Woodbend Group

Woodbend Group
Stratigraphic range: Frasnian PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Type	Geological group
Sub-units	Cooking Lake Formation Duvernay Formation Leduc Formation Ireton Formation
Underlies	Winterburn Group
Overlies	Beaverhill Lake Group
Thickness	up to 700 metres (2,300 ft)^[1]
Lithology
Primary	Limestone, dolomite
Other	Shale
Location
Coordinates	53°20′42″N 113°41′42″W / 53.34507°N 113.6949°W / 53.34507; -113.6949 (Woodbend Group)
Region	Alberta British Columbia Saskatchewan Manitoba Northwest Territories Yukon
Country	Canada
Type section
Named by	Imperial Oil
Year defined	1950

The Woodbend Group is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

It was first described in the British American Pyrcz No. 1 well by Imperial Oil geological staff in 1950.^[2]

Lithology

The Formation is composed of crystalline and dolomitized limestone (Cooking Lake Formation) in off-reef areas, bituminous shale and argillaceous limestone, detrital limestone (reef fallout), stromatoporoid calcarenite (Duvernay Formation), gray shale, argillaceous limestone, argillaceous dolomite, crystalline dolomite (Ireton Formation). In reef build-ups, it consists of massive limestone and dolomite with porosity (Leduc Formation). ^[1]

Hydrocarbon production

Oil is produced from the Leduc Formation in central Alberta since the early 1950s. Shale gas and liquids are extracted from the Duvernay Formation using horizontal drilling and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing.^[3] Several project test the economic viability of extracting bitumen from the Grosmont Formation.

Distribution

The Woodbend Group reaches a maximum thickness of 700 metres (2,300 ft) in northern Alberta (where reefs were developed), and has typical thickness of 300 metres (980 ft) in southern and central Alberta.^[1] It extends laterally from north-eastern British Columbia through Alberta and into southern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba. Reef build-ups range in size from small mounds to pinnacle reefs and large atoll size reefs and bank developments.

Subdivisions

Central Alberta

In central Alberta the following formations are recognized, from top to bottom:

Sub-unit	Age	Lithology	Max. Thickness	Reference
Ireton Formation	Frasnian	upper: calcareous shale and argillaceous limestone middle: fissile grey-green shale with calcirudite beds lower: massive and banded limestone with shale partings	250 m (820 ft)	^[4]
Leduc Formation	Frasnian	shallow water reef deposits: Stromatoporoid limestone, skeletal mudstone, boundstone, floatstone, packstone and wackestone, mostly dolomitized	300 m (980 ft)	^[5]
Duvernay Formation	Frasnian	bituminous shale, calcareous shale, argillaceous limestone with disseminated pyrite	250 m (820 ft)	^[6]
Cooking Lake Formation	Frasnian	limestone (dolomite in the Rimbey-Meadowbrook reef trend)	90 m (300 ft)	^[7]

Northeast Alberta

In northeast Alberta the following formations are recognized, from top to bottom:

Sub-unit	Age	Lithology	Max. Thickness	Reference
Grosmont Formation	Frasnian	limestone and dolomite, minor argillaceous dolomite, limestone, siltstone and shale	230 m (750 ft)	^[8]
Ireton Formation	Frasnian	upper: calcareous shale and argillaceous limestone middle: fissile grey-green shale with calcirudite beds lower: massive and banded limestone with shale partings	250 m (820 ft)	^[4]
Cooking Lake Formation	Frasnian	limestone: fossiliferous mudstone and wackestone, grainstone, stromatoporoid rudstone and floatstone	90 m (300 ft)	^[7]

Relationship to other units

The Woodbend Group is conformably overlain by the Winterburn Group and conformably overlays the Beaverhill Lake Group.^[1] It is transgressive in the Peace River Arch and Tathlina uplift. Newer deposits rest on the Woodbend group upon an erosional surface in eastern Alberta, south-central Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

It is equivalent to the Birdbear Formation and Duperow Formation in northern Montana, southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba, as well as parts of the Fort Simpson Formation and Muskwa Formation of northeastern British Columbia and southern Yukon, while it corresponds to the Tathlina Formation, Twin Falls Formation and Hay River Formation in the Northwest Territories.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Woodbend Group". Retrieved 2009-03-01.
^ Imperial Oil Limited, Geological Staff, Western Division, 1950. Devonian nomenclature in Edmonton area, Alberta, Canada. Bull. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, v. 34, p. 1807-1825
^ "The Duvernay Shale". Retrieved 2012-03-04.
^ ^a ^b Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Ireton Formation". Retrieved 2009-12-27.
^ Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Leduc Formation". Retrieved 2009-12-27.
^ Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Duvernay Formation". Retrieved 2009-12-27.
^ ^a ^b Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Cooking Lake Formation". Retrieved 2009-12-27.
^ Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Grosmont Formation". Retrieved 2011-06-25.

v t e Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin
Hydrocarbon history	Oil sands and heavy oil Frontier exploration and development Natural gas liquids Natural gas
Depositional regions	Southern Alberta Central Alberta Northwestern Alberta Plains South-central Canadian Rockies foothills North-east Plains North-central foothills Liard River Fort Nelson Northern Rocky Mountains Fort St. John Saskatchewan Western Manitoba
Northwest plains	Paskapoo FM Scollard FM Wapiti GRP Smoky GRP Puskwaskau FM Badheart FM Muskiki FM Cardium FM Kaskapau FM Pouce Coupe MBR Doe Creek MBR Dunvegan FM Fort St. John GRP Shaftesbury FM Peace River FM Spirit River FM Bullhead GRP Bluesky FM Gething FM Cadomin FM Nikanassin FM Fernie GRP Rock Creek MBR Poker Chip Shale Nordegg MBR Schooler Creek GRP Baldonnel FM Charlie Lake FM Halfway FM Doig FM Montney FM Belloy FM Stoddart GRP Taylor Flat FM Kiskatinaw FM Golata FM Rundle GRP Debolt FM Shunda FM Pekisko FM Banff FM Exshaw FM Wabamun FM Trout River FM Kakisa FM Redknife FM Jean Marie MBR Woodbend GRP Irteton FM Fort Simpson FM Leduc FM Duvernay FM Cooking Lake FM Beaverhill Lake GRP Waterways FM Swan Hills FM Fort Vermilion FM Elk Point GRP Watt Mountain FM Gillwood MBR Presqu’ile FM Sulphur Point FM Pine Point FM Muskeg FM Zama MBR Black Shale Keg River FM Rainbow MBR Chinchaga FM Cold Lake FM Ernestina FM Basal Red Beds Granite Wash Canadian Shield
Northeastern plains	Bearpaw FM Belly River GRP Lea Park FM La Biche GRP Viking FM Joli Fou FM Colony SS Mannville GRP McLaren MBR Grand Rapids FM Waseca SS Sparky SS Gen. Petr. SS Clearwater FM Rex SS Lloydminster SS Wabiskaw MBR Cummings MBR McMurray FM Dina MBR Banff FM Exshaw FM Wabamun FM Winterburn FM Woodbend GRP Grosmont FM Irteton FM Cooking Lake FM Beaverhill Lake GRP Elk Point GRP Canadian Shield
Southern Alberta plains	Cypress Hills FM Porcupine Hills FM Ravenscrag FM Edmonton GRP Belly River GRP Oldman FM Foremost FM Pakowki FM Milk River FM Colorado GRP Mannville GRP Ellis GRP Swift FM Rierdon FM Sawtooth FM Rundle GRP Banff FM Exshaw FM Bakken FM Wabamun FM Crowfoot FM Nisku FM Ireton FM Leduc FM Cooking Lake FM Beaverhill Lake GRP Elk Point GRP Canadian Shield

This page was last edited on 13 August 2023, at 20:13

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