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Prospectivity Modeling for Cambrian–Ordovician Hydraulic Fracturing Sand Resources Around The Llano Uplift, Central Texas

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Abstract

Cambrian–Ordovician strata in Central Texas are a major source of specialty sand for hydraulic fracturing and have potential to play a bigger role in proppant supply to markets in and around Texas. Sandstone in the Hickory Member of the Riley Formation is suitable in compressive strength, as well as grain size and shape to be used as proppant. The Hickory sandstone forms the basal sequence that non-conformably overlies the Precambrian basement and is a complex succession of terrestrial and transgressive marine arkosic to quartz arenitic sands and silts. The quantity and location of sand resources in the Central Texas Frac Sand district is illustrated through geospatial volumetric techniques and estimated at 5 billion tonnes of proppant material. The prospectivity modeling of favorable characteristics of existing resource locations is applied to determine new sites for resource development and locate and quantify the abundance of prospective natural sand resources in the Central Texas Frac Sand district.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to give thanks to the thoughtful suggestions from colleagues, reviewers, notably Earle McBride, and John Carranza which greatly improved the manuscript. The funding for this study was provided by the State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery program through the University of Texas at Austin, Bureau of Economic Geology, Mineral Resource Program. This study was greatly enhanced by regional mapping products, produced by the University of Texas at Austin Bureau of Economic Geology, and funded through the United States Geological Survey Mapping Cooperative Program, STATEMAP Award No. G14AC0020.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, University Station, Box X Austin, TX, 78713-8924, USA

    B. A. Elliott, R. Verma & J. R. Kyle

  2. Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    R. Verma & J. R. Kyle

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  1. B. A. Elliott
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  2. R. Verma
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  3. J. R. Kyle
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Correspondence to B. A. Elliott.

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Elliott, B.A., Verma, R. & Kyle, J.R. Prospectivity Modeling for Cambrian–Ordovician Hydraulic Fracturing Sand Resources Around The Llano Uplift, Central Texas. Nat Resour Res 25, 389–415 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-016-9291-6

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