Description
Geologic and hydrologic controls on coalbed methane in the Sand Wash Basin, Colorado and Wyoming. Includes structural stratigraphic and hydrologic setting of Mesaverde and Fort Union coals, coalbed methane resources, production, and possible traps. 151 pages. Digital PDF download. RS-30D
From the Technical Perspective:
Coalbed methane production has been established in the Sand Wash Basin. Large coal resources, gas shows during drilling of coal beds, and high gas contents in some coals triggered initial development along the basin margins. Results had been disappointing. Coalbed wells have yielded little gas and large volumes of water. In the absence of a regional analysis, neither production data nor the basin’s ultimate coalbed methane potential could be fully evaluated. Thus, the need arose for an integrated geologic and hydrologic study of the basin to provide the framework for evaluating development properties and the rationale for future exploration. The objectives of this study were to identify geologic and hydrologic controls on the occurrence and producibility of coalbed methane in the Sand Wash Basin, northwest Colorado and southwest Wyoming.
