Matthew Vaughan

The Triassic Wolfville Formation crops out along the shoreline of the Minas Basin of the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia. Cambridge Cove contains an exceptionally well preserved outcrop which presents 2D and 3D exposures of the braided channel depositional environment of the Wolfville Formation. These outcrops demonstrate the stratigraphic complexities associated with the depositional environment.

This study uses Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey techniques, spatially calibrated with Differential GPS (DGPS), to image braided channel depositional architecture in the subsurface for correlation to outcrop LiDAR. This provides 3D, hi-resolution stratigraphic and structural data about braided channel deposits and their characteristics as reservoirs. The data collected can be used to help us model fluid connectivity with braided channel complexes and the influence of these factors on hydrocarbon production and the potential for geologic sequestration of CO₂. Post-processing methods have produced GPR profiles for interpretation. Radar facies have been recognized on lower frequency (50MHz) data, successfully imaging architectural and structural features (faults, a major unconformity and several stratigraphic horizons). Integration of these GPR grids into a 3D spatial framework with LiDAR data acquired from the outcrop adjacent to the survey location, has allowed for the comprehensive examination and delineation of the architectural elements of this braided channel deposit in 3D space. This architectural framework has been used to evaluate this deposit as hypothetical reservoir, exploring the nature of fluid connectivity and compartmentalization through the formation of baffles and barriers.

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Pages: 84
Supervisor: Grant Wach