The Muskwa Formation is a stratigraphical unit of Frasnian age in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin .
5-767: 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
10-749: The Otter Park Member . Muskwa River The Muskwa River flows 257 kilometres (160 mi) through northern British Columbia , Canada . It is a major tributary of the Fort Nelson River - part of the Mackenzie River system. The river rises at Fern Lake in the Bedaux Pass in the Northern Rocky Mountains . From there, it flows generally east, then north, and then east again to meet with
15-610: The Fort Nelson River just east of the town of Fort Nelson . The river drops approximately 1,100 metres (3,600 ft), its course taking it down the Rocky Mountain foothills through sub-alpine and boreal forest to meander across the forest and muskegs of the vast Liard River plains. From mouth to headwater, prominent tributaries include the Prophet River , Tuchodi River , and Gathto Creek . Much of
20-637: 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
25-705: The upper portions of this wilderness river and its watershed are located in the Northern Rocky Mountains Provincial Park , which is part of the larger Muskwa-Kechika Management Area. The region is a popular wilderness recreation destination. A geological unit , the Muskwa Formation , was named for this river, as are the Muskwa Ranges , which is the name for the subgroup of the Rocky Mountains between
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