This digital data release includes the results of qualitative clay mineral X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of selected samples from Alberta stratigraphic units evaluated for their shale- and siltstone-hosted hydrocarbon resource potential. The strata evaluated include the
- basal Banff Formation,
- Colorado Group,
- Duvernay Formation,
- Exshaw Formation,
- Montney Formation,
- Muskwa Formation,
- Wilrich Member,
- Nordegg Member, and
- Rierdon Formation.
Data for other stratigraphic units are also included in this file.
The Sample_ID column will display unique records.
A site may have multiple samples, with each sample from a different interval.
Fields with no analysis values indicate that the specified mineral was not identified in that sample. All attributes have well defined domains and were found to be valid within the domains.
Clay minerals identified by XRD analysis are measured by their relative abundance in weight per cent. Their abundance is reported here as: major (>30), moderate (between 10 30), minor (between 2 and 10, trace (<2). Identification of clay minerals in some minor and all trace amount categories is tentative due to low concentrations, diffraction line overlap, or poor crystallinity.
In this dataset, the term shale describes a fine-grained, organic-rich rock and may not imply fissility.
We collected representative core samples based on available core for the target formations to get a reasonable spatial distribution of data. The core did not always cover the entire target interval. Sampling was focused at a higher density in the shale intervals and other fine-grained rocks. Lower density sampling was done in other lithologies and bounding formations. If Date_Collected is 20xx-01-01, we collected the sample during the year indicated, but the exact date is unknown.
Bulk rock mineralogy data from XRD analysis of the samples is published in DIG 2016-0003. Bulk rock geochemistry data from X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy is published in DIG 2016-0007.
All samples that were submitted to SGS Lakefield Research and analyzed for clay mineralogy are included in the dataset.
Core samples were collected at the Alberta Energy Regulator’s Core Research Centre.
Geologists recorded the sample and site information, such as location, depth, formation, and a brief lithological description at the time of collection. Representative splits of the samples were made and sent to SGS Lakefield Research in Lakefield, Ontario for XRD clay analysis.