The Lower Cretaceous Chinkeh Formation: A frontier-type play in the Liard basin of western Canada

Journal Article · Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5741938

Leckie, D A ^[1]; Potocki, D J ^[2]; Visser, K ^[3]

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1. Inst. of Sedimentary and Petroleum Geology, Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
2. Shell Canada Ltd., Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
3. Petro-Canada Resources, Calgary, Alberta (Canada)

The Lower Cretaceous Liard basin in western Canada covers an area of 9,500 km{sup 2} (3,668 mi{sup 2}) but is relatively unexplored despite its size. The present-day expression of the basin, which formed during the latest Cretaceous to early Tertiary, trends north-south and is delineated by the outcrop of the coarse-clastic Upper Cretaceous Dunvegan Formation. The lowermost Cretaceous unit, herein named the Chinkeh Formation, is up to 32 m (105 ft) thick and unconformably overlies older Paleozoic strata. The Chinkeh Formation contains four major lithotypes: (1) conglomeratic breccia interpreted as debris-flow or talus deposits, (2) interbedded coal, carbonaceous as nonmarine valley fill or channel deposits, (3) conglomeratic lag related to marine deposits, (3) conglomeratic lag related to marine transgression, and (4) upward-coarsening sandstone interpreted as abandoned shoreline deposits. Cretaceous strata in the Liard basin have gave petroleum source-rock and reservoir potential, and hydrocarbons may be present in sandstone of the Chinkeh Formation. Potential play types include stratigraphic traps formed by incised-valley deposits and shallow-marine sandstone pinching out laterally into marine shales of the Garbutt Formation. A potential structural play may occur along the Bovie fault zone where reservoirs may abut against a shale seal on the eastern side of the fault. Potential source rocks include the lowermost Garbutt Formation and underlying Triassic Toad Garbutt formations. The Chinkeh Formation sandstone has porosity values of 8-18%.

• OSTI ID: 5741938
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:8; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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