Paleotopographic controls on reservoir heterogeneities and diagenesis, Permian Cedar Mesa Sandstone, SE Utah

The Cedar Mesa Sandstone in southeast Utah displays characteristic bands of red and white sandstone. 16 samples were collected and studied petrographically to analyze variations in grain size, sorting and diagenetic cementation. A field air-permeameter was used to measure rock permeability at 264 locations in 2 units in the Cedar Mesa. By correlating diagenetic characteristics to permeability we can better predict reservoir potential.; Models of deposition for eolian strata require translation of bedforms accompanied by base-level rise to create continuous beds. However, in our model, inherited eolian topography influences subsequent deposition.; Detailed GPS mapping of a 10 km2 area was used to trace strata through a 20-25 m thick unit, which is bounded above and below by erosion surfaces. The draa surfaces were eroded and exposed prior to filling of the intervening lows with alternations of barchan dunes and sandsheets, which graded into ponds that formed in the topographic lows.