Whole-rock geochemistry and heavy mineral analysis as petroleum exploration tools in the Bowser and Sustut basins, British Columbia, Canada

Abstract

Principles of chemostratigraphic characterization and correlation employing whole-rock inorganic chemical data and heavy mineral grain counts are applied to the frontier Bowser and Sustut basins. Methodologies commonly used with well samples in mature petroleum provinces can be applied to field samples, providing a vital and practical link between the earliest frontier investigations and more advanced hydrocarbon exploration.The major stratigraphic divisions of the basins, the Bowser Lake and Sustut groups, have markedly different indications of sedimentary provenance from heavy mineral analysis, and are readily differentiated geochemically. Variations in key elements are related directly to the provenance indications identified by heavy minerals.

Provenance models: the role of sandstone mineral–chemical stratigraphy

“…We do not discuss whole-rock geochemistry (chemostratigraphy) to reservoir sandstones since, for the most part, successful applications of this techniques are based on mudstone-rich successions, such as the Westphalian of the Pennine Basin (Pearce et al 1999) and the southern North Sea (Pearce et al 2005). In cases where this technique has been applied to sandstones, it is generally calibrated using heavy mineral analysis (Ratcliffe et al 2004(Ratcliffe et al , 2007. Neodymium isotope stratigraphy is another whole-rock technique that has been applied to clastic reservoir successions (Mearns et al 1989;Dalland et al 1995), but the technique appears to have become less popular since the discovery that post-depositional Sm-Nd fractionation is common in Jurassic reservoir sandstones on the Norwegian continental shelf (Ehrenberg & Nadeau 2002).…”

Chemostratigraphic Characterization of Siliciclastic Rocks in Parts of the Eastern Dahomey Basin, Southwestern Nigeria

“…4;2014 Chemostratigraphy, as applied here, involves the use of major and trace element geochemistry for strata characterization and correlation. The elemental composition of sediments is highly variable due to source composition, facies, paleoclimate, paleoredox conditions and diagenesis (Ratcliffe et al, 2007). Therefore, even apparently homogenous sequences show differences in their whole rock geochemistry.…”

“…It is a powerful and robust technique that uses changes in major, trace and rare-earth element abundances to characterize and correlate sequences of sedimentary rocks. The stratigraphic technique of chemostratigraphy relies upon recognizing changes in element concentrations through time and using those to model changes with respect to geological events, such as paleoclimate (Pearce et al, 2005a and provenance (Ratcliffe et al, 2007.…”

Assessment of Possible Application of Geochemistry to Distinguish Limnic and Paralic Coal-Bearing Parts of the Carboniferous in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin

“…The elemental composition of sediments varies notably and depends on the characteristics of a clastic material and its provenance, conditions of sedimentation, paleoclimate, and diagenesis (Grygar & Popelka, 2016;Ratcliffe et al, 2008;Pearce et al, 2010). Even apparently homogeneous sequences exhibit some differences in chemical composition, which make chemo correlation a commonly usable tool (especially in the petroleum industry) to determine stratigraphy and to correlate drill holes (Ehrenberg & Siring, 1992;Racey et al, 1995;Pearce et al, 1999;2005a, 2005bWray, 1999;Ratcliffe et al, 2004Ratcliffe et al, , 2006.…”