Geologic Investigation Of The Muskeg River Mine, Ft. McMurray, Alberta

The geology of the Muskeg River Oil Sands Mine is described to demonstrate how geologic modeling aided in resource evaluation and material characterization during the feasibility and construction stages. Bitumen is hosted in the clastic sediments of the Cretaceous McMurray Formation which is informally divided into members representing the fluvial, estuarine and marine environments of this transgressive sequence. Lithofacies mapping of drill core provides further detail to classify materials as resource type, for extraction suitability and for construction suitability. Geologic interpretation provides tools for the engineers to produce effective mine plans and for the operators to execute them during mine development.