Huminite Reflectance Measurements of Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous Coals from Borehole Cuttings, Zavala and Dimmit Counties, South Texas

By Paul C. Hackley,¹ Robert W. Hook,² and Peter D. Warwick¹

¹U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA 20192.
²Austin, TX 78746. (Contractor to the U.S. Geological Survey)

The reflectance of huminite in 19 cuttings samples was determined in support of ongoing investigations into the coal bed methane potential of subsurface Paleocene and Upper Cretaceous coals of South Texas. Coal cuttings were obtained from the Core Research Center of the Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin. Geophysical logs, mud-gas logs, driller's logs, completion cards, and scout tickets were used to select potentially coal-bearing sample suites and to identify specific sample depths. Reflectance measurements indicate coals of subbituminous rank are present in a wider area in South Texas than previously recognized.

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U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http:// pubsdata.usgs.gov /pubs/of/2005/1144/index.html
For more information, contact Paul C. Hackley
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