Skip to Main Content
Skip Nav Destination

The Spraberry Formation forms the heart of a multibillion-barrel oil field in the Midland Basin, west Texas. Production is from very fine sandstones and siltstones that form low-permeability and low-pressure reservoirs across eight counties in west Texas. The Sun Oil Co., Lottie Jalonick #1 core is continuous through the upper 222 feet (68 m) of the Spraberry Formation and is ideal for facies analysis.

Four lithofacies comprise the terrigenous clastics of the Spraberry and Dean Formations: (1) cross-laminated, massive, and parallel-laminated sandstone, (2) laminated siltstone, (3) bioturbated siltstone, and (4) black, organic-rich shale. Silty dolomite mudstone is a very minor carbonate component. Though not common in other cores, numerous fining-upward sequences of sandstone overlain by shale and laminated siltstone are common in the Jalonick core. These are interpreted to be deposits from saline density currents, generated in shelf lagoons and salt pans, as they were dispersed beyond channel mouths in the distal fringe of an upper Spraberry submarine fan. Laminated siltstones were deposited out of suspension from saline density interflows.

You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

or Create an Account

Close Modal
Close Modal