John R. Hogg¹, David A. Dolph², David Mackidd³, Karin Michel³

(1) PanCanadian Petroleum, Calgary, AB
(2) PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd, Calgary
(3) PanCanadian Petroleum Ltd, Calgary, AB

ABSTRACT: The Scotian Salt Province, an Unexplored Deepwater Salt Basin

The Scotian Basin, under Atlantic Canada's continental shelf and slope, encompasses a corridor 100 to 150 km wide by 900 km long on the southern margin of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Since 1967, a total of 103 exploration wells have been drilled within the basin; the vast majority being located within the shallow shelf setting of the Sable Subbasin.

The Scotian Basin is divided into a series of geologically distinct Subbasins. Opening of the basin during the Middle to Late Triassic was in response to separation of North America from Africa. During this time, syn-rift red beds, restricted marine dolomites and halites of the Eurydice, Iroquois and Argo formations, respectively, were deposited. From the Early Jurassic to the end of the Cretaceous, the basin continued to subside with significant quantities of fluvo-deltaic and marine sandstones deposited in proximal shelf settings. During lowstands, incision of the shelf carried sands down the paleoslope into deep marine environments where they were deposited in a variety of subaqueous facies. The Tertiary-aged Banquereau Formation consists of fluvial and deltaic sediments and deeply incised valleys that deposited sands within deepwater environments.

Although tectonically quite passive, deepwater portions of the Scotian Salt Province are extensively deformed by halokinetic movement associated with the Late Triassic-aged Argo Formation halite producing swells, walls, ridges and domes as well as potential subsalt exploration prospects. Exploration efforts are focused within water depths of 1500 to 3000 metres within Jurra-Cretaceous reservoirs between 2500 and 7500 metres subsea.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90906©2001 AAPG Annual Convention, Denver, Colorado