GEOLOGIC NOTE
Proposal to reinstate the Wolfcamp Formation as a formal lithostratigraphic unit for the subsurface Delaware Basin, New Mexico and Texas, by Wayne K. Camp. It is proposed that the abandoned name “Wolfcamp Formation” be reinstated as a formal lithostratigraphic unit for a lower Permian (Cisuralian) to Upper Pennsylvanian interval. It is anticipated that formal adoption of the Wolfcamp Formation will encourage others to formally define the correlative lithostratigraphic unit in the Midland Basin, Texas.

ARTICLES
The impact of textural variation on the topology of fracture networks in carbonates, by C. M. Burberry, F. M. Qassim, T. D. Frank, and M. L. Searls.Assessing fracture network connectivity in reservoirs remains challenging because of the complexity of fracture networks at various length scales. Results discussed in this paper show that topology is an effective method to assess the impact of textural variation on the connectivity and intensity of fractured carbonates.

Porosity evolution of sandstone reservoirs in the Paleogene Shahejie Formation of the Zhanhua depression, Bohai Bay Basin, by Xiaowen Guo, Yanqi Hua, Bin Wang, Zhi Yang, Zhiliang He, Tian Dong, Keyu Liu, and Sheng He. The sandstone reservoirs in the Paleogene Shahejie Formation are crucial to petroleum exploration in the Zhanhua depression. The controlling factors on reservoir quality and porosity evolution, as determined by the authors’ research, are useful for predicting high-quality reservoirs in the Zhanhua depression and other analogous rifted lacustrine basins.

Tectonic setting and petroleum systems of the Seno Mexicano (southern Texas and northeastern Mexico): An initial synthesis, by Thomas E. Ewing. The Seno Mexicano (southern Texas, the Burgos Basin, and offshore extensions) is a prolific Cenozoic hydrocarbon province, producing more than 93 TCF and 3.6 billion bbl oil. This study provides the first basin-wide overview of tectonic processes, producing trends, and hydrocarbon systems.

Internal structure of the fault zone in sand•clay sequences, revealed by coring across the fault in the Bohai Bay Basin, by Zhida Liu, Xiaofei Fu, Lingdong Meng, Haixue Wang, and Zaihe Chen. The internal structures of a fault zone in interbedded sand•clay sequences were examined by coring across the Xicaogu fault in the Bohai Bay Basin. The study revealed that porous sandstone cataclasis caused the formation of the deformation bands, and the low-porosity to nonporous sandstones fracturing caused the formation of shear fractures.

Revised paleogeographic maps of the North American Western Interior Seaway: Applying integrated approaches for predictive reconstructions and recognizing bias from lack of data, by Jonathan D. Schueth, Anton Wroblewski, and Keith P. Minor. Sedimentary deposits of the Western Interior Seaway are an economically important source of coal and hydrocarbon reserves and are targets for geo-thermal and carbon capture. The authors present the result of an extensive literature review used to reconstruct the paleogeography of the southern half of the seaway.