AAPG Bulletin, Vol.83, No.1, 128-154, 1999
Depositional origin and facies variability of a Middle Triassic barrier island complex, Peejay field, northeastern British Columbia
Middle Triassic strata of the Peejay field in northeastern British Columbia are composed of four regressive shorefaces, the youngest having been reworked by tidal inlets. Tidal-inlet sublitharenites and bioclastic grainstones form the best reservoir facies. These deposits form a series of shoreline-parallel, narrow sharp-based, linear sand bodies that eroded the paleoshoreface. The orientation, geometry, and internal sedimentology of these tidal-inlet facies suggest that the paleoshoreline was subjected to a wave-dominated paleohydrographic regime. Determining the processes responsible for forming a specific tidal inlet can provide information regarding waves, tides, and storms characteristic of the depositional setting. Knowledge of this paleohydrographic regime can aid in predicting the orientation and internal characteristics of tidal-inIet reservoir facies. Improved predictability of reservoir facies geometry and quality can have direct implications on hydrocarbon exploration and development strategies of these and similarly formed hydrocarbon plays of the Triassic in the Western Canada sedimentary basin and elsewhere.
Keywords:HALFWAY FORMATION;INLET SEQUENCE;WEMBLEY FIELD;TIDAL INLETS;HOLOCENE;SEDIMENTOLOGY;RESERVOIRS;MIGRATION;CAROLINA;ALBERTA