Sand bodies within the Sunchild aquifer subcrop over most of its extent, and because overlying Neogene sediment is relatively thin in the western part of the Paskapoo Formation, the unit expresses...
Description
Sand bodies within the Sunchild aquifer subcrop over most of its extent, and because overlying Neogene sediment is relatively thin in the western part of the Paskapoo Formation, the unit expresses itself as the present-day topography. Constructing the Sunchild aquifer-thickness map was somewhat problematic because of the difficulty of mapping the step-like distribution and connection of sand bodies that, in places, are laterally adjacent to muddy intervals. The resultant isopach was generated by subtracting the Lacombe Member surface from the Sunchild surface to yield an approximation of Sunchild aquifer thickness. The Sunchild aquifer thickens from less than 50 m in the east to more than 300 m to the west. The apparent great thickness (about 600 to 700 m) of aquifer along the deformation edge southwest of Drayton Valley is interpreted as an area of stacked, coarse fluvial deposits extending from the base of the Paskapoo Formation almost to surface.