Controlling factors on source rock development: implications from 3D stratigraphic modeling of Triassic deposits in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Abstract

The recent development of unconventional resources has triggered a regain of interest for source-rocks. The presence of hydrocarbons in these unconventional systems is generally associated with organic-rich sediments. This study aims at better understanding the factors controlling the accumulation of marine organic matter at basin scale, using a process-based approach. This work focuses on the Montney, Doig and Halfway Formations (Lower and Middle Triassic, Alberta and British Columbia, Canada). Recent studies show that the Triassic strata of the Western Canada sedimentary basin can be considered as a transitional period between the Paleozoic passive margin and the Jurassic foreland basin. Based on a 3D regional stratigraphic architecture and on a description of the organic rich interval distribution, a process-based numerical model (DionisosFlow and DORS) has been used to simulate the stratigraphic evolution of the Montney, Doig and Halfway Formations and reproduce the organic distribution in these formations. This modeling approach allowed us to test different scenarios of primary productivity and basin restriction and discuss the regional controls on organic matter accumulation such as dynamic of anoxia or dilution of organic matter by detrital sediments. The reconstruction of the stratigraphic architecture emphasizes a major drop of the water discharge in the basin. In the absence of any evidence supporting a link with a climate change, the drop in water discharge suggests a major modification of the drainage area of the basin, potentially associated with the early stage of the cordilleran orogeny and foreland basin evolution. The numerical simulation also shows that the primary productivity rates in the Montney and Doig Formations are characteristic of a coastal area and that a basin restriction is required to account for the level of anoxia observed in the studied Formations. Lastly, this study investigates the regional controls on organic matter accumulation and emphasizes the impact of regional paleogeographic and geodynamic evolution on the dynamic of anoxia and on the dilution.