ORGANIC GEOCHEMISTRY OF THE WOODFORD FORMATION IN THE RICHBURG-1 WELL, DELAWARE BASIN

The Woodford Formation is known to be a major source rock in most parts of the southern midcontinent. Even though it is believed to be the source that feeds productive reservoirs like the Thirtyone and Fasken formations within the Permian Basin, a cloud of doubt surrounding this theory remains, because of the unusual migration pathways connecting these reservoirs to the Woodford. Previous studies of Woodford cores and logs in some parts of the Permian Basin show an abundance of organic matter and complex mineralogy, but without adequate data to firmly connect the observations to the formation’s viability as a source-rock. A comprehensive evaluation that includes palynofacies analysis, programmed pyrolysis, and vitrinite reflectance of the Woodford in the Richburg-1 well is underway. Here we present the results from the pyrolysis analysis and their significance.