Saskatchewan Group

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Saskatchewan Group
Stratigraphic range: Frasnian
Type Geological group
Sub-units Birdbear Formation
Duperow Formation
Underlies Three Forks Group
Overlies Manitoba Group
Thicknessup to 350 metres (1,150 ft) [1]
Lithology
Primary Carbonate
Other Evaporite
Location
Coordinates 50°21′18″N106°54′07″W / 50.355°N 106.902°W / 50.355; -106.902 (Saskatchewan Group)
Region WCSB
Williston Basin
CountryFlag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada
Flag of the United States.svg  United States
Type section
Named for Saskatchewan
Named byA.D Baillie, 1953

The Saskatchewan Group is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.

Contents

It takes the name from the province of Saskatchewan, and was first described in the Mobil Oil Woodley Sinclair Cantuar X-2-21 well by A.D Baillie in 1953. [2]

Lithology

The Saskatchewan Group is composed of carbonates with thin evaporites. [1]

Distribution

The Saskatchewan Group reaches a maximum thickness of 350 metres (1,150 ft). [1] It is present in the sub-surface throughout the Williston Basin.

Subdivisions

The Saskatchewan Group contains the following formations, from top to base:

Sub-unit Age LithologyMax.
Thickness
Reference
Birdbear Formation Frasnian Upper: dolomite with evaporite interbeds
Lower: non-argillaceous limestone and dolomite
45 m (150 ft) [3]
Duperow Formation Frasnian limestone and dolomite, anhydrite, halite; up to 27 depositional cycles300 m (980 ft) [4]

Relationship to other units

The Saskatchewan Group is conformably overlain by the Three Forks Group and conformably overlays the Manitoba Group carbonates. [1]

It is equivalent to the upper Beaverhill Lake Formation, the Woodbend Group and the lower part of the Winterburn Group in central Alberta, and with the Jefferson Group in Montana and North Dakota.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Saskatchewan Group" . Retrieved 2010-01-01.
  2. Baillie, A.D., 1953. "Devonian names and correlations of the Williston Basin area; American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, vol. 37, no. 2 (February), pp. 444-447.
  3. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Birdbear Formation" . Retrieved 2010-01-09.
  4. Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units. "Duperow Formation" . Retrieved 2010-01-09.