Date of Graduation

5-2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Geology (MS)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Geosciences

Advisor/Mentor

McGilvery, T.A. "Mac"

Committee Member

Shaw, John B.

Second Committee Member

Dumond, Gregory

Third Committee Member

Woolsey, Jamie

Fourth Committee Member

Moyer, Christopher

Keywords

Arkansas; Atoka; Geology; Lidar; Mapping; Ozarks

Abstract

The surface outcrops of the Boston Mountains in northwest Arkansas primarily consist of the Pennsylvanian Atoka formation. Where fully preserved in the Arkoma Basin to the south, the Atoka formation exceeds 18,000 ft of sand and shale. However, it remains undifferentiated on the surface geological map of Arkansas. This study investigates the possibility of identifying and correlating the subsurface subdivisions of the Atoka Formation to the surface outcrops of the Boston Mountains using a new method. Recognizing the Atoka subdivisions in surface outcrops using standard lithology and biostratigraphy correlation techniques has been challenging. The subdivision of the Atoka has instead taken place in the subsurface, as documented by academia and the petroleum industry, utilizing wireline logging tools. These subdivisions are based on reservoir-quality sandstone cycles that can be mapped throughout the basin. This study employs the first derivative of the USGS LiDAR elevation data (LiDAR Slope Map) and subsurface well-log correlations to identify and map the subdivisions, presenting a previously unused surface mapping method for the Atoka Formation. Prior to this, only localized attempts have been made to identify the subsurface Atoka reservoir sandstone units in outcrop. This more detailed geological map of the Atoka Formation in the Boston Mountains will enable geologists to identify the same subunits on the surface that were previously studied solely through wellbore technology. It provides a model for the completion of such mapping across the remainder of the Boston Mountain region.

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