Hydrocarbons and water in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin — A tale of two fluids

Detailed petroleum system analysis allows the direction and extent of hydrocarbon flow to be assessed. In most parts of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin, the major pulse of hydrocarbon generation and migration occurred as a result of the Laramide Orogeny in Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary time. The distribution and chemistry of oils provide a detailed picture of fluid flow at this time with oil migration up to hundreds of kilometres observed. Hydrocarbon generation and migration mostly ceased once uplift of the basin commenced during Eocene time. As the basin evolved so did the hydrodynamic regime reflecting changes in topography, glaciation and other factors. This indicates possible problems with using present day hydrogeology to determine oil migration pathways although hydrogeology can help explain petroleum alteration.