Tech Division Events
Basin Analysis & Sequence Stratigraphy Division
For more information concerning this Division, please contact the Division Chairs, Steve Donaldson at (403) 645-5534, email: Steve.Donaldson@encana.com or Mark Caplan at (403) 532-7701, email:mcaplan@aosc.com.
Division Profile
The Basin Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy Division was created in 1999 to replace the existing Basin Analysis Division, reflecting the increasing popularity of sequence stratigraphy. The Division's mandate is to provide a CSPG forum for members who are interested in seeing the "wood" when they are looking at the "trees". Most of us deal with small areas in our daily work. Good understanding of the big geologic picture in which our areas are located will facilitate better geological interpretations and predictions, which will translate into higher drilling success rates.
The aim of the Basin Analysis and Sequence Stratigraphy Division is to be innovative, inspiring and practical. We will try to introduce new concepts and methodologies of basin analysis and sequence stratigraphy to our group. We would also like to share inspiring interpretations of historical Canadian data. In particular, we encourage speakers to offer learnings that we can take home and apply in our daily work. The Division is also interested in running field trips or joint talks with other Divisions in the future.
Our meeting schedule is to have at least one informal brown-bag talk every month, except during the summer. Talks normally start at 12 noon and finish before 1 p.m. Each talk consists of a 40 minute technical presentation followed by a 10 minute question period. Currently, our meetings are held at the EnCana Amphitheatre, 2nd Floor, east end of the Calgary Tower Complex, 1st Street and 9th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta.
Involvement of our CSPG members is the key to the success of the Division. Individuals are encouraged to take part in all activities. Service companies are also encouraged to attend Division meetings and be involved in all Division activities.
The Division's new co-chairs would like to express our gratitude to Greg Hu for his hard work in developing and running the Division. If you are interested in joining the Division's mailing list and learning more about it, or if you would like to suggest a technical topic or present a talk to the Division, please contact us.
Webcasts
Ashton Embry's talk from the October Basin Analysis Division is available for webcast.
Division Talks
Sedimentology and Stratigraphic Framework of the Upper Clearwater Formation at Caribou Lake, Alberta
Speaker
Stuart C. Tye,
Husky Energy
12:00 Noon
Thursday, May 29, 2008
EnCana Amphitheatre
2nd Floor, East end of the Calgary Tower Complex
1st Street and 9th Avenue SE, Calgary, AB
Abstract
The Caribou Lake Oils Sands deposit is located approximately 70 km North West of Cold Lake, Alberta. Husky Energy has proposed a Thermal Demonstration Project for the area and the application is currently pending. Calculations indicate an Original Bitumen in Place (OBIP) for the 2.5 sections selected for the project of 220 million barrels. The project will aim to recover 1590 m3/day (10 000 bpd) of bitumen.
The primary reservoir unit within the deposit is the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Clearwater Formation. It overlies the dominantly fluvial sand of the basal Cretaceous McMurray Formation and is overlain by the marine shale of the Grand Rapids Formation. To date, approximately 135 wells have been drilled in the Caribou Lake area that penetrate the Clearwater Formation and about 100 of these wells have been cored and analyzed.
The Clearwater Formation forms part of a broad, northwest-prograding depositional system comprising both deltaic and incised valley fill deposits. The lower part of the Formation termed the Wabiskaw member directly overlies the McMurray Formation and comprises a coarsening-upward sequence interpreted as dominantly pro-deltaic to distal delta front deposits at the base and top of the succession respectively. Although the unit may be bitumen-saturated, low reservoir quality due to high shale content has deemed it non-prospective for the project.
The overlying succession within the Upper Clearwater Formation comprises a series of coarsening-upward regionally extensive deltaic regressive parasequences. In the Caribou Lake project area the regional sediments have been eroded by a northwest-southeast trending incised valley (termed Valley B). This valley may represent a complex fill comprising several amalgamated valley fills but the sand-dominated monotonous nature of the facies render the identification of sequence boundaries ambiguous. This valley fill constitutes the main bitumen reservoir on the lease and is interpreted as a transgressive tide-dominated estuarine deposit. The Clearwater Formation is capped by a significant transgressive surface and is overlain by marine mudstone at the base of the Grand Rapids Formation.
The two dominant reservoir facies within Valley B are subtidal sand bars and channels and comprise sporadically bioturbated dominantly fine to medium grained, cross-bedded and planar laminated sandstone with subordinate thin (mm-cm scale) to thick (dm scale) laminated mudstone. These facies are confined to a fairway which extends parallel to the axis of the incised valleys through the central part of the lease and defines the focus area for the proposed development. Central estuary basin and/or marginal estuarine deposits form a third facies which is present in the eastern portion of the lease area and are generally non-prospective. This facies consists primarily of bioturbated, heterolithic mudstone and siltstone. The low diversity of trace fossils and the forms present (dominantly simple structures made by trophic generalists) are indicative of brackish water conditions and contrast markedly in character with the bioturbation present within the offshore marine shales of the regionally extensive deltaic regressive parasequences found outside of the valley complex.
Husky has completed the initial phase of delineation work to define the potential of its Caribou Lake oil sands. In December 2006, Husky submitted an application to Regulators which is currently under review by the AEUB and Alberta Environment. Delineation work started in 2005 with the drilling of in excess of 70 stratigraphic wells. In Q1 2007 a three component 3D seismic program was shot to assist in mapping the Clearwater Formation over the demonstration area.
Biography
Stuart Tye is the Clastic Specialist at Husky Energy. He received a BSc (1991) and PhD (1995) from the University of Wollongong and a BSc (Honours) from James Cook University. He started his petroleum career working in Australia on numerous onshore and offshore basins before moving to Calgary with Husky Energy five years ago. He began his career at Husky in the International Exploration Dept. focussing for the most part on China before moving to his current position.
BASS Tech Division Talks are free. Please bring your lunch. For further information about the division, joining our mailing list, a list of upcoming talks, or if you wish to present a talk or lead a field trip, please contact either Steve Donaldson at (403) 645-5534, email: Steve.Donaldson@encana.com or Mark Caplan at (403) 532-7701, email:mcaplan@aosc.com.
