--> Abstract: Structural and Stratigraphic Review of the Labrador Basin Complex - Insights from New 2D Seismic, Labrador Sea, CA, by Deric Cameron; #90177 (2013)

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Structural and Stratigraphic Review of the Labrador Basin Complex - Insights from New 2D Seismic, Labrador Sea, CA

Deric Cameron

The acquisition of the new 2011-2012 Labrador Sea long offset regional dual-sensor 2D seismic data (23,000 km) has resulted in significant uplift in image quality and has provided new data for a vast area of the slope and deep water that was previously un-imaged. The enhanced image quality is leading to identification of geological features and potential leads in regions never before considered prospective. In addition, extent of the survey provides the ability to confidently map and accurately correlate markers between basins firmly establishing the regional sedimentary history, thus, further enhancing the understanding of the prospectivity. The basins of the Labrador Sea compose the largest under-explored area along the eastern Canadian Margin. The Labrador Basin Complex extends along the northeast margin of Eastern CA from the Davis Strait in the north through the Saglek Basin, into the Hopedale and Chidley basins, continuing down to the Hawke Basin in the south, ultimately connecting with the Orphan Basin off the Grand Banks. Prior to 2011, exploration of this region had focused on the continental shelf with numerous vintage 2D seismic surveys executed over the past 50 years, and 30 wells drilled over the 1970’s and 1980’s within the shelfal Hopedale and Saglek basins. Regional markers tied to shelf wells, have been mapped out into the slope and deep water regions over the extent of the survey area. This has led to the definition of Mesozoic-aged rift section into new regions, Cenozoic structuring in the post-rift section, and a need for a regional revision to the stratigraphic framework of the Labrador margin. Linkage between the southern basins of the Grand Banks and the northern basins off Baffin Island and West Greenland provides new insight into the rift-drift history of the Labrador Sea. While existing production and further opportunities exist in shelfal regions, the future of exploration in Newfoundland and Labrador will likely focus on transitioning from the shelf into the deep water offshore regions. The vast areal extent and unexplored nature of these regions requires an early update to the regional picture in order to assess the prospectivity of these basins.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90177©3P Arctic, Polar Petroleum Potential Conference & Exhibition, Stavanger, Norway, October 15-18, 2013