Conditions and implications for compaction band formation in the Navajo Sandstone, Utah

Observations from quartz-rich eolian Navajo Sandstone in the Buckskin Gulch site in southernmost Utah show that pure compaction bands only occur in sandstones where current porosity > 0.29 ± 3, permeability > 10 ± 7 darcy, and grain size > 0.4 mm – properties restricted to the lower and most coarse-grained and well-sorted parts of grain flow units within the dune units. Hence a direct correlation between stratigraphy and band occurrence has been established that can be used to predict deformation band occurrences in similar sandstone reservoirs.We show that the pure compaction bands formed perpendicular to a subhorizontal σ1, bisecting conjugate sets of shear-enhanced compaction bands. The latter bands locally developed into shear-dominated bands that transect entire dune units, suggesting that an increase in the amount of simple shear promotes band propagation into less porous and permeable lithologies.Stress considerations indicate that, as a continuous and overlapping sequence of events, pure compaction bands in quartz-rich Navajo Sandstone initiated at 10–20 MPa (∼1 km depth), followed by shear-enhanced compaction bands that locally developed into more stratigraphically extensive shear-dominated bands. The rare combination of special lithologic and stress conditions may explain why pure compaction bands are rarely observed in naturally deformed sandstones.

► A spectrum from compaction bands to compactional shear bands is investigated.
► Pure compaction bands formed perpendicular to a subhorizontal σ1.
► They only occur where porosity > 29 ± 3%, and permeability > 10 ± 7 darcy.
► Increasing the shear/compaction ratio eases band propagation across bedding.
► All bands show permeability reductions by up to 3–4 orders of magnitude.