Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data

in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Austin Cardneaux and Jeffrey A. Nunn
Department of Geology and Geophysics, Louisiana State University,
E235 Howe-Russell Bldg., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803

ABSTRACT
The Eagle Ford Formation in South Texas has been an established hydrocarbon
play since 2008. This study uses geohistory and thermal modeling analysis to map the
boundary between the oil window and immature areas in the Maverick Basin. The updip limit of the oil window of the Eagle Ford Formation is present as far north as the
uppermost parts of Maverick, Zavala, and Frio counties based on estimated vitrinite
reflectance (%Ro). This limit correlates to a subsea structure depth of ~650 ft (198 m) in
Maverick county, ~2900 ft (884 m) in Zavala county and ~3650 ft (1113 m) in Frio county. The change in depth in relation to maturity reflects the amount of burial and subsequent uplift and erosion along the Chittim Anticline. %Ro estimated from geohistory
and thermal modeling are consistent with published studies of cores and cuttings and
correlate well with published %Ro maps. Total organic carbon (TOC) was calculated
using a well log overlay analysis technique. TOC varies laterally and stratigraphically
throughout the study area. TOC is higher in the lower Eagle Ford compared to the upper Eagle Ford. An area of high TOC (>10%) is noted in the lower Eagle Ford near the
center of the Maverick Basin. The log overlay analysis technique for calculating TOC
shows reasonable results when compared to actual measurements from cores and cuttings. These techniques can provide a quick look to define the petroleum potential in
frontier areas where data are limited.

INTRODUCTION
In 2010, the United States (U.S.) was the third largest crude oil producer in the world, but almost half of the
19.1 MMbopd used in the U.S. was imported (EIA, 2011). Full development of shale plays within the U.S. can
allow this country to be more energy self-sufficient. The Eagle Ford Formation in south and central Texas is
arguably one of the best shale plays within the U.S. because of its: 1) relatively shallow depths; 2) the presence
of liquid hydrocarbons; 3) high percentage of carbonate content which makes it easier to fracture; and 4) large
lateral extent and thickness (Railroad Commission of Texas, 2011).
The Eagle Ford has been studied for over 120 years and was named from outcrops around Dallas, Texas
(Hill, 1887). The term shale play is relative considering that many of these resource shale plays are not 100%
shale as the term implies. Variable rock properties in shale plays require different techniques to extract the oil
and gas. Methods like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling had to be implemented to extract this natural
resource. The Eagle Ford play was initially discovered as dry gas, and later wet gas and oil were discovered updip. The northern part of the play is the updip oil window with lower pore pressure and higher oil volumes, the
southern part of the play is the downdip dry gas window with higher pore pressure, and in the middle is the wet
gas or condensate window (DrillingInfo, 2010).
The Eagle Ford play area is growing. Large and small companies are working to delineate the spatial and
stratigraphic extent of the oil window of the play due to currently higher oil prices as compared to lower gas prices. Many interpretations have been released on limits of this play (e.g., EIA, 2011; Chesapeake Energy, 2012),
but the data and technique behind those interpretations are proprietary. This study was conducted to demonstrate
Cardneaux, A., and J. A. Nunn, 2013, Estimates of maturation and TOC from log data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick
Basin of South Texas: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 63, p. 111124.

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Copyright 2013 by The Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies

Cardneaux and Nunn

techniques for defining the northern limits of the oil window of the South Texas Eagle Ford shale play using public data. These techniques can be applied to the entire Eagle Ford shale play as well as other shale plays. Well
logs were used to determine the thickness of the Eagle Ford and the overburden formations for geohistory modeling. The modeling was used to estimate vitrinite reflectance (%Ro) values, which gave a basis for defining limits. Well logs also were used to estimate spatial variations in total organic carbon (TOC) using an overlay analysis (Passey et al., 1990). A Masters thesis by Harbor (2011) performed detailed geochemistry on a group of Eagle Ford wells, and data from nine of Harbors wells have been used to calibrate the models (Cardneaux, 2012,
Appendix A). Geochemical calibration allowed for wells with only log data to be used.
The study area is within the following counties in Texas: Kinney, Maverick, Uvalde, Zavala, Medina, and
Frio (Fig. 1), which are part of the Maverick Basin. The Eagle Ford outcrops in the study area within Kinney,
Uvalde, and Medina counties. This area was chosen for this study because of the variability in published maps of
the Eagle Ford oil window and also drilling is moving farther north to test and define the limits of the oil window.

GEOLOGIC SETTING
The opening of the Gulf of Mexico and the rotation of the Yucatan Block caused a half-graben to form during Triassic time in what is now Maverick County, Texas (Ewing, 2003; Scott, 2003). Salt was deposited in the
Late Triassic and Jurassic time (Salvador, 1991). Thermal subsidence was amplified by the evacuation of as
much as 1000 m (3281 ft) of salt (Salvador, 1991).
In South Texas, the Ouachita basement provided a stable topography for the development of coastlines and
carbonate platforms, like the Stuart City and Sligo reef margins (Goldhammer and Johnson, 2001). Southern
movement of the Laramide Uplift filled the Cretaceous foreland basin and caused sediment to be deposited into
intrashelf depocenters such as the Maverick Basin (Galloway, 2008). During the Cretaceous, Precambrian highs,
including the Llano Uplift in Central Texas and the Coahuila Block in northeast Mexico were the source of clastic sediment into the Maverick Basin (Goldhammer and Johnson, 2001). The southeast-northwest trending San
Marcos Arch, an extension of the Llano Uplift, separates the Maverick Basin and the East Texas Basin (Loucks,
1976). Laramide compression inverted the Triassic half-graben and formed the Chittim Arch in the western portion of the Maverick Basin (Ewing, 2003) (Fig.1). Uplift may have caused 12 km (0.61.2 mi) of erosion
(Ewing, 2003).
The Eagle Ford Formation was deposited during the Middle Cenomanian to Turonian stages of the Upper
Cretaceous, an interval of approximately 9 million years. In South Texas, the Eagle Ford lies unconformably
below the Austin Chalk Formation and above the Buda Formation. The unconformable surfaces between the
upper Eagle Ford and Austin Chalk as well as the lower Eagle Ford and Buda can be clearly seen in the type log
(Fig. 2). The Eagle Ford can be divided into an upper and a lower unit that can be distinguished by changes in
log response (Fig. 2). Donovan and Staerker (2010) and Lock et al., (2010) have identified further subdivisions
within the Eagle Ford based on outcrop studies, but those boundaries are not consistently recognized in log data.
The upper Eagle Ford is interpreted to be progradational within a highstand systems tract and the lower Eagle
Ford is interpreted to be retrogradational within a transgressive systems tract (Donovan and Staerker, 2010).
Because the Eagle Ford is transgressive, the formation is older near the Sligo shelf margin and younger towards
the north (Adams and Carr, 2010). Some workers interpret the Eagle Ford as a continuous transgressive systems
tract (Adams and Carr, 2010; Dawson and Almon, 2010), and others interpret alternating transgressive/regressive
sequences (Donovan and Staerker, 2010; Harbor, 2011; Lock et.al., 2010). Eagle Ford units thin from the Maverick Basin to the San Marcos Arch in the subsurface (Hentz and Ruppel, 2010).
The upper Eagle Ford consists of interbedded dark and light gray calcareous mudrock, while the lower Eagle
Ford unit consists of mostly dark gray mudrock (Hentz and Ruppel, 2010). Cardneaux (2012) described different
facies interpretations from the literature. Gas-prone organic material is typical of the upper Eagle Ford and more
oil-prone organic material is found within the lower Eagle Ford interval (Dawson and Almon, 2010). Regional
lithofacies patterns and fossil content indicate a marginal to open marine depositional setting for the Eagle Ford
Formation (Dawson and Almon, 2010). Eagle Ford strata show a mixed siliciclastic-bioclastic sediment mix that
accumulated near and below storm wavebase on a relatively shallow shelf to the northwest and in deeper settings
to the south and southwest (Dawson and Almon, 2010).

DATA AND METHODS

Wireline logs from 84 wells with spontaneous potential (SP) and resistivity (RES) curves were used in this
study (Fig. 1). Some wells also had gamma ray (GR), sonic (DT), and neutron-density (ND) curves. A list of

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Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Figure 1. Map of study area in south Texas with county boundaries. Wells used in this study are
shown as black dots. Red dots are wells also used by Harbor (2011). Chittim Anticline is shown as a
heavy line with orthogonal double arrowhead line. The Maverick Basin is outlined by a dashed line.

wells and associated logs are provided in Cardneaux (2012). The wireline logs for the study area were obtained
from: DrillingInfo, TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company, Texas Bureau of Economic Geology, and the Texas
Railroad Commission. Wells are concentrated in Kinney, Uvalde, Medina, Frio, Zavala, and Maverick counties,
with a few outliers which were used for correlation (Fig. 1).

Mapping Using GeoGraphix

Data for the 84 wells were imported into Landmark/Halliburtons GeoGraphix software, and plotted using
latitude and longitude positions of each well. A shape file for Texas and Texas counties was downloaded from
the U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line website <http://www.census.gov/cgi-bin/geo/shapefiles2010/main> and
imported into GeoGraphix. Also in GeoGraphix, tiff image files for the wireline logs were depth registered.
Formations were correlated based on lithologies within the Maverick Basin and their respective wireline curve
responses. The Del Rio Formation has high gamma ray values of ~90 API units and resistivity values of ~8 ohmm. The Buda Formation is characterized by a blocky signature with low gamma ray values of ~15 API units and
resistivity values of ~15 ohm-m. The lower Eagle Ford has gamma ray values of 90 to 135 API units and the
upper Eagle Ford has gamma ray values of 45 to 60 API units (Hentz and Ruppel, 2010). The lower Eagle Ford
also has resistivity values of ~60 ohm-m and the upper Eagle Ford has resistivity values of ~10 ohm-m. The transition between Upper Eagle Ford and the Austin Chalk Formation shows short zones of fluctuating readings for
gamma ray and resistivity. The Austin Chalk has gamma ray values of ~30 API units and resistivity values of
~10 ohm-m. Figure 2 shows the type log. Younger units are described in Cardneaux (2012).

Geohistory/Maturation Calculations Using PetroMod

Using Schlumbergers IES GmbH PetroMod 2011 software, 1D models were created for temperature history
to calculate %Ro for each well in the study area. Input information required by PetroMod included thickness,
deposition ages, and lithology for every distinguishable formation (Table 1). Lithology and geologic time period

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Figure 2. Type log for study area. Unit subdivisions

are from Donovan and Staerker (2010).

are defined using the descriptions available on the U.S. Geological Survey website <http://tin.er.usgs.gov/
geology/state/>. International Union of Geological Sciences geologic time scale was used to get the approximate
ages in million years ago (Ma) for each formation. Geohistory plots in PetroMod use the Easy %Ro method for
computing maturation (Burnham and Sweeney, 1990).
PetroMod also requires heat flow, water depth, and surface temperature to calculate the thermal history.
Basal heat flow through time is derived from the McKenzie Model for lithospheric stretching (McKenzie, 1978).
The model is based on two periods: an initial stretching period with constant thinning of the lithosphere and a
cooling period with rebuilding of the original thermal thickness of the lithosphere (Hantschel and Kauerauf,
2009). With a lack of structural history on the Maverick Basin, basal heat flow settings are based on Gulf of
Mexico rifting and subsidence. Rifting in the Gulf of Mexico occurred in Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic, and
subsidence occurred in the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous (Buffler and Sawyer, 1985). Rifting ages from 225
to 160 Ma and subsidence ages from 160 to 135 Ma were used in the McKenzie model. Basal heat flow was
estimated from the models to be 63 mW/m2 from 135 Ma to present, which correlates to SMU (2011) heat flow
maps for present day. The heat flow is constant for over 40 Ma before Eagle Ford deposition thus model assumptions regarding rifting do not significantly affect results for the Eagle Ford. The Eagle Ford was deposited on a
relatively shallow shelf (Dawson and Almon, 2010). Pinet (1996) describes a continental shelf to be less than
150 m (~492 ft). Paleowater depth (PWD) was estimated in this study to be 450 ft (137 m) for the Eagle Ford
zone in the study area. Water depths in the Hawkville trough to the south may have been greater. PetroMod uses
a Sediment Water Interface Temperature (SWIT) model based on Wygrala (1989) to get an average air surface
temperature history which varies with latitude and changes in global temperatures throughout geological time,
and is necessary to constrain the upper boundary condition on heat transport (Hantschel and Kauerauf, 2009).

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Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Table 1. Example input values for PetroMod calculations.

Layer
Sparta
Cane River
Wilcox
Midway
Navarro
Olmos
San Miguel
Anacacho
Austin
Upper Eagle Ford
Lower Eagle Ford
Buda
Base of Buda

Top, ft
0
360
542
5773
6210
6900
7440
9712
10278
10420
10522
10683
10804

Age, Ma
39
42
45
59
65
70
74
79
85
88
90
96
100

Lithology
Sandstone
Shale
Sandstone (typical)
Siltstone (organic lean)
Siltstone (organic lean)
Sand and Shale
Shale
Limestone
Limestone (chalk, typical)
Marl
Marl
Limestone (micrite)

Maturity in %Ro from PetroMod was recorded for both the upper and lower Eagle Ford zones. The modeling results were correlated to %Ro results from core analysis by Harbor (2011). Harbor (2011) estimated %Ro
from Tmax values using %Ro = 0.0180 * Tmax 7.16 (Jarvie, 2001). This relationship had an R2 value of 0.79
using the data available to Jarvie (2001). %Ro values are reviewed in the Results and Discussion section.

Delta Log R and TOC

A log overlay analysis to determine mature source zones was used (Fig. 3) (Passey et al., 1990). Porosity
logs respond to organic matter type and in a probable source rock there is a high transit time or low bulk density
coupled with a high resistivity caused by the presence of non-conducting hydrocarbons (Passey et al., 1990). If a
porosity curve and a resistivity curve are in the same log tract the curves will overlay in a non-source rock
(baseline), a separation caused by resistivity will occur in a reservoir, a separation caused by the sonic curve will
occur in an immature source, and a separation of both curves will occur in a mature source. A gamma-ray log is
used to determine lithology. The separation in a mature source can be quantified to give a value known as Delta
Log R (Fig. 3).
Quantifying Delta Log R is necessary to solve for TOC in this technique and is represented by: Delta Log R
= log10 (R / Rbaseline) + 0.02 * (t tbaseline). Resistivity baseline and DT baseline values were averaged for wells
with the Del Rio shale formation present. The average was 5 ohm*m (RES) and 86 s/ft (DT). Resistivity values used in the Delta Log R formula were the average of the highest and lowest resistivity value within the upper
and lower Eagle Ford interval. %Ro values from modeling were transformed into level of maturity (LOM) by rearranging LeCompte and Hursans (2010) formula. The Delta Log R value was used along with LOM to estimate
TOC:
TOC = ( log R) * 10 (2.297 0.1688 * LOM).
Most wells in the study area do not have sonic (DT) curves on the wireline logs, so a cross-plot method was
implemented to empirically solve for DT if resistivity is known. The type log was digitized to be used in the
cross-plot function of Prizm in GeoGraphix. A cross-plot of the Eagle Ford resulted in a linear line fit equation
of:
Upper Eagle Ford (Fig. 4a): DT = 92.101860 1.488029 * (RES) and
Lower Eagle Ford (Fig. 4b): DT = 74.632980 + 0.091947 * (RES).
The correlation between crossplot DT values and log DT values are discussed further in the Results and Discussion section. Using the two cross-plot equations, DT can be calculated for both the upper and lower Eagle
Ford intervals in every well. TOC can now be solved for all wells in the study area using the Delta Log R method.

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RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Figure 5 contains a structure map on the top of the Eagle Ford. The Eagle Ford has a regional dip to the
southeast. The Chittim Anticline can be seen within the structural map by a plunging anticlinal pattern in the
contours in Maverick and Zavala counties. Structural contours in Figure 5 compare well with Petrohawks results (EIA, 2011). Martin et al. (2011) analyzed production from the Eagle Ford and developed an isochore map
along with production figures. Their isochore map of the Eagle Ford correlates to the isochore map created in
this study (Fig. 5) showing that the formation identifications are consistent between the two studies.
In both isochore maps, a thick section of Eagle Ford Formation is seen within Maverick County and extends
east into Zavala County within the basin. Another high is present in southern La Salle and McMullen counties.
A thin section is seen on the east side of Dimmit County and in the northwest of La Salle County as well as Frio
County. Differences between isochore maps are most likely due to well control.
A strong correlation outside of the Maverick Basin (Fig. 1) was established between model %Ro results and
%Ro measured from core samples (Harbor, 2011) (Table 2). However, initial results within the basin and especially in Maverick County were lower than the data from Harbor (2011) because erosion on the Chittim Anticline
was not taken into account. Formation of the Chittim Anticline took place from late Late Cretaceous until late
Eocene time (~70 Ma to ~39 Ma) (Fowler, 1956). The Eocene Sparta Formation, deposited ~39 Ma, is the
youngest interval seen in the wells in the study area. In the base case model, deposition was assumed to be constant throughout the area and the thicknesses of formations present in the A. M. Foerster well in east-central La
Salle County (Fig. 1) were assumed to be the original formation thicknesses since all formations are present in
this well because tectonic events have not caused erosion. Erosion estimates varied from well to well based on
the youngest formation in each well as compared to the thicknesses of the formations in the A.M. Foerster well.
For example, based on the Wilcox thickness in the A. M. Foerster well, the Halff well in west-central Frio County (Figs. 6 and 7) experienced 2400 ft (730 m) of sedimentation followed by erosion which increases estimated %
Ro of the Eagle Ford from 0.63 without erosion to 0.71 with erosion. Erosion is presumed to start after deposition and continued at a constant rate until present, since the surface Eocene rocks conform to the plunging anticlinal outcrop pattern of the Chittim Anticline. Other deposition and erosion possibilities are discussed in the sensitivity analysis.

Figure 3. Resistivity and sonic log response to types of source rocks and reservoir rocks (modified after
Passey et al., 1990).

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Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Figure 4. Resistivity/DT cross-plots: (left) upper Eagle Ford and (right) lower Eagle Ford. Linear
trend line in blue. Depths are color coded as shown in the legend.

An independent way of estimating the amount of erosion that took place in the study area is the relationship
of porosity to depth. Sclater and Cristie (1980) described how porosity changes with depth for different lithologies. Porosity values from neutron/density porosity logs and from PetroMod calculated porosity were sampled
every 100 ft (30 m) for the length of three wells. Porosity values were plotted against the compaction curves of
Sclater and Cristie (1980) for shale, shaly sand, sand, and chalk. Well log porosity and PetroMod porosity values
are much smaller than porosity estimated from compaction curves assuming that present depth is maximum depth
of burial. However, when estimated erosion is included, well log porosity and PetroMod porosity plot very close
to the compaction curve for chalk. The close relationship to the chalk compaction curve is understandable since
most of the Cretaceous section in the Maverick Basin is calcareous. Ewing (2003) estimated 12 km (0.61.2
mi) of erosion on the Chittim Anticline, which is consistent with estimates from wells in this study near the anticline. Another technique to estimate the amount of erosion is moisture content of coal. The moisture content of
coal decreases with burial depth and moisture content has a direct relationship to the type of coal and also %Ro
(Hacquebard, 1977). Scott and Gose (2002) noted two types of coals in the Maverick Basin: bituminous highvolatile C in the Olmos formation and lignite within the Wilcox formation. Hacquebard (1977) showed the range
of %Ro for bituminous high-volatile C to be ~0.52 to ~0.65 and the range of %Ro for lignite to be ~0.35 to
~0.41. For the Halff well, the %Ro values with estimated erosion are in the range for coal in relationship to depth
of burial. For the L. O. Travis well in southwest Zavala County, %Ro values with estimated erosion for the Olmos formations are less than the range for coal moisture content, but %Ro values for the Wilcox formation are in
the range for coal in relationship to depth of burial. Cardneaux (2012) contained a complete discussion of erosion estimates.
Figure 8 shows %Ro estimated from PetroMod results in this study versus %Ro from Harbor (2011). Model
results and Harbor (2011) results are within +/- 0.08 %Ro (Fig. 8). For both the upper and lower Eagle Ford units
in all wells, DT values were computed using the crossplot equation and resistivity values from the log, Delta Log
R using the resistivity and DT values for the Eagle Ford and Del Rio, LOM using the model %Ro, and TOC using Delta Log R and LOM. The resistivity values from the log were average values, so TOC calculations were
based on average values. %Ro values were taken from the middle of each of the Eagle Ford units.
Figure 9 shows a %Ro map for the lower Eagle Ford in the Maverick Basin. Results are consistent with %
Ro maps constructed using proprietary data (e.g., online maps by EIA and Chesapeake Energy). In general, estimated %Ro increases from immature in the north to dry gas in the south due to greater depth of burial (Figs. 5
and 9). In the northern portion of the Maverick Basin, the Eagle Ford is immature but in most of Maverick,
Zavala, and Frio counties the Eagle Ford should be in the oil window.
LOM maps can be combined with Delta Log R values to estimate TOC. As most wells in this study area did
not have sonic logs, Delta Log R was estimated empirically using a crossplot of DT values with resistivity values
as explained in the Data and Methods section. Sondhi (2011) showed that in the Eagle Ford, sediment with higher clay content has a higher porosity and lower velocity (higher DT) and sediment with higher carbonate content

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Figure 5. (Top) Subsea depth structural contour map on the top of the Eagle Ford Formation. Contour interval is 750 ft (9229 m). (Bottom) Top of Eagle Ford to Top of Buda isochore map. Contour
interval is 50 ft (15 m). Open circles are well locations. Chittim Anticline is shown as a heavy line with
orthogonal double arrowhead line. The Maverick Basin is outlined by a dashed line. Minimum curvature gridding algorithm with a smallest feature radius of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) and a radius of influence
of 750,000 ft (230,000 m) was used. See Cardneaux (2012) for values at each well location.

has a lower porosity and increased velocity (lower DT). Also, velocity decreases (higher DT) when TOC increases. Therefore, the upper Eagle Ford should have a lower DT than the lower Eagle Ford due to lithology, porosity,
and TOC. However, the crossplot and the sonic logs show a higher DT in the upper Eagle Ford and a lower DT
in the lower Eagle Ford. This opposite response could be explained by fractures in the upper Eagle Ford that
create secondary porosity and increase DT. The upper Eagle Ford lithology is more brittle compared to the lower
Eagle Ford. Estimates of DT from the resistivity crossplot method compared to actual DT values measured by
the sonic log for three wells in the study area and crossplot estimates are within +/- 10 s/ft from log values. The
SP log also was investigated to determine its potential in estimating DT using the crossplot method because it is a

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Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Table 2. Estimated %Ro from thermal modeling and %Ro from core data (Harbor, 2011).

Well Name

Depth, ft

Hendershot

4745

Benbele
Schauers
Triple Bar Ranch

Model %Ro
(this study)
0.54

Core %Ro (Harbor, 2011)

0.56

7987.5

0.73

0.73

8122

0.76

0.72

10780

1.32

1.32

common and widely available log. The results were not as accurate as crossplotting DT versus resistivity, but
show a relationship between the two well logs (Cardneaux, 2012).
Figure 9 shows TOC maps for the upper and lower Eagle Ford units, respectively. Estimated TOC values
are much lower for the upper Eagle Ford unit and higher for the lower Eagle Ford unit, which is consistent with
Harbor (2011) and Lock et al. (2010). A high TOC zone of the lower Eagle Ford in Zavala County (Fig. 9) is
inferred by high resistivity values (100+ ohm-m). Literature was investigated for paleostructure, water chemistry, or any other possibility to explain this high TOC zone, but definitive information was not found.
Figure 10 shows a comparison between TOC for the lower Eagle Ford from Harbor (2011) and estimated
TOC for six wells. The estimated TOC in this study, referred to herein as the Delta Log R TOC technique, is
from using the Passey et al. (1990) TOC equation described in the Data and Methods section. The high/low values for the estimated Delta Log R TOC technique are from using maximum and minimum resistivity values from
the well logs. The high/low values for Harbor (2011) are either from core or cuttings taken over the interval. In
some cases, TOC is highly variable within a small stratigraphic interval. Figure 10 shows the Delta Log R TOC
technique accurately predicts within the range of measured values from Harbor (2011) for the Hendershot, Schauers, Gise, and Chittim wells. The Delta Log R TOC technique for the Halff and Calvert wells underestimates
TOC by less than 1 wt.%. In Harbor (2011), the Gise well has TOC measurements that are very close to each
other (within the thickness of the symbols), so the error bar is not shown.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

The potential limit of the oil window of the Eagle Ford Formation in South Texas defined in this study is
present as far north as the uppermost parts of Maverick, Zavala, and Frio counties based on %Ro. This limit correlates to a subsea structure depth of ~ 200 m (650 ft) in Maverick County, ~880 m (2900 ft) in Zavala County,
and ~1110 m (3650 ft) in Frio County. The change in depth in relation to maturity reflects the amount of subsidence within the Maverick Basin and subsequent uplift and erosion along the Chittim Anticline.
%Ro estimated from geohistory and thermal modeling used in this study are consistent with core/cuttings
(Harbor, 2011) and correlate well with published %Ro maps. This technique could be applied in other shale
plays to understand fully the geologic history, thermal regime, and how all the aspects of the petroleum system tie
to current data.
TOC varies laterally and stratigraphically throughout the study area. However, TOC is higher in the lower
Eagle Ford compared to the upper Eagle Ford. A high TOC area is noted in the lower Eagle Ford on the contour
map. The log overlay analysis technique for calculating TOC (Passey et al., 1990) shows reasonable results when
compared to actual measurements, and can give a quick look to define the petroleum potential of a prospect.
The structure map shows the location of the Chittim Anticline and the regional southeast dip of the Eagle
Ford. %Ro is affected by depth of burial and the structural contours have a similar trend as the %Ro maps. The
isochore map shows the Eagle Ford depositional structure and correlates to the thicknesses of Martin et al. (2011)
isochore map.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank Stephen Sears and Art Donovan for helpful comments and advice during this research. The Department of Geology and Geophysics of Louisiana State University provided financial support for AC. Landmark and Schlumberger donated the software used in this research.

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Figure 6. Burial history curve for the Halff well in west-central Frio County computed from PetroMod, assuming uniform erosion from 39 Ma to present.

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Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Figure 7. %Ro values for the Eagle Ford formation for nine wells in the study area (red dots in
Figure 1): (red bars) estimated from PetroMod, and (blue bars) measured from core data by Harbor
(2011). Hassett is in Zavala County, Triple Bar Ranch is in La Salle County, and Benbele is in southeast Frio County. Henderson and Schauers are in Gonzales County, Lawrence Gise is in Dimmit
County, Calvert and Halff are in Frio County, and Chittim, J. M. is in Maverick County.

Galloway, W. E., 2008, Depositional evolution of the Gulf of Mexico Sedimentary Basin, in A. D. Miall, ed., The sedimentary basins of the United States and Canada: Elsevier, New York, New York, 610 p.
Goldhammer, R. K., and C. A. Johnson, 2001, Middle JurassicUpper Cretaceous paleogeographic evolution and sequence-stratigraphic framework of the northwest Gulf of Mexico Rim, in C. Bartolini, R. T. Buffler, and A. CantuChapa, eds., The western Gulf of Mexico Basin; tectonics, sedimentary basins, and petroleum systems: American
Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir 75, Tulsa, Oklahoma, p. 4581.
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Hantschel, T., and A. I. Kauerauf, 2009, Fundamentals of basin and petroleum systems modeling: Springer, Berlin,
Germany, p. 131148.

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Figure 8. %Ro map for Lower Eagle Ford. Contour interval is 0.05 %Ro. Open circles are well locations. Legend bar shows interpreted petroleum generation windows. Chittim Anticline is shown as a
heavy line with orthogonal double arrowhead line. The Maverick Basin is outlined by a dashed line.
Minimum curvature gridding algorithm with a smallest feature radius of 50,000 ft (15,000 m) and a
radius of influence of 750,000 ft (230,000 m) was used. See Cardneaux (2012) for values at each well
location.

Harbor, R., 2011, Facies characterization and stratigraphic architecture of organic-rich mudrocks, Upper Cretaceous
Eagle Ford Formation, South Texas: Masters thesis, University of Texas at Austin, 195 p.
Hentz, T. F., and S. C. Ruppel, 2010, Regional lithostratigraphy of the Eagle Ford Shale: Maverick Basin to East Texas
Basin: Gulf Coast Association of Geological Societies Transactions, v. 60, p. 325337.
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www.wwgeochem.com/ejarvie.html> Accessed June 22, 2013.
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Delta Log R: Society of Petroleum Engineers Paper 133128, Richardson, Texas, 10 p.
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and their relationship to porosity: Ph.D. dissertation, University of Texas at Austin, 362 p.
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Estimates of Maturation and TOC from Log Data in the Eagle Ford Shale, Maverick Basin of South Texas

Figure 9. Eagle Ford TOC maps. (Top) Upper Eagle Ford and (Bottom) Lower Eagle Ford. Contour
interval is 0.5 and 1 wt.% TOC, respectively. Open circles are well locations. Minimum curvature
gridding algorithm with a smallest feature radius of 50,000 ft (15,240 m) and a radius of influence of
750,000 ft (230,000 m) was used. See Cardneaux (2012) for values at each well location.

Passey, Q., S. Creaney, J. Kulla, F. Moretti, and J. Stroud, 1990, A practical model for organic richness from porosity
and resistivity logs: American Association Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, v. 74, p. 17771794.
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Basin: Geologic Society of America, Boulder, Colorado, p. 131180.

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Figure 10. TOC for lower Eagle Ford estimated from log response (Delta Log R) compared to measured TOC from Harbor (2011). Henderson and Schauers are in Gonzales County, Lawrence Gise is in
Dimmit County, Calvert and Halff are in Frio County, and Chittim, J. M. is in Maverick County. See
red dots in Figure 1.

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Norman, 197 p.
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