Pre-Conference Field Trips
Pre-Conference Field Trip 1 | Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)
IHS Development in a Tidally Influenced River, Fraser River, British Columbia
| Dates: | Tuesday, 7 September, 19:00–Thursday, 9 September, 17:00 Departs from Holiday Inn Vancouver Centre, 711 W. Broadway, and returns to Vancouver International Airport). Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from Vancouver, BC, Canada. |
| Leader: | Shahin Dashtgard (Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $500 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $250 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Two nights’ lodging based on double occupancy, field transportation, two lunches and field guide |
| Limit: | 20 people |
| Content: | 1.6 CEU; 16 PDH |
During this two-day field trip we will visit a variety of sites along the Fraser River, B.C. where Inclined Heterolithic Stratification (IHS) is developed. At each site we will consider the depositional processes and conditions that favor IHS development, and the sedimentological and ichnological characteristics of the deposits.
Observations in the field will be compared to similar structures preserved in Middle McMurray Fm point bars. Stops include channel-margin, point bar and mid-channel bar deposits within the mesotidal (brackish water) reach of the Fraser River. The environments visited provide an interesting backdrop to compare the sedimentological and ichnological characteristics of mixed tidal-fluvial settings. As well, the distribution and diversity of ichnological structures in these brackish-water settings will be considered.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 2 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Sequence Stratigraphy, Sedimentology and Reservoir Facies of the Montney Formation SOLD OUT
| Dates: | Wednesday, 8 September, 09:00–Friday, 10 September, 21:00 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leaders: | Thomas F. Moslow (Midnight Oil Exploration, Calgary, AB, Canada) and John-Paul Zonneveld (University of Alberta, Calgary, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $970 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $485 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Transportation, two nights’ lodging based on double occupancy, breakfast, lunches and guidebook |
| Limit: | 24 people |
| Content: | 20 PDH |
This field trip provides for the examination of siliciclastic and bioclastic sedimentary facies of shoreface, turbidite and basinal paleo-environments of deposition from vertically and laterally continuous outcrop exposures of the Lower Triassic (Montney equivalent) strata in the Front Ranges of the Cadomin and Jasper National Park areas. Outcrop localities provide for the unique opportunity to examine distal through proximal facies associations directly analogous to reservoir fairways along the Montney subcrop edge in west-central Alberta through to the basinal and turbidite reservoir facies in north-eastern British Columbia.
Defined as western Canada’s first “shale gas” reservoir, the Montney Formation has become ne of the Basin’s hottest and most aggressively drilled resource plays. The target of most exploitation is through horizontal drilling in facies and depositional settings equivalent to those observed in this trip.
Outcrop exposures are placed into a sedimentologic and sequence stratigraphic context. Significant surfaces and facies associations are calibrated to outcrop gamma ray logs providing for correlation to subsurface equivalents. Vertical and lateral variability of facies in outcrop will be related to subsurface reservoir scale heterogeneity and drilling strategies for resource exploitation. Field sites provide the opportunity for observation of varying patterns of bedding, lithology and fracture geometry that are inherent to the reservoir characterization of the tight gas / shale gas plays that have become the mainstay of hydrocarbon exploitation in the Montney Formation.
Note: Weather conditions in Alberta are highly variable. Be prepared for rain and cool conditions as well as very warm weather. Hiking conditions are moderately aggressive. Hiking boots and extra socks are strongly recommended.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 3 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Sequence Stratigraphic Evolution of an Upper Devonian (Woodbend and Winterburn Groups) Reef-Off-Reef Transition, Cripple Creek Outcrop, Ram Range, Alberta CANCELED
| Dates: | Thursday, 9 September, 08:00–Sunday, 12 September, 16:00 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leaders: | John Weissenberger and Murray Gilhooly (Husky Energy, Calgary, AB, Canada), Pak Wong (ExxonMobil International, Leatherhead, England), and Ken Potma (ExxonMobil, Calgary, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $3,700 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $1,850 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Guidebook, meals, transportation and two nights’ lodging based on double occupancy |
| Limit: | 13 people |
| Content: | 32 PDH |
With the dawn of a new age of exploration for unconventional oil and gas, the Cripple Creek outcrops are well suited to examining the nature of and relationship of basinal shales, such as the Duvernay/Muskwa formations, to nearby age-equivalent reefs.
The field seminar will begin at the ERCB Core Research Centre in Calgary examining age-equivalent core. After a drive through the spectacular Foothills and Front Ranges of the Alberta Rocky Mountains to the Nordegg Alberta area, two full helicopter supported field days will be spent on the Ram Range, examining these classic outcrops.
The Cripple Creek outcrop in the Front Ranges of Alberta, near the town of Nordegg, is one of a series of classic localities exposing Upper Devonian carbonate platform to basin facies successions. For over 60 years academic and industry geoscientists have visited these outcrops to gain understanding of Upper Devonian geology in Western Canada, and to integrate knowledge gained from these outcrops to aid in exploration and development of large oil and gas reservoirs in the adjacent subsurface, like the Leduc Formation reefs at Leduc, Redwater and Golden Spike.
Note: Traverses will commonly be over loose, often steep slopes. Participants must be physically prepared for this and equipped with proper footwear and clothing for weather which can range from 5 to 25 degrees Celsius, with rain/snow, wind and sun exposure typical of mountain environments.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 4 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Cambrian-Hosted Structurally Controlled “Hydrothermal” Dolomite: Rock Fabrics to Reservoir Implications CANCELED
| Dates: | Friday, 10 September, 08:00–18:30 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leader: | Graham Davies (GDGC Ltd., Calgary, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $310 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $155 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Guidebook, lunch, snacks, pizza and park entrance fee |
| Limit: | 15 people |
| Content: | 8 PDH |
For those participants wishing to attend both this field trip and Field Trip #7 (“Seafloor Hydrothermal Processes in the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale”) on 11 September, arrangements can be made to stay overnight at participant’s cost at either Lake Louise or Field BC.
The main focus of this field seminar is on Cambrian-hosted dolomite characterized by extensive saddle dolomite fabrics in outcrop and roadcuts in southwestern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia. Stops or viewpoints include vertical dolomite pipes, breccias and breccia domes, internal dolomite sediments, zebra fabrics, replacement textures, shear fabrics and other rock types.
The section will be placed in tectonic and structural setting, with discussion of the role of faults in dolomitization and mineralization. Supporting data will include fluid inclusion and conventional isotopic analyses, plus newly acquired Mg isotope data that point to deep ‘magmatic’ Mg fluid source and tie to the Burgess shale and fauna (World Heritage Site). Posters will be used to place the Cambrian dolomite fabrics and controls in broader global context and relevance to hydrothermal dolomite reservoirs.
Note: This is a long day (~ 550 kilometres) of bus travel and stops. Only one stop requires very minor low-gradient climbing, and even that can be bypassed on an individual basis. Dressing for changeable weather is recommended.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 5 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
A Revised Regional Stratigraphy and Stratigraphic Architecture for the Horseshoe Canyon Formation: Outcrop and Subsurface CANCELED
| Dates: | Friday, 10 September, 07:00–Saturday, 11 September, 18:00 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leader: | David A. Eberth, Ph.D. (Royal Tyrrell Museum, Drumheller, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $425 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $215 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Guidebook, lunches, BBQ dinner, entry to Tyrrell Museum, drinks, one night’s lodging based on double occupancy and transportation |
| Limit: | 34 people |
| Content: | 16 PDH |
This field seminar will focus on classic and newly examined outcrops in the areas of Dorothy, East Coulee, Willow Creek, Drumheller, Horsethief Canyon, Morrin Bridge, Kubinec Ranch, Tolman Bridge (some stops may be precluded by wet weather).
Participants will interpret stratigraphic changes within the context of non-marine sequence-stratigraphic concepts and examine proposed correlations of the outcrop stratigraphy with subsurface cross-sections that extend north to Edmonton, west to Calgary, and south to the international border. There will also be a trip to the world famous Royal Tyrrell Museum to view dinosaur and other fossils.
A revised outcrop and subsurface stratigraphy for the 255 metre thick Upper Cretaceous Horseshoe Canyon Formation reveals subunits whose boundaries reflect changes in sediment supply, rates of subsidence, climate and sea level during a time span of ~6 million years. Some of these changes are marked by variation in sandstone body thicknesses, sandstone-mudstone ratios, and coal development.
Note: Moderately aggressive hiking, uneven and steep terrains, rain/sunshine, biting insects, cactus; hiking boots are strongly recommended.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 6 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Structural Geology of the Rocky Mountain Foothills and Front Ranges, Banff and Kananaskis Region, Alberta, Canada
| Dates: | Friday, 10 September, 07:30–Saturday, 11 September, 20:00 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leaders: | Greg Soule (Devon Canada, Calgary, AB, Canada) and Paul MacKay (University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $625 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $315 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Guidebook, transportation, refreshments, one breakfast, one dinner (en route home on second day) and one night’s lodging based on double occupancy |
| Limit: | 21 people |
| Content: | 16 PDH |
The first day will examine a dip transect of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Foothills and Front Ranges between Calgary and Banff, Alberta. The tectonic setting, structural geology and hydrocarbon trap types will be observed and discussed. The focus is in the outcrop of the Front Ranges where the exposed Paleozoic carbonate strata best show the structural relationships and geometries of the thrust belt. Observations made throughout the trip are related to the subsurface exploration and development of the hydrocarbon resources in the Foothills belt.
The second day will focus on the strike dimension of the observed structures. This completes the third dimension of the thrust belt model, and expands the discussion to mapping and interpretation issues including structural closure.
Note: Although there are several roadside stops, participants should be prepared for moderate hiking across uneven ground for up to two hours, and for anything from sunburn to frostbite. You will need sturdy footwear, a raincoat, warm layers such as sweaters, a windproof jacket, a sun hat and a winter hat and gloves in your bag. We will hope for pleasant weather, but be prepared as the mornings are likely to be cool regardless! Some meals will be provided including a group dinner en route home the second day; however, participants will be responsible for their breakfast before departure and for dinner on the first evening.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 7 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
Seafloor Hydrothermal Processes in the Middle Cambrian Burgess Shale, Yoho National Park, British Columbia SOLD OUT
| Dates: | Saturday, 11 September, 06:30–21:00 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leaders: | Christopher J. Collom (University of Calgary, AB, Canada) and Randle Robertson (The Burgess Shale Geosciences Foundation, Field, BC, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $475 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $240 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Transportation, lunch, pizza dinner, park entrance and guidebook |
| Limit: | 12 people |
| Content: | 8 PDH |
For those participants wishing to attend both this field trip and Field Trip #4 (Cambrian-Hosted Structurally Controlled ‘Hydrothermal’ Dolomite: Rock Fabrics to Reservoir Implications) on 10 September, arrangements can be made to stay overnight at participants cost at either Lake Louise or Field, BC.
This 22 km round trip hike will take participants through 800 m elevation gain to the historic Walcott Quarry in the Burgess Shale on Fossil Ridge, Yoho National Park. Commencing at scenic Takakkaw Falls in the Yoho Valley, participants will hike the century-old Highline Trail through Yoho Pass.
Nearby Mount Wapta provides excellent views of mountainside- scale hydrothermal dolomite cones within the Eldon Formation (Middle Cambrian). Rounding the south side of Mount Wapta, participants will ascend part way up Fossil Ridge to the Walcott Quarry. The Quarry exposes an excellent section of basinal argillites of the so called “Greater Phyllopod Bed” of the Burgess Shale, which is famous for abundant fossil remains of non-biomineralized organisms such as sponges, worms and diverse arthropods. Adjacent rocks of the dolomitized platformal Cathedral Formation are exposed at this locality and host hydrothermal dolostone breccias. The return hike through Burgess Pass provides a spectacular view across the Kicking Horse River valley of Mount Stephen, which hosts mountain-side exposures of the Middle Cambrian platform to basin transition.
Note: Participants should be reasonably fit and will need sturdy hiking boots, a wide brimmed field hat, a day pack and a rain poncho. The Burgess Shale and Canadian mountain parks are a UNESCO World Heritage site and consequently collecting of samples is strictly prohibited.
Pre-Conference Student Field Trip 8 | Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists (CSPG)
The Horseshoe Canyon-Bearpaw Transition: Challenging Sequence Stratigraphic and Depositional Paradigms
| Dates: | Saturday, 11 September, 07:00–16:30 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leader: | Dennis Meloche (Devon Canada Corporation, Calgary, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Student US $45 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Transportation, guidebook, lunch, dinner and museum entrance |
| Limit: | 29 people (Students only) |
| Content: | 8 PDH |
This is a one day field seminar to the town of Drumheller, Alberta, designed to experience the famous ‘Badlands’ of Alberta. It is a full day of travel and sightseeing that combines geology with paleontology and history.
Several horizons of intertonguing non-marine, marginal marine and marine rocks southeast of Drumheller comprise the Horseshoe Canyon and Bearpaw formations. Because of the nearly continuous outcrop exposure along the river, a 50-60 metre thick section of strata can be walked out for over 15 kilometres in the dip direction and 3.5 kilometres in the strike direction. These rocks represent marine to marginal marine deposits of a late Cretaceous delta complex fed by a river system that followed a course similar to the present day Red Deer River Valley.
The focus of this field seminar will be to examine the depositional facies, stratal architecture and sequence stratigraphy of a low accommodation, prograding delta complex exposed in world class outcrops. After lunch we will visit the Royal Tyrrell Museum to see one of the world’s most extensive collections of dinosaur fossils and exhibits on prehistoric life. We will allow 2-3 hours to tour the museum before heading back to Calgary.
Pre-Conference Field Trip 9 | Energy Minerals Division (EMD) of AAPG and Society for Sedimentary Geology (SEPM)
Calgary to Banff — Geology of the Bow River Valley Corridor from the Plains to the Mountains CANCELED
| Dates: | Saturday, 11 September, 08:00–21:00 Departs from and returns to downtown Calgary – one block east of the Calgary Tower |
| Leaders: | Fran Hein (Energy Resources Conservation Board of Alberta, Calgary, AB, Canada) and Dale Leckie (Nexen Inc., Calgary, AB, Canada) |
| Fee: | Professional US $200 +5% GST Student (Limited) US $100 +5% GST |
| Includes: | Transportation, refreshments, lunch, BBQ dinner at Rafter Six and guidebook |
| Limit: | 48 people |
| Content: | 8 PDH |
Basic understanding of the geology of Alberta leads to efficient development of these vast resources, and a framework for assessments for multiuse areas of the province, including municipal, federal, provincial and industry interests.
This field trip is a general interest trip for geologists and their spouses. It will show a general overview of the geology from the plains of Calgary, Foothills and Front Ranges, ending up in Banff for a shopping trip or a scenic walk in the historic Banff townsite surrounded by the inspiring Rocky Mountains. Come enjoy some geologic highlights as we explore some of the magnificent parts of Alberta. This is supported by the Energy Minerals Division (EMD) of the AAPG and the SEPM.
