In 2020, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed the potential for undiscovered, technically recoverable continuous (unconventional) oil and gas resources in the Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin Province (Finn and others, 2021). To better characterize the source rock potential of the Mowry Shale and associated strata, 129 samples were collected from 45 wells from the well cuttings collection stored at the USGS Core Research Center in Lakewood, Colorado. The sampled wells are located along the margins of the basin in order to obtain samples that were not subjected to the effects of deep burial and subsequent organic carbon loss due to thermal maturation (Daly and Edman, 1987) (fig. 1). One hundred samples are from the upper siliceous part of the Mowry Shale (Finn, 2021), 18 from the lower part of the Mowry Shale (Shell Creek Shale equivalent, Eicher, 1962; Finn, 2021), and 11 from the Thermopolis Shale (fig. 2). The sample intervals were determined by examining the cuttings under a binocular microscope and the darkest chips were selected for analysis based on observations by Hosterman and Whitlow (1981), Charpentier and Schmoker (1982), Hunt (1996), and Landon and others (2001) that total organic carbon (TOC) content generally increases as color goes from gray to black and therefore is a rough (although not always reliable) indicator of organic richness. Obvious material from carvings and contamination, such as wood chips, metal, and plastic were removed. The cuttings were composited into samples from thickness intervals that were generally 10 to 20 ft thick but ranged from 5 to 80 ft depending on how much material was available for a proper analysis. The samples were analyzed by the USGS Central Energy Resources Science Centers Petroleum Geochemistry Research Laboratory. Total carbon and total organic carbon content were determined using a LECO® Carbon Analyzer, Model C744 (LECO Corporation, St. Joseph MI) by the combustion method after carbonate removal (see Jarvie, 1991; and Oliver and Warden, 2020, for details). The programmed pyrolysis analysis was performed using a Hydrocarbon Analyzer with Kinetics (HAWK) instrument (Wildcat Technologies, Humble TX) (see Espitalié and others, 1977; Tissot and Welte, 1978; Peters, 1986; Hunt, 1996; and Dreier and Warden, 2021, for discussions of the pyrolysis method). Values directly measured by the HAWK are S1, S2, S3, and Tmax. The values HI, OI, PI, S2/S3, G.P., and S1/TOC were calculated by the author.

The Wind River Basin is a structural and sedimentary basin that formed during the Laramide orogeny in latest Cretaceous and early Eocene time. The basin encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming and is bounded by the Washakie, Owl Creek and Bighorn uplifts on the north, the Casper arch on the east, the Granite Mountains uplift on the south, and Wind River uplift on the west (fig. 1). Many important conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging from Mississippian through Tertiary in age (Keefer, 1969; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; De Bruin, 1993; Johnson and others, 1996, 2007). It has been suggested by numerous authors (Geis, 1923; Schrayer and Zarrella, 1963, 1966, 1968; Meissner and others, 1984; Burtner and Warner, 1984; Surdam and others, 2010) that the Mowry Shale is an important source rock for many of these accumulations. With new drilling and well completion technologies the Mowry Shale is considered an important (unconventional) shale gas and shale oil objective in other Rocky Mountain basins (Sterling and others, 2009; Surdam and others, 2010). In the Wind River Basin, the Mowry Shale is composed of organic-rich mudrocks, bentonites, and siltstones (Kirschbaum and others, 2019) (fig. 2). Please see supplemental information for associated references. Selected figures have also been included to help describe this data release. These figures are provided in JPEG format. These include: Fig1_Rocky Mountain basins.jpg. Map of Rocky Mountain region showing locations of Laramide sedimentary and structural basins and intervening uplifts. Fig2_Xsection.jpg. U.S Geological Survey Alcova Reservoir AR–1–13 core hole showing lithology, and comparison to gamma ray and conductivity logs. From Kirschbaum and others, 2019 Please see data dictionary sheet in the excel file for detailed table column/attribute information.

The Wind River Basin is a structural and sedimentary basin that formed during the Laramide orogeny in latest Cretaceous and early Eocene time. The basin encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming and is bounded by the Washakie, Owl Creek and Bighorn uplifts on the north, the Casper arch on the east, the Granite Mountains uplift on the south, and Wind River uplift on the west (fig. 1). Many important conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging from Mississippian through Tertiary in age (Keefer, 1969; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; De Bruin, 1993; Johnson and others, 1996, 2007). It has been suggested by numerous authors (Geis, 1923; Schrayer and Zarrella, 1963, 1966, 1968; Meissner and others, 1984; Burtner and Warner, 1984; Surdam and others, 2010) that the Mowry Shale is an important source rock for many of these accumulations. With new drilling and well completion technologies the Mowry Shale is considered an important (unconventional) shale gas and shale oil objective in other Rocky Mountain basins (Sterling and others, 2009; Surdam and others, 2010). In the Wind River Basin, the Mowry Shale is composed of organic-rich mudrocks, bentonites, and siltstones (Kirschbaum and others, 2019) (fig. 2). Please see supplemental information for associated references. Selected figures have also been included to help describe this data release. These figures are provided in JPEG format. These include: Fig1_Rocky Mountain basins.jpg. Map of Rocky Mountain region showing locations of Laramide sedimentary and structural basins and intervening uplifts. Fig2_Xsection.jpg. U.S Geological Survey Alcova Reservoir AR–1–13 core hole showing lithology, and comparison to gamma ray and conductivity logs. From Kirschbaum and others, 2019 Please see data dictionary sheet in the excel file for detailed table column/attribute information.

This Data Release contains data associated with the journal article "Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming". Data include bulk organic geochemistry, major and trace element geochemistry, mineralogy, extractable organic matter composition, extractable biomarkers, and organic stable carbon isotope analyses.

This Data Release contains data associated with the journal article "Geochemistry of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale in the Wind River Basin, Wyoming". Data include bulk organic geochemistry, major and trace element geochemistry, mineralogy, extractable organic matter composition, extractable biomarkers, and organic stable carbon isotope analyses.

The storage assessment unit (SAU) is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources project for the assessment of geologic CO2 storage resources. The SAU is shown here as a geographic boundary interpreted, defined, and mapped by the geologist responsible for the assessment interval. Individual SAUs are defined on the basis of common geologic and hydrologic characteristics. The resource that is assessed is the mass of CO2 that can be stored in the technically accessible pore volume of a storage formation. The technically accessible storage resource is one that may be available using present-day geological and engineering knowledge and technology for CO2 injection into geologic formations and therefore is not a total in-place resource estimate. The SAU boundary is defined geologically as the limits of the geologic elements that define the SAU, such as limits of reservoir rock, geologic structures, depth, and seal lithologies. The only exceptions to this are SAUs that border the international, or Federal-State water boundary. In these cases, the international or Federal-State water boundary forms part of the SAU boundary. Drilling-density cell maps show the number of wells that have been drilled into the SAU. Each 1-square-mile cell has a count for the number of unique well boreholes drilled into the SAU. For a given sedimentary basin, the National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources project identifies SAUs containing the potential for storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide. Proprietary well header data from IHS ENERDEQ through 2010 were queried to determine which wells were drilled into specific SAUs. The coordinates of wells are proprietary and cannot be released; however, counts of the number of wells per square mile are presented in the well drilling density data layer.

The storage assessment unit (SAU) is the fundamental unit used in the National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources project for the assessment of geologic CO2 storage resources. The SAU is shown here as a geographic boundary interpreted, defined, and mapped by the geologist responsible for the assessment interval. Individual SAUs are defined on the basis of common geologic and hydrologic characteristics. The resource that is assessed is the mass of CO2 that can be stored in the technically accessible pore volume of a storage formation. The technically accessible storage resource is one that may be available using present-day geological and engineering knowledge and technology for CO2 injection into geologic formations and therefore is not a total in-place resource estimate. The SAU boundary is defined geologically as the limits of the geologic elements that define the SAU, such as limits of reservoir rock, geologic structures, depth, and seal lithologies. The only exceptions to this are SAUs that border the international, or Federal-State water boundary. In these cases, the international or Federal-State water boundary forms part of the SAU boundary. Drilling-density cell maps show the number of wells that have been drilled into the SAU. Each 1-square-mile cell has a count for the number of unique well boreholes drilled into the SAU. For a given sedimentary basin, the National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources project identifies SAUs containing the potential for storage and sequestration of carbon dioxide. Proprietary well header data from IHS ENERDEQ through 2010 were queried to determine which wells were drilled into specific SAUs. The coordinates of wells are proprietary and cannot be released; however, counts of the number of wells per square mile are presented in the well drilling density data layer.

The Wind River Basin is a large Laramide (Late Cretaceous through Eocene) structural and sedimentary basin that encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming (fig. 1). The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range and Owl Creek and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east, the Granite Mountains on the south, and Wind River Range on the west (figs. 1). Many important conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging from Mississippian through Tertiary in age (Keefer, 1969; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; De Bruin, 1993; Johnson and others, 1996, 2007). It has been suggested by numerous authors including: Keefer, 1969; Meissner and others, 1984; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; Johnson and Rice, 1993; Nuccio and others, 1996; and Schelling and Wavrek, 1999, 2001: that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales are the principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accumulations. With new drilling and well completion technologies, equivalent marine source rock intervals, in particular the Niobrara Formation, are now important continuous (unconventional) shale gas and shale oil objectives in other Rocky Mountain basins ((Matthews, 2011; Sonnenberg, 2011; Williams and Lyle, 2011; Durham, 2012a,b, 2013; Taylor and Sonnenberg, 2014; and Hawkins, 2016). In the Wind River Basin the Niobrara is represented by shales, calcareous shales, marls, siltstones, and sandstones in the lower shaly member of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale (Finn, 2017) (fig. 2). Please see supplemental information for associated references. Selected figures have also been included to help describe this data release. These figures are provided in pdf and jpg format. These include: Fig. 1_Rocky Mountain basins.pdf/jpg. Map of Rocky Mountain region showing locations of Laramide sedimentary and structural basins and intervening uplifts. Fig. 2_Regional Cretaceous X section.pdf/jpg. Regional east-west stratigraphic cross section of Cretaceous rocks in the Wind River Basin. Each modified from Finn (2017).

The Wind River Basin is a large Laramide (Late Cretaceous through Eocene) structural and sedimentary basin that encompasses about 7,400 square miles in central Wyoming (fig. 1). The basin is bounded by the Washakie Range and Owl Creek and southern Bighorn Mountains on the north, the Casper arch on the east, the Granite Mountains on the south, and Wind River Range on the west (figs. 1). Many important conventional and unconventional oil and gas resources have been discovered and produced from reservoirs ranging from Mississippian through Tertiary in age (Keefer, 1969; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; De Bruin, 1993; Johnson and others, 1996, 2007). It has been suggested by numerous authors including: Keefer, 1969; Meissner and others, 1984; Fox and Dolton, 1989, 1996; Johnson and Rice, 1993; Nuccio and others, 1996; and Schelling and Wavrek, 1999, 2001: that various Upper Cretaceous marine shales are the principal hydrocarbon source rocks for many of these accumulations. With new drilling and well completion technologies, equivalent marine source rock intervals, in particular the Niobrara Formation, are now important continuous (unconventional) shale gas and shale oil objectives in other Rocky Mountain basins ((Matthews, 2011; Sonnenberg, 2011; Williams and Lyle, 2011; Durham, 2012a,b, 2013; Taylor and Sonnenberg, 2014; and Hawkins, 2016). In the Wind River Basin the Niobrara is represented by shales, calcareous shales, marls, siltstones, and sandstones in the lower shaly member of the Upper Cretaceous Cody Shale (Finn, 2017) (fig. 2). Please see supplemental information for associated references. Selected figures have also been included to help describe this data release. These figures are provided in pdf and jpg format. These include: Fig. 1_Rocky Mountain basins.pdf/jpg. Map of Rocky Mountain region showing locations of Laramide sedimentary and structural basins and intervening uplifts. Fig. 2_Regional Cretaceous X section.pdf/jpg. Regional east-west stratigraphic cross section of Cretaceous rocks in the Wind River Basin. Each modified from Finn (2017).

This ArcView shape file contains a polygon representing the extent of the Wind River coal basin boundary. This theme was created specifically for the National Coal Resources Assessment in the Northern Rocky Mountains and Great Plains Region.