Leduc Formation
| Leduc Formation Stratigraphic range: Frasnian |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Geological formation |
| Underlies | Duvernay Formation, Ireton Formation |
| Overlies | Beaverhill Lake Formation |
| Thickness | up to 300 metres (980 ft)[1] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Limestone, dolomite |
| Location | |
| Named for | City of Leduc |
| Named by | Imperial Oil Limited, 1950 |
| Coordinates | 53°20′42″N 113°41′42″W / 53.3451°N 113.6949°WCoordinates: 53°20′42″N 113°41′42″W / 53.3451°N 113.6949°W |
| Region |  Alberta |
| Country |  Canada |
Leduc Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
It takes the name from the city of Leduc, and was first described in B.A. Pyrz No. 1 well in central Alberta (between 1,623.7 and 1,807.5m) by Imperial Oil Limited in 1950.[1] A complete section was cored in Imperial Oil's Leduc No. 530 well from 1,633 meters (5,358 ft) to 1,863 meters (6,112 ft).
Contents |
[edit] Lithology
The Leduc Formation was deposited in a shallow water reef environment, and the limestone consists of Stromatoporoid reefs with skeletal mudstone and floatstone to finer grained muddy packstone and wackestone. Dolomitisation is a common diagenesis throughout the formation.
[edit] Oil and gas production
Oil and gas is produced from the Leduc Formation in central Alberta. The Leduc No. 1 well produced 50 million cubic metres (more than 300 million barrels) of oil[2] and marked the beginning of the post-war Albertan oil boom.
[edit] Distribution
Leduc Formation occurs as discrete reef buildups in a line following the Woodbend shelf margin from Drumheller in central Alberta to Peace River Arch area in northern Alberta. The formation is absent in inter-reef areas, and build-ups reach from 180 meters (590 ft) to 300 meters (980 ft).
[edit] Relationship to other units
Leduc Formation conformably overlays the Cooking Lake Formation and the Beaverhill Lake Formation platform carbonates in central Alberta. In northern Alberta, it rests directly on precambrian red beds or on Granite Wash. The Leduc reefs are surrounded by younger sediments, such as the Duvernay and Ireton Formations carbonates or Woodbend Group shale.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Lexicon of Canadian Geological Units. "Leduc Formation". http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:008349. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ Heritage Community Foundation. Alberta's Petroleum Heritage
