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{{Short description|Stratigraphic range in western Canada}}
{{Infobox Rockunit
| name = Cardium Formation
| image = Cardium SS.JPG
| caption = [[Photomicrograph]] of [[drill cuttings]] from Cardium Formation sandstone.
| type = [[Geological formation]]
| age = {{fossil range|Turonian|Coniacian|[[Turonian]] to [[Coniacian]]}}
| period = Late Cretaceous
| prilithology = [[Sandstone]]
| otherlithology = [[Shale]]
| namedfor = [[Cockle (bivalve)|Cardium]] shells
| namedby = [[James Hector]], 1895<ref name=hector/>
| region = Western [[Alberta]], and<br>northeastern [[British Columbia]]
| country = Canada
| coordinates = {{coord|51.14101|N|114.99446|W|name=Cardium Formation|display=inline,title}}
| unitof = [[Alberta Group]], [[Colorado Group]], [[Smoky Group]]
| subunits = Sturrock Member, Leyland Member, Cardinal Member, Kiska Member, Moosehound Member, Ram Member.
| underlies = [[Wapiabi Formation]]
| overlies = [[Blackstone Formation, Canada|Blackstone Formation]], [[Kaskapau Formation]]
| thickness = {{convert|22|m|ft|-1}} to {{convert|109|m|ft|-1}}<ref name=lexicon>{{Cite web|url=http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:002448 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707181825/http://cgkn1.cgkn.net/weblex/weblex_litho_detail_e.pl?00053:002448 |url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-07 |title=Cardium Formation |author=[[Lexicon of Canadian Geologic Units]] |accessdate=2009-02-07 }}</ref>
| extent =
| area =
| map =
| map_caption =
}}
The '''Cardium Formation''' is a [[stratigraphic unit]] of [[Late Cretaceous]] [[Geochronology|age]] in the [[Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin|Western Canada Sedimentary Basin]]. It takes the name from the fossilized heart-shaped [[Cockle (bivalve)|cockle shells]] in the family [[Cockle (bivalve)|Cardiidae]] (from [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] {{lang|grc|καρδίᾱ}} ''kardiā'', "heart") present. It was first described along the [[Bow River]] banks by [[James Hector]] in 1895.<ref name=hector>as reported in Whiteaves, J.F. 1895, Some of the Cretaceous fossils collected during Captain Palliser's explorations in British North America in 1857-60. Proc. and Trans., [[Royal Society of Canada]], 2nd Ser., vol. 1, pp. 110.</ref> It is present throughout western [[Alberta]] and in northeastern [[British Columbia]], and it is a major source of [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]].<ref name="AGS" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://csegrecorder.com/articles/view/cardium-microseismic-west-central-alberta-a-case-history|title=cardium microseismic alberta A case history|accessdate=October 19, 2021}}</ref>

==Lithology==
[[File:Fossil Shells in Cardium Formation.jpg|thumb|left|Fossil [[Cardiidae]] shells in Cardium Formation sandstone.]]The Cardium Formation is composed primarily of beds of massive, fine-grained to [[conglomerate (geology)|conglomeratic]] [[sandstone]], which are separated by thick layers of [[shale]]. The formation is subdivided into the following members from top to base:
*Sturrock Member (sandstone)
*Leyland Member (shale)
*Cardinal Member (sandstone)
*Kiska Member (shale)
*Moosehound Member (shale)
*Ram Member (sandstone)

In central Alberta, the formation is divided into the Pembina River Member and Cardium Zone.

==Distribution==
The Cardium Formation was deposited during the [[Turonian]] and [[Coniacian]] stages of the [[Late Cretaceous]] along the western edge of the Alberta Foreland Basin.<ref name=AGS>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/wcsb_atlas/a_ch23/ch_23.html|title=Cretaceous Cardium Formation of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin|author=Alberta Geological Survey|authorlink=Alberta Geological Survey|accessdate=2009-03-06}}</ref> It extends northward from the [[Canada]]-[[United States]] border to northeastern British Columbia near [[Dawson Creek, British Columbia|Dawson Creek]], and eastward from the foothills of the [[Canadian Rockies]] into the plains of [[southern Alberta|southern]] and [[central Alberta]]. Beyond there, the sandstones grade into shale. Thickness of Cardium sand varies between 5 and 30 meters in Alberta, Canada.<ref name=lexicon/>

==Relationship to other units==
Due to its large areal extent, the Cardium Formation falls within different stratigraphic groups in different regions ([[Alberta Group]], [[Colorado Group]], and [[Smoky Group]]). It is conformably overlain by the [[Wapiabi Formation]] and underlain by the [[Blackstone Formation, Canada|Blackstone Formation]]. The formation is partly equivalent to the [[Kaskapau Formation]].<ref name=lexicon/>

==Hydrocarbon production==
[[Natural gas]] is produced from the Cardium Formation in the [[Athabasca River]] area and the foothills in western Alberta, and [[petroleum|oil]] is produced in the [[Pembina oil field]] of [[central Alberta]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/graphics/atlas/fg23_02.jpg|title=Cardium Formation isopach map with distribution of major Cardium Formation oil and gas fields|author=Alberta Geological Survey|authorlink=Alberta Geological Survey|accessdate=2009-03-06}}</ref> The sandstones of the formation have good storage potential and stratigraphic traps are formed by the thick overlying [[shale]]s of the [[Wapiabi Formation]] and [[Muskiki Formation]], while the underlying black shale of the [[Blackstone Formation, Canada|Blackstone Formation]] and [[Kaskapau Formation]] are good [[source rock]]s.<ref name=AGS/>

The Cardium Formation had an initial established recoverable [[petroleum|oil]] [[Oil reserves|reserve]] of 305 million m³, with 220.9 million m³ already produced as of 2008.<ref name=Atlas>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ags.gov.ab.ca/publications/wcsb_atlas/a_ch32/tb32_01.html|title=The Geological Atlas of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin - Summary of oil reserves and production data|author=Mossop, G.D. and Shetsen, I - Canadian Society of Petroleum Geologists|year=1994|accessdate=2009-03-06}}</ref> [[Natural gas|Gas]] reserves totaled 88.3 million e³m³, with 30.8 million e³m³ already produced.<ref name="Atlas" />

Drilling for oil in the Cardium Formation rebounded in 2009 when horizontal drilling and multi-stage [[fracturing]] technology increased the [[Petroleum extraction|oil recovery]] factor.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://chinookconsulting.ca/News/Cardium.html|title=Cardium Fairway|date=4 March 2010 |accessdate=2010-03-26}}</ref> Driven by technology, drilling in the four decades old [[Pembina oil field]] increased, re-launching the field to the center of Alberta's oil economy.

==Hydraulic fracturing in Canada==
{{main|Hydraulic fracturing in Canada}}
Massive hydraulic fracturing has been widely used in [[Alberta]] since the late 1970s.<ref>{{citation |first1=Douglas J. |last1=Cant |first2=Valerie G. |last2=Ethier |title=Lithology-dependent diagenetic control of reservoir properties of conglomerates, Falher member, Elmworth Field, Alberta |journal=Bulletin of the [[American Association of Petroleum Geologists]] |date=August 1984 |volume=68 |number=8 }}</ref>{{rp|1044}} The method is currently used in development of the Cardium, [[Duvernay Formation|Duvernay]], [[Montney Formation|Montney]] and [[Viking Formation|Viking]] formations in [[Alberta]], [[Bakken Formation|Bakken]] formation in [[Saskatchewan]], [[Montney Formation|Montney]] and [[Horn River Formation|Horn River]] formations in [[British Columbia]].

===Public companies===
The year 2009 saw consolidation, with land sales, corporate transactions, and public companies with Cardium assets acquired by those intending to apply newer recovery-techniques to improve field economics. Oil-and-gas companies participating in this activity include:

* [[PetroBakken Energy|PetroBakken]] ({{tsx2|PBN}}, through its acquisitions of Berens Energy, Result Energy and Rondo Petroleum)
* Daylight Resources Trust ({{tsx2|DAY}}, through its acquisition of Highpine Energy and merger with [[West Energy]], {{tsx2|WTL}})
* [[Penn West Energy Trust|PennWest]] ({{tsx2|PWT.UN}}, with a large land base)
* [[Paramount Resources]] ({{tsx2|POU}} through its acquisition of Profound Energy)
* Bonterra Energy
* [[Crescent Point Energy]] ({{tsx2|CPG}}, through its acquisition of TriAxon Resources)

and the smaller Bellatrix ({{tsx2|BXE}}), Delphi Energy ({{tsx2|DEE}}), Peyto Energy Trust ({{tsx2|PEY.UN}}). Dozens of other companies have land leases in the Cardium [[fairway (geology)|fairway]], but have not employed horizontal drilling in the Cardium. Exxon Mobil recently{{When|date=March 2017}} started testing the Cardium Formation.<ref>
{{Cite web
|url= http://www.oilshalegas.com/cardiumshale.html
|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101125195633/http://oilshalegas.com/cardiumshale.html
|url-status= usurped
|archive-date= November 25, 2010
|title= Exxon Mobil testing the Cardium Shale
|accessdate= 2012-02-18
}}
</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin|Northwest_Plains=yes|Central_Plains=yes|Canadian Rockies=yes}}

[[Category:Geologic formations of Alberta]]
[[Category:Geologic formations of British Columbia]]
[[Category:Upper Cretaceous Series of North America]]
[[Category:Coniacian Stage]]
[[Category:Santonian Stage]]
[[Category:Turonian Stage]]
[[Category:Sandstone formations of Canada]]
[[Category:Shale formations of Canada]]
[[Category:Reservoir rock formations]]

Cardium Formation - Revision history

imported>Volcanoguy: ce