Ordovician petroleum source rocks and aspects of hydrocarbon generation in Canadian portion of Williston basin

Conference · Fri Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6126708

Osadetz, K G; Snowdon, L R

Accumulation of rich petroleum source rocks - starved bituminous mudrocks in both the Winnipeg Formation (Middle Ordovician) and Bighorn Group (Upper Ordovician) - is controlled by cyclical deepening events with a frequency of approximately 2 m.y. Tectonics control both this frequency and the location of starved subbasins of source rock accumulation. Deepening cycles initiated starvation of offshore portions of the inner detrital and medial carbonate facies belts. Persistence of starved offshore settings was aided by marginal onlap and strandline migration in the inner detrital facies belt, and by low carbonate productivity in the medial carbonate facies belt. Low carbonate productivity was accompanied by high rates of planktonic productivity. Periodic anoxia, as a consequence of high rates of planktonic organic productivity accompanying wind-driven equatorial upwellings, is the preferred mechanism for suppressing carbonate productivity within the epeiric sea. The planktonic, although problematic, form Gloecapsamorpha prisca Zalesskey 1917 is the main contributing organism to source rock alginites. A long-ranging alga (Cambrian to Silurian), it forms kukersites in Middle and Upper Ordovician rocks of the Williston basin as a consequence of environmental controls - starvation and periodic anoxia. Source rocks composed of this organic matter type generate oils of distinctive composition at relatively high levels of thermal maturity (transformation ratio = 10% at 0.78% R/sub o/). In the Canadian portion of the Williston basin, such levels of thermal maturity occur at present depths greater than 2950 m within a region of geothermal gradient anomalies associated with the Nesson anticline. Approximately 193 million bbl (30.7 x 10/sup 6/ m/sup 3/) of oil has been expelled into secondary migration pathways from thermally mature source rocks in the Canadian portion of the basin.

• Research Organization: Canada Geological Survey, Calgary, Alberta
• OSTI ID: 6126708
• Report Number(s): CONF-8808223-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 72:7
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
CAMBRIAN PERIOD
CARBONATE ROCKS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
MINERAL RESOURCES
ORDOVICIAN PERIOD
PALEOZOIC ERA
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SILURIAN PERIOD
SOURCE ROCKS
TECTONICS
WILLISTON BASIN