Median-porosity contour maps of the J Sandstone, Dakota Group, in the Denver Basin, Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming

The Lower Cretaceous J sandstone of the Dakota Group is present in the Denver basin in eastern Colorado, southeastern Wyoming, and southwestern Nebraska. Deposited during a regression of the Cretaceous epicontinental sea, this informally named unit is composed primarily of sandstone and shale of deltaic and near shore-marine origin. The J sandstone can be divided into an upper transgressive sand, a middle marginal-marine and deltaic facies, and a lower prodelta sequence (Clark, 1978). The depth from the surface to the top of the J sandstone increases from about 4,000 ft on the gently-dipping eastern flank of the basin to more than 8,000 ft at the basin ax is near the steeply-dipping western flank.

Porosity data compiled in this study were determined from J sandstone cores from 134 widely spaced boreholes. Porosity in areas of poor core coverage was determined from neutron density logs from an additional 20 boreholes ( corrected to core average grain density). Median, rather than average, porosity was used in order to minimize the statistical effect of anomalously high and low porosity values. Thirty-five oil companies and independent operators supplied core porosity data. Core porosities were determined by means of helium porosimetry, primarily by Core Laboratories of Denver, Colo.