--> Abstract: Petroleum Resource Potential of Pacific Margin Basins in Canada, by James R. Dietrich, Peter K. Hannigan, and Kirk G. Osadetz; #90039 (2005)

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Petroleum Resource Potential of Pacific Margin Basins in Canada

James R. Dietrich, Peter K. Hannigan, and Kirk G. Osadetz
Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, AB

There are five major Cretaceous-Tertiary sedimentary basins on the Pacific margin of Canada: the Hecate and Queen Charlotte basins, forearc and strike-slip basins lying adjacent to the transform boundary between the Pacific and North American plates; the Tofino and Winona basins, forearc and deep-water basins overlying the present convergent plate margin west of Vancouver Island; and the Georgia Basin, a foreland basin in the Strait of Georgia region.

These under-explored active margin basins have significant petroleum resource potential. Total petroleum potential is estimated (at median values) at 1560 million m3 (9.8 billion barrels) of in-place oil and 1228 billion m3 (43 Tcf) of in-place gas. The Queen Charlotte Basin is the most prospective of the Canadian west coast basins, with an energy resource potential comparable to the passive margin basins offshore eastern Canada. The largest undiscovered fields in the Queen Charlotte Basin are estimated (at median values) at 70 million m3 (440 million barrels) of recoverable oil and 77 billion m3 (2.7 Tcf) of recoverable gas.

A petroleum-exploration moratorium for the Pacific offshore region of Canada has been in place since 1972. The Canadian and British Columbia (provincial) governments have undertaken recent public consultations and studies to assess impacts of renewed west coast exploration. If the moratorium is lifted, the offshore Queen Charlotte Basin is a likely area for new frontier exploration.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90039©2005 AAPG Calgary, Alberta, June 16-19, 2005