Thermostratigraphy of the Williston Basin
- Key words
- Heat flow; thermal conductivity; thermal gradient; boreholetemperatures; co-produced fluids; sedimentary basins
- Location
- Williston Basin; North Dakota; South Dakota; Montana; Saskatchewan, Canada; Manitoba, Canada
- Conference
- Geothermal Resources Council Transactions
- Year
- 2012
- Session
- Exploration; Stratigraphy; Sedimentary basins; Heat flow; Te
- Language
- English
Abstract
We present a scheme for determining temperatures of strata in a sedimentary basin using heat flow, formation lithology, thickness and thermal conductivity. We calibrated the scheme on five sites in the Williston Basin where temperature vs. depth profiles enabled an iterative analysis of temperature gradient, thermal conductivity and heat flow. Comparison of the temperature projections to bottom hole temperatures provides insight on determining a reliable correction for BHT data. Large scale application of the scheme using stacked structure contours can provide a complete and accurate assessment of geothermal resources in a basin.
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