Dissolution of Permian Salt, Las Animas Arch, Colorado

The Colorado Cheyenne 3D seismic survey in this thesis project is located in Cheyenne and Kiowa counties in eastern Colorado and features the Las Animas Arch. The scope of this project aims to expand the understanding of the processes and products of salt weld development. Throughout the survey, lateral variability of the Nippewalla strata within the Permian section is observed in both seismic and well data and generally is a result of dissolution of the Blaine or the dissolution of the Cedar Hills. In this project, structural and stratigraphic elements were seismically mapped and interpreted with a focus on salt dissolution and welding. Overall, the characteristics of the dissolution in the strata covered by the 3D seismic survey of this study can be separated by a centrally-located dissolution front with the western half of the area having the lower Blaine halite removed by dissolution and the eastern half having the lower Blaine halite preserved. Dissolution of the upper Blaine halite is pervasive through the study area, especially within the western region due to remnant salt. The eastern half of the survey is also affected by the dissolution within the Cedar Hills Formation. Unlike the Blaine, the amount of dissolution that occurs in the Cedar Hills seems fairly consistent, removing almost the complete formation or no dissolution at all. This thesis is intended to serve as an initial investigation of the structural and stratigraphic relations due to dissolution of the Permian salts. Numerous additional questions remain beyond the scope of this thesis