PETROGRAPHIC ANALYSIS OF THE SMACKOVER FORMATION IN SOUTHERN ARKANSAS

The Smackover Formation in Southern Arkansas is an organic-poor, carbonate-rich mudrock with siliciclastic intervals. Because of their high presence of total organic matter (TOC), most research conducted on the Smackover focuses on samples in Mississippi and Alabama. Little work has been conducted on the Smackover Formation in Arkansas because it is considered a poor oil and gas producer. The purpose of this project is to conduct a petrographic analysis of the core samples collected from multiple wells in Southern Arkansas. The thin sections were analyzed for porosity and facies type. The thin sections were also analyzed for pyrite framboids, intraparticle porosity, and detrital quartz grains. Select thin sections were stained for 30 seconds with an Alzarine Red-S in 2% HCL mixture to make carbonate minerals more prominent. Fossil evidence such as foraminifera were also identified. The data collected was used to create a stratigraphic chart based on thin section composition and a generalized porosity map throughout the cores analyzed.