Most natural gas reservoirs in the Albian Paddy Member (Peace River Formation) in northwestern Alberta produce from quartzarenite sandstone. The provenance of this quartzarenite has been enigmatic, especially considering that in the underlying Cadotte and Falher members quartz may only comprise 40%. Petrographic analysis, including light and heavy minerals and cathodoluminescence colouration of quartz was carried out. Other framework grains include chert and feldspar, generally being 2% or less, with traces of metamorphic and plutonic rock fragments. The heavy mineral suite is dominated by tourmaline, zircon and rutile with lesser amounts of kyanite and staurolite. Most Paddy quartz grains luminesce reddish-brown and purple with fewer bright blues. The Paddy polycrystalline quartz grains were likely derived from thrust sheets which exposed quartz-rich units such as the Precambrian upper Miette and Misinchinka groups and/or Lower Cambrian Gog Group. The minor amount of chert was likely derived from Upper Paleozoic carbonates. Plutonic rock fragments suggest some granitic to granodioritic sources, likely the Hogem, Cassiar and Pitman batholiths in north-central British Columbia. Potash feldspar indicates limited exposure of felsic magmatic rocks and/or high-grade metamorphic sources. Schistose and phyllitic rock fragments were derived from metamorphic sources. Polycrystalline quartz types and Basu plots indicate quartzitic source areas having low to medium grades of metamorphism as well as plutonic sources. Red-brown cathodoluminescence quartz colours also indicate a low-grade metamorphic origin. The heavy mineral suite, particularly kyanite and staurolite, point to areas near the Hogem and Cassiar batholiths as probable source areas. An estimate of the proportions of rock types in the source terrain of the Paddy Member is sedimentary - 60%, metamorphic - 30% and plutonic 10%.