Evaluation of the Hydrocarbon Prospectivity of the Old Crow Flats Area of the Northern Yukon

Abstract

ABSTRACT Assessments of the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Old Crow Basin in northern Yukon Territory have differed qualitatively: opinion has varied between and high, and an impression given that the Old Crow Basin is likely to contain significant petroleum reserves. This review considers recently published interpretations of the regional stratigraphy and paleogeography of potential reservoir and source rock facies, new regional data on source rock richness and maturity, interpretations of reprocessed seismic lines within the basin, and likely structural models for the basin. We conclude that the sparse but diverse data currently supports a low to moderate evaluation of hydrocarbon potential which is relatively pessimistic for an undrilled frontier basin. RESUME Les evaluations qualitives des ressources futures en hydrocarbure du bassin du Old Crow au nord du Yukon montrent une diversite d'opinion rangeant du en haut. Cette evaluation est basee sur la stratigraphie et la paleogeographie des roches poreuses et des roches-meres du bassin, sur les nouvelles observations de la richesse et la maturite des roches-meres, sur l'interpretation des nouvelles presentations des profils sismiques, et des modeles structuraux pour le bassin. Bien que les observations soient dispersees, elles permettent de concluire que le bassin Old Crow merite une evaluation de bas a moyen, relativement pessimiste pour un bassin non touche par les forages.