Surface-to-subsurface stratigraphy of the Caney Shale in portions of Pontotoc, Coal, Pittsburg, and Hughes Counties, Oklahoma, Arkoma basin

Abstract

The Caney Shale is an organic-rich, dark fissile shale of late Mississippian age with localized phosphate and limestone concretions. The Caney Shale in the Arkoma basin of Oklahoma is stratigraphically equivalent to the Barnett Shale of the Fort Worth basin, Texas and partially equivalent to the Fayetteville Shale. The Caney Shale is subdivided into three members; Ahloso, Delaware Creek, and Sand Branch. The Ahloso Member is characterized by its silt content, the Delaware Creek Member is characterized by its loss of silt and addition of carbonate concretions, and the Sand Branch Member is organic-rich, phosphatic, and contains minor carbonate concretions. The three members have distinct wireline log signatures that can be correlated from outcrop into the subsurface and used to map the distributions of each member. In general, all members gradually thin to the northeast and southeast. The Ahloso Member is the thinnest, whereas the Delaware Creek Member and Sand Branch Member are relatively close in thickness. Pay, as defined by total gamma-ray, was determined for the Sand Branch Member and appears to mirror its total thickness.