Petroleum play data for the Kee Scarp play (Ramparts Formation), Mackenzie corridor, Northwest Territories

Abstract

The anchor field in northern Mackenzie corridor is Norman Wells oil field, the reservoir of which is the Middle Devonian Kee Scarp Member of Ramparts Formation. Petroleum resource assessment of the corridor is a project within the Geological Survey of Canada's "Secure Canadian Energy Supply" program (2005-2009). The output of the project is to update geoscience information and provide hydrocarbon resource assessments for use by northern communities and energy resource exploration companies. The Kee Scarp play is an established, immature play for oil and solution gas and a conceptual play for non-associated gas (Hannigan et al., 2006). The play lies within the Interior Plains/Platform and Mackenzie Arc exploration regions of the northern Canadian mainland sedimentary basin, in Peel and Anderson plains, and Mackenzie Plain, Franklin and Mackenzie Mountains areas of Morrow et al. (2006; Figure 1). The play has also been referred to as an established Kee Scarp reef oil play and conceptual Middle Devonian play (Kee Scarp Member outside of Norman Wells area) by Canadian Gas Potential Committee (2001) and as Kee Scarp play by Gal (2007). Two play areas, bounded by erosional, depositional, and outcrop limits, are defined in this report: Kee Scarp Reefs/Ramparts Platform Interior Plains, containing 20 exploration wells, and Kee Scarp Reefs/Ramparts Platform Northern Foldbelt within which 408 wells tested the play (Figure 1, Table 1). Surface data from Ramparts Formation (Kee Scarp Member) comes mainly from the foldbelt of the northern Franklin and Mackenzie mountains while subsurface information is derived mainly from well history reports. Two Geological Survey of Canada Open File reports (Fischbuch, 1984; Williams, 1985) contain cross-sections and describe facies/reservoir distributions of the Kee Scarp reef. This report summarizes surface and subsurface geological framework and petroleum play data for the Kee Scarp play, including elements of the potential petroleum system such as qualitative porosity and permeability of reservoir rocks, possible source rocks and thermal maturity level, and trap formation and seal rocks.