1999; Klimchouk, 2007, 2009a, 2009b), or the acceleration ous stages of karsting, specifically paleocave develop-

of epigene processes can also produce similar fluids ment, incipient karst collapse, and noncollapse regions
(Palmer, 1991). Those fluids can include sulfuric acid in the Ordovician-Devonian Hunton Limestone in the
breached from hydrocarbon oilfields (Hill, 1995), as well Arkoma Basin of Oklahoma. Moser (2016) uses curva-
as high-temperature and -pressure igneous basement hy- ture to map sinkholes with an average diameter of 630 m
Downloaded 12/31/21 to 41.254.65.96. Redistribution subject to SEG license or copyright; see Terms of Use at http://library.seg.org/page/policies/terms

drothermal fluids migrated along faults (Palmer, 1991; (2070 ft) in the Mississippian Boone Limestone in the
Burberry et al., 2016), or thermal convection of hydro- Arkoma Basin of Arkansas. Milad and Slatt (2017) map
thermal fluids (Wright and Harris, 2013). Unlike epigene sinkholes in the Hunton and Viola Formations in Potta-
karst, hypogene processes are independent of climate watomie County, Oklahoma, on the Cherokee platform
(Klimchouk, 2009a, 2009b). 92 km (57 mi) northwest of the current study area, find-
Sinkholes are closed depressions of subsurface drain- ing sinkhole diameters of 350–700 m (1150–2300 ft).
age diagnostic of epigene karst topography (Waltham Using the same 3D seismic survey as the current study,
et al., 2005). Collapse breccias with infill sediments are Kumbalek (2015) maps and identifies Viola paleokarst
often present in sinkholes (Loucks, 1999), as well as open expressed as sinkholes with an average diameter of ap-
shafts into cave networks (Waltham et al., 2005). Figure 1 proximately 280 m (780 ft) that occurred in only 4.1% of
illustrates a generalized karst model. Vertical karst pipe the 460 km2 (approximately 180 mi2 ) survey area.
structures become connected by hydrothermal flow, tec- This paper reports the first seismic mapping in the
tonic activity, mineralization, and collapse (Waltham study area of the Mississippian Caney Shale, the Penn-
et al., 2005; Sullivan et al., 2006; Sun et al., 2013; Burberry sylvanian Jefferson Sandstone, and the Pennsylvanian
et al., 2016) with hypogene-formed sinkholes enhanced Wapanucka Limestone, as well as the Ordovician Viola
during subaerial exposure (Sullivan et al., 2006; Burberry Limestone. We identify and measure sinkhole and ver-
et al., 2016). Wright (2016) notes that the circular col- tical pipe features in the Arkoma Basin of Oklahoma
lapse features that occur in hypogene networks may using horizon time structure maps and isochron maps,
be interpreted as surface sinkholes originally associated optimized seismic attribute volumes of variance, curva-
with meteoric karst. Sinkholes and associated pipe fea- ture, and amplitude maps, sinkhole feature amplitude
tures have been identified from 3D seismic data in the analysis is calibrated to the Gassmann equation to form
DOI:10.1190/INT-2019-0155.1

Fort Worth Basin (Hardage et al., 1996; McDonnell et al., a predictive rock-physics model, and we extend Kum-
2007), the Persian Gulf (Burberry et al., 2016), the Pearl balek’s (2015) Viola sinkhole analysis. Evidence is
River Mouth Basin, China (Story et al., 2000; Heubeck presented for paleokarst collapse that extends below
et al., 2004; Sun et al., 2013), and Florida (Cunningham the Viola and into shallower horizons and the first pub-
and Walker, 2009; Cunningham, 2015; Cunningham et al., lished description of sinkhole features in the Wapanucka
2018). In 3D seismic data, karst pipes are often seen to Limestone. This study has broad applications in paleo-
narrow upward, develop a cylindrical to vertical conical karst science and hydrocarbon exploration.
geometry, and exhibit a spectrum of disruption of stratal
seismic reflections from localized sag features to com- Geology
pletely chaotic (Cartwright et al., 2007; Sun et al., 2013). The study area is located in the western Arkoma
Pipes are believed to have formed over an extensive time Basin, a peripheral foreland basin formed by collision
period (Waltham et al., 2005). of the North American and Gondwanan plates during
There have been limited seismic studies of paleokarst early Mississippian through middle Pennsylvanian time
in the Arkoma Basin, Arkansas-Oklahoma. Brinkerhoff (Suneson, 2012). It is a structural-sedimentary basin that
(2007) uses a waveform classifier to distinguish the vari- covers much of eastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas
and stretches south to the Choctaw Fault
(Amsden, 1984). Figure 2a shows the
study area, Arkoma Basin and adjacent
basins along the Ouachita fold belt. Fig-
ure 2b shows a cross section across
the Arkoma Basin and the Ouachita fold
belt. Surface rocks of the western Ar-
koma Basin trend east–northeast with
regional northwest dip (Berry and Trum-
bly, 1968). The youngest beds are visible
on the northwest edge of the basin,
whereas the oldest beds occur near the
Choctaw Fault. The Wapanucka Lime-
stone and older rocks dip regionally to
the southeast (Berry and Trumbly, 1968).
Depositional thinning in the Atoka and
Figure 1. Generalized karst model showing incised valleys, collapsed caves, younger formations are evident in growth
and sinkholes (modified after Grotzinger and Jordan, 2010). structures (Berry and Trumbly, 1968),

T422 Interpretation / May 2020