Geology and petroleum potential of Flathead region, Flathead County, Montana, and southeastern British Columbia

Conference · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1983 · Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6184048

Boberg, W W

The Glacier-Waterton and Flathead region are on the Lewis thrust plate. At the Sage Creek, British Columbia, oil seeps, drilling in 1952 penetrated the Lewis fault after drilling 4400 ft (1341 m) of Precambrian sedimentary rocks, and then drilled a strongly faulted sequence of upper Paleozoic carbonates and sandstones with several oil shows. In the northern Whitefish Range of Montana, nearly 40 mi (64 km) from the leading edge of the Lewis thrust, is 30 mi/sup 2/ (78 km/sup 2/) of Paleozoic and Mesozoic outcrop containing several petroliferous units. This sequence is the only part of the extensive Paleozoic and Mesozoic outcrop of southeastern British Columbia which extends into the US, but it is important in understanding the involvement of Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks in complexly faulted northwestern Montana. Between the Whitefish Range and the Livingstone Range of Glacier Park lies the Kishenehn basin, a graben to half-graben formed by the listric normal Flathead fault on the Lewis plate. This basin is filled with Oligocene Kishenehn formation, a fluvial to lacustrine sequence, which may be as thick as 16,000 ft (5 km) on the east side, thinning to a few thousand feet or to zero on the west where fault bounded. The Kishenehn formation contains lignite and oil shale beds which may be buried deep enough in parts of the basin to generate hydrocarbons; recent drilling discovered oil and gas shows at less than 200 ft (61 m). The presence of oil and gas shows in many formation as well as the presence of major structures containing porous host beds indicates that this area has an excellent potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons.

• OSTI ID: 6184048
• Report Number(s): CONF-8304200-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States) Journal Volume: 67:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
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& Exploration
BRITISH COLUMBIA
CANADA
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EXPLORATION
FEDERAL REGION VIII
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
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WELL DRILLING