Overview

Within the study area deposition of the Shunda formation took place on a broad restricted shelf adjacent to the deep water Prophet Trough to the west.  The Prophet Trough constituted a compressional foreland basin and the hinge zone between it and the regional shelf was marked by a depositionally positive area termed the peripheral bulge.  This study provides evidence that this bulge initiated late in Pekisko time, terminating carbonate deposition and restricting an evaporitic upper Pekisko basin-centre anhydrite.  This bulge also continued to control the paleogeography during Shunda times.

Utilizing a detailed database of over 1700 deep penetrations (Pekisko or deeper), this study provides a regional framework of correlations of the Shunda Formation and its component members at and away from the Mississippian subcrop surface.  Within this regional framework, the examination of 98 cored intervals permitted the mapping of depositional lithofacies distribution at a number of stratigraphic levels.  Where proximal ramp sediments are juxtaposed at the unconformity, reservoir quality is enhanced by dolomitization, consequently specific portions of the various Shunda unit (S1, S2 & S3 Units) subcrops can be highlighted for exploration based upon the occurrence of favorable lithofacies developments at the unconformity surface.

The study encompasses an area from Township 39 to 63, between Ranges 5W5 and 20W5 (240 townships).  The study utilizes the over 1700 wells that penetrated the Pekisko in the study area, and 98 wells with cored intervals in the Shunda Fm. were logged at the AEUB Core Research Centre.

Click globe for map of study area.

• fully illustrated text (70 pages plus 73 figures & plates) documenting stratigraphy, depositional facies, geologic evolution, exploration potential, core descriptions and database;
• 10 regional stratigraphic cross sections (8 dip, 2 strike);
• suite of 10 maps including isopach, facies and structure at 1:150,000 scale;
• stratigraphic picks and isopach values from Base Cretaceous to Top Wabamun Grp., including Nordegg Fm., Triassic, Permian, Turner Valley Fm., Shunda Fm. (S1, S2 & S3 Units), Pekisko Fm., Banff Fm., and Wabamun Grp.;
• 1,736 well database available in digital and hardcopy formats;
• 98 well core descriptions with internally consistent correlations.