Abstract

The oil in the McMurray Formation in the lower Athabasca region around Ft. McMurray is identified as mainly sedimentary and contemporaneous with the deposition of the McMurray Formation, a deltaic and lagoonal deposit.

The occurrence of clays, their source, depositional control and distribution are discussed and the problem of clays in the recovery of bitumen is considered.

Salt collapse has been a recurring phenomenon since pre-Cretaceous time and the significance of this to McMurray lithology and overburden occurrence may be of more importance than has yet been recognized. However, detailed drilling and geomorphology may delineate these features to such a degree that they can be identified in sparsely drilled areas on the basis of experience.

In view of these eccentricities of the deposit, the geologist’s role during its development and production may become even more important economically than it was during the preliminary exploration phase.