FTPST02
Upper Cretaceous Shelf and Shoreface Sandstones: Montana Outcrops and
Alberta Basin Cores
Leaders: Peter Putnam & Derald Smith
Date: May 20 - 22, 2008
Max. Attendance: 15 participants
Trip Fee: $1,499
Cretaceous shoreface and shelfal sandstones host the largest gas and conventional oil reserves in Western Canada (e.g. Medicine Hat, Hoadley and Elmworth gas fields, Pembina, Wabasca, Cold Lake and Lloydminster oil fields). In the future, much incremental gas and oil will be produced from tight sandstones and bitumen-bearing sandstones of shoreface and shelfal origin. It follows that an understanding of these deposits is an important aspect of a geoscientist's (and engineer's) experience. In north-central Montana there are several outstanding outcrops of Cretaceous shoreface and shelfal sandstones that are directly analogous to productive units in Canada. The field seminar will visit, over the course of three days, shoreface outcrops of the Eagle Sandstone (direct analogues to Milk River and Belly River gas reservoirs as well as indirect analogues to some Clearwater and Grand Rapids bitumen reservoirs), the shelfal Floweree sandstones (Cardium-equivalent) and the shoreface sandstones of the Bootlegger Member of the Blackleaf Formation (Viking-equivalent).