Geology of the Lower Cretaceous Travis Peak Formation, East Texas: Characterization of a Tight Gas SandStone

Since 1982, the Gas Research Institute (GRI) Tight Gas Sands Project has supported geological investigations designed to develop knowledge necessary to efficiently produce low-permeability, gas-bearing sandstones. As part of that program, the Bureau of Economic Geology has conducted research on low-permeability sandstone in the Lower Cretaceous Travis Peak (Hosston) Formation in East Texas.

The first phase of the study, which lasted from 1983 until 1986, involved extensive collection of core and production data in seven cooperative wells. Information gained from the cooperative wells, combined with geologic characterization of the Travis Peak throughout the study area, led to the drilling by GRI of three Staged Field Experiment (SFE) wells between 1986 and 1988. The SFE wells were drilled and completed by GRI specifically for the purpose of research on low-permeability gas reservoirs.

This report summarizes the results of the geologic studies of the Travis Peak Formation, and it focuses on the contribution of geology to evaluation and completion of tight gas sandstone wells.