for CO₂ sequestration is the Lamotte Sandstone, the deepest porous media available in southwest Missouri. This study will contribute to the overall body of knowledge on this basal Cambrian sedimentary unit, as well as to the suitability of this unit for the Missouri Carbon Sequestration Project. A detailed petrographic analysis of the Lamotte Sandstone, consisting of porosity and bulk mineral composition, is used to determine horizontal and lateral variation within the unit. Thin sections from four historic cores and a new core drilled on-site are prepared at intervals of approximately ten feet and at least 1000 points per slide are counted. This data will be used to interpret the depositional environments of the Lamotte Sandstone in southwest Missouri and, in conjunction with subsequent hydrologic studies, can be used in determining the potential storage capacity of the unit, as well as in geochemical modeling of interactions of CO₂ with the constituent minerals. This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory under Award Number DE-NT0006642 to City Utilities of Springfield, MO.