Colleen Fitzgerald

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Sandstones of the Lower Cretaceous Ellerslie Formation overlie a major unconformity in southeastern Alberta. Post-Jurassic erosion produced a subcrop pattern on which an extensive drainage system developed in Lower Cretaceous time. The Ellerslie sandstones were deposited in the river valleys, as point bars and as later channel fill with a rise in base level.

Within the study area, two morphologically distinct types of paleochannels are identified: a major meandering system and an incised channel of low sinuosity. These channels are filled with sandstones of different geometries.

The Ellerslie quartz arenites are responsible for a linear belt of oil fields extending from Montana to south-central Alberta. However, there have been production problems. Knowledge of the diagenetic history of these rocks allows recommendations aimed at optimizing oil recovery.

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