Triassic-Early Jurassic Central Atlantic and mid-Cretaceous Scotian Margin Geochemical, Organic, and Biostratigraphic Events a test case for molecular sequence stratigraphy

Development of oil and natural gas production in Atlantic Canada has mainly occurred in the offshore of Newfoundland, Labrador, and Nova Scotia. Energy Nova Scotia has estimated reservoir potential for Nova Scotia has been as high as 120 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 8 billion barrels of oil. These reserves occur along the Scotian Margin, a portion of the North American continental shelf extending for ~500 km along the length of the eastern coastal seaboard. Over this distance the margin descends to a depth of 5,000 m. Continuous subsidence and sediment deposition over the last 250 million years has produced thicknesses reaching 24 km (Wade and MacLean 1990) with its proven petroleum system in some areas being disrupted by salt tectonism (e.g. Deptuck and Kendell, 2017, 2020). Thus far, production largely focused on the Sable Island gas reserves (OERA, 2011). However, industry investment has waned with all commercial production now ended. Nonetheless, multiple indications suggest that black oil reserves could also be present within one or more of the sub-basins (OERA, 2011).

Faculty Supervisor:

Todd Ventura

Student:

Partner:

Offshore Energy Research Association of Nova Scotia

Discipline:

Earth science

Sector:

Mining; Professional, scientific and technical services

University:

Saint Mary's University

Program: