Abstract: This digital data release includes geochemical mass balance data for the determination of mineral composition from X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of selected samples from Alberta stratigraphic units evaluated for their shale- and siltstone-hosted hydrocarbon resource potential. The samples are from the following units:
- Belle Fourche Formation,
- Fish Scales Formation,
- Muskwa Formation,
- Shaftesbury Formation, and
- Westgate Formation
Sample_ID will result in unique records for this dataset. A site may have multiple samples, and each sample may have multiple analyses performed on it.
Fields with no analysis values indicate that the specified mineral was not identified in that sample. The number of significant digits of the sample results is as provided by the laboratory. Trailing zeros may have been dropped by Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access. Total for sample results equals 100. All attributes have well defined domains and were found to be valid within the domains.
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.
Core samples were collected at the Alberta Energy Regulator’s Core Research Centre. Outcrop samples were collected in the field by AGS staff members.
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 the Alberta Research Council laboratory for XRD analysis and geochemical mass balance modelling to determine the mineral composition.
WWe received the results from the laboratory in multiple spreadsheets, which we imported into a Microsoft Access database. The data were exported as flat files for public release. The raw data was compared to the exported data to ensure that no errors were introduced during data processing and export.