Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

The origin of dolomite remains controversial despite a great deal of research on this topic. A better understanding of the formation of dolomite is not only a significant contribution to geoscience but also has important economic impacts because dolomite constitutes hydrocarbon reservoirs for major world petroleum reserves and hosts nearly half of the world's lead and zinc deposits. The proposed research will be aimed at determining the nature and processes of dolomitization and their implications for the formation of dolomite reservoirs in different tectonic settings. It will identify different types of dolomites, map out their spatial distributions, and establish their paragenesis. It will employ O, C and Sr isotopic methods and fluid inclusion microthermometry to characterize the nature of dolomitizing fluids and to constrain the timing of dolomitization. The short-term objective is to achieve a better understanding of dolomitization in the Frobisher Bed and the Lower Shaunavon Formation in Saskatchewan Canada and the Cambrian dolomite in the Tarim Basin in northwestern China. The long-term objective is to advance our knowledge of the nature and processes of dolomitization by investigating and comparing temporal and spatial distributions, petrographic and geochemical signatures of dolomites in different tectonic settings. Saskatchewan is the second largest oil-producing province in Canada. A better understanding of dolomitization in these reservoirs will help to predict the connectivity, spatial distribution, and architecture of these reservoirs. These data are critical for the development of effective strategies for exploration and exploitation of hydrocarbons in these reservoirs. The depleted oil reservoirs in Saskatchewan have also been targeted as the sites for carbon capture and storage in order to slow down the atmospheric buildup of CO2. This project will provide important data on the nature of reservoirs in order to evaluate the potential usage of these reservoirs for long-term CO2 sequestration.