Grant: Discovery Launch Supplement

Using the Rock Record for Paleoenvironmental Interpretation and Natural Resource Reservoir Characterization in Foreland Basins: Foreland basins are elongated topographic depressions that form next to a mountain belt. Sediment-routing systems in foreland basins often span large areas of continents, and connect mountainous regions to continental margins in many areas worldwide. Rock successions from ancient foreland basins record continental-scale sediment routing in the distant past, and offer insight into specific factors that may have influenced the evolution of the sedimentary rock record. This research program will document the development of sedimentary rock units in Cretaceous foreland basin systems in Western Canada that were specifically affected by: (1) inheritance of topographic features; (2) variable subsidence patterns tied to inherited crustal heterogeneity; and (3) periods of global sea-level rise/fall. Since foreland basin successions often contain water, hydrocarbon, and/or geothermal resources, documenting the controls on the development of these successions is critical for understanding natural resource distribution globally. Objectives and Methods: The primary long-term goal of this research program is to document the influence of paleotopographic inheritance, variations in basin subsidence/uplift patterns tied to crustal heterogeneity, and global sea-level change on the development of the rock record in foreland basins. The secondary long-term goal is to investigate the link between the development of the rock record as it relates to those factors and natural resource distribution in the subsurface. The long-term goals will be addressed via a series of short-term objectives, which focus on geologic and geochronologic characterization of Cretaceous rocks in Alberta. The data will be used to create geologic models that will assess the influence of specific controls on the development of the rock record (e.g., subsidence models), as well as evaluate geologic controls on natural resource distribution (e.g., reservoir models). Impact: The research program will yield new insight into the factors that impact the development of rock units in ancient foreland basins, and will offer a unique perspective into the link between the development of the geologic record and natural resource accumulations. Specific high-impact research outcomes from this work will include: (1) a new understanding of the roles that paleotopographic inheritance, inherited crustal heterogeneity, and sea-level change can play in the development of foreland basin successions; (2) improved constraints on the timing of foreland basin evolution in Western North America; and (3) a novel appraisal of the relationship between the rock record in foreland basins and natural resource distribution. The program will also provide training to 13 highly qualified personnel (10 BSc students, 3 MSc students), and will prepare them for careers in academia, government, or industry.