ABSTRACT
The Red Fork sandstone was divided into the upper and lower Red Fork which are separated by a consistent marker bed. The Red Fork interval thickens markedly across the study area from 250 ft (75 m) in the northeast to over 1,300 ft (400 m) in the southwest. Most of the thickening is within the lower Red Fork. The lower Red Fork is believed to have been deposited in shelf-to-basin transitional terrain. Sands were located in delta-front, submarine-channel-fill, and possible submarine-fan terrain. The upper Red Fork is believed to represent the maximum progradation of a deltaic complex.
Sandstones of the lower Red Fork are sublithic to lithic arenites; the upper Red Fork is sublithic arenite. The dominant lithic fraction is mudstone fragments. The main diagenetic alterations of both the upper and lower Red Fork sandstones were destruction of primary porosity by compaction and cementation. Dissolution chiefly of mud fragments has produced well-developed secondary porosity. Clays of the lower Red Fork mainly are authigenic chlorite; clays of the upper Red Fork primarily are authigenic kaolinite.
Present oil and gas production from Red Fork sandstones is most abundant from localities on the paleoshelf.
