Drainage Organization and Sea-Level History of the Early Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Northeastern Alberta, Canada
Date
2018-12-20
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Abstract
The densely penetrated McMurray Formation of northeastern Alberta, Canada records the activity of a continental-scale river and marginal-marine sedimentary system, providing a unique opportunity to: (1) test for an Aptian glacio-eustatic signal within the Western Canadian Foreland Basin, and (2) evaluate a well-preserved drainage system at the basin-scale. Three distinct incised valleys and one deltaic channel system subtending from upward-coarsening deltaic parasequence sets are documented across an area >26,000 km2. At least six high frequency cycles of transgression and regression are apparent within the McMurray Formation stratigraphy. The high frequency nature of these Aptian sequences suggests that the sea-level oscillations recorded in McMurray Formation strata are consistent with a glacio-eustatic driver. By integrating measured bankfull flow depths and catchment area estimates from the stratigraphically distinct channelized systems, details about Aptian drainage organization can be gleaned. Data collected in this study suggest that the McMurray drainage system was fed by both an axial, continental-scale river system and a smaller transversely-sourced drainage network.
Description
Keywords
McMurray Formation, Stratigraphy, Aptian, Incised valley, Oil sands
Citation
Horner, S. C. (2018). Drainage Organization and Sea-Level History of the Early Cretaceous McMurray Formation, Northeastern Alberta, Canada (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.