Identification Information:
Citation:
Citation Information:
Originator: Energy Resources Conservation Board
Originator: Alberta Geological Survey
Originator: Andriashek, L.D.
Publication Date: 2006
Title:
Quaternary Geology and Bedrock Subcrop of the Cold Lake to Ft. McMurray Area, Alberta - Surface Structure, Empress Formation Sand and Gravel (NTS 73L, M) (1:250 000-scale gridded data)
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: raster digital data
Series Information:
Series Name: Digital Data
Issue Identification: DIG 2006-0052
Publication Information:
Publication Place: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Publisher: Alberta Geological Survey
Online Linkage: http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/DIG/ZIP/DIG_2006_0052.zip
Description:
Abstract:
A digital grid of the top of the Empress Formation where present, or the topography of the surrounding landscape, where the formation is absent. This includes the units 1 to 3 of the Empress Formation in buried valleys, as well as undifferentiated Empress interfluve sediments resting on the bedrock surface between buried valleys. The unit is originally modelled from borehole data and adjusted to the bedrock surface, the surfaces of units 1, 2, 3 and interfluve units of the Empress Formation, and the present-day land surface. The grid is generated at a 250 metre cell-size resolution, based on 2003 information.
Purpose:
To construct the geological framework in an area of Alberta that is undergoing rapid development of oil sands deposits, for the purpose of characterizing the drift (Quaternary, pre-Quaternary) aquifers systems that overlie oil sands deposits.
Supplemental Information: In English. File is in ESRI ASCII Grid format, filename Empress_fm_top.agr.
Time Period of Content:
Time Period Information:
Range of Dates/Times:
Beginning Date: 2000
Ending Date: 2005
Currentness Reference: ground condition
Status:
Progress: Complete
Maintenance and Update Frequency: None planned
Spatial Domain:
Bounding Coordinates:
West Bounding Coordinate: -112
East Bounding Coordinate: -110
North Bounding Coordinate: 56
South Bounding Coordinate: 54
Keywords:
Theme:
Theme Keyword Thesaurus: none
Theme Keyword: aquifers
Theme Keyword: bedrock topography
Theme Keyword: geology
Theme Keyword: gis data
Theme Keyword: hydrogeology
Theme Keyword: oil sands
Theme Keyword: quaternary
Theme Keyword: stratigraphy
Place:
Place Keyword Thesaurus: none
Place Keyword: 73l
Place Keyword: 73m
Place Keyword: alberta
Place Keyword: athabasca oil sands
Place Keyword: canada
Place Keyword: cold lake
Place Keyword: fort mcmurray
Access Constraints: Public
Use Constraints:
Acknowledgement of the Alberta Energy Regulator/Alberta Geological Survey as the originator/source of this information is required as described in the Open Government License - Alberta.
Point of Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Organization Primary:
Contact Organization: Alberta Geological Survey
Contact Person: Publications and Marketing Advisor
Contact Position: Publications and Marketing Advisor
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical
Address: Alberta Energy Regulator
Address: 4th Floor, Twin Atria Building
Address: 4999-98 Avenue NW
City: Edmonton
State or Province: Alberta
Postal Code: T6B 2X3
Country: Canada
Contact Voice Telephone: (780) 422-1927
Contact Facsimile Telephone: (780) 422-1918
Contact Electronic Mail Address: AGS-Info@aer.ca
Hours of Service: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Data Set Credit: K. Mckay
Native Data Set Environment: Microsoft Windows XP Version 5.1 (Build 2600) Service Pack 2; ESRI ArcCatalog 9.0.0.535
Cross Reference:
Citation Information:
Originator: Alberta Energy and Utilities Board
Originator: Alberta Geological Survey
Originator: Andriashek, L.D.
Publication Date: 2003
Title: Quaternary Geological Setting of the Athabasca Oil Sands (In Situ) Area, Northeast Alberta
Geospatial Data Presentation Form: document
Series Information:
Series Name: Earth Sciences Report
Issue Identification: ESR 2002-03
Publication Information:
Publication Place: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Publisher: Alberta Energy and Utilities Board
Online Linkage: http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications
Data Quality Information:
Logical Consistency Report:

In places where there were no data, or where data were absent, we assigned the value -999 to the grid cell to denote null values in the modelled surface. In the case of the digital elevation model (DEM), which was imported from other sources, the edges of the input grid were all null data (-999) to constrain the geometry of the grid to reflect the NTS map boundary geometry. This geometry was propagated throughout the grid surfaces by the assignment of -999 to ensure their edges conformed to the DEM geometry.

Stratigraphic pick data used to generate the surfaces were derived from a number of sources, including new picks made during the course of the study. Because of varied degrees of certainty regarding the quality of those data, all data were ranked in terms of quality, with the author's picks ranked highest. This ranking was applied to screen data only in areas where more than one stratigraphic pick was made at a given location. In those cases, the highest-ranked value was incorporated into the calculations. It is important to note that all data were used in the process, and that in the absence of any other data, lower quality data were used along with data of higher quality.

Digital datasets in the model had a varied degree of precision depending on the nature of the surface modelled. For example, the surface DEM had the greatest precision as it was modelled from a 76-metre-grid-resolution source file, and it was exposed and easily validated. Precision of the other surfaces varied according to data density and knowledge regarding the processes of formation or deposition. Therefore, the modelled surfaces reflect not only data density and quality, but also knowledge regarding the processes, which is depicted through the addition of synthetic data, such as digital, hand-drawn contours. Consequently, grids of surfaces with the least amount of knowledge or data were validated and constrained by surfaces that carried a higher degree of confidence. Surfaces of geological units were tested against the two major unconformities in the study area - the topography of the bedrock surface, which itself was tested against the topography of the present-day land surface. This internal validation and testing was done more rigorously for the bedrock topography and lower-drift stratigraphic units. This process produced surface grids with geospatial integrity (that is, lower surfaces do not cross surfaces of higher units), and enabled the construction of a bedrock subcrop map that was entirely constrained by the geometry of the bedrock surface. Testing of geospatial integrity of the bedrock geology surfaces that lie beneath the bedrock surface was not as rigorous, and in some cases, surfaces of lower bedrock units may cross higher units. These occurrences, while present, are rare.

Completeness Report:
All available data were used, and data were ranked in terms of source quality. All areas within the geographic boundaries were modelled, but data density was not uniform throughout. Data were incomplete or absent for the upper half of the geological strata that lay between the bedrock surface and the present-day land surface because petrophysical logs were not recorded for the units behind the cased interval in oil and gas wells, and other well data were too sparse.
Positional Accuracy:
Horizontal Positional Accuracy:
Horizontal Positional Accuracy Report:

Horizontal_Coordinate_System_Definition:

Planar:

Planar_Coordinate_Information:

Planar_Coordinate_Encoding_Method: row and column

Coordinate_Representation:

Abscissa_Resolution: 250

Ordinate_Resolution: 250

Planar_Distance_Units: meters

Grid_Coordinate_System:

Grid_Coordinate_System_Name: Universal Transverse Mercator

Universal_Transverse_Mercator_(UTM):

UTM_Zone_Number: 12

Transverse_Mercator:

Scale_Factor_at_Central_Meridian: 0.999600

Longitude_of_Central_Meridian: -111.000000

Latitude_of_Projection_Origin: 0.000000

False_Easting: 500000.000000

False_Northing: 0.000000

Geodetic_Model:

Horizontal_Datum_Name: North American Datum of 1983

Ellipsoid_Name: Geodetic Reference System 80

Semi-Major_Axis: 6378137.000000

Denominator_of_Flattening_Ratio: 298.257222

Lineage:
Process Step:
Process Description:

A series of digital grids were generated for surfaces of geological units ranging from the top of the McMurray Formation to the present-day land surfaces. The grids were generated from hard data consisting of stratigraphic picks made from geophysical logs and lithologs, as well as from synthetic data consisting of digital hand-drawn contour lines, particularly for the bedrock topography and the drift aquifer units resting on the bedrock surface. Initial digital modelling was done using MCadContour software on an Apple Macintosh computer, which was later exported to PC-supported software platforms, such as Viewlog (see Alberta Geological Survey Earth Sciences Report 2002-03). All modelled surfaces were done on a 250 m grid-cell size, using Inverse Distance Weighted interpolation method.

The bedrock geology units were modelled from stratigraphic picks derived from Alberta Energy and Utilities Board databases. The bedrock topography and drift aquifer units were modelled from stratigraphic picks made on resistivity and gamma logs derived mainly from oil and gas exploration. Hand-digitized contours of the bedrock surface were used as synthetic data to enhance the resolution of the modelled surface. All bedrock geology surfaces were tested against the bedrock topography (an unconformable surface) to create a bedrock subcrop map. Gridded surfaces were then stacked in proper stratigraphic order to generate a 2.5-D model of the geological setting.

Process Date: 2006
Spatial Data Organization Information:
Direct Spatial Reference Method: Raster
Raster Object Information:
Raster Object Type: Grid Cell
Row Count: 914
Column Count: 755
Vertical Count: 1
Spatial Reference Information:
Horizontal Coordinate System Definition:
Planar:
Planar Coordinate Information:
Planar Coordinate Encoding Method: row and column
Coordinate Representation:
Abscissa Resolution: 250.211382
Ordinate Resolution: 250.211382
Distribution Information:
Distributor:
Contact Information:
Contact Organization Primary:
Contact Organization: Alberta Geological Survey
Contact Person: Publications and Marketing Advisor
Contact Position: Publications and Marketing Advisor
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical
Address: Alberta Energy Regulator
Address: 4th Floor, Twin Atria Building
Address: 4999-98 Avenue NW
City: Edmonton
State or Province: Alberta
Postal Code: T6B 2X3
Country: Canada
Contact Voice Telephone: (780) 422-1927
Contact Facsimile Telephone: (780) 422-1918
Contact Electronic Mail Address: AGS-Info@aer.ca
Hours of Service: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Distribution Liability:
The Alberta Energy Regulator/Alberta Geological Survey (AER/AGS) licenses this information under the Open Government License - Alberta. Any references to proprietary software in our documentation, and/or any use of proprietary data formats in our releases, do not constitute endorsement by the AER/AGS of any manufacturer's product.
Metadata Reference Information:
Metadata Date: 20131107
Metadata Contact:
Contact Information:
Contact Organization Primary:
Contact Organization: Alberta Geological Survey
Contact Person: Publications and Marketing Advisor
Contact Position: Publications and Marketing Advisor
Contact Address:
Address Type: mailing and physical
Address: Alberta Energy Regulator
Address: 4th Floor, Twin Atria Building
Address: 4999-98 Avenue NW
City: Edmonton
State or Province: Alberta
Postal Code: T6B 2X3
Country: Canada
Contact Voice Telephone: (780) 422-1927
Contact Facsimile Telephone: (780) 422-1918
Contact Electronic Mail Address: AGS-Info@aer.ca
Hours of Service: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Metadata Standard Name: FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata
Metadata Standard Version: FGDC-STD-001-1998
Metadata Time Convention: local time
Metadata Access Constraints: none
Metadata Use Constraints: none