University of Alberta Diagenesis, Burial history, and Reservoir Characterization of the Scollard sequence sandstones in Alberta by Ahmed Khidir A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Ahmed Khidir Fall 2010 Edmonton, Alberta Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. 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Examining Committee Octavian Catuneanu, Eath & Atmospheric Sciences Karlis Muehlenbaches, Eath & Atmospheric Sciences Jack Lereko, Eath & Atmospheric Sciencescs Arie Croitoru, Earth & Atmosperic Sciences Pamela Willoughby, Anthropology Kari Strand, University of Oulu Thule Institute To my parents: Hadla and Khalaf Thank you very much for help and support I love you both ABSTRACT A detailed laboratory study of sandstone samples from outcrops and conventional core samples from the Maastrichtian-Paleocene Scollard-age fluvial strata in the Western Canada foredeep was undertaken to investigate the reservoir characteristics, burial depth history, and sandstone diagenesis. The sandstones are predominantly litharenites and sublitharenites, which accumulated in a variety of fluvial environments. The porosity of the sandstones is both syn-depositional and diagenetic in origin. The potential of a sandstone to serve as a reservoir for producible hydrocarbons is strongly related to the sandstone’s diagenetic history. Detailed study of the distribution of authigenic minerals of the Scollard sequence suggests that the diversities in the pattern distribution of authigenic clay minerals in the regions are not random but they coincide with the burial depth of these strata and has a well-defined relation to the sequence stratigraphic framework The general absence of dickite, coupled with limited conversion of smectite into illite in the Scollard sandstones, suggests crystallization at a depth less than 1.5 km. In contrast, the occurrence of blocky dickite, fibrous illite and chlorite in the Coalspur and Willow Creek sandstones, coupled with albitized feldspars and quartz cement, suggests that sandstones there underwent a maximum burial depth greater than 3 km. It has been observed that kaolin mineral content increases in sandstones lying below subaerial unconformities, which mark the most significant stratigraphic hiatuses and hence the sequence boundaries in fully fluvial successions. This study demonstrates the effects of burial depth and paleoclimate on pore-water chemistry, which in turn, influenced the mineralogy and the distributions of authigenic minerals in the sandstones. The δ13C and δ18O compositions of pedogenic carbonate nodules from the Willow Creek Formation associated with the red shale host sediments have been used as a paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental proxy. The isotopic composition of nodules suggests that these formed during drier conditions when C3 vegetation prevailed at the site. The predominance of smectite and illite in fines and the poor floral content point to a low seasonal rainfall in a semi-arid climatic environment. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge all those who helped throughout the course of this study. I thank my supervisor, Dr. Octavian Catuneanu, for his constant support and for shaping my thinking through many discussions. Dr. Catuneanu provided an excellent research environment that significantly improved the quality of my project and also provided a research assistantship during my study and enabling me to finish my thesis and to attend several memorable conferences and field trips. I also thank the other members of my Supervisory Committee Dr. K. Muehlenbachs and Dr. John Lerbekmo for their suggestions abut earlier drafts of this thesis. Also, I thank my external examiner, I thank Dr. K. Muehlenbachs and Dr. N. Banerjee for their assistance with the isotope work and its interpretation, as well as for providing insight into specific questions. Dr. A. R. Sweet from the Geological Survey of Canada also provided many hours of stimulating discussion during the course of this thesis. I thank Hugh Lavallee and Linda Shanks from Encana for their assistance with the earlier drafts of this thesis. The technical staffs of the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Alberta were of great help in completion of this study. G. Braybrook assisted me with the SEM and XRD analyses, and Don Resultay and Mark Labbe helped me to make thin sections. The teaching assistantships provided by the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, are also greatly appreciated. I am grateful to my fellow graduate students for many stimulating and perceptive conversations pertaining to the problems I encountered during the course of this study. Most of all, I thank my family for its great and enduring support. I thank my wife Nahla without whom I would never have been successful. Nahla, your support is especially unforgettable. Table of Contents Chapter page 1. INTRODUCTION…….…………………………………………………………….. 1 REFERENCES………………………………………………………… ……8 2. Reservoir Characterization of Scollard-age Fluvial Sandstones, Alberta foredeep INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………...11 GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND…………………………………………..13 METHODS ……………………………… …………………………………15 SANDSTONE COMPOSITION AND TEXTURE.………………… …… 16 AUTHIGENIC MINERALS……………………….………………………. 17 POROSITY OF OUTCROP SAMPLES……………………..……………... 19 Porosity of the Scollard Sandstones…………….………… …... 19 Porosity of the Coalspur Sandstones ……………….…………... 20 Porosity of the Willow Creek Sandstones ……………………... 20 PERMEABILITY IN OUTCROP VERSUS SUBSURFACE……….…..... 21 DIAGENETIC STAGES OF THE SCOLLARD SEQUENCE……..…..... 22 RESERVOIR QUALITY OF THE SCOLLARD SEQUENCE… …….... 22 DISCUSSION…………….…………………… …………….………… . 23 Factors Controlling Reservoir Quality………… ………… ….23 Diagenetic Processes and Sandstone Properties….…… .… ..24 The Role of Compaction………………………………………….…..25 Calcite Cementation and Reservoir Properties………….....…… 27 The Role of Clay Minerals ……………………………………...28 CONCLUSIONS………………………………………...……………………30 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………… 47 3. Basin-scale Distribution of Authigenic Clay Minerals in the Late Maastrichtian - Early Paleocene Fluvial Strata of the Alberta Foredeep: Implications for Burial Depth INTRODUCTION …………..……….………………………………. 53 GEOLOGICAL BACKGROUND ………………..…………………… 54 METHODS…………………………………….…………………………… 56 SANDSTONE COMPOSITION…………………………………..……… 57 AUTHIGENIC MINERALS………………...…………………………….. 58 Kaolin…………..……………………………………………... 58 Dickite………………………..………………………………. ..59 Smectite………………………………………………………... 60 Illite...…………………………………………………………... 60 Chlorite…………………………………………………………. 61 DISCUSSION: Authigenic Minerals and Maximum Burial Depths……......62 Kaolinite-dickite transformation………………………… …... 62 Illite.. …………………………………………………… . 63 Chlorite.. …………………………………………………. 64 Quartz overgrowth ………………………………………… 64 Albitization of feldspar……………………………..……… 65 SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION ……………………………………… ….. 66 CONCLUSIONS.………………….………………………………………….66