Facies Variability and Post-Depositional Alteration within the Rustler Formation in the Vicinity of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, Southeastern New Mexico

摘要

The purpose of this study is to describe the detailed sedimentology, interpret the depositional environments of the Rustler, and to reassess the extent of Rustler dissolution. The reconstructed depositional environments help to bound the extent and relative timing of dissolution. Existing literature was surveyed to distill criteria by which dissolution can be recognized. Microscopic examination of diagenetic alteration of the Rustler rounds out the evidence. The Rustler was examined in detail in two shafts and many cores from the vicinity of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) site in southeastern New Mexico. Nearly 600 geophysical logs from boreholes in southeastern New Mexico were interpreted, and the stratigraphy and lithology over a larger study area were related to units observed in cores and shafts from the WIPP site. 103 refs., 79 figs., 1 tab. (ERA citation 13:044779)