Geoscience BC Report 2012-09 "Horn River Basin Aquifer Characterization Project Phase 2: Geological Report"
March 30, 2012 -Geoscience BC is pleased to announce the release of Geoscience BC Report 2012-09 "Horn River Basin Aquifer Characterization Project Phase 2: Geological Report". This report is now available for download from www.geosciencebc.com/s/DataReleases.asp.
This research was funded through Phase 2 of the collaborative Horn River Basin Water Study, which is undertaking baseline research on water resources in the Horn River Basin. In addition to the deep saline aquifer study released today, Phase 2 work includes three-year study of surface water sources (ongoing), and an airborne electromagnetic geophysical survey pilot project (released earlier this month as Geoscience BC Report 2012-04).
The Horn River Basin Aquifer Project is supported by Geoscience BC and the Horn River Basin Producers Group. The Horn River Basin Producers Group consists of 11 of the companies involved in the Horn River play, namely: Apache Canada Ltd., ConocoPhillips, Devon Canada Corp., Encana, EOG Resources Canada, Imperial Oil Resources/ExxonMobil Canada, Nexen Inc., Pengrowth, Suncor, Quicksilver, and Stone Mountain Resources. The purpose of the group is to facilitate cooperation and communication between major industry players, key stakeholders and First Nations in the area.
For more information on Phases 1 and 2 of the Horn River Basin Aquifer Project, go to: www.geosciencebc.com/s/HornRiverBasin.asp.
About Report 2012-09
Phase 1 of the Horn River Basin Aquifer Characterization Project concluded that the Mississippian Debolt-Rundle carbonate platform demonstrates the best potential to act as a productive water source and sink for the completions activities of producers in the Horn River Basin. This report, which presents results from Phase 2 of the study, reinforces this conclusion and adds data from new wells drilled since completion of the Phase 1 report. Resulting map revisions increase the overall enhanced reservoir volume, particularly in the centre of the basin, where well control had been sparse.
Reservoir quality mapping was focused on the Debolt-Rundle succession. Net porous reservoir and porosity-thickness maps from the Phase 1 study were updated using sample cuttings observations and well logs from Phase 2 wells. As in Phase 1, approximations regarding reservoir quality had to be applied because of the highly heterogeneous nature of the "Detrital Zone". These were kept as consistent as possible with the Phase 1 project to ensure continuity. The updates show local increases and decreases in the porosity thickness within the Mississippian detrital zone and the lower enhanced reservoir zone, but there was an overall increase in "confirmed" porosity thickness and net porous reservoir. No new fluid and test data were available for the Phase 2 study.
Upper Mississippian Mattson sandstones and basal Cretaceous Gething, Bluesky, and Chinkeh sandstones are considered to have good aquifer potential locally, but their distributions are limited, and test data are scanty. Few wells added for the Phase 2 study contributed significantly to the Phase 1 data already compiled for these units, and therefore, no updates were undertaken for them.
Geoscience BC
Geoscience BC is an industry-led, industry-focused not-for-profit society. Its mandate includes the collection, interpretation and marketing of geoscience data and expertise to promote investment in resource exploration and development in British Columbia. Geoscience BC is funded through grants from the Provincial Government and works in partnership with industry, academia, government, First Nations and communities to attract mineral and oil & gas investment to BC.