Shale Gas Potential of the Quebec Sedimentary Basins

Jean-Sebastien Marcil, L. Jeremie Lavoie, and Peter K. Dorrins
Junex inc., Quebec-City, QC, Canada G1V 4M7, [email protected]

Recent interest in unconventional gas resources has attracted several oil & gas explorers to sedimentary basins in Southern Quebec. The main target of this interest is the Middle Ordovician Utica Shale. Current knowledge of the area’s geology led industry to subdivide the Shale gas potential into different plays. JUNEX subdivided it into five different plays: 1) medium to deep depth thermogenic Shale gas; 2) shallow to medium depth thermogenic Shale gas; 3) overthrusted Shale gas; 4) biogenic Shale gas; 5) Intra- Appalachians sub-basin Shale gas. To date, most operations have been performed in the medium depth thermogenic Shale gas play (1,000-2,000 meters), located in the central part of the Saint Lawrence Lowlands. With OGIP estimates ranging from 25 to 350 Bcf per section, the play is definitely considered to be promising. However, other plays are also attractive and, over the past few years, JUNEX has worked intensively on the development of these new areas of exploration. They all have different potentials but also different economics and issues. Based on the exploration work realized by JUNEX over the past five years in Southern Quebec, the characteristics of the five plays, from a geological, geochemical, structural and geophysical perspective, will be reviewed. The five plays will be described based on the data available regarding the basin geology, shale mineralogy, organic matter type, gas geochemistry, structural style and infrastructure access. As a result, a new Shale gas potential map will be available for the Southern Quebec sedimentary basins.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90095©2009 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Evansville, Indiana, September 20-22, 2009