Depositional facies analysis and modeling of the Judy Creek reef complex of the Upper Devonian Swan Hills, Alberta, Canada: Discussion

Abstract

2nd revised manuscript received February 17, 2010 Jack Wendte The article of Ma et al. (2009) in the September 2009 issue of the Bulletin fails to provide credible evidence or to cite references to support the stratigraphic framework and facies analysis on which their numerical modeling of the Judy Creek reef complex is based. Ma et al. (2009) subdivide the reef into a lower rimmed reef phase, consisting of the R1, R2, R3, and R4 cycles, and an upper ramp-bounded shoal complex, consisting of the R5A, R5B, and R5C cycles (p. 1238, 2d and 3d paragraphs). However, they do not present evidence or cite references to support these subdivisions. In the Wendte (1992) article, I subdivided the reef reservoir into two main phases of growth, an underlying rimmed-reef phase approximately 43 m (∼140 ft) thick and an overlying ramp-bounded shoal complex, up to 30 m (100 ft) thick, separated by a subaerial unconformity that I termed R4. The top of the ramp-bounded shoal complex …