Rock-Eval, Lithogeochemistry, Gamma Ray Spectrometry, Thermal Maturity

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British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12 Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources Mines Competitiveness and Authorizations Division British Columbia Geological Survey

Recommended citation: Ferri, F., Golding, M., and Reyes, J., 2019. Rock-Eval, lithogeochemistry, gamma ray spectrometry, thermal maturity, and X-ray diffraction analysis of the Grayling and Toad formations (Montney and Doig formations equivalent), Halfway River map area (94B/14). British Columbia Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12, 5p.

Front cover: Characteristic differential weathering of beds in the lower-middle (~140 to 300 m) part of the Toad Formation section. Image illustrates four stacked coarsening-upward sequences in which the number and thickness of recessive dark grey finer grained, calcareous and carbonaceous siltstone beds decrease up section at the expense of relatively resistant, buff- weathering, slightly coarser grained, dolomitic siltstone beds, which are about 1 m thick at the top of each sequence. Photo by Filippo Ferri.

Appendices, including datafiles, for this GeoFile can be downloaded from http://cmscontent.nrs.gov.bc.ca/geoscience/PublicationCatalogue/GeoFile/BCGS_GF2019-12.zip Rock-Eval, lithogeochemistry, gamma ray spectrometry, thermal maturity, and X-ray diffraction analysis of the Grayling and Toad formations (Montney and Doig formations equivalent), Halfway River map area (94B/14)

Filippo Ferri, Martyn Golding, and Julito Reyes

Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12

Rock-Eval, lithogeochemistry, gamma ray spectrometry, thermal maturity, and X-ray diffraction analysis of the Grayling and Toad formations (Montney and Doig formations equivalent), Halfway River map area (94B/14) Filippo Ferri1a, Martyn Golding2, and Julito Reyes3 1British Columbia Geological Survey, Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, Victoria, BC, V8W 9N3 2Department of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 3Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, AB, T2L 2A7 acorresponding author: [email protected]

Summary and Kritsta Boyce (Rock-Eval). Kirk Osadetz (Geological Survey of Triassic calcareous siltstones and fine-grained sandstones Canada) is also thanked for commenting of aspects of the Rock-Eval of the Grayling and Toad formations exposed in the Halfway analysis. Ray Lett, (British Columbia Geological Survey) assisted River area of the Rocky Mountains in northeastern British with preparing samples used for lithogeochemical analysis. Columbia (Fig. 1) represent the western equivalents of gas- Reference cited bearing units in the Montney and Doig formations in the Armstrong, J.E., 1948. Fort St. James, British Columbia. Geological subsurface of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (Fig. Survey of Canada Map 907A, scale 1:380,160. 2). Previously, Ferri et al. (2010) provided descriptions, Ferri, F., Golding, M.L., Mortensen, J.K., Zonneveld, J-P., and Orchard, preliminary interpretations, and regional correlations of these M.J., 2010. Toad Formation (Montney and Doig equivalent) in the exposures. To better document these units, herein we present northwestern Halfway River map area, British Columbia (NTS the results of a section, more than 640 metres thick, that we 094B/14). In: Geoscience Reports 2010, British Columbia Ministry systematically measured and sampled across the Grayling and of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources, pp. 21-34. Toad formations and the lower part of the Liard Formation Gabrielse, H., 1975. Geology of Fort Grahame E1/2 map-area, British Columbia Geological Survey of Canada Paper 75-33, 28p. (Figs. 3-5). These results include lithologic, organic and whole Irish, E.J.W., 1958. Charlie Lake, West of Sixth Meridian, British rock geochemical, thermal maturation, x-ray diffraction, and Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Preliminary Map 17-1958, gamma ray spectrometer data. 1:253,440 scale. The UTM coordinates (NAD 83, Zone 10) for the base McMechan, M.E., 1994. Geology and structure cross-section, Dawson of the main measured section are 473869E, 6311693N; the Creek, British Columbia, Geological Survey of Canada Map 1858A, coordinates for the top are 474484E, 6311271N. The base of Scale 1:250,000. the section across the lowermost Liard Formation is at 474495 Okulitch, A.V., Gabrielse, H., MacIntyre, D.G. and Taylor, G.C. 2002. E and 6311271N. Geology, Ware, British Columbia (94F), Geological Survey of In the accompanying files (BCGS_GF2019-12.zip) Canada Open File 4276, scale 1: 250,000. Stott, D.F., McMechan, M. E., Taylor, G. C., Muller, J. E., 1983. we summarize our analytical methods (Appendix 01), Geology of Pine Pass (93-O) map area, British Columbia. Geological Rock-Eval, lithogeochemistry, gamma ray spectrometry, Survey of Canada Open File 925, 1:125,000 scale. thermal maturity, X-ray diffraction, and gamma ray Taylor, G.C., 1979. Geology of Trutch and Ware (east half) map areas, spectrometer data (as Microsoft Excel spreadsheets; British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Open File 606, Appendix 02), and graphic logs, lithologic descriptions, 1:250,000 scale. and images of representative rock types (Appendix 03). Thompson, R.I., 1977. Geology, Beatton River, west of sixth meridian, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 1446A, Acknowledgements 1:250,000. We thank staff ta the laboratories of the Geological Survey of Canada Thompson, R.I., 1986. Geology, Halfway River, British Columbia. in Calgary, particularly Jenny Wong (XRD), Sarah Saad (Rock-Eval), Geological Survey of Canada, Map 1634A, 1:250,000.

British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12 1 Ferri, Golding, and Reyes

57o Location of measured section

Fig. 4 British Columbia

Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

56o

124o 122o Layered Rocks

Cretaceous - Tertiary Ordovician - Middle Devonian Road Cretaceous Cambrian - Ordovician Thrust fault Jurassic - Cretaceous Cambrian Fault Triassic Neoproterozoic

Carboniferous - Permian Intrusive Rocks Mississippian Carboniferous

Devonian - Carboniferous 0 10 20 30 40 50 km

Fig. 1. Regional geological setting of the Halfway River area. Geology from Armstrong (1948), Irish (1958), Gabrielse (1975), Thompson (1977, 1986), Taylor (1979), Stott et al. (1983), McMechan (1994), and Okulitch et al. (2002).

British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12 2 Ferri, Golding, and Reyes

Foothills - Foothills - Stratigraphic Peace River Halfway to Sukunka Age Subsurface Pine Rivers River Jurassic Fernie Formation Rhaetian Bocock Fm

Pardonet Norian Pardonet Fm Fm Winnifred Upper Baldonnel Baldonnel Fm Brewster Carnian Fm Starlight

Charlie Charlie Lk Fm Whitehorse Fm Evaporite Schooler Ck Gp

riassic Lk

T Halfway Fm Ladinian Ludington Fm ? Liard Fm Llama Spray River Gp Middle Anisian Toad Fm Doig Fm Whistler

Fig. 2. Triassic stratigraphic Sulphur Mtn Fm Vega- Lower Diaber Gp Montney Fm nomenclature used in the surface Grayling Fm Phroso and subsurface of northeastern British Columbia. Permian Fantasque/Ishbel

Fernie Jurassic Formation Pardonet Norian Formation Baldonnel Formation Carnian Charlie Lake Formation Late Liard Formation Ladinian riassic T

Anisian Toad-Grayling Middle formations

Early 300m Fig. 3. GeneralizedFigure stratigraphic 4 column of Triassic rocks in the Prophet Formation Halfway River area. Permian

British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12 3 Ferri, Golding, and Reyes

123o 30'

o 57

Carbon

River

Fig. 5

Fault Halfway Fiddes Syncline

Lower Cretaceous Middle to Upper Triassic Gething Formation Liard - Charlie Lake Formations Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous Lower to Middle Triassic Minnes Group Toad - Grayling Formations Lower to Upper Jurassic Carboniferous Measured Fernie Formation Prophet Formation Section Upper Triassic Devonian - Carboniferous Baldonnel - Pardonet Formations Besa River Formation Upper Triassic Ludington Formation 5 km

Fig. 4. Geology in the immediate vicinity of the measured section. Geology from Thompson (1986).

British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12 4 Ferri, Golding, and Reyes

123°26'W 123°25'W 123°24'W

Minnes Group Charlie Lk Formation

Measured Fernie Formation Liard Formaiton 1400 Section Pardonet Formation Toad-Grayling formations

Baldonnel Formation Prophet Formation

1400 1600 56°57'N

51 1700

64 1800

52 2000 60 61

1800 2000

1600 56°56'N

0 125 250 500 750 1,000 1700 metres

123°26'30"W 123°26'0"W 123°25'30"W 123°25'0"W 123°24'30"W 123°24'0"W

Fig. 5. Detailed map of the measured section.

British Columbia Geological Survey GeoFile 2019-12 5 British Columbia Geological Survey Ministry of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources www.gov.bc.ca/geologicalsurvey