High - Pressure X - Ray Diffraction Characterization of Mt Elbert Cores

In this letter report, core sediments from the Mt Elbert Stratigraphic Test Well #1 (Mt Elbert) located at Milne Point, Alaska were characterized in situ by high-pressure x-ray diffraction (HXRD). These samples represent part of the 500 ft (152.4 m) of continuous core collected from the D and C sands in the Mikkelson Tongue of the Canning Formation (BOSWELL et al., 2008). Research teams began collecting core in February 2007 as part of a collaborative project aimed to assess the feasibility of gas hydrates as a future energy source. The well was drilled to a depth of 3,002 ft (915m), with 1,670 ft (509 m) of permafrost and several thick sand formations in an area of Prudhoe Bay estimated to contain between 35 and 42 trillion ft 3 (1.0 and 1.2 trillion m 3 ) of gas (RUTQVIST et al., 2009).