This 3D property model of the uppermost Cretaceous–Paleogene Paskapoo, Porcupine Hills, Scollard, and Willow Creek formations in west-central and southern Alberta contains modelled property data for shale volume and total porosity. The model provides insight into the regional distribution of highly porous sandstone within these near surface bedrock deposits.
The model area covers approximately 91 000 km2 and is bounded by the deformation edge associated with the Canadian Rocky Mountains to the west and the erosional edge of the Scollard and Willow Creek formations to the north and east. The volume of the model is defined by the bedrock top surface and the base surface of the Scollard and Willow Creek formations. The model has been subdivided into an upper zone, comprised of the Paskapoo and Porcupine Hills formations, and a lower zone, comprised of the Scollard and Willow Creek formations.
The shale volume in these zones is inversely related to the sandstone abundance and was calculated from a combination of gamma-ray logs from oil and gas wells and lithological descriptions from water wells. The porosity was calculated from bulk density logs from oil and gas wells, and it was not calibrated and intended for mapping regional trends only. The resolution and accuracy of the 3D property model is constrained by the uncertainty and quality of the input logs and the methods used in modelling; as a result, the model is appropriate for regional-scale (1:100 000) assessments rather than site-specific investigations.
This model is available for download in the following packages:
- the Petrel project file,
- a deconstructed model dataset composed of continuous model horizons as Esri format grids, and zone model extent shapefiles,
- populated model properties as point data in ASCII format, and
- all of the above data.
All packages are accompanied by Open File Report 2019-05 which provides the geological context and describes the creation of the property model.
For information about the selection and management of data in the model see AER/AGS Open File Report 2019-05: Three-Dimensional Property Modelling of the Paskapoo, Porcupine Hills, Scollard, and Willow Creek Formations in Southwest Alberta.
This is a provincial-scale dataset and is not intended for local-scale studies.
Descriptions of the field names used in the tabular data are included with the dataset in Tabular_data_field_descriptions.txt.
The framework of the model is based on version one of the 3D Provincial Geological Framework model of Alberta. The top of the bedrock surface is the top of the model and the base surface of the Scollard and Willow Creek formations is the base of the model. All of the geological surfaces used geological picks as input data.
The shale volume and porosity were simulated at a grid cell size of 500 x 500 x 5 m. All properties were simulated using Gaussian Random Function Simulation in Petrel 2015.
For further details on data quality and model uncertainty see AER/AGS Open File Report 2019-05: Three-Dimensional Property Modelling of the Paskapoo, Porcupine Hills, Scollard and Willow Creek Formations in Southwest Alberta.