The Granite Wash is comprised of diachronous, Cambrian to Devonian sandstone deposits, which include the Devonian Contact Rapids and Keg River sandstones of which this study will focus. Prolific oil production from the Granite Wash has fueled exploration since the 1950s and as a result substantial core and wireline data is available. Mapping of the Precambrian subcrop suggests that palaeo-highs, known as inselbergs, strongly influenced sedimentation transport, volume, rate, and ultimately preservation after marine transgression. Several distinct surfaces identified from wireline data and cores indicate an overall marine transgression throughout Keg River time. The facies observed represent continental, shallow marine and sabkha environments and a climatic shift from arid to semi-arid to arid. This detailed sedimentological and stratigraphic study provided the depositional framework that allowed for palaeogeographic maps to be constructed.

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This study geochemically characterized a proposed Carbon Capture and Storage project in northeast British Columbia, and presents new dissolution kinetics data for the proposed saline aquifer storage reservoir, the Keg River Formation. The Keg River Formation is a carbonate reservoir (89-93% Dolomite, 5-8% Calcite) at approximately 2200 m depth, at a pressure of 190 bar, and temperature of 105 °C. The Keg River brine is composed of Na, Cl, Ca, K, Mg, S, Si, and HCO3 and is of approximately 0.4 M ionic strength. Fluid analysis found the Keg River brine to be relatively fresh compared with waters of the Keg River formation in Alberta, and to also be distinct from waters in overlying units. These findings along with the physical conditions of the reservoir make the Keg River Formation a strong candidate for CO2 storage. Further work measured the dissolution rates of Keg River rock that will occur within the Keg River formation. This was performed in a new experimental apparatus at 105 °C, and 50 bar pCO2 with brine and rock sampled directly from the reservoir. Dissolution rate constants (mol!m-2s-1) for Keg River rock were found to be Log KMg 9.80 ±.02 and Log KCa -9.29 ±.04 for the Keg River formation. These values were found to be significantly lower compared to rate constants generated from experiments involving synthetic brines with values of Log KMg -9.43 ±.09, and Log KCa -9.23 ±.21. Differences in rates were posited as due to influences of other element interactions with the >MgOH hydration site, which was tested through experiments with brines spiked with SrCl2 and ZnCl2. Results for the SrCl2 spiked solution showed little impact on dissolution rates with rate constants of Log KMg -9.43 ±.09, and Log KCa -9.15 ±.21, however the ZnCl2 spiked solution did show some inhibition with rate constants of Log KMg -9.67 ±.04, and Log KCa -9.30 ±.04. Rate constants generated in this work are among the first presented which can actually be tested by full-scale injection of CO2. / Graduate