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Basal Quartz) Valley (Taber-Cutbank), Southern Alberta and Northem Montana

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Basal Quartz) Valley (Taber-Cutbank), Southern Alberta and Northem Montana A Study of the Sedirnentology, Geochemistry, and Stratigraphie Organization of the Lower Cretaceous Horsefly (Basal Quartz) Valley (Taber-Cutbank), Southern Alberta and Northem Montana by Terrence David Lukie A thesis submitted to the Department of Geological Sciences in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Queen' s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada March, 1999 copyright " Terrence David Lukie, 1999 National Library Bibliothèque nationale du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Setvices services bibliographiques 395 Weïïington Street 395, nie Wellington OttawaON K1AW4 OttawaON K1AûN4 CaMda Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distriie or sell reproduire, prêter, distriiuer ou copies of this thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de rnicmfïche/film, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format elecbronique . The author retains ownenhip of the L'auteur conserve la propriete du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette îhèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenvise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. Abstract The Basal Quartz unit (Early Cretaceous) consists of al1 deposits fiom the sub- Cretaceous unconfomity upon which it sits to the base of the Ostracode Zone. In southem Alberta and northem Montana is a complex unit composed of four mineralogically distinct units (A-sands, Honefly, BAT, and Ellerslie Formation) consisting of quartz-rich sandstones and mudstones of fluvial and fluvial-estuarine origin. These units comprise at least four different incised-valley systems (Le., four different depositional sequences). In the study area (Townships 1-7, Ranges 15- 18 W4 in Alberta, and Townships 3 1-37N, Ranges 4-6W in Montana; fiom 48.5 O to 49.5 ONlatitude and 112 O to 113 O W longitude), the fil1 of the second valley (the Horsefly unit; Taber-Cutbank equivdent) is composed of only fluvial sediments with no marine influence. The purpose of the shidy is to determine how changes in the rates of creation of accommodation space are reflected in the fluvial architecture (channel stacking patterns). This was done using subsdace oil-industry data such as petrophysical well-logs (270 wells on 20 cross-sections, plus wells off-section) and drill cores (60). A chemostratigraphic study of the Basal Quartz valley deposits in question, as weIl as of the over- and underlying stratigraphic units (nom the Jurassic Rierdon Formation to the Lower Cretaceous Glauconitic Member) has shown that the previously defined stratigraphic units are geochemically distinct and that Basal Quartz (Horsefly) deposits being studied are geochemically homogeneous. The geochemical analyses also indicate that the Horsefly unit may contain sediment derived f?om three possible sources: the shield craton, and uplifted cratonic rocks and oceanic termes in the cordillera. The Honefly is a broad (40-45 km.wide), flat-bottomed, valley with approximately 46 metres (150 feet) of relief, and on average about 42.5 metres (140 feet) of deyfill. It is bounded by the Sweetgrass Arch to the east and the Foreland Fold and Thmst Belt to the West. The Horsefly is composed of eleven facies ranging from conglomerate to rnudstone. which comprise four main facies associations (channel deposits, thin sand sheets, interbedded sands and muds, and mud successions). There is an overall increase in the amount of mud preserved fiom the base to the top of the valley which can be interpreted as reflecting an overall increase in accommodation space. This increase is theresult of an overall relative sea- level rise. Local areas where the Horsefly unit is thicker, shows a decrease in the sand-to-mud ratio, and has an increase in the percentage of organic matter are interpreted to represent localized increases of accommodation space resulting from block faulting. The valley deposits cm be subdivided into two systems tracts (Lowstand Systems Tracts (LST) and Transgressive Systems Tracts (TST)). The LST occurs at the base of the valley and is composed of charnel-belts that are amalgamated into a single, sheet-like sandbody. This sandbody averages between 18 and 21 metres in thickness, and covers the base ofthe vailey. The overlying TST is composed of isolated chamel-beits encased in muddy overbar. paleosols. These isolated channel-belts average between 4.5 and 6 metres in thickness, and have an estimated width of 0.5 to 3 kilometres. Two main types of paleosols were identifid in the overbank sediments (gleysols and vertisols; sensu Mack et al., 1993). Geochemical analyses of the pdeosols indicate that the degrees of saiinization, calcification, leaching, and hydrolysis are very low, which signifies that the paleosols are immature. Understanding how the affects of changes in accommodation space alter the channel stacking patterns (fluvial architecture) in this vaifey rnay dowthe sequence-stratigraphie correlation of fluvial deposirs to specific marine deposits. Acknowledgments 1 would like to thank PanCanadian Petroleum. Limited for the financial and technical support received for this project. 1wodd also like to thank Dr. Robert W. Dalrymple for his financial and technical support throughout the proj ect. 1acknowledge Queen's University and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists for the financial support received while working on this project. 1 thank Ken Ratcliffe and Chernosrnt Consultants for the geochemical analyses that were done for the snidy. I also acknowledge the following people for discussions which greatly improved the thesis: B.A. Zaitiin, D. Potocki, J. Peterson, N. Corben, P.J. McCarthy, W. Arnott, D. Leckie, Re MacNaughton, R. Price, G. Narbonne, G. Ardies and L. Smith. 1 also thank W. Nysola and R. Kliciak for their geotechnical support, and R. Renaud for his cornputer technological support. I would especially like to thank my famil y, for theû moral and financial support throughout both of my degrees. Lastiy, but definitely not least, I thank Ms. Tammy P. Rae for her tremendous amount of love and moral support over the years. and for patiently waiting for me to finally retum home. Tabie of Contents Acknowledgments ................................................ iv Table of Contents .................................................. v .* List of Figures .................................................. viii List of Tables .................................................... xi 1.0 Introduction ................................................... 1 2.0 Regionai Stratigraphy ............................................ 6 2.1 Introduction ................................................. 6 2.2 General Stratigraphy .......................................... 6 2.2.1 Jurassic Rocks ........................................... 6 2.2.2 Sub-Cretaceous Unconformity .............................. 9 2.2.3 Lower Mannville Group ................................... 9 2.2.4 Upper Mannville Group (Upper Blairmore) ................... 12 2.3 Previous Studies of the Basal Quartz ............................ 14 2.4 PanCanadian Petroleurn Regional Study (Basal Quartz Regional Task Force) ............................................. 15 2.4.1 A-sands ............................................... 16 2.4.2 Horsefly Unit ........................................... 18 2.4.3 B.A.T. (Bantry-Aiderson-Taber) Sands ...................... 19 2.5 Basal Quartz Production History (southem Alberta and northern Montana ......................................... 19 3.0 Methodology ................................................. 21 3.1 Well-Logs ................................................... 77 3.2 Geochemical Sampling ....................................... 26 3.3 Drill Cores ................................................. 27 3 .4 Petrographic T'hin Sections .................................... 27 4.0 Geochemistry of the Lower Cretaceous Deposits .................... -29 4.1 Introduction ................................................ 29 4.2Methods ................................................... 30 4.2.1 Analytical Techniques .................................... 30 4.2.2 Statistical Techniques .................................... 32 4.3 Geochemical Distinction of Stratigraphie Units ................... -33 4.3.1 Mudstones ............................................. 49 4.3.2 Sandstones ............................................. 57 4.4 Mineralogy of the Horsefly Unit (Mudstone Data) .................. 63 4.5 Provenance of the Horsefly .................................... 69 4.6 ConcIusions ................................................ 78 5.0 Facies and Facies Associations ................................... 81 5.1 Introduction ................................................ 81 5.2Facies .................................................... 81 5.3 Facies Associations: Description and Interpretation ................. 95 5.3.1 a Facies Association 1: Chanel Deposits ...................... 99 5 .3.l b Facies Association 1 : Interpretation ....................... 103 5.3.2a Facies Association 2: Thin Sand Sheets .................... 104 5 .3.2b Facies Association 2: Interpretation ....................... 105 5.3.3a Facies Association
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