Key Oil Sands Formations

Grosmont and Winterburn Formations

The Upper Devonian Grosmont carbonate is a remarkable bitumen-bearing reservoir of limestone and dolomite. Lying at 325 metres average depth and an average of 120 metres thick, the Grosmont has four separate types of porosity matrix, vugs, fracture and breccia – and several types of permeability, including karst – literally, underground caverns. The targeted development zones are the Grosmont C and D at Saleski, averaging 40 metres-plus thick, and the Grosmont D at Burnt Lakes, averaging 20 metres in thickness. Laricina is also pursuing the Winterburn carbonate at Germain, which is similar to the Grosmont. Alberta’s Grosmont and Winterburn carbonate formations hold an estimated 383 billion barrels of bitumen-in-place, according to the ERCB. Laricina estimates that 100 billion barrels of that number could ultimately be recoverable.

Grand Rapids Formation
The Grand Rapids is a Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group sand. At Germain, where it is the primary target, it lies at 225 metres average depth and offers net pay thickness of 10-25 metres. The presence and thickness of the sand is highly predictable. Its origins as a shoreface deposit – a beach – provide remarkable reservoir uniformity, which is very helpful to efficient SAGD development.

McMurray Formation

The McMurray Formation is the “original” oil sands formation and dominates the eastern, historical region of oil sands development in Alberta. It is the main target for most oil sands companies. The stacked channel deposits exhibit a high degree of reservoir variability both vertically and laterally. The McMurray is the primary target at Laricina’s Conn Creek and Poplar Creek properties, where it occurs at an average depth of 80 metres.

Laricina Live

Learn more about Laricina’s oil sands innovations, including initiatives in the carbonate formation, use of core imaging tools, and solvent-assisted process development.

Photo Gallery

See what's going on at Laricina's SAGD operations and who's making it happen. Click to view our Photo Gallery.

Operations

Laricina's land base encompasses the Grosmont, Grand Rapids, Winterburn and McMurray formations and include five development areas – Germain, Saleski, Burnt Lakes, Poplar Creek and Conn Creek.
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Technology & Innovation

Laricina is able to advance new and innovative in situ recovery technologies through a combination of lab-based research, advanced simulation modelling and in-field testing.
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