Muskwa Formation
| Muskwa Formation Stratigraphic range: Frasnian |
|
|---|---|
| Type | Geological formation |
| Unit of | Horn River Formation |
| Underlies | Fort Simpson Formation |
| Overlies | Otter Park Member |
| Thickness | up to 34 metres (110 ft) |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Shale |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 58°44′38″N 122°40′41″W / 58.7438°N 122.6781°WCoordinates: 58°44′38″N 122°40′41″W / 58.7438°N 122.6781°W |
| Region | British Columbia |
| Country |
 Canada
|
| Type section | |
| Named for | Muskwa River |
| Named by | F.F. Gray and J.R. Kassube, 1963 |
The Muskwa Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin.
It takes the name from Muskwa River, and was first described in the Western National Gas Fort Nelson a-95-J/94-J-10 well by F.F. Gray and J.R. Kassube, in 1963.
The Muskwa Formation is composed of bituminous shale. Pyrite is a common accessory mineral.
Gas is produced from the Muskwa Formation shales in the Horn River Basin in the Greater Sierra oil field in north-eastern British Columbia. Horizontal drilling and fracturing techniques are used to extract the gas from the low permeability shales (see Shale gas).
The Muskwa Formation occurs in northern Alberta, north-eastern British Columbia and in the southern part of the Northwest Territories, and typically has a thickness of 34 metres (110 ft).
The Muskwa Formation is a sub-unit of the Horn River Formation; it is conformably overlain by the Fort Simpson Formation and conformably underlain by the Otter Park Member.
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