Three-Dimensional Property Model of the Upper Cretaceous Cardium Formation in West-Central and Southern Alberta (dataset, multiple files)

This three-dimensional (3D) property model of the Upper Cretaceous Cardium Formation in west-central and southern Alberta contains modelled property data for shale volume, porosity, and water saturation. The 3D property model covers an area of about 90 000 km² and represents an eastward-thinning wedge with a present-day maximum thickness of about 150 m in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. This wedge thins out towards the Alberta Plains and grades into mudstone along its easternmost terminus.

The shale volume in the Cardium Formation is inversely related to the sandstone abundance and was calculated from gamma-ray logs from oil and gas wells. The porosity was calculated from bulk density logs and the water saturation from a combination of the gamma-ray, bulk density, and deep resistivity logs.

The 3D property model illustrates the heterogeneity of shale volume, porosity, and water saturation in the Cardium Formation. The model helps reveal depositional environments, history, and stacking patterns and provides insight into vertical and lateral connectivity of sandstone units. 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 from the AGS website in the following packages:

1. the 3D grids within a Petrel project file [Download, 499 MB]

2. a deconstructed model dataset composed of continuous model horizons as Esri format grids, and a zone model extent shapefile [Download, 11 MB]

3. populated model properties as point data in ASCII format [Download, 365 MB]

4. all of the above data [Download, 860 MB]

All packages are accompanied by Open File Report 2020-01 which provides the geological context and describes the creation of the property model.