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ROCKY MOUNTAIITASSOCIATION OF GEOLOGI5T5~- 197• IDEBOOK 1B5
<br />GEOLOGY, HYDROLOGY, AND EXTRACTION OPERATIONS
<br />AT THE OCCIDENTAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION OlL
<br />SHALE PILOT PLANT NEAR DE BEQUE, COLORADO
<br />Ity
<br />1{nndoll T. Chew, 111'
<br />INTRODUCTION
<br />fnrrctt f{c=cn rrh and Ilcrelupmcnt Cnmltauy, Inc,., a rvholly~n++~nrrl su hnidarr
<br />of llcr.idcnlal 1'rl rnlrum Curpmnlion (()\}'), is resp~nlsi blc (nr uruc6 of lire
<br />basic. resrareh door, brt Orridrnlal, and dues outside coulrout work ns rccll. Tbr
<br />;nlhur began gculu~irnl work on oil shale (nr Q\Y .m a consuhing Ln~is in
<br />lOG7. Prom the outset, ;m in sine process was Ihr, onh• unc ruusidrn•d. 6ulh (mm
<br />economic and cue irouno•nlal rnnsidrralinns. Until laic 1771, work wa, runfnu•d
<br />In geological mapping ;uul rvalualiuns, and In a small auu alai ..( con: drilling.
<br />In November 1971, "(1\}" tilakr Spnngs Draw {+lu. l" +aa< drilled in the uurlli~
<br />wc.trnt earl ..( the I'icranrc Crcrk L:rsiu. As a mull of 16i corchor. an
<br />scrlu~n hart era; nominated for the cur n•nt Irasiug pmgnul, ;rod pail ~~I Ihr
<br />naminnicd Irarl uas actually included in Ibc Colorado "r\'• 'heart. In 19i2, the
<br />"U. A. >hale-l.allehau 'I'ru.l" I:uid n;ts ar~luirrd ns a site for Ihr concur pilot
<br />plnnf operation. ~1~6is p;gmr sunluiarizrs Ihr, geology and hldndugy ,.( 16x1 site
<br />and author, mining and relurl6lg processes used iu the m aihr rxllarli~~n n( ,ail
<br />from the oil shale: measures taken to protect nr rc.=.lnre Ihr cuviruuwrnt also
<br />arc described.
<br />"(hr pilot operation is located al the brad n( Logan \Vaslr ea-1 ~~( Ihr 1{o:m Crcrk
<br />road near the nuulhwcsl conu•r of Ihr Pircanec Crcrk 6asiu ll~ig. I I 'fhc site
<br />is about IS wi nutl6r;~>t ..f Ur Rryuc and d5 uri n„r11u~a>I of I:r:wd Juuetlou.
<br />Garn•It He>c:uch ;uul IL•vrlopnlcnl (: n, umiutaius a policy u( cloud operation
<br />and resit iris public acres ter lire silt.
<br />The plmrt is ml 16c Roan CIi ITs, which rise abngAly from Ihr (:, ~lurado
<br />liiccr bch. cen Ihairquc :md li i{le. I{rlicf 'm the arch is about 3.500 II r+•ilhiu
<br />a distance uI 3 mi from Ibe Colorado liivcr to a topographic high about onrllalf
<br />mi nodh o! the pilot plan) I Pig. 21.
<br />In Ibe upper p.ut of Grand \`:III~•y, t6r Colorado 1{ixrr flora on rrlalivrly so(I
<br />silbt mre nod iutcl Lrddrd s;md<n~nr of Ihr \Va<alr6 Purmali~nl, al a glaJirul
<br />drlrrniinrd br n Irinp,n:u~r b;i-r Irerl on Ihr molt ursi~la ul i\Ir.at'rrdr I~~~rncr~
<br />rluu ;d Ihr head ..I IIr16•quc (.aln'r+u. I'n+G lcs n( ihr major Irilml:u~r draiua Res
<br />sorb :n li,~:ni Crcrk and I';u nrhule Cn•rk ;ur n•lalivclc graded. as me 1l ilnnarirs
<br />to Ihr=c nlajur creeks. \lort n( Lugml \Vash has a grade ..f a~6 (1 p~•t 100 fl.
<br />(hr the other h;uul, L shml Iri6ulart~ ilrainagrs, Smith Gnlch and {;city Gldrh,
<br />ihal Ilnw din•r.lly into 16r Colorado liircr from Ihr Roam CIIIT% h:no ~6orn•r
<br />cuunc>. steeper proli lrs, and arc rruimrally nnr;~h mote m91cr. 'fhr ~hurlrr
<br />IriLularir< Ilursing ~lirrrllr loin the river arc n•spumiblc Lrr the ymctacuhm
<br />scenery along the Bonn Clilis.
<br />1:1:(11,01:}'
<br />titrnligrnphy.-The. \Vasalrh Put nialiuu ..( I•:nrcnc ngc
<br />forms the (loot of the upper part of (:r:m~l Valley and
<br />Ihr, valley n( Roan Crcrk. 11 causisls nwHly of hrigWk
<br />~ulorrd clav=tone and sihslonr. In Ihr. lyrl{rrluc area, n
<br />iniddlc unit of chli•fonninR nnnd•tonr bed•. occur, .nmr
<br />"( which ore unusu;illy prrsisl;uil. lu rlrlail, the cmilacl
<br />~d the \V nsatch I'nnnatlnn rvi16 Ibe uvcrlr ing Goren Ricer
<br />I•onnalion is Iransilioual and color is ibc principal cri-
<br />'Senior Geologist. Careen Rr"•arrh anJ Dwrlnpmrm Company,
<br />Inc., Grend Junction, ColoroJo flI5u 1.
<br />Ierion used to s~•Ierl the boundary. Al~nrg the contact
<br />Ihr irrrgul:u l} hrddrd, In ighlly coin red continental rucks
<br />uI llu: \\%uvrlrh arc overlaid by Ihu mguhrrly Leddrd
<br />light-gray IacuHlinc rocks n( the (:rren liiccr Poi nlaliun,
<br />•hhc occrlyiug Guru li leer I ~a uialiuu. n( ICoerne
<br />age, in Ihr Ile liryae. un•n eon L•~ dr+rdi .I '~nl~• 1 r,..,~il„~,
<br />I I•~ig. 2). Lucre-t of the<c is ihr Iluughis Cn:ck Mnwhcr,
<br />cnnipu~rd In rgcly a( cr„=sbrdded ripplr~nla eked sanlsluuc,
<br />and algal and o>I racndal liuuslunc, llm unit is resident
<br />In erosion earl a=natty Innns benches in Ihr. to+vrr part
<br />a( the fn•cn liivrr Ponualinu. II is about X100 (t thick.
<br />(h~crlyiug the Douglas Cn•rk Member is \he Garden
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