Research paperAssessing bottom water anoxia within the Late Devonian Woodford Shale in the Arkoma Basin, southern Oklahoma

- Redox-sensitive elements indicate changing bottom water conditions through time.
- The Woodford Shale records oscillating bottom water ventilation conditions.
- Bottom water ventilation generally improves upsection.
- Organic matter preservation was aided by localized paleotopographic depressions.
- These regions represent “sweet spots” for hydrocarbon exploration.

Comparing the concentration of molybdenum (Mo) (ppm) and total organic carbon (TOC) (wt%) within sediments allows interpretation of the relative degrees of bottom water restriction within the geologic record. The Woodford Shale is interpreted as transgressive systems tract (TST) grading into highstand systems tract (HST). The lowermost Woodford preserves a Mo-TOC signal that is consistent with a restricted basin that periodically received influxes of water consistent with rising sea levels flowing into restricted sub-basins that became isolated by localized conditions. The middle Woodford preserves a signal that indicates an increased ventilation at the sediment-water interface persisting until the maximum flooding surface. The presence of phosphate nodules in the uppermost Woodford suggests sufficient oxygen to retain the Mo in solution and indicates active upwelling and circulation with the Paleotethys.It is also possible to document changing ventilation patterns, non-destructively, within a basin by utilizing changing trends in redox-sensitive trace metals (Mo, Ni, and Cu) and an approximation of the degree of pyritization (aDOP) based on an idealized formula for pyrite (FeS2). This chemofacies approach produces a qualitatively similar interpretation to the changing Mo-TOC signal and can evaluate lateral trends in bottom water ventilation where destructive sampling is not permitted. Distal regions preserve the greatest degree of bottom water ventilation. Proximal regions preserve highly variable conditions with more restricted conditions being common in the lowermost Woodford Shale and ventilation improving upsection.Interpreting changing levels of bottom water anoxia enable greater degrees of precision in targeting potential hydrocarbon resources. Furthermore, this information improves our understanding of the changing environmental conditions of the Woodford Shale. The Framvaren Fjord is a reasonable modern analog for bottom water restriction in the lowermost portion of the Woodford Shale. The Cariaco Basin is a good modern analog for bottom water restriction in the middle and uppermost Woodford Shale.