--> Abstract: Conodont Micropaleontology and Depositional Systems of Pennsylvanian and Permian Strata in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, by Charles M. Henderson; #90039 (2005)

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Conodont Micropaleontology and Depositional Systems of Pennsylvanian and Permian Strata in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Charles M. Henderson
University of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Pennsylvanian and Permian strata in western Canada were deposited in arid environments along the western margin of Pangea from approximately 20-30ºN paleolatitude. The Belloy Formation within the Peace River Basin (PRB) exhibits excellent reservoir characteristics and includes approximately 2% of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin's (WCSB) proven oil and gas reserves. Exploration of the formation was traditionally conducted by correlating three members, but this proved very difficult, which largely limited the formation to a secondary target. Conodont micropaleontology of the Belloy and surface equivalent strata has revealed twenty-two biozones that are correlated within nine unconformity-bound sequences. The biozones are defined by species of Rhachistognathus, Neognathodus, Streptognathodus, Sweetognathus, Neostreptognathodus and Mesogondolella. The integration of conodont micropaleontology and facies interpretations within each sequence reveals a complex tectono-stratigraphic setting that can be correlated from the Oquirrh Basin in the mid-west USA to the Liard Basin in SW District of Mackenzie. The complexity means that correlations remain difficult, but the upside is that several new unconformity-related stratigraphic plays must now be considered. Recent discoveries in the Sukunka River area of significant gas resources in the Pennsylvanian (Moscovian) Ksituan Member of the Belloy Formation highlight the need for high resolution sequence biostratigraphic models. In addition to the economic implications, paleogeographic maps for each major sequence biostratigraphic unit and the correlation and duration of bounding unconformities between terranes and the cratonic succession allow for a more refined reconstruction of the entire northwestern margin of Pangea and help reveal causal relationships of tectonic controls within the WCSB.

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