Subsurface Alteration and Mineralization of Permian Red Beds Overlying Several Oil Fields in Southern Oklahoma

Abstract

The geochemical manifestations of migrating hydrocarbons and the use of these manifestations in the search for petroleum are topics that have been overlooked in the past and have only recently been recognized and researched. Southern Oklahoma is an excellent area for this type of study. The area contains an abundance of large, shallow petroleum accumulations in anticlinal structures that are exposed at the surface, and much well data are available for each oil field. The detailed examination of rotary drill well cuttings allowed for the mapping of mineral occurrences and alteration zones around several oil fields in the area. Conclusions about the migratory history and the mechanism of accumulation of petroleum have been drawn from these data.