Archive | 2019
Enrichment Regulation, Resource Potential and Prospects for Canadian Oil Sand Resources
Abstract
Canada possesses the largest oil sand resources in the world, concentrated in the three major deposits of Alberta Basin: Athabasca (including Wabasca), Cold Lake and Peace River. The enrichment of oil sand resources is closely related to the evolution of the Alberta basin. At the stage of the cratonic platform, Devonian to Middle Jurassic hydrocarbon source rocks were widely developed. At the foreland basin stage, multiple sets of high-quality reservoir-caprock combinations and extensively connected sand bodies of Cretaceous were developed. From the end of the Cretaceous period to the beginning of the Laramide Orogeny movement period, large-scale of fluid flowed from the west to the east, which provided the dynamic conditions for the long-range migration of hydrocarbon. During Eogene to Neogene period, the northeastern part of Alberda Basin was strongly lifted, the relatively open oxidation environment was formed by the denudation and exposure of the Cretaceous sandstone bodies. All mentioned factors have combined to form a tremendous amount of oil sand resources in Canada.