Present heat flow and a preliminary paleogeothermal history of the central prairies basin,Canada

The heat flow pattern in the Prairie Basin in Canada is influenced mostly by hydrodynamic conditions in the deep geological strata. The hydraulic head is a post-Laramide feature and the exceptionally high heat flow values in the Prairies are closely related to the upward fluid motion in the porous formations. Heat flow values in the Prairies are higher than in other Precambrian platforms in the world. On the basis of coal maturation studies it can be shown that the paleo-geothermal gradients were slightly lower in the Central Prairies during Eocene-Oligocene times than those observed at present. The maximum burial temperatures influenced significantly the depth distribution of the oil and gas in the Paleozoic formations in the Basin.