Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, Northwestern Canada

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Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland Composite Tectono-Sedimentary Element, northwestern Canada

Karen M. Fallas*, Robert B. MacNaughton, Peter K. Hannigan† and Bernard C. MacLean† Geological Survey of Canada (Calgary), Natural Resources Canada, 3303 33rd Street NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2L 2A7 KMF, 0000-0002-5645-9561; RBM, 0000-0003-4013-6079; PKH, 0000-0002-9308-9176 † Retired *Correspondence: [email protected]

Abstract: The Mackenzie–Peel Platform Tectono-Sedimentary Element (TSE), and the overlying Ellesmerian Foreland TSE, consist of Cam- brian–Early Carboniferous shelf and slope sedimentary deposits in Canada’s northern Interior Plains. In this chapter, these elements are combined into the Mackenzie–Ellesmerian Composite TSE. The history of the area includes early extensional faulting and subsidence in the Mackenzie Trough, passive-margin deposition across the Mackenzie–Peel Platform, local uplift and erosion along the Keele Arch, subsidence and deposition in the Ellesmerian Foreland, possible minor folding during the Ellesmerian Orogeny, and folding and faulting in Cretaceous– Eocene time associated with the development of the Canadian Cordillera. Recorded petroleum discoveries are within Cambrian sandstone (Mount Clark Formation), Devonian carbonate strata (Ramparts and Fort Norman formations) and Devonian shale (Canol Formation). Addi- tional oil and gas shows are documented from Cambrian–Silurian carbonate units (Franklin Mountain and Mount Kindle formations), Devo- nian carbonate units (Arnica, Landry and Bear Rock formations) and Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous siliciclastic units (Imperial and Tuttle formations). Petroleum exploration activity within the area has occurred in several phases since 1920, most of it associated with the one producing oilﬁeld at Norman Wells.

Canada’s northwestern Interior Plains are underlain by sedi- Mackenzie–Peel Platform TSE to the Ellesmerian Foreland mentary rocks deposited on Archean and Paleoproterozoic TSE is placed at the onset of siliciclastic deposition in late crystalline basement of the Canadian Shield (Cook and Givetian (late Middle Devonian)–early Frasnian (early Late MacLean 2004). The Mackenzie–Ellesmerian Composite Devonian) time (Morrow 1999). The top of the Ellesmerian Tectono-Sedimentary Element (CTSE) comprises an unmeta- Foreland TSE was dated as Tournaisian (Early Carboniferous) morphosed Paleozoic succession that can be subdivided by Norris (1997). This succession is unconformably overlain into the ‘Mackenzie–Peel Platform’ and the ‘Ellesmerian by Jurassic and Cretaceous strata of the Cordilleran Foreland Foreland’, which in turn is overlain by Mesozoic strata of (Dixon 1999). Additional biostratigraphic age constraints the ‘Cordilleran Foreland’. The ‘Mackenzie–Peel Platform’ within the succession are documented by Aitken et al. Tectono-Sedimentary Element (TSE) incorporates the ‘Ander- (1973), Norford and Macqueen (1975), Morrow (1991), son Plain Platform – Eastern’ and ‘Anderson Plain Platform – Pope and Leslie (2013), Gouwy et al. (2017), Pedder (2017) Western’ sedimentary successions of Grantz et al. (2011). The and Uyeno et al. (2017). term ‘Mackenzie–Peel Platform’ is used here because it unites regional-scale stratigraphic packages and reﬂects the palaeogeographical terminology commonly applied to the region. ‘Mackenzie Platform’ originally encompassed the region of Geographical location and dimensions Lower Paleozoic shelf or platform strata between the Canadian ‘ ’ The Mackenzie–Ellesmerian CTSE underlies the NW Interior Shield and the deeper-water trough units now preserved in ’ the northern Cordillera (Lenz 1972). This usage was favoured Plains of Canada s mainland Northwest Territories, northeast- for Cambrian–Silurian strata by Cecile and Norford (1993). ern Yukon and western Nunavut (Fig. 1; Enclosure A). The ME CTSE is approximately 950 × 500 km, with its long Cecile et al. (1997) subsequently subdivided the Late – Cambrian–Middle Devonian platform into the Lac des Bois axis orientated NNW SSE. The area includes the Peel Plateau, and Blackwater platforms; these terms are not used in this Peel Plain, Anderson Plain, Colville Hills, western Horton report. The Devonian succession north of 64° N is also Plain, Great Bear Plain, Franklin Mountains and Mackenzie referred to as ‘Peel Platform’ (e.g. Moore 1993: equivalent Plain physiographical regions. to the ‘Peel Shelf’ of Morrow 2012). The deeper-marine Mid- dle Devonian– Early Carboniferous siliciclastic strata repre- sent an Ellesmerian Foreland TSE, preserved beneath the Principal datasets sub-Mesozoic unconformity in the same region. Therefore, the Mackenzie–Peel Platform TSE and the Ellesmerian Wells Foreland TSE jointly form a CTSE; for brevity, the term ‘Mackenzie–Ellesmerian CTSE’ (ME CTSE) is used. As of 2016, there are 632 petroleum wells intersecting Paleo- zoic strata within the ME CTSE area (Fig. 2; Enclosure F). Of these, 382 are development wells, all completed within the Age Norman Wells Field, and another 250 are exploration wells drilled throughout the region. Of the exploration wells, Cambrian–Early Carboniferous. A major regional unconfor- approximately 60 wells penetrate the full Paleozoic succes- mity separates the Mackenzie–Ellesmerian CTSE from under- sion. Most wells were aimed at conventional targets but, lying early Neoproterozoic and older strata. Units at the base since 2011, exploration for shale oil and gas in the Mackenzie of the Paleozoic succession have been dated as Cambrian Plain has contributed to the completion of ﬁve vertical and two Series 2 (MacNaughton et al. 2013). The transition from the horizontal exploratory wells (Terlaky 2017).

From: Drachev, S. S., Brekke, H., Henriksen, E. and Moore, T. (eds) Sedimentary Successions of the Arctic Region and Their Hydrocarbon Prospectivity. Geological Society, London, Memoirs, 57, https://doi.org/10.1144/M57-2016-5 © 2021 The Author(s). Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Natural Resources. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). . Published by The Geological Society of London. Publishing disclaimer: www.geolsoc.org.uk/pub_ethics Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

K. M. Fallas et al.

138°W 136°W 134°W 132°W 130°W 128°W 126°W 124°W 122°W 120°W 118°W 116°W

Petroleum Wells Amundsen Gulf Structure Section (Fig.6) 70°N Beaufort Sea Well Section (Fig.7) Faults CTSE Boundary Physiographical Boundary Axis of Keele Arch 69°N Mackenzie Delta Melville

Richardson Mountains Mackenzie-Ellesmerian Hills Arctic CTSE Platform TSE

68°N Inuvik Anderson Horton Plain Plain

Mackenzie Iroquois Nunavut River Syncline Dempster F G D-11 NWT 67°N Highway E L-80

T O-52 revor Peel M-47 Canadian Plain Shield Fault Colville 66°N Hills N-39 Great Peel D O-62 Bear Plateau Great A-22 N-58 C Lake Franklin Bear Mountains Plain 65°N B Yukon NWT A MackenzieNorman Plain Wells Mackenzie Neogene to Holocene Tulita Valley Cretaceous Mackenzie Winter Road

64°N Paleozoic Mountains Precambrian 0 50 100 Canadian Cordillera km

Fig. 1. Map of the Mackenzie–Ellesmerian CTSE area showing an outline of the CTSE, physiographical and territorial boundaries, the location of the structural cross-section (A–G: see Fig. 6), and well cross-section (A-22–D-11: see Fig. 7).

Seismic data Inuvik in the extreme NW of the region, and the Mackenzie Valley winter road connecting communities along the Macken- For the northern Interior Plains and northern Mackenzie River zie River Valley (Fig. 1). In the Colville Hills and Franklin Valley, there are more than 1400 seismic reﬂection proﬁles Mountains, additional bedrock exposure is found on ridges on public record with the National Energy Board of Canada and cliff faces where vegetation is sparse or absent. Within (https://www.canada.ca/en/national-energy-board.html). and east of the Colville Hills and Franklin Mountains, in These lines were acquired by more than 30 companies from areas dominantly underlain by carbonate rocks, karst features 1960 to 2010. The highest density of lines is found along are present and bedrock is locally exposed in sinkholes and the Mackenzie Plain and around the Colville Hills (Fig. 2; related features. For an overview of outcrop-based strati- Enclosure F). graphic work in the ME CTSE area see Fallas et al. (2015a), and for an overview of available maps see Fallas et al. (2015b).

Outcrop studies Tectonic setting, boundaries and main tectonic/ Across the low-lying plains of the ME CTSE area, outcrop erosional/depositional phases exposures are concentrated along stream banks and canyons with vegetation and/or surﬁcial materials typically covering The ME CTSE is a shelf and platform succession formed on bedrock between stream valleys. These outcrops have mainly stable continental crust (Enclosures B, C, and D), and has been accessed by helicopter over the last 50 years. Road been categorized as a discrete, long-lived, stable TSE (Grantz access is limited to the Dempster Highway passing through et al. 2011; Enclosure E). To the west in the Canadian Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland

138°W 136°W 134°W 132°W 130°W 128°W 126°W 124°W 122°W 120°W 118°W 116°W

Petroleum Wells Amundsen Gulf Seismic Lines 70°N Beaufort Sea Horn River edge Faults CTSE boundary

69°N Mackenzie Delta Richardson Mountains

68°N Inuvik

Mackenzie Nunavut River NWT 67°N

Canadian Shield Fig. 9 66°N Great Bear Lake

65°N Yukon NWT Fig. 8 Norman Wells

Neogene to Holocene Tulita Mackenzie Cretaceous Mountains 64°N Paleozoic Fig. 10 Precambrian 050100 Canadian Cordillera km

Fig. 2. Map of the Mackenzie–Ellesmerian CTSE area showing the location of petroleum exploration wells and seismic reﬂection lines. Lines used in Figures 8–10 are highlighted in cyan and labelled.

Cordillera, rifting and continental break-up of Rodinia and and units have been mapped using Arctic Islands terminology Pannotia in the Neoproterozoic (Scotese 2009) initiated subsi- (see Okulitch 2000). To the east it is bounded by a preservatio- dence on the NW Laurentian margin. Subsequent deposition nal zero edge against the Canadian Shield. The eastern of sedimentary successions began upon a peneplain of boundary of the Ellesmerian Foreland deposits corresponds deformed Proterozoic intracratonic sedimentary basins devel- to the Horn River Group preservational zero edge shown in oped on thinned continental crust on the northwestern margin Figure 2. The Mackenzie–Peel Platform extends south to of the Canadian Shield (Cook et al. 1999). The tectonic history approximately 60° N, where it passes into the MacDonald and major depositional and erosional intervals of the ME Platform. Ellesmerian Foreland siliciclastic deposits pass CTSE are summarized in Figure 3. into mixed carbonate and shale deposits of the Great Slave The platform records passive-margin deposition that fol- Plain SE of Mackenzie Plain (Morrow 2012). lows rifting to the west (Cecile et al. 1997). The western mar- Palaeogeographical maps for the Cambrian–Silurian Mac- gin of the carbonate platform is delineated by a transition into kenzie Platform can be found in Cecile and Norford (1993). shale-dominated strata of Selwyn Basin and Misty Creek Morrow (2012) provided palaeogeographical maps for the Embayment preserved in the western Mackenzie Mountains, Devonian Mackenzie and Peel platforms. Cambrian depositio- as well as the Richardson Trough of the Richardson Moun- nal patterns were strongly controlled by a network of tectonic tains. However, the deformed western margin of the platform, highs (arches and domes) and lows (depocentres and graben). preserved in the Mackenzie Mountains and Richardson Moun- The region’s Cambrian tectonic history was reviewed by tains, is excluded from this CTSE. To the NE, the Mackenzie– MacLean (2011), who considered it to commence with early Peel Platform passes into the Arctic Platform where Lower Cambrian regional subsidence, recorded by deposition of the Paleozoic carbonate strata dip NE towards the Arctic Islands Mount Clark Formation (Cambrian Series 2). This was Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

K. M. Fallas et al.

CTSE CTSE Tectonic Chronostratigraphy Stratigraphic Source Reservoir Seal Trap Charge Lithostratigraphy Events Era Period Epoch Age/Stage Ma Nomenclature W E 298.9 Legend 303.7 Peel Anderson Colville Hills/ Horton Plain/ 307.0 Plain Plain Franklin Great Bear structural unknown traps form in charging of 315.2 Plain sandstone and conglomerate Mountains amounts of Cretaceous Devonian pre-Cretaceous to Eocene reservoirs 323.2 time occurs deposition between quartz arenite 330.9 and erosion Permian and Cretaceous siltstone, shale 346.7 and sandstone ? 358.9 Tuttle Formation Ellesmerian shale, organic rich in part folds Imperial 372.2 limestone Ellesmerian

Formation Foreland TSE

382.7 Horn Canol Fm ? River Ramparts Fm Ellesmerian stratigraphic limestone and 387.7 dolostone breccia Group Hare Indian Fm foreland Hume Fm subsidence 393.3 Landry Fort Bear and folding(?) dolostone Fm Norman Rock Arnica Fm Fm 407.6 Fm 410.8 Tatsieta Fm stratigraphic silty or sandy carbonate

Delorme Platform TSE possible Mackenzie-Peel 419.2 Group Peel Fm charging of Cambrian evaporite, siltstone 423.0 reservoir and carbonate 425.6 in Late 427.4 Paleozoic 430.5 no stratigraphic record 433.4 438.5 uplift and known, well constrained 440.8 Keele erosion on Mount Kindle 443.8 Arch Keele Arch 445.2 Formation uncertain, poorly constrained

453.0 stratigraphic 458.4 oil

467.3 470.0 gas regional uplift 477.7 and erosion oil & gas 485.4 Franklin Mountain ~489.5 major unconformable Formation boundary ~494 ~497 stratigraphic ~500.5 Saline River Fm ~504.5 ~509 Mount Cap Fm Mackenzie stratigraphic ~514 Mount Clark Fm Arch extension in Mackenzie Mackenzie ~521 Trough Trough ~529

541.0

Fig. 3. Stratigraphic relationship chart and petroleum system information for the Mackenzie–Ellesmerian CTSE across the northwestern Interior Plains of Canada. Relationships are shown schematically from west to east sub-parallel to the well cross-section shown in Figure 1.

followed late in Cambrian Series 2 and during Series 3 by pro- of Cretaceous–Eocene age associated with the northern tracted subsidence, locally enhanced by extensional faulting, Canadian Cordillera (Cook 1983; Cook and MacLean 1999). including development of a graben system, notably beneath Inversion of Cambrian-age normal faults as reverse faults Mackenzie Plain (Mackenzie Trough), recorded by deposition during Laramide deformation is documented in the of the Mount Cap and Saline River formations. By the late Colville Hills and eastern Franklin Mountains (MacLean Cambrian (Furongian), arches within the CTSE were ﬂooded et al. 2014). and covered by carbonates of the Franklin Mountain Forma- tion, establishing a stable carbonate platform across the region (Turner 2011). Regional uplift during the Middle–Late Ordo- vician and the Silurian–Early Devonian produced major Underlying and overlying rock assemblages unconformities atop the Franklin Mountain Formation and Mount Kindle Formation, respectively (Norford and Mac- Age of underlying consolidated basement or youngest queen 1975). Relationships exposed in the Franklin Moun- underlying unmetamorphosed rock unit tains and Colville Hills reveal locally enhanced erosion of the Mount Kindle Formation and Franklin Mountain Forma- Across much of its extent, the Mackenzie–Peel Platform lies tion along the uplifted Keele Arch from mid-Silurian to with angular unconformity upon stratigraphic units ranging Early Devonian time (MacLean et al. 2014). Following a latest in age from Paleoproterozoic to earliest Neoproterozoic Silurian–Middle Devonian phase of shallow-marine carbonate (Tonian). These include the Hornby Bay (Paleoproterozoic), deposition, the platform was incrementally drowned by silici- Dismal Lakes and Coppermine River (Mesoproterozoic) clastic sediment derived from the Ellesmerian Orogen during groups exposed NE of Great Bear Lake (Fig. 1), the Shaler the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous (Morrow 2012). Supergroup (early Neoproterozoic) exposed in the Melville Depositional and erosional phases between the Early Carbon- Hills/Brock Inlier, and the Mackenzie Mountains Supergroup iferous and Jurassic left no stratigraphic record, and are there- (early Neoproterozoic) exposed in the eastern Mackenzie fore unconstrained. Mountains (Enclosure D). Details of the older subsurface strat- Within the Mackenzie Plain, Franklin Mountains and igraphy were documented by Cook and MacLean (2004).To Colville Hills the entire Paleozoic succession of the ME the east, the Paleozoic succession is non-conformable upon CTSE is involved in Laramide fold and thrust deformation Precambrian crystalline basement of the Canadian Shield. Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland

Age of oldest overlying rock unit the Franklin Mountains. Following Grantz et al. (2011), that portion of Paleozoic platformal or foreland strata that is A regional unconformity separates deposits of the ME CTSE involved in the more intense deformation of the Mackenzie from an overlying Mesozoic siliciclastic succession. In most Mountains and Richardson Mountains in the Cordilleran Oro- areas, the oldest overlying unit is Early Cretaceous sandstone gen is not included in this summary (Enclosure E). of the Martin House or Langton Bay formations. Within the Paleozoic strata across this region are generally ﬂat lying or Franklin Mountains, isolated exposures of Cretaceous strata dip gently towards the mountains (SW) or Mackenzie Delta overlying Paleozoic carbonates belong to the Late Cretaceous (NW); see Figures 4 and 5. Deformation associated with the Slater River Formation (MacLean et al. 2014). In northern development of the Canadian Cordillera during Late Creta- Anderson Plain, the oldest known overlying units are isolated ceous–Eocene time has created folds and faults involving deposits of Late Jurassic Husky Formation preserved near the Paleozoic strata within the Mackenzie Plain, Franklin Moun- Arctic Ocean coastline (Dixon 1999). tains and the Colville Hills (Cook 1983). Figure 6 shows the general style of structures NE of the Mackenzie Mountains, with widely spaced, detached folds and thrusts dominating the region from the Peel Plateau to the eastern Franklin Moun- Tectonic subdivision and internal structure tains (B–D) and locally reactivated Cambrian normal faults in the Colville Hills (E–G). Larger structures are also visible in The ME CTSE underlies the northwestern Interior Plains of Figures 4 and 5 as local structural highs on the base of the Canada and is involved in the eastern Foreland Belt deforma- Cambrian or base of the Devonian. The deeper detachment tion of the Cordilleran Orogen within the Mackenzie Plain and level for structures in the Mackenzie Mountains (c. 10 km:

138°W 136°W 134°W 132°W 130°W 128°W 126°W 124°W 122°W 120°W 118°W 116°W

Faults Amundsen Gulf CTSE Boundary 70°N Beaufort Sea

Base Cambrian

-3 km -3 depth contours 69°N Mackenzie Delta (m) Sea Level

Richardson Mountains -2 km -2

68°N

-1000 m

Mackenzie River -1 km

67°N

-2000 m

-2 km

66°N Great -3000 m

-3 km Bear -4 km Lake

-5 km 65°N Yukon NWT -4000 m

Neogene to Holocene Cretaceous Mackenzie

64°N Paleozoic Mountains -5000 m Precambrian 0 50 100 Canadian Cordillera km

Fig. 4. Depth–structure map on the base of Cambrian strata based on public-domain well and seismic data, as interpreted by MacLean (2012); the contour interval is 100 m, deepening from red to blue. Labels are placed so that the negative sign is aligned with the labelled contour. The Cambrian zero edge lies at the boundary between the Precambrian and the Paleozoic. Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

K. M. Fallas et al.

138°W 136°W 134°W 132°W 130°W 128°W 126°W 124°W 122°W 120°W 118°W 116°W

Faults Amundsen Gulf Devonian zero edge 70°N Beaufort Sea CTSE Boundary

69°N Mackenzie Delta Base Devonian depth contours Richardson Mountains (m) Sea Level

68°N

Mackenzie Nunavut-1000 m River NWT 67°N

Canadian-2000 m

-1 km Shield 66°N Great Bear -2 km Lake -3 km -3000 m

65°N Yukon NWT

Neogene to Holocene -1 km -4000 m Cretaceous Mackenzie

64°N Paleozoic Mountains Precambrian 050100 Canadian Cordillera km -5000 m

Fig. 5. Depth–structure map on the base of Devonian strata based on public-domain well and seismic data, as interpreted by MacLean (2012); the contour interval is 100 m, deepening from red to blue. Labels are placed so that the negative sign is aligned with the labelled contour. The uninterpreted area in the northern plain is due to sparse or poor data.

Fig. 6) rises beneath the Mackenzie Plain to lie within Saline Ellesmerian Orogeny. Cook and Aitken (1975) argued for River Formation evaporitic strata of the Cambrian succession the possibility of folding of Middle Devonian strata during 2–3 km beneath the Franklin Mountains, showing how struc- Late Devonian–Early Cretaceous time on the basis of map tures in the Franklin Mountains are directly linked to the Cor- relationships, although Cretaceous strata are not preserved dillera. This area differs from the southern Canadian where the Devonian units are clearly folded. Lane (2007) Cordillera by having both foreland-vergent and hinterland- pointed out that this set of folds lies approximately 200 km vergent thrust faults, which are likely to be related to the SE of (beyond) the front of regional Ellesmerian deformation highly ductile detachment layer (see Harrison 1995 for simi- but did interpret them as likely Ellesmerian structures. A seis- larly divergent salt-detached structures). Steeply dipping mic reﬂection line intersecting the Iroquois Syncline (Sigma structures in the Colville Hills involve Proterozoic strata Exploration line GSI-02) shows that the fold developed on beneath the Cambrian evaporitic strata and are interpreted to the ﬂank of a contractional structure active in Proterozoic– have developed independently of structures in the Franklin Middle Cambrian time. Reactivation of the Proterozoic– Mountains, although the timing is also Late Cretaceous– Cambrian structure during Ellesmerian or subsequent Eocene (MacLean and Cook 1992). In contrast to the Colville Laramide (Cretaceous–Eocene) deformation of the northern Hills and Franklin Mountains, much of the Anderson Plain to Canadian Cordillera is a likely explanation for the location the NW is undeformed, displaying only a gentle NW tilt within and orientation of the syncline at the surface. Paleozoic strata. For further details regarding the structural style across the An anomaly within Anderson Plain is a localized set of Franklin Mountains, see Cook (1983). Structural relationships NE-trending folds, including the Iroquois Syncline, which may in the Colville Hills are discussed in MacLean and Cook be associated with the Late Devonian–Early Carboniferous (1992). Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland r

A B C DEF G MACKENZIE MACKENZIE FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS ANDERSON PLAIN MOUNTAINS PLAIN COLVILLE km HILLS Jacques Range Belot Ridge Gibson Ridge Hare Indian River Mackenzie Rive 0

-5

-10 020km

From Cook and No local MacLean (1999) seismic control Cretaceous Lower and Middle Neoproterozoic Cambrian clastic U. Cambrian to Lower and evaporitic strata Paleo- and Meso- Carboniferous carbonate proterozoic undivided and clastic strata

Fig. 6. Structural cross-section from the Mackenzie Mountains to the Colville Hills showing the folding and faulting style affecting the Mackenzie– Ellesmerian CTSE; the section is expanded from Cook and MacLean (1999) using map relationships and available seismic reﬂection data. See Figure 1 for the location of the cross-section.

Sedimentary ﬁll Formation is not well constrained, although the common pres- ence of intense bioturbation argues for a Cambrian age. The Total thickness contact between the Mount Clark and Mount Cap formations, although locally sharp, is a diachronous facies boundary The thickness of Paleozoic strata across the Mackenzie–Elles- (Dixon and Stasiuk 1998; MacNaughton et al. 2013); it is merian CTSE varies from a zero edge adjacent to the Canadian not known to be older than Cambrian Stages 3 or 4 (Bon- Shield in the east to more than 2500 m westward along the nia–Olenellus Zone). Regionally, the uppermost part of the mountain front; see Figures 6 and 7. Mackenzie–Peel Platform Mount Cap Formation is at least as young as Cambrian TSE and Ellesmerian Foreland TSE reach maximum docu- Stage 5 (Glossopleura Zone: Aitken et al. 1973; MacNaugh- mented thicknesses beneath the Peel Plateau and Peel Plain, ton et al. 2013). In terms of traditional subdivisions, these with totals of 2000 and 1000 m respectively. are Lower–Middle Cambrian strata and are present throughout the TSE, with a zero edge where they crop out against the Canadian Shield to the east or abut against the ancient Mac- Lithostratigraphy/seismic stratigraphy kenzie Arch system to the west (Aitken et al. 1973). The Mount Clark Formation was deposited in shoreline to shallow- The Cambrian–Silurian lithostratigraphic succession of Mac- marine settings and records initial ﬂooding on the peneplain kenzie–Peel Platform TSE has been summarized in a number of Proterozoic strata (Dixon and Stasiuk 1998). A subsequent of publications (Tassonyi 1969; Aitken et al. 1973; Norford increase in water depth led to deposition of the shale- and Macqueen 1975; Pugh 1983, 1993; Aitken 1993; Cecile dominated Mount Cap Formation. and Norford 1993; Dixon and Stasiuk 1998; Pyle and The second sequence consists of the Saline River Formation Jones 2009; Sommers et al. 2020). It can be considered in (red shale, evaporites and carbonates), overlain gradationally terms of three large-scale unconformity-bounded depositional by the Franklin Mountain Formation (dolostone with an sequences (Figs 3 and 7), described here in ascending order. upper interval of cherty or siliceous dolostone). The basal The basal sequence is entirely of Cambrian age. In ascend- unconformity of this sequence has been documented in the ing order, it consists of the Mount Clark Formation (quartz subsurface (Dixon and Stasiuk 1998) and in outcrop in the sandstone and minor shale) and the Mount Cap Formation eastern Mackenzie Mountains (Aitken et al. 1973). Age con- (shale, commonly dark in colour, with lesser sandstone and straints are sparse but the sequence probably extends from carbonate). The age of the basal beds of the Mount Clark late in Cambrian Stage 5 to Early Ordovician. These units

Cranswick Sperry Creek Hume River Ontadek Lake Behdziah Youh Tweed Lake East Lac Maunoir Izok A-22 N-58 O-62 N-39 O-52 M-47 L-80 D-11

Horn River Gp SW zero edge NE Colville Hills Mackenzie +500 m River

Sea Level

-500 m

-1000 m

-1500 m

-2000 m Franklin Mountain Fm - Mount Cap Fm - Saline River Fm contact -2500 m Mount Kindle Fm contact 0 25 50 100 km

Cretaceous - siliciclastic basin Late Cambrian to Silurian - carbonate platform conformable contact

Devonian - siliciclastic basin Early to Middle Cambrian unconformable contact

Devonian - carbonate platform Proterozoic sedimentary strata fault

Fig. 7. Well cross-section illustrating the stratigraphic relationships within the Paleozoic strata. The gamma-ray log from each well is shown in black. Faulted structures are shown schematically. See Figure 1 for the cross-section location. Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

K. M. Fallas et al. are of regional extent. Development of a restricted basin, Rock Formation (Cook and Aitken 1971), more recent work related in part to the rise of a network of tectonic ridges to (Fallas et al. 2015c; Gouwy et al. 2017) suggests that all the the west, led to deposition of the evaporite-rich Saline River formations just named may be present, although perhaps not Formation (Dixon and Stasiuk 1998; MacLean 2011). The mappable. The Colville Hills and Anderson Plain mark the Franklin Mountain Formation records deposition on a region- eastern limit of the Bear Rock Assemblage (Figs 1 and 5). ally extensive but environmentally stressed carbonate plat- The upper surface of the Bear Rock Assemblage records form following inundation of most of the arches (Norford marine regression and subaerial exposure that can be recog- and Macqueen 1975; Turner 2011). nized throughout much of western Canada (Morrow and Geld- The third sequence consists entirely of carbonates of the setzer 1988). Aspects of the lithostratigraphy of the Bear Rock Mount Kindle Formation. This unit commonly is siliceous Assemblage are the subject of debate and may require revision or chert-bearing and locally is richly fossiliferous. It encom- (e.g. Gal et al. 2009; but see also Gouwy et al. 2017). passes strata of Late Ordovician–Early Silurian age and is sep- Above the Bear Rock Assemblage, the Hume Formation arated from underlying strata by a regional disconformity. It (Eifelian) makes up the lower part of the Hume–Lonely Bay records an episode of carbonate platform deposition that was Assemblage. The Hume Formation consists of fossiliferous characterized regionally by conditions conducive to an abun- limestone, locally with a basal member of shale and limestone dant and diverse macrofauna (Norford and Macqueen 1975; (Headless Member). The Hume Formation is sharply overlain Pope and Leslie 2013). Widespread post-Mount Kindle ero- by dark-weathering shale of the Hare Indian Formation (early– sion created a regional unconformity between the Mount Kin- mid Givetian), including the basal, organic-rich Bluefish dle and overlying Devonian–Cretaceous strata. Across the Member, and these strata make up the upper part of the Keele Arch, post-Mount Kindle Formation erosion locally Hume–Lonely Bay Assemblage. This succession extends removed the entire unit in the eastern Franklin Mountains east almost to the Colville Hills, and north and west to the lim- and Colville Hills (between wells M-47 and L-80 in Fig. 7) its of the Mackenzie–Peel Platform TSE. (MacLean et al. 2014). Locally, as at Norman Wells, reef and off-reef limestone The Devonian succession of the Mackenzie–Ellesmerian facies of the late Givetian Ramparts Formation (of which the CTSE has a long history of study (e.g. Hume and Link reefal Kee Scarp Member forms the reservoir at Norman 1945) and has been featured in numerous reports (e.g. Bassett Wells) overlie the Hare Indian Formation. Dark, organic-rich 1961; Tassonyi 1969; Pugh 1983, 1993; Muir et al. 1985; mudstones of the Canol Formation (early Frasnian) discon- Morrow 1991, 1999; Meijer Drees 1993; Moore 1993; Norris formably overlie both the Ramparts and Hare Indian forma- 1997; Yose et al. 2001; Pyle and Jones 2009). Morrow (2012) tions. The Hare Indian, Ramparts and Canol formations synthesized the Devonian stratigraphy of the northern main- together make up the Horn River Group. The Canol Formation land by grouping formations into informal ‘assemblages’ extends well to the north and west within the CTSE but does not and interpreting the region’s stratigraphic evolution in terms extend as far east as the Colville Hills. The Horn River Group of transgressive–regressive (T–R) second-order sequences. can be combined with overlying shale, siltstone and sandstone The following discussion of Devonian lithostratigraphy is (platformal and deeper-marine) of the Imperial Formation to summarized from Morrow (2012), except where noted, and make an additional assemblage (Slave–Kakisa Assemblage) the reader is urged to consult that report for details on the rel- of Frasnian age in the south and extending into the Famennian atively complex sequence stratigraphy of the succession. in the Peel and Anderson plains. A Frasnian limestone (Jungle Lower Devonian strata consist of two informal assem- Ridge Member) is present within the Imperial Formation in the blages. The older Delorme Assemblage in the region west of Mackenzie Plain region. In the Peel Plateau area, deltaic sand- Great Bear Lake, mainly to the south of Tulita, consists of stone and conglomerate of the Tuttle Formation was deposited dolomitic sandstone and siltstone of the Tsetso Formation, in late Famennian–Tournaisian time conformably above turbi- and correlative dolostone, evaporites and solution-collapse ditic deposits of the Imperial Formation (Allen et al. 2009). breccias of the Camsell Formation. The Delorme Assemblage Both the Imperial and Tuttle formations are part of foreland is essentially Lochkovian–earliest Emsian in this region. Cor- clastic wedge deposition (Ellesmerian Foreland TSE) related relative strata beneath Peel Plain and Anderson Plain consist to the Ellesmerian Orogeny (Lane 2007). of dolostones of the Peel Formation, which may be as old as In seismic reflection studies of Mackenzie–Peel Platform latest Silurian at their base, overlain by sandy and argillaceous and Ellesmerian Foreland strata, the major reflectors do not carbonates of the Tatsieta Formation that probably are not necessarily correspond with the major lithostratigraphic and younger than Pragian. The Delorme Assemblage is not present sequence stratigraphic boundaries described in the preceding beneath Horton Plain, the Colville Hills or the northern Frank- paragraphs. Instead, the major reflectors correspond to the lin Mountains. The Delorme Assemblage is overlain by the following stratigraphic surfaces: base of Cretaceous/top of Bear Rock Assemblage, which encompasses the remaining the Imperial Formation, top of Ramparts Formation (top of Early Devonian strata of the region. In the Peel and Anderson the Hare Indian Formation where the Ramparts Formation plains, the succession consists of dolostone of Arnica Forma- is absent), top of the Hume Formation, top of the Saline tion, overlain diachronously by limestone of Landry Forma- River Formation, top of the Mount Cap Formation and tion. The base of the Arnica Formation may be as old as base of Cambrian. The interval dominated by carbonates Pragian in these regions. Stratigraphic relationships are more from the top of the Saline River Formation to the top of complex in the region around Norman Wells and in the Col- the Hume Formation has few reflective interfaces but the ville Hills. At surface, the classic expression of this interval top of the Franklin Mountain Formation and the top of is the pinnacle- and cave-forming solution-collapse limestone Mount Kindle Formation/base of Devonian are locally rec- and dolostone breccia of the Bear Rock Formation. In the sub- ognizable in seismic data. surface, the same interval is represented by interbedded dolostone and evaporite of the Fort Norman Formation. Locally, Bear Rock Formation breccia passes laterally into dolostone Magmatism (without evaporite) of the Arnica Formation. In the Norman Wells region, this succession is overlain by a thin package Magmatism is not recorded in rocks of the Mackenzie–Peel of Landry Formation limestone. In the Colville Hills, poor Platform or Ellesmerian Foreland but Paleozoic volcanism is exposure inhibits recognition of separate stratigraphic units well documented further west outside the CTSE area in the and, although early mapping assigned all strata to Bear correlative Selwyn Basin (Goodfellow et al. 1995). Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland

Heat ﬂow Current exploration status

Heat-flow data for the Mackenzie-Ellesmerian CTSE are lim- Oil seeps on the banks of the Mackenzie River were long ited. Majorowicz et al. (1988) estimated that geothermal gra- known and utilized by the Dene people. The first commercial dients for the Mackenzie Plain generally are <30 mK m−1, petroleum discovery on the northern mainland occurred at reaching values between 40 and 50 mK m−1 in that part of Norman Wells in 1920. Production was limited until World the Mackenzie Plain and the Franklin Mountains between War II, when the short-lived Canol pipeline connected Nor- the eastern Mackenzie Mountains and Great Bear Lake. man Wells to Whitehorse in support of the Allied war effort They estimated that heat-flow values could vary from 40 to in the Pacific theatre. Following an expansion of the Norman 110 mW m−2 across the larger region covered by the ME Wells Field, a 900 km oil pipeline along the Mackenzie Valley CTSE, with values in excess of 80 mW m−2 being found was completed in 1986. Norman Wells remains one of Cana- only between the Franklin Mountains and Mackenzie Moun- da’s top producing oilfields. In 2011, the Canol Formation in tains in the region west of Great Bear Lake. This is consistent the central Mackenzie Valley became a target for exploration with the high heat flow of 84 mW m−2 measured at Norman interest in shale oil and shale gas (Terlaky 2017) but some of Wells by Garland and Lennox (1962). these wells have been recently abandoned (2016). The ME CTSE area saw steady drilling activity each year from 1960 onwards but, as of the time of writing (late 2018), no new wells have been drilled since 2014. Petroleum geology

Discovered and potential petroleum resources Hydrocarbon systems and plays Discoveries and showings of oil and gas are shown in Figure 3. – – Herein, we focus on the known discoveries in the Mackenzie In the Mackenzie Ellesmerian CTSE, the conventional hydro- Peel Platform TSE. No known discoveries have been carbon discovery of greatest economic significance to date is fi documented in the overlying Ellesmerian Foreland TSE. the Norman Wells oil and solution gas eld, hosted in the Mid- Additional potential hydrocarbon system elements and con- dle Devonian Kee Scarp Member of the Ramparts Formation. fi ceptual plays are present in both TSEs, and the reader is Reservoir parameters for the Norman Wells oil eld include a referred to the extensive account of Hannigan et al. (2011) drainage area of 1600 hectares, net pay of 110 m, average for details. porosity of 9.8%, water saturation of 0.1, reservoir temperature of 21°C and reservoir pressure of 4900 kPa (Kempthorne and Irish 1981; Irish and Kempthorne 1987; Kaldi 1989; Med- Source rocks. Paleozoic source rocks are indicated in Fig- ing 1994). The in-place oil volume is 108 MMm3 (679 ure 3. Scattered, thin, algal-rich shales are present in the Cam- MMbbl) (Yose et al. 2001). In-place solution gas volume is brian Mount Cap Formation in the Colville Hills (Wielens 6230 MMm3 (220 Bcf) (Canadian Gas Potential Committee et al. 1990; Dixon and Stasiuk 1998). They vary in total 2005). organic carbon (TOC) from 0.5 to 6%, with hydrogen index The Cambrian Mount Clark Formation is reservoir to sev- (HI) values up to 768 mgHC g−1 TOC. These oil-prone source eral hydrocarbon discoveries in the Colville Hills. All exam- rocks with Type I kerogens range from thermally immature in ples of the ‘Cambrian clastic play’ of Hannigan et al. (2011) the central Colville Hills to mature near Tweed Lake (Dixon have been single-well discoveries: Tedji Lake K-24 (gas, and Stasiuk 1998). Similar algal-rich shales are present in 1974), Tweed Lake M-47 (gas condensate, 1985), Bele the Mount Cap Formation beneath the Mackenzie Plain, O-35 (gas, 1986), Nogha O-47 (gas, 1986) and Lac Maunoir where they are deeply buried and are likely to be within the C-34 (oil, 2004). gas-generation zone, past the peak of oil generation (Dixon The Bear Rock Formation (Devonian) is thought to and Stasiuk 1998). Certain gas accumulations in late mature be the reservoir for oil, gas and condensate in the oil zones within the Cambrian strata at Colville Hills may Summit Creek B-44 and K-44 wells, at the eastern edge of have their source in Proterozoic strata, notably a 75 m-thick the Mackenzie Mountains south of Tulita (Hannigan et al. shale unit in the Dismal Lakes Assemblage that contains up 2011). to 1.4% TOC at maturities above the oil window, but within Since 2011, organic-rich shale of the Devonian Canol the gas-generation phase (Snowdon and Williams 1986). Formation has been an active exploration target for Oil-prone, organic-rich shale in the Middle Devonian Blue- unconventional oil and gas in the Mackenzie River Valley fish Member of the Hare Indian Formation beneath the Peel around Norman Wells. Significant hydrocarbon discoveries and Anderson plains has an average thickness of about 20 m have been reported at Dodo Canyon E-76 (2014), Mirror and may have been the source for bitumen found in the Lake P-20 (2014) and East MacKay I-78 (oil and gas, Hume Formation. These rocks are mature to overmature but 2013). retain moderate TOC and may remain a potential source for Hannigan et al. (2011) evaluated the conventional hydro- gas. The Bluefish Member is present beneath the Mackenzie carbon potential of the Mackenzie River drainage system Plain, but its geochemical character suggests that it was not from the provincial–territorial boundary (60° N) northward a major source for the Norman Wells conventional oilfield to, but not including, the Mackenzie Delta/Beaufort region. (Snowdon et al. 1987; Feinstein et al. 1988). The Bluefish The Paleozoic strata that make up the Mackenzie–Ellesmer- Member has been identified as a potential unconventional ian CTSE as defined in the present report have a total shale oil source within the Mackenzie Plain (Terlaky 2017). mean in-place potential of 449 MMm3 (2824 MMbbl) of Organic-rich bituminous shales of the Middle–Upper Devo- oil and 320 477 MMm3 (11.3 Tcf) of gas, based on the sum- nian Canol Formation are present beneath the Peel, Anderson mation of estimates for individual plays and potential plays and Great Bear plains, in thicknesses between 6 and 122 m. hosted in these strata. Unconventional hydrocarbon resources Residual kerogen ranges between 0.58 and 27.14% TOC are estimated at 23 000 MMm3 (145 Bbbl) of oil for the (Morrow 1999; National Energy Board 2000). HI values Canol Formation, and 7300 MMm3 (46 Bbbl) of oil for the range up to 1055 mgHC g−1 TOC. This excellent, oil-prone Bluefish Member of the Hare Indian Formation (Terlaky source rock is likely to have generated hydrocarbons in the 2017). Interior Platform area. The Canol Formation is mature in the Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

K. M. Fallas et al.

Mackenzie Plain and along the eastern edge of the Mackenzie Creek discovery. Core measurements of Bear Rock dolostones Mountains (Feinstein et al. 1991.). At the Summit Creek B-44 show porosities up to 8.5% and permeabilities up to 11.6 mD. discovery, thermally mature potential source rocks occur in Well-log analyses indicate porosities averaging close to 4%, the Canol Formation (TOC = 3–5% over 140 m; vitrinite with maximum values approaching 19%; permeabilities reflectance (Ro) = 1.1–1.2%), which is the likely source rock approach 1285 mD (Hu and Hannigan 2009). for the discovery (Stasiuk et al. 2006). Upper Devonian bitu- Middle Devonian reefs (Kee Scarp Member of the Ram- minous shale of the Canol Formation drapes the Kee Scarp parts Formation) are the producing reservoirs at Norman reef at Norman Wells and has been geochemically correlated Wells due to the development of diagenetic chalky micropo- to the oil accumulation (Snowdon et al. 1987; Feinstein rosity (Kaldi 1989) that ranges from 12 to 20%. Matrix perme- et al. 1988). Similar to the Bluefish Member, Canol strata ability is extremely low, averaging 2.2 mD, but is enhanced by are within the oil window at present depths beneath Norman a multi-scaled natural fracture system (Yose et al. 2001). Core Wells. In the Peel Plateau, solid bitumen (albertite) found in porosity and permeability of Kee Scarp and Ramparts rocks outcrop is thought to be derived from the Canol Formation averages close to 8.8% and 5.3 mD, respectively, and ranges and suggests excellent oil source potential (Link et al. 1989; up to 28% and 3320 mD. Petrophysical log analyses show Terlaky 2017). porosities averaging near 5.3%, maximizing at 20.6% (Hu and Hannigan 2009). Net pay is 8.0–110.0 m. Reefs in the Kee Scarp Member also are potential reservoirs beneath the Reservoirs. Cambrian quartz-rich sandstone of the Mount eastern Peel Plain and Anderson Plain. Clark Formation hosts gas and oil pools beneath the Colville Hills. Grain size varies from very fine sandstone to conglomerate, sorting is fair to good, and grains are subrounded to Seals. Effective top and lateral seals to oil or gas found in the round (Hamblin 1990). Porosity ranges from 8 to 18% and Cambrian Mount Clark Formation are provided by the overly- permeability varies from 1.0 to several tens of millidarcies. ing Cambrian Mount Cap Formation, a shale-dominated suc- Petrophysical well-log analyses reveal a maximum porosity cession up to 200 m thick, and the Saline River Formation, of 49.5% and a maximum permeability of 6916 mD (Hu and consisting of up to 500 m of shale, halite, anhydrite and dolo- fi Hannigan 2009). Potential Cambrian sandstone reservoirs stone (Dixon and Stasiuk 1998). In the Norman Wells oil eld, also are present beneath the Great Bear, Anderson and Horton top and lateral seals for the Middle Devonian Kee Scarp – plains. Based on seismic reflection studies, MacLean (2011) Member reservoir are provided by shale of the Middle suggested that more than 100 m of Cambrian sandstone Upper Devonian Canol Formation. Regionally, shales of the could be present beneath the Mackenzie Plain, where it Middle Devonian Horn River Group and the Upper Devonian might constitute a relatively low-risk exploration target. Imperial Formation also may be effective seals. The Bear Rock Formation and its correlatives (Arnica and Landry formations) preserve a variety of potential reser- Traps. The Norman Wells oilfield is in a stratigraphic trap voir facies, including sucrosic dolostone, biostromal and formed by an atoll-type reef in the Middle Devonian Kee biohermal limestones, carbonate breccias, and hydrothermal Scarp Member (Fig. 8). The reef is sealed by shales of the dolomite associated with fault zones (Gal et al. 2009). Carbon- Devonian Horn River Group and Canol Formation. ates of the Fort Norman Formation (subsurface equivalent of Traps in the Colville Hills involve sandstone of the Mount the Bear Rock Formation) are the reservoir for the Summit Clark Formation as reservoir, with the Mount Cap Formation shales as seal. Structural traps include the Tedji Lake K-24 gas discovery, drilled on a probable block-faulted anticline (Ham- Ray #1 (B-46) blin 1990), and the discoveries at Tweed Lake M-47 (gas- 0 condensate), Nogha C-49 (gas) and Lac Maunoir C-34 (oil), all drilled into fault-bounded anticlines. Bele O-35 is the lone stratigraphic trap, where gas with minor condensate accu- mulated in Cambrian sandstone onlapping a Proterozoic topo- Cretaceous graphical high (Fig. 9).

0.5 W Bele O-35 E 0 Imperial Fm GR

Canol Fm Franklin Mtn Fm m Ramparts F ian Fm Hare Ind fms Hume and Landry ic unit Saline River Fm upper clast Two-way time (s) Two-way 1.0 ck Fm Bear Ro lower clastic unit m in Mtn F Mount Cap Fm Frankl 0.5 Mount Clark Fm

Saline River Fm time (s) Two-way t Cap Fm Moun Proterozoic 2 km Proterozoic 2 km 1.5

Fig. 8. Seismic section interpretation illustrating the Ramparts reef (Kee Fig. 9. Seismic section interpretation of a Cambrian stratigraphic trap, Scarp Member) stratigraphic trap of the Norman Wells oilfield; Texaco formed by the onlap of Mount Clark sandstone onto a Proterozoic seismic line 84BW. Oil is trapped updip within the reef and is sealed by the palaeotopographical high, at the Bele O-35 discovery, Colville Hills; overlying Canol shale. Figure modified after Hannigan et al. (2011). For Petro-Canada seismic line 8624. Figure modified after Hannigan et al. the location of the seismic line, see Figure 2. (2011). For the location of the seismic line, see Figure 2. Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

Mackenzie–Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Foreland

Summit Creek B-44

Cretaceous 0.5

1.0 Fig. 10. Seismic section interpretation illustrating the Summit Creek B-44 1.5 Imperial Fm structural trap; Northrock seismic line 293. The oil/gas/condensate discovery in Canol Fm

Two-way time (s) Two-way Dev. carbonate Devonian carbonate (Fort Norman Formation) lies in fault contact with the 2.0 Saline River Fm potential Horn River Group (Canol Franklin Mtn Fm Formation) source rock. Figure modiﬁed after Hannigan et al. (2011). For the location 2.5 Proterozoic 2 km of the seismic line, see Figure 2. GR, gamma ray.

At the eastern edge of the Mackenzie Mountains, the trap Aitken, J.D., Macqueen, R.W. and Usher, J.L. 1973. Reconnaissance for the Summit Creek B-44 discovery (oil, gas and conden- Studies of Proterozoic and Cambrian Stratigraphy, Lower Mac- sate) is a doubly plunging, fault-bounded anticline involving kenzie River Area (Operation Norman), District of Mackenzie. a carbonate reservoir (Fort Norman Formation) imbricated Geological Survey of Canada Papers, 73-9, https://doi.org/ with the Canol Formation source rock. The Canol Formation 10.4095/103313 also seals the reservoir (Fig. 10). Allen, T.L., Fraser, T.A. and Utting, J. 2009. Upper Devonian to – There are numerous other potential trap configurations pos- Carboniferous Strata II Tuttle Formation play. Northwest Ter- – ritories Open File, 2009-02 and Yukon Geological Survey Open sible in the Mackenzie Peel Platform and Ellesmerian Fore- – // / land successions. The reader is referred to Hannigan et al. File, 2009-25, 365 409, https: data.geology.gov.yk.ca Refer ence/43067#InfoTab (2011) for a fuller discussion. Bassett, H.G. 1961. Devonian stratigraphy, central Mackenzie River region, Northwest Territories, Canada. Alberta Society of Petro- leum Geologists Memoirs, 1, 481–498, https://www.jstor.org/ Acknowledgements L.J. Pyle, M.P. Cecile, and D.W. Morrow stable/10.3138/j.ctvfrxh2x are thanked for their thorough and helpful reviews. The authors Canadian Gas Potential Committee. 2005. Natural Gas Potential in would also like to thank Editors T.E. Moore and S.S. Drachev for Canada – 2005 (4 vols). Canadian Gas Potential Committee, their guidance and support. The authors thank A.M. Jessop for point- Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ing out data sources addressing heat flow. This is NRCan contribution Cecile, M.P. and Norford, B.S. 1993. Ordovician and Silurian. Geo- 20160256. logical Survey of Canada, Geology of Canada Series, 5, 125–149, https://doi.org/10.4095/192352 Cecile, M.P., Morrow, D.W. and Williams, G.K. 1997. Early Paleo- zoic (Cambrian to Early Devonian) tectonic framework, Cana- Author contributions KMF: data curation (equal), visualization dian Cordillera. Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 45, (lead), writing – original draft (lead), writing – review and editing 54–74, https://doi.org/10.35767/gscpgbull.45.1.054 (lead); RBM: data curation (equal), writing – original draft (support- Cook, D.G. 1983. The Northern Franklin Mountains, Northwest Terri- ing), writing – review and editing (supporting); PKH: data curation tories, Canada – A scale model of the Wyoming Province. In: Low- (equal), visualization (supporting), writing – original draft (support- ell, J.D. (ed.) Rocky Mountain Foreland Basins and Uplifts.Rocky ing); BCM: data curation (equal), visualization (supporting), writing Mountain Association of Geologists, Denver, CO, 315–338. – original draft (supporting). Cook, D.G. and Aitken, J.D. 1971. Geology, Colville Lake Map-Area and Part of Coppermine Map-Area, Northwest Territories. Geo- logical Survey of Canada Papers, 70-12, https://doi.org/10. 4095/102357 Funding Preparation of this report was funded through the Geo- Cook, D.G. and Aitken, J.D. 1975. Ontaratue River (106J), Travail- mapping for Energy and Minerals Program (Mackenzie Project) of lant Lake (106-O), and Canot Lake (106P) Map-Areas, District the Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). of Mackenzie, Northwest Territories. Geological Survey of Can- ada Papers, 74-17, https://doi.org/10.4095/102550 Cook, D.G. and MacLean, B.C. 1999. The Imperial anticline, a fault- Data availability Data sharing is not applicable to this article as bend fold above a bedding-parallel thrust ramp, Northwest Ter- – no datasets were generated or analysed during the current study. ritories, Canada. Journal of Structural Geology, 21, 215 228, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-8141(98)00119-9 Cook, D.G. and MacLean, B.C. 2004. Subsurface Proterozoic Strat- igraphy and Tectonics of the Western Plains of the Northwest References Territories. Geological Survey of Canada Bulletin, 575, https://doi.org/10.4095/215739 Aitken, J.D. 1993. Cambrian and Lower Ordovician – Sauk Cook, F.A., van der Velden, A.J., Hall, K.W. and Roberts, B.J. 1999. Sequence. Geological Survey of Canada, Geology of Canada Frozen subduction in Canada’s Northwest Territories: lithoprobe Series, 5,96–124, https://doi.org/10.4095/192352 deep lithospheric reflection profiling of the western Canadian Downloaded from http://mem.lyellcollection.org/ by guest on September 27, 2021

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