LECTURE: Sedimentological Controls on Prospective Resource Plays: Devonian Case Studies from the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Conventional petroleum exploration in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin is considered by many to be at a mature stage. Along the eastern margin of the basin, however, there is still considerable potential for new conventional and unconventional resource plays as only limited deep-well information is available. In Manitoba, oil shows have been documented in almost all Devonian formations but no economic discoveries have been made in these formations to date. This project investigates the sedimentology and organic petrology of the Middle Devonian Winnipegosis Formation and the Upper Devonian Duperow Formation in Manitoba with the goal of understanding the sedimentological controls on their reservoir and source rock potential and stimulating exploration of deep targets in the region. Detailed core examination, carbonate and organic petrography, geochemistry and Rock-Eval pyrolysis were done for this project.