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Chapter 10
Introduction
The Grosmont Formation has had a complex geological history that culminated in the accumulation of the
bitumen deposit.
The Grosmont Formation is an Upper Devonian carbonate succession that is present in northeastern Alberta.
It contains 318 billion barrels of bitumen on the basis of
Alberta government estimates (Alberta Energy Resources
Conservation Board, 1996). Figure 1 is a map of the
interpreted bitumen resource on the basis of Energy
Resources Conservation Board mapping. This map also
shows the location of Laricina Energys Saleski land
block in the heart of the bitumen accumulation. During
the winters of 20062007 and 20072008, Laricina
Energy drilled 21 vertical wells for the purposes of bitumen resource delineation. In addition, one horizontal well
was drilled as part of a proposed steam-assisted gravity
drainage (SAGD) pilot.
The Grosmont Formation is a 120-m thick carbonate
succession that is sandwiched between shales of the
Upper and Lower Ireton Formation within the Woodbend
Group. It has been subdivided chronologically into the A,
B, C, and D units. These subdivisions correspond to
Cutlers (1983) units LG, G1, G2, and G3, respectively. The
lowermost three units were deposited during shallowingupward depositional cycles. The uppermost unit, the Grosmont D, is an aggradational depositional unit. Grosmont
strata dip gently to the southwest. The Grosmont has been
bevelled by erosion in an easterly direction.
The upper two Grosmont units, Grosmont C and D,
contain the bulk of the bitumen resource. At Saleski,
there is up to 45 m of bitumen pay exceeding 12% porosity. This resource is characterized by very high porosities
and bitumen saturations. Laricina Energys Saleski land
holdings are located downdip from the regional Grosmont
gas cap and updip from the regional water leg.
1
2
The Grosmont Formation is a carbonate ramp succession deposited in a shallow marine setting on the
eastern edge of the Ireton Shale Basin.
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Figure 1. Location map showing the Alberta Energy Resources Conservation Boards
interpretation of bitumen pay
thickness in northeast Alberta.
The location of Laricinas
Saleski project is also shown.
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a)
157
b)
Figure 5. Core samples from the C-D Marl. (a) Interlaminated pale gray shale and light- to dark-brown bitumen
stained porous dolomite layers. Irregular breaks in the layering are mudcracks indicating exposure during deposition.
(b) Top view of the same mudcracks from well 7-26-8519W4 (361.1 m).
Figure 3. Core samples form the Lower Grosmont C Argillaceous Facies. (a) Subvertical lined burrows in a bioturbated
dolomite from well 10-22-85-19W4 (409 m). (b) Two brachiopod-rich layers from well 10-22-85-19W4 (415.25 m).
a)
b)
The Grosmont C-D Marl (359.5361 m in well 7-2685-19W4) separates the Grosmont C and D. It consists of
a white dolomudstone with irregular wisps of shale that
is capped by a 0.5 to 1 m thick interlaminated siliciclastic
green shale and fine dolomitic grainstone interval (see
Figure 5a and b). The C-D Marl is thought to have been
deposited in quiet shallow waters that were subjected to
frequent subaerial exposure on the basis of the presence
of mudcracks. It is lithologically similar to the Middle
Grosmont D unit.
The Grosmont D has been subdivided into the Lower,
Middle, and Upper units (see Figure 2).
The Lower Grosmont D unit (347.5359.5 m in well
7-26-85-19W4) is a bitumen-saturated megaporosity zone.
Fracturing
The Grosmont C and D units are heavily fractured.
Fractures are typically short (generally <10 cm in length),
nonplanar, subvertical, and open or occluded by bitumen.
Rotation of fractured blocks is widespread. Widening of
fractures by dissolution is commonly observed, especially in
the Grosmont C Vuggy unit. Fractures are devoid of cement.
They compensate for their short length by their large quantity and contribute greatly to vertical permeability.
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158
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Their short length, irregular morphology, and apparently random orientation suggest a nontectonic origin for
Grosmont fracturing. They are undoubtedly a by-product
of karst collapse associated with the Early Cretaceous
freshwater dissolution event.
Megaporosity zones
One remarkable aspect of the Grosmont geology in the
Saleski area is the presence of megaporosity zones within
the C and D cycles of the Grosmont Formation. These
zones are defined as having greater than 25% porosity on
the basis of neutron-density log measurements. Their
a)
b)
c)
Clast-Rich
Matrix Supported Facies
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159
Figure 9. Intraparticle porosity caused by selective leaching of individual grains in a carbonate grainstone from well
10-17-84-19W4 (437 m).
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160
accomplished by the flow of large quantities of freshwater through the megaporosity interval. At Saleski, this
was a very efficient process because there is virtually no
carbonate cement in the Upper Grosmont. The dissolved
material was discharged at the surface or it was precipitated deeper in the subsurface as carbonate cement.
The process that has been described here has all of the
attributes of karst drainage dynamics. Chemical denudation
of a carbonate terrain by fresh meteoric water resulted in
the development of a subterranean drainage system.
One aspect of karst drainage is the development of
cave systems. Caves commonly develop when subterranean flow is diverted into a single path along regional
joint systems. There are several negative assumptions
about caves and their effect on reservoir quality. One is
that caves are thought to be narrow, widely spaced flow
systems. They are generally assumed to contain a significant volume of argillaceous sediment derived from the
surface mixed with breccia material spalled off of the
cave roof and walls. It is assumed that cave systems are
inherently unstable and prone to collapse after a minimal
amount of burial, and that the host rock in which caves
formed has low reservoir quality.
These assumptions are largely true for karsted limestone terrains but do not appear to be true for the effects of
groundwater leaching of a dolomitic terrain. At Saleski, the
Upper Grosmont has stratigraphically controlled porosity
development (Figure 14) with the highest porosity confined
largely to the tidal facies deposits. Breccia development
was an overprint on the porosity system because of high
groundwater flow through the porous beds. Unconsolidated, porous disaggregated dolomite sediment can be
found in the cavernous porosity. Cavern collapse has not
been recognized at Saleski on the basis of seismic data and
well control.
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161
steam rises, the bitumen bearing strata heats up. As bitumens temperature increases, its viscosity decreases until it
becomes mobile and drains by gravity to the lower producing horizontal well.
Figure 13. Closeup of Figure 10 showing evidence of corrosion of dolomite crystals during freshwater dissolution.
Exploitation of the
Bitumen Resource
Laricina Energy is considering several exploitation
strategies to gain bitumen production from the Grosmont
Formation at Saleski. One promising strategy is the injection of steam to mobilize the bitumen. The most commonly
used practice in Western Canada is the SAGD (Steam
Assisted Gravity Drainage) method in which two stacked
horizontal wells are drilled approximately 5 m apart. The
upper well is used to inject steam into the reservoir. As the
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162
Figure 14. North-south trending cross section demonstrating the continuity of reservoir units within the Upper Grosmont
formation.
They also do not contain shale beds that would provide effective barriers to steam flow.
4) Good top seal to steam flow: The Grosmont is overlain by the Wabiskaw shale, which is a competent
but ductile unit that will prevent the flow of steam
upward into the overlying Cretaceous strata.
Intervals with greater than 25% porosity have been arbitrarily defined as megaporosity zones on the basis of neutron-density open hole logs. These zones occur
preferentially but not exclusively within tidal flat deposits.
The Grosmont is a good candidate for SAGD exploitation because of its large bitumen reserves, high reservoir quality and vertical permeability, predictability
of reservoir units, lack of bottom water and thief
zones, and good top seal.
Conclusions
The main conclusions of our studies are as follows:
The Grosmont C and D units have each been subdivided into three subdivisions on the basis of log
response and depositional environment.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the management of Laricina
Energy Limited and OSUM Oil Sands Corporation for
permission and support in preparing this paper.
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References
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