| Title | Mineralogical and Geochemical Analysis of Select Basement Cores of Alberta |
|---|---|
| Authors | Peter Bauman |
| Year | 2026 |
| Conference | World Geothermal Congress |
| Keywords | Deep, Precambrian, Exploration, EGS |
| Abstract | The Canadian Shield's rich endowment of resources positions Canada as a major global supplier of several critical minerals essential for a range of energy and mineral applications, encompassing helium, hydrogen, lithium production, industrial-scale geothermal systems, groundwater, and carbon capture and storage projects. This research presents a lithological, mineralogical, and geochemical analysis of selected basement core samples obtained from within the Alberta Basin. From a dataset of over 100 wellbores with core that intersected the basement rocks of the Alberta Basin, a selection of six wells was made. These cores were chosen based on their depth below the Precambrian unconformity and their relatively high rock competency, thereby minimizing the influence of surface weathering The selected wells represent a diverse suite of terranes within Alberta, including the Medicine Hat Block and the Lacombe Block of the Archean Hearne Province, the Taltson Magmatic Zone of northeastern Alberta, and the Buffalo Head Terrane (refer to Figure 1 for the tectonic assemblage map of Alberta). Included within this study is an examination of the core from the famous “Hunt Well,” which represents the first North American well specifically targeting Precambrian granite formations as a potential source of hydrocarbons, but now represents a data point into Precambrian rocks of Alberta. Elemental and mineralogical compositions of the core samples from the various domains were determined utilizing X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) techniques. This analysis will yield valuable insights into characterizing the diverse mineralogical assemblages present within these distinct basement terranes. |