Establishing a Sequence Stratigraphic Framework for the Hare Indian and Canol Formations (Central Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada) by Integrating High-Resolution Chemostratigraphy With Sedimentological and Ichnological Datasets

Abstract

This study aims to establish a sequence stratigraphic framework for the Devonian Horn River Group. The middle to late Devonian Hare Indian and Canol formations represent distal basin fill successions in the Central Mackenzie Valley of the Northwest Territories, Canada. In the last six years, seven Hare Indian and Canol Formation long cores from the distal part of the shale basin have been acquired by industry. Geochemical data from five cores were obtained with modern portable X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) equipment in unprecedented detail. This study attempts to correlate this data with time-synchronous maximum regressive and maximum flooding surfaces in order to establish a sequence-stratigraphic framework. The dataset includes the MGM Shell East Mackay I-78 core, Husky Little Bear N-09 and H-64 cores, the COPRC N-20 and O-06 cores, and the Mountain River outcrop. High-resolution XRF data were collected at a 10 cm interval for core, and variable 10cm-1m spacing in outcrop with denser sampling focused on areas of greater interest. This litho-chemical dataset is supplemented with an ichnological analysis. Preliminary XRF results suggest that the Hare Indian and Canol formations can be placed in a T-R sequence stratigraphic framework. Regression is interpreted when continentally derived components (Al, Fe, K, Ti) increase, whereas transgression is interpreted when these components are lowest. Furthermore, the incipient ichnological dataset for the Canol Formation shows evidence of microbioturbation even in organic-rich facies. This suggests that the depositional environment of the Canol Formation may have suffered low oxygen conditions, but that euxinic conditions (i.e. anoxic and sulfidic) may have been rare. Moving forward, the integration of geochemical, sedimentological, and ichnological data will ultimately allow us to establish a robust sequence stratigraphic framework for the Hare Indian and Canol formations. Establishing this framework will facilitate subsurface mapping of high-quality reservoir intervals in the Hare Indian and Canol formations.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90323 ©2018 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, Salt Lake City, Utah, May 20-23, 2018