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Petroleum Source Rock Potential of Lower to Middle Jurassic Clastics, Intermontane Basins, British Columbia

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Petroleum Source Rock Potential of Lower to Middle Jurassic Clastics, Intermontane Basins, British Columbia PETROLEUM SOURCE ROCK POTENTIAL OF LOWER TO MIDDLE JURASSIC CLASTICS, INTERMONTANE BASINS, BRITISH COLUMBIA Filippo Ferri Resource Development and Geoscience Branch, BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, 6th Flr-1810 Blanshard St., Victoria, BC, Canada, V8W 9N3 Kirk Osadetz Geological Survey of Canada: Calgary, 3303 33 St. NW, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2L 2A7 Carol Evenchick Geological Survey of Canada: Pacific, 101-605 Robson St. Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6B 5J3 KEYWORDS: petroleum source rocks, petroleum, crude Subsurface characterization of potential Cretaceous oil, natural gas, Bowser Basin, Quesnel Trough, Nechako and Tertiary petroleum source rocks within the Nechako Basin, Sustut Basin, Intermontane, Interior Basins, area has been documented by Hunt (1992) and Hunt and Canadian Cordillera, Jurassic Bustin (1997). Osadetz et al. (2003) obtained RockEval pyrolytic and total organic content (TOC) data for well cuttings from all bore holes within the Nechako and INTRODUCTION Bowser basins. Evenchick et al. (2003) reported bleeding crude oil from paleomagnetic coring operations in fine The presence of suitable petroleum source rocks is a grained clastics that may be either migrated petroleum or necessary condition for the presence of an effective total residual crude oil stains in potential petroleum source petroleum system which constrains the petroleum rocks. The purpose of the present study was to sample potential of under-explored basins such as those within potential source bed horizons of Early and Middle the Intermontane region of British Columbia (Curiale, Jurassic age in areas where subsurface data is lacking. In 1994). Hayes (2002), in his report on the crude oil and addition, the following brief summary on the extent of natural gas potential of the Nechako area of British potential source bed horizons of this age within certain Columbia, indicated that a major issue for the basin was parts of the Canadian Cordillera inidicates these units are the lack of recognition of a good petroleum source rock potentially regionally distributed. horizon. This perception is applicable to all the The author, as part of the regional mapping program Intermontane basins due to the limited amount of crude examining Bowser Lake and Sustut group rocks within oil and natural gas exploration activity and a subsequent the western portion of the McConnell Creek sheet (094D; lack of relevant information. see Evenchick et al., 2003), sampled potential petroleum This paper summarizes some of our current source rock horizons in this area (Figures 1, 2). In understanding of Early and Middle Jurassic stratigraphy addition, one week was spent examining possible source within parts of the Intermontane region of the Canadian beds on the east side of the Nechako area, within the Cordillera which may have petroleum source rock Quesnel Trough (Figures 1, 3 and 4). Approximately 25 potential. It also provides an update on the activities samples were collected in the McConnell Creek area and undertaken by the Resource Development and Geoscience 12 samples were taken from the Quesnel Trough. Further Branch (RDGB) of the British Columbia Ministry of sampling is planned in both regions during the 2004 field Energy and Mines to address the issue through season. recognition and basic characterization of potential source Current research in the Bowser Basin has recognized bed horizons within the Intermontane region. This is part crude oil staining in surface and subsurface samples of the of a much larger collaborative program which began in Bowser and Sustut groups (Osadetz et al., 2004, 2003; 2001, between the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) Evenchick et al., 2003). The data suggests the presence of and the RDGB to look at energy related aspects of the at least three source bed horizons, one of Jurassic to Intermontane Basins. The RDGB is also collaborating Cretaceous age, another within carbonate sequences of with the GSC on a new, multiyear initiative, which started Paleozoic age and a third of fresh water origin. Data in in 2003 entitled “Integrated Petroleum Resource Potential this paper, in part, reviews sampling undertaken in the and Geoscience Studies of the Bowser and Sustut field in an attempt to locate the stratigraphic horizons Basins”. responsible for the staining. Resource Development and Geoscience Branch, Summary of Activities 2004 87 500 km I n Bowser Basin t e O r m m Sustut Basin o i n n e t a c n a Skeena Group F e o r e Upper Hazelton clastics l a 1 n and equivalents d E a s Stikine Terrane t e r n L Cache Creek Terrane i m i C t o o Quesnel Terrane f a C s o t rd Geomorphological Belts ill I e n ra s n u D McConnell Creek Map Area la 2 e r O fo 4 r m m i a n 1 Joan Lake Area t e i o c n 3 a 2 Central Quesnel Trough 3 Ashcroft Formation 4 Chilcotin Ranges Figure 1. Geomorphological belts of the Canadian Cordillera together with selected terranes and locations of areas mentioned in text or shown in subsequent diagrams. The regional distribution of Early to Middle Jurassic clastics is also indicated. Base map modified from Osadetz et al., 2003. In Bowser-Sustut and Quesnel Trough areas, the BOWSER AND SUSTUT BASINS focus of sampling was within black carbonaceous sequences of Early to Middle Jurassic age which are The Bowser and Sustut basins are overlap believed to underlie coarser clastic units of the basins. assemblages deposited on an allochthonou terrane of the This stratigraphic interval encompasses the Toarcian – Canadian Cordillera. Located in north-central British Aalenian time period, which on a world-wide scale, is Columbia, they are found within the northern part of the inferred to record an interval of anoxic water conditions Intermontane Belt and sit on Devonian to Jurassic rocks resulting in enhanced preservation of accumulated organic of Stikinia (Figure 1). material (Jenkyns, 1988). There are three main successions within these basins: World wide oceanic anoxic events are documented at the Middle Jurassic to mid-Cretaceous Bowser Lake several stratigraphic levels within Jurassic and Cretaceous Group; the Lower to mid-Cretaceous Skeena Group and sedimentary rocks. In addition to the Toarcian, these the mid- to Upper Cretaceous Sustut Group. Bowser Lake include intervals within the Aptian-Albian, Cenomanian- strata represent a southwestward, prograding delta to Turonian and the Santonian stages (Jenkyns, 1980, 1988). distal submarine fan sequence and contains marine to Most of these time periods are well represented within the non-marine sediments (Evenchick et al., 2001). Skeena Western Canada Sedimentary Basin and have contributed rocks, located along the southern part of Bowser Basin, a large proportion of the petroleum within known pools are inferred to have been deposited in marine to non- (e.g. First and Second White Speckled Shale, Base of Fish marine deltaic environments, but their relationship to Scales and Fernie Formation; see Creaney et al., 1994). Bowser Lake stratigraphy is uncertain (Tipper and Richards, 1976). The Sustut Group is inferred to have been deposited in fluvial to lacustrine environments (Eisbacher, 1974) which were deposited in a foreland basin east of deforming Bowser Lake strata (Evenchick and Thorkelson, in press). 88 British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines Figure 2. Generalized geology of the McConnell Creek map area showing sample locations. Modified from Evenchick et al., 2003. Resource Development and Geoscience Branch, Summary of Activities 2004 89 EK JA TN Cache Creek Location Map PTCC EK JA 121 15’ TN TN 50 45’ JA V N H H QU H D U % & TJ Ashcroft G EK PTCC J PTCC A RQ SV P U KR LYH 7 5 EK JA TN TN 0LQDEHUULHW &UHHN Black Canyon TJG JA T N 0123 TN kilometres Eocene Fault EK Kamloops Gp. Volcs. Thrust Fault J EM Jurassic Contact A Ashcroft Fm. Main Highway 1 L. Triassic - E. Jurassic Secondary Roads TJG Guichon Batholith Sample section T L. Triassic N Nicola Gp. Penn. - Triassic PTCC Cache Creek Gp. Figure 3. Generalized geology map of the Ashcroft area showing extent of Ashcroft Formation and sample locations. Modified from Travers, 1978. 90 British Columbia Ministry of Energy and Mines QA TS PCA PrS Q A TV TJN KG TS TV KG & T DULERR Ã5LYHU PCA EM J 4XHVQHOÃ5LYHU EMJ PCA EMJ Likely TV QA EMJ QA TS TJN QA TS EMJ TJN Q T A V 121 36’ QA EM J TS 52 30’ TV QA 4XHVQHO TS TS /D NH QA T PTCC S TV TJN Big Lake Ranch T TJ S N TS TJN TV TV TJN TV %LJÃ/DNH QA QA Horsefly TV TJN QA EMJ QA PTCC TV Miocene N & WÃ D I R TV 0 TJN TV 0510 QA kilometres Q PT Penn - Triassic A Quaternary CC Cache Creek Gp. T Terti ary P L. Paleozoic V Chilcotin Gp. CA Crooked Amphibolite Kamloops Gp. PrS L. Proterozoic EMJ EM Jurassic Snowshoe Gp. Fault TJ L. Triassic - E. Jurassic N Nicola Gp. Volca nics Contact Paved Roads ML Triassic TS Black Phyllite Sample Locality Figure 4. Generalized geology of Quesnel Terrane west of Quesnel Lake, showing distribution of Early to Middle Jurassic clastics and sample location. Resource Development and Geoscience Branch, Summary of Activities 2004 91 Bowser, Skeena, Sustut and underlying Stikinia rocks formally assigned to the Spatsizi Formation (Evenchick are deformed into dominantly northwest-trending fold and and Thorkelson, in press). In the Joan Lake area of this thrust structures comprising the Skeena Fold Belt map region, Thomson et al. (1986) initially assigned these (Evenchick, 1991). Evenchick (1991) demonstrated that rocks to group status and defined the Joan, Wolf Den, this thin skinned structural belt of mid-Cretaceous age Melisson, Abou and Quock formations. Although contains a well developed triangle zone at its northeastern subdivision of this horizon is possible in the Joan Lake margin within Sustut strata.
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