Anticosti Island, Quebec: Updated review of a major shale play in North Eastern America

摘要

Located in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Quebec, Anticosti Island extends over a length of 220 km and a maximum width of 56 km and covers an area of 7,943 sq-km (3000 sq-mi). Anticosti is a large ESE-WNW oriented structure situated along the Laurentia passive margin of Ordovician carbonates that extends from western Texas to Newfoundland (figure 1). The geological units forming the island are of Paleozoic age, ranging from the Cambrian to the end of Silurian. The territory, almost unhabited, has large subsurface areas virtually unknown since very few exploration wells were drilled on the island. However, various data accumulated over sixty years now allow us to evaluate the petroleum potential of the region. The current exploration phase recognized the potential of the Middle Ordovician Macasty Shale as a liquid-rich resource play (potential for light oil/condensate production).