Proppant Research Group
The data displayed below were collected during a joint project between the Geophysical Engineering Department and the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. The samples represent sandstones collected and analyzed for their potential use as proppant material. Use the following options to search the data. Documentation of methods and results related to this data set is provided by Getty and others (2021) available at: https://mbmg.mtech.edu/mbmgcat/public/ListCitation.asp?pub_id=32377
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| Link | Reference | Notes |
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| View | Gardner, L.S.,1959, Revision of the Big Snowy Group in Central Montana: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, v. 43, no. 2, p. 329-349 | |
| View | Hanson, A.M.,1952, Cambrian Stratigraphy in southwestern Montana: Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Memoir no. 33, p. 25-41. | Typically, the lower part of the Flathead Formation has more potential than higher in the section where there is usually sandstone interbedded with shale and more clay present. Also farther north and west showed more promise than the south and eastern sections discussed in this paper. |
| View | Weed, W.H.,1900,Geology of the Little Belt Mountains, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Annual Report no. 20, 1899-99, pt. 3, p. 284-318 | |
| View | Deiss, C., 1936, Revision of type Cambrian Formations and sections of Montana and Yellowstone National Park: Geological Society of America Bulletin v. 47, p. 1257-1342. | |
| View | Deiss, C.F., 1939, Cambrian stratigraphy and trilobites of northwestern Montana: Geological Society of America Special Paper no. 18, 135 p. | |
| View | Dutro, T.J., 1979, Carboniferous of the northern Rocky Mountains, Big Snowy Mountains Region, Montana: AGI Selected Guidebook Series no. 3, p. 28. | |
| View | Harris, W.L.,1972, Upper Mississippian and Pennsylvanian sediments of Central Montana: University of Montana, Ph.D. dissertation, p. 1-58, 75-92,110-112,173-191,241-248. | Sandstones of the upper Kibbey are fine to very fine grained (0.2- 0.05 mm). Coarse grained sandstones are present on the northern side of the Little Belt Mountains and to the east. Larger grains are typically rounded to well rounded and smaller grains are angular. Mostly moderately to well sorted. Friable because of incomplete calcareous cementation. The uppermost unit of the Quadrant is well indurated because of almost complete siliceous cementation. |
| View | Gill, J.R., and Burkholder, R.E., 1979, Measured sections of the Montana Group and equivalent rocks from Montana and Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 79-1143, 203 p. | |
| View | Lopez, D.A., and VanDelinder, S.W. 2007, Measured sections of the Pennsylvanian Tensleep Sandstone, Pryor and Bighorn Mountains, Montana: Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology, Open File Report 553, 55 p. | The lower 29 ft of the formation not included in the database has many thin layers, all composed of limy sandstone with calcareous matrix, They all have fine to very fine grain size and much cross bedding with parallel laminated section typical towards the bottom of this section. There is also a 1 ft section of siliceous sandstone followed by siltstone at the base of the "top lower Tensleep". The Amsden Formation underlies all of the above Tensleep formations from this reference. |
| View | Robinson, G. D., 1963, Geology of the Three Forks Quadrangle Montana: Geological Survey Professional Paper 370, 143 p. | |
| View | Richards, P.W., 1957, Geology of the area east and southeast of Livingston, Park County, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1021-L, p. 385-436. | There is information in this reference about the Virgelle Formation (p. 417-419) but it does not indicate any specific locations for sandstone, nor does it describe its characteristics in any detail other than color and weathering. |
| View | Vine, J.D., 1956, Geology of the Stanford-Hobson area, central Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1027-J, p. 405-467. | Page 416 contains well log information which describes the Kibbey Formation as sandstones that are typically very fine grained to silty but there is one 15 ft section containing white, fine to medium grained sandstone. |
| View | Richards, P.W, 1955, Geology of the Bighorn Canyon - Hardin area, Montana and Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 1026, 93 p. | |
| View | Easton, W.H., 1962, Carboniferous formations and faunas of central Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 348, 126 p. | Reference has detailed descriptions at the beginning of each section on how to get to the specific sites. |
| View | Mertie, J.B., 1951, Geology of the Canyon Ferry quadrangle, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 972, 95 p. | Reference does not contain any measured sections but describes the Flathead and the Quadrant Formations. Flathead (p. 21): brittle unit displaced by numerous small cross faults producing step-like outcrops. NW of Hellgate Gulch the Flathead is tightly folded and bent with little evidence of rupturing. It contains mostly medium to coarse quartzite grains and mostly pale gray with occasional purple and red banding. Quadrant Formation (p.28): Exposed along the front of the Big Belt Mountains in the vicinity of White Gulch and at places in the southeastern part of Spokane Hills. This formation consists of quartzite interbedded with limestone, sandstone, and shale. The quartzite is hard, tough, brittle and vitreous.The sandstone is thin-bedded and brown, red, or gray; most is soft and shaly, but some is quartzitic and other is calcareous. |
| View | Maughan, E.K., Roberts, A.E., 1967, Big Snowy and Amsden Groups and the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian boundary in Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 554-B, 27 p. | Reference describes the increasingly sandy trend towards the west for the Devil's Pocket Formation (p. B16). Also many of the sections have specific direction to outcrop sites and also span across more than one location.The first, or most specific, of the locations provided for each measured section is provided. |
| View | McKelvey, V.E., 1959, The Phosphoria, Park City, and Shedhorn Formations in the Western Phosphate field: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 313-A, 45 p. | |
| View | Tysdal, R.G., 1970, Geology of the north end of the Ruby Range, southwestern Montana: University of Montana, Ph.D. dissertation, p. 133-180. | |
| View | Mann, J.A., 1954, Geology of part of the Gravelly Range, Montana: Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Project Contribution no. 190, p. 75-92. | |
| View | Knappen, R.S., and Moulton, G.F., 1930, Geology and mineral resources of parts of Carbon, Big Horn, Yellowstone, and Stillwater Counties, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin 822-A, 70 p. | On page 37 there is information about the Eagle Sandstone, however it is not very descriptive. Much of the sandstone is interbedded with shale, clay, or coal. The Greybull Member is mentioned on page 26 but has no sandstone in its measured section. The Greybull is defined as a resistant sandstone with limonite cement with grain size less than 0.4mm. It has a high clay content. |
| View | Glasheen, R.M., 1969, Geology of the Whetstone Ridge area, Meagher County, Montana: Oregon State University, M.S. thesis, 137 p. | Reference has information on the Judith River and Lennep formations. None of the sandstone units appear promising because of either high lithic or feldspar content. |
| View | Witkind, I.J., 1969, Geology of the Tepee Creek quadrangle Montana-Wyoming: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 609, 101 p. | |
| View | Mudge, M.R., 1972, Pre-Quaternary rocks in the Run River Canyon area, northwestern Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 663-A, 142 p. | Measured sections of the Blackleaf Formation, Flood Member are on p. 26. The Flood contains many layers of sandstone and it is all noncalcareous, mostly composed of quartz, feldspar, and chert. Each section is very fine grained. Also most of it is interbedded with shale and contains granules of claystone. |
| View | Klepper, M.R., Ruppel, E.T., Freeman, V.L., Weeks, R.A., 1971, Geology and mineral deposits, east flank of the Elkhorn Mountains, Broadwater County, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 665, 66 p. | |
| View | Cobban, W.E., Erdmann, C.E., Lemke, R.W., Maughan, E.K., 1976, Type sections and stratigraphy of the members of the Blackleaf and Marias River Formations (Cretaceous) of the Sweetgrass Arch, Montana: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 974, 66 p. | |
| View | McLane, M.J., 1971, Phanerozoic detrital rocks at the north end of the Tobacco Root Mountains, southwestern Montana: a vertical profile: Indiana University, Ph.D. dissertation, 253 p. | Reference includes detailed information about each unit except for thickness which was estimated for each unit from drawn stratigraphic sections. |
| View | Alexander, R.G., Jr.,1955, Geology of the Whitehall area, Montana: Yellowstone-Bighorn Research Project Contribution no. 95, 110 p. | |
| View | Mahorney, J.R., 1956, Geology of the Garrity Hill area, Deer Lodge County, Montana: Indiana University, M.A. thesis, 40 p. | The Quadrant section was not measured because of an excessive amount of Quadrant talus and cover. |
| View | Nave, F.R., 1952, Geology of a portion of the Bridger Range, Montana:State University of Iowa, M.S. thesis, 104 p. | |
| View | McMannis, W.J., 1952, Geology of the Bridger Range area, Montana: Princeton University, Ph.D. dissertation, 47 p. | |
| View | Wilson, M.D., 1970, Cretaceous stratigraphy of the southern Madison and Gallatin Ranges, southwestern Montana: University of Idaho, Ph.D. dissertation, 55 p. | |
| View | Childers, M.O., 1960, Structure and stratigraphy of the southwest Marias Pass area, Flathead County, Montana: Princeton University, Ph.D. dissertation, 181 p. | |
| View | Bierwagen, E.E., 1964, Geology of the Black Mountain area Lewis and Clark, and Powell Counties, Montana: Princeton University, Ph.D. dissertation, 46 p. | |
| View | Moberly, R.M., 1956, Mesozoic Morrison, Cloverly, and Crooked Creek Formations, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming and Montana: Princeton University, Ph.D. dissertation, 47 p. | There are some promising quartz arenites in the Cloverly Formation in Wyoming. The are medium- to fine-grained, friable, calcareous and sparkly. (Sec. 19, T. 57 N., R. 94 W.) |
| View | Loen, J.S., 1990, Lode and placer gold deposits in the Ophir district, Powell, and Lewis Clark Counties, Montana: Colorado State University, Ph.D. dissertation, 264 p. | |
| View | McGill, G.E., 1958, Geology of the northwest flank of the Flint Creek Range, western Montana: Princeton University, Ph.D. dissertation, 193 p. | The Flathead, Shedhorn, and Quadrant are described as relatively hard, pure quartzites. The Flathead is described as a first or second quality glass sand. It is not included in the database because tightly cemented, but is located in NE 1/4, SW1/4, Sec. 27, T. 09 N., R. 13 W. (p. 161). |
| View | Theodosis, S.D., 1956, The geology of the Melrose area, Beaverhead and Silver Bow Counties, Montana: Indiana University, Ph.D. dissertation, 118 p. | The uppermost Quadrant at one location is described as friable (p. 42). NW1/4, Sec. 30, T. 01 S., R. 09 W., and NW1/4 Sec. 13, T. 01 S., R. 09 W.,sec.13, NW. Elsewhere the Quadrant is tightly cemented in the Melrose area. |
| View | Goers, J.W., 1964, Geology and groundwater resources of the Stockett-Smith River area, Montana: Master of Science, University of Montana, M.S. thesis, 123 p. | Sandstones of the Kibbey Formation in this area are friable and poorly indurated (p. 30). |
| View | Key, C.F., 1987, Stratigraphy and depositional history of the Amsden and Lower Quadrant Formations, Snowcrest Range, Beaverhead and Madison Counties, Montana: Oregon State University, M.S. thesis, 187 p. | |
| View | Christie, H.H., 1961, Geology of the southern part of the Gravelly Range, southwestern Montana: Oregon State College, M.S. thesis, 159 p. | |
| View | Rose, R.R., 1967, Stratigraphy and structure of part of the southern Madison Range, Madison and Gallatin Counties Montana: Oregon State University, M.S. thesis, 172 p. | |
| View | Austin, W.H., Jr., 1950, Reconnaissance geology of the south flank of Cinnamon Mountain, Gallatin County, Montana: University of Michigan, M.S. thesis, 102 p. | |
| View | Hall, W.B., 1961, Geology of part of the Upper Gallatin Valley of southwestern Montana: University of Wyoming, Ph.D. dissertation, 239 p. |