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AER/AGS Open File Report 2017-08: Lithostratigraphy, Palynology, And

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AER/AGS Open File Report 2017-08: Lithostratigraphy, Palynology, And AER/AGS Open File Report 2017-08 Lithostratigraphy, Palynology, and Biostratigraphy of the Athabasca Oil Sands Deposit, Northeastern Alberta AER/AGS Open File Report 2017-08 Lithostratigraphy, Palynology, and Biostratigraphy of the Athabasca Oil Sands Deposit, Northeastern Alberta F. J. Hein1 and G. Dolby2 1 Alberta Energy Regulator Alberta Geological Survey 2 Graham Dolby & Associates January 2018 ©Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Alberta, 2018 ISBN 978-1-4601-2219-8 The Alberta Energy Regulator/Alberta Geological Survey (AER/AGS), its employees and contractors make no warranty, guarantee or representation, express or implied, or assume any legal liability regarding the correctness, accuracy, completeness or reliability of this publication. Any references to proprietary software and/or any use of proprietary data formats do not constitute endorsement by AER/AGS of any manufacturer’s product. If you use information from this publication in other publications or presentations, please acknowledge the AER/AGS. We recommend the following reference format: Hein, F.J. and Dolby, G. (2018): Lithostratigraphy, palynology, and biostratigraphy of the Athabasca Oil Sands deposit, northeastern Alberta; Alberta Energy Regulator, AER/AGS Open File Report 2017- 08, 105 p. Publications in this series have undergone only limited review and are released essentially as submitted by the author. Author address: G. Dolby 6719 Leaside Drive S.W. Calgary, AB, T3E 6H6 Canada E-mail: [email protected] Published January 2018 by: Alberta Energy Regulator Alberta Geological Survey 4th Floor, Twin Atria Building 4999 – 98th Avenue Edmonton, AB T6B 2X3 Canada Tel: 780.638.4491 Fax: 780.422.1459 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.ags.aer.ca AER/AGS Open File Report 2017-08 (January 2018) • iii Contents Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................................... viii Summary ...................................................................................................................................................... ix 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1 2 Previous Work and Statement of the Problem ...................................................................................... 2 3 Purpose .................................................................................................................................................. 7 4 Methods................................................................................................................................................. 7 5 Lithostratigraphy ................................................................................................................................. 14 5.1 Lithostratigraphic Nomenclature ................................................................................................ 14 5.2 Previous Work and Definition of Lithofacies and Lithofacies Associations .............................. 15 5.2.1 Pre-McMurray Clastic Succession ...................................................................................... 20 5.2.2 Lower McMurray Channel Successions ............................................................................. 21 5.2.3 Middle McMurray Channel-and-Point Bar Successions ..................................................... 24 5.2.4 Upper McMurray Tidal-Creek, Tidal-Flat, Bay-Fill and Marginal-Marine Successions ... 29 5.2.5 Wabiskaw D Incised-Valley Fills and Marginal Marine Sequences ................................... 33 5.2.6 Wabiskaw C Marginal-Marine Sequences .......................................................................... 36 6 Palynology: Common Microfossils in the Wabiskaw–McMurray Succession and Associated Strata 36 6.1 Acritarchs .................................................................................................................................... 38 6.1.1 Acritarch Discussion ........................................................................................................... 40 6.2 Algae ........................................................................................................................................... 41 6.2.1 Algae Discussion................................................................................................................. 47 6.3 Dinoflagellate Cysts (Dinocysts) ................................................................................................ 47 6.3.1 Dinocyst Discussion ............................................................................................................ 50 6.4 Fungi ........................................................................................................................................... 51 6.5 Spores, Megaspores, and Pollen ................................................................................................. 51 6.5.1 Spores, Megaspores, and Pollen Discussion ....................................................................... 58 7 Palynofacies and Palynostratigraphy .................................................................................................. 59 7.1 Definition of Palynofacies .......................................................................................................... 59 7.1.1 Hr /Hr*Palynofacies ............................................................................................................ 61 7.1.2 NyR Palynofacies ................................................................................................................ 61 7.1.3 NyA Palynofacies ............................................................................................................... 61 7.1.4 OS Palynofacies .................................................................................................................. 61 7.1.5 V Palynofacies .................................................................................................................... 61 7.1.6 COOP Palynofacies............................................................................................................. 62 7.1.7 Sbt Palynofacies .................................................................................................................. 62 7.1.8 Lux Palynofacies ................................................................................................................. 62 7.1.9 SF Palynofacies ................................................................................................................... 62 7.1.10 Cd Palynofacies................................................................................................................... 62 7.2 Definition of Palynostratigraphy ................................................................................................. 62 7.2.1 Hr Palynofacies ................................................................................................................... 62 7.2.2 NyR Palynofacies ................................................................................................................ 63 7.2.3 NyA Palynofacies ............................................................................................................... 63 7.2.4 OS Palynofacies .................................................................................................................. 63 7.2.5 V Palynofacies .................................................................................................................... 63 AER/AGS Open File Report 2017-08 (January 2018) • iv 7.2.6 COOP Palynofacies (including Sbt and Lux) ..................................................................... 63 7.2.7 SF Palynofacies ................................................................................................................... 63 7.2.8 Cd Palynofacies................................................................................................................... 63 7.2.9 Other Components .............................................................................................................. 64 8 Discussion ........................................................................................................................................... 69 9 Ages .................................................................................................................................................... 70 9.1 Pre-McMurray Clastic Succession .............................................................................................. 71 9.2 McMurray Formation .................................................................................................................. 71 9.2.1 Lower McMurray Informal Member .................................................................................. 71 9.2.2 Middle and Upper McMurray Informal Members .............................................................. 72 9.3 Clearwater Formation ................................................................................................................. 72 9.3.1 Wabiskaw Member ............................................................................................................. 72 9.3.2 Clearwater Formation Shale (overlying the basal Wabiskaw Member) ............................. 73 10 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................
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