Tar sand data for the P.R. Spring and Hill Creek areas, Uintah and Grand Counties, Utah (OFR-527)

By: J. W. Gwynn

The P.R. Spring - Hill Creek tar sand deposit lies within an area extending from T. 12 S. through T. 17 S., and R. 20 E. through R. 25 E., Salt Lake Baseline and Meridian, in Uintah and Grand Counties, Utah. The tar sands are found in the upper part of the Douglas Creek Member and the lower part of the Parachute Creek Member of the Green River Formation. The two members are separated by the Mahogany oil shale. The area is made up of U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands (SITLA), Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation, and private lands. The purpose of this report is to assemble the available tar sand core, measured section, bitumen content, composition, and other data into one report. Tar sand data and the interpretation of these data for this area are found scattered throughout the literature; academic research, theses, and dissertations; company reports; and in the Utah Geological Survey’s (UGS) files. From these sources, 124 measured sections and/or core holes were identified and converted to common-scale lithologic sections. For each lithologic section, a one-square-mile topographic map was drawn that shows the location of the drill hole or measured section, and the area(s) estimated to be underlain by tar sands. The lithologic section and the topographic map are combined on one sheet, together with additional information, and presented in appendix A. This report also presents data on tar sand beds, zones, continuity, and properties such as bitumen and water content, sand-grain size, sulfur isotopes, and bitumen chemistry. Most of the tabular information found within the report is also found as Excel-format files.

Contains a 52-page report, plus six appendices which include 124 standarized-scale location maps and lithological sections of the P.R. Spring tar sand deposit, and tables showing physical, chemical, and mineralogical data for the core-hole samples within the area.

Other Information:
Published: 2008
Pages: 52 p. + 191 p. appendix
Location: Grand and Uintah Counties