John-Paul Zonneveld | University of Alberta (original) (raw)
Papers by John-Paul Zonneveld
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs
Lithos, Sep 1, 2007
A wide variety of geological data and geological observations by numerous geoscientists do not su... more A wide variety of geological data and geological observations by numerous geoscientists do not support a two-stage crater excavation and in-fill model, or a champagne glass-shaped geometry for the 169 or 140/141 kimberlite bodies in the Fort à la Corne kimberlite field, Saskatchewan as described by Berryman, A., Scott Smith, B.H., Jellicoe, B., (2004). Rather, these kimberlite bodies are best
Lithos, Sep 1, 2004
Diamond-bearing kimberlites in the Fort à la Corne region, eastcentral Saskatchewan, consist pri... more Diamond-bearing kimberlites in the Fort à la Corne region, eastcentral Saskatchewan, consist primarily of extra-crater pyroclastic deposits which are interstratified with Lower Cretaceous (Albian and Cenomanian) marine, marginal marine and continental ...
Lithos, Nov 1, 2009
... Revised geometry of the Pense P2/P3 feeder vent and the inferred location of the EJF-1 feeder... more ... Revised geometry of the Pense P2/P3 feeder vent and the inferred location of the EJF-1 feeder vent is from post-2004 drill data. Note in the central part of the image the P2 tuff cone summit (brown) appears as a window in the EJF and LJF solids volumes. ...
The Norian Stage is the longest stage in the Phanerozoic, and some members of the boundary workin... more The Norian Stage is the longest stage in the Phanerozoic, and some members of the boundary working group have been evaluating suitable Carnian-Norian boundary sections for roughly two decades. This has identified two possible candidate boundary sections, at Black Bear Ridge (British Columbia, Canada) and Pizzo Mondello (Sicily, Italy). After a formal voting procedure within the working group, ending on the 26th July, 2021, the Pizzo Mondello section was selected as the global stratotype section and point for the base of the Norian. We evaluated the global correlation potential of the two proposed primary markers, the conodont Metapolygnathus parvus and the ‘flat-clam’ Halobia austriaca. Secondary markers were also evaluated around these boundary datums for correlation potential, Wroking Group Report THE CASE FOR THE GLOBAL STRATOTYPE SECTION AND POINT(GSSP) FOR THE BASE OF THE NORIAN STAGE Mark W. Hounslow1, and the Carnian-Norian boundary working group comprising: Gerhard H. Bachma...
The Cardium Formation has, for many decades, proven itself to be one of Canada’s premier clastic ... more The Cardium Formation has, for many decades, proven itself to be one of Canada’s premier clastic reservoir successions, hosting vast reserves of natural gas and oil (eg. Krause et al., 1994; Hart and Plint, 2003). The Cardium was considered to be a mature play in 2008 with approximately 35,000,000 barrels of ~ 50,000,000 barrels initial recoverable reserves produced (Krause et al., 1994; Hart and Plint, 2003). Like many formations, the Cardium experienced a renaissance in 2009 with the introduction of large scale horizontal drilling and multi-stage frac technology to western Canada (Baranova and Mustaqeem, 2011; Kuntz et al., 2012; Pedersen et al., 2013; Grey and Cheadle, 2016.Rojas-Aldana, 2016; Zonneveld et al., 2017). Considerable attention has been focused on ‘halo’ plays in the areas surrounding Alberta legacy pools such as the Pembina and Willesden Green fields to the southeast and the Wapiti and Kakwa Fields to the northwest.
Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 2018
Revised lithostratigraphic correlations reveal that the current stratigraphic nomenclature for th... more Revised lithostratigraphic correlations reveal that the current stratigraphic nomenclature for the Middle Triassic within the subsurface of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin needs modification. This paper introduces a new formation, the Sunset Prairie Formation, for an interval of interbedded light grey, pervasively bioturbated sandstone and dark grey, minimally bioturbated to non-bioturbated siltstone, which sits stratigraphically between the Lower Triassic Montney Formation and the Middle Triassic Doig Formation within northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The Sunset Prairie is sedimentologically, ichnologically and paleontologically distinct from the overlying and underlying formations and warrants a new formational name to be established. The Sunset Prairie consists of seven lithofacies which are interpreted to have been deposited within offshore, offshore transition and lower shoreface settings. There is limited preservation of physical sedimentary structures due to pervasi...
Nature, 2019
Homo erectus is the founding early hominin species of Island Southeast Asia, and reached Java (In... more Homo erectus is the founding early hominin species of Island Southeast Asia, and reached Java (Indonesia) more than 1.5 million years ago 1,2. Twelve H. erectus calvaria (skull caps) and two tibiae (lower leg bones) were discovered from a bone bed located about 20 m above the Solo River at Ngandong (Central Java) between 1931 and 1933 3,4 , and are of the youngest, most-advanced form of H. erectus 5-8. Despite the importance of the Ngandong fossils, the relationship between the fossils, terrace fill and ages have been heavily debated 9-14. Here, to resolve the age of the Ngandong evidence, we use Bayesian modelling of 52 radiometric age estimates to establish-to our knowledgethe first robust chronology at regional, valley and local scales. We used uranium-series dating of speleothems to constrain regional landscape evolution; luminescence, 40 argon/ 39 argon (40 Ar/ 39 Ar) and uranium-series dating to constrain the sequence of terrace evolution; and applied uranium-series and uranium series-electron-spin resonance (US-ESR) dating to non-human fossils to directly date our re-excavation of Ngandong 5,15. We show that at least by 500 thousand years ago (ka) the Solo River was diverted into the Kendeng Hills, and that it formed the Solo terrace sequence between 316 and 31 ka and the Ngandong terrace between about 140 and 92 ka. Non-human fossils recovered during the re-excavation of Ngandong date to between 109 and 106 ka (uranium-series minimum) 16 and 134 and 118 ka (US-ESR), with modelled ages of 117 to 108 thousand years (kyr) for the H. erectus bone bed, which accumulated during flood conditions 3,17. These results negate the extreme ages that have been proposed for the site and solidify Ngandong as the last known occurrence of this longlived species. Our current understanding of H. erectus in Asia largely derives from evidence from the Solo River region of central Java in the Indonesian archipelago 7. However, this region presents great challenges to constructing solid chronologies for hominin occupation, evolution and dispersal 9. These problems relate to finding appropriate materials for dating, confusion over the location of previous excavations and find spots, a lack of direct association between the fossils and material being dated, taphonomic differences within the faunal assemblages, reworking of surrounding fluvial deposits and fossils and the leaching of uranium from the fossils being dated. Nowhere are these complications and misperceptions more apparent than at the site of Ngandong 12,18-20. In 1996, late-Pleistocene age estimates from uranium-series (U-series) and ESR dating were reported for mammalian bone within the 20-m terrace fill at Ngandong and other nearby localities 9. These unexpectedly young results (corresponding to ages of 53 to 27 kyr) triggered debate regarding the taphonomy of the Ngandong fossil assemblage and the sedimentological context of the dated material 12. More dating followed: direct gamma-spectrometric 230 Th/ 234 U dating of H. erectus
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2016
Journal of Paleontology, 2011
Cassianastraea is an enigmatic colonial Triassic cnidarian first described as a coral but subsequ... more Cassianastraea is an enigmatic colonial Triassic cnidarian first described as a coral but subsequently referred to the Hydrozoa. We report here the first occurrence in Canada of fossils we designate as Cassianastraea sp. from the Williston Lake region of British Columbia. The specimens come from older collections of the Geological Survey of Canada, collected in Upper Triassic (Carnian) strata assigned to either the Ludington or Baldonnel Formations. While well known in reef associations of the former Tethys region, Cassianiastraea is relatively rare in North America. The Carnian Baldonnel Formation contains the earliest coral reefs from the North American craton and we suspect that Cassianastraea sp. also came from this reef association.
PALAIOS
Low-level drone photogrammetry is a technique that allows for the construction of surface orthomo... more Low-level drone photogrammetry is a technique that allows for the construction of surface orthomosaics and elevation models. Despite being used for a wide range of geological applications, these types of datasets have not yet been explored from a neoichnological perspective. This study uses three examples of tidal flats from the Bay of Fundy to demonstrate the usefulness of 3D photogrammetry in the collection of high-resolution neoichnological datasets. The first site is a bar top along the Petitcodiac River that is situated between a salt marsh and tidal channel margin. The second site, which is located along the Shepody River, represents a laterally accreting channel margin and thus has a relatively high relief. In contrast, the final site comprises a gently sloping tidal flat that is far from the influence of a major tidal channel. Spatial analysis of the shorebird tracks at each site was used to assess the relationship between shorebird track distributions (e.g., track density, ...
PALAIOS
Sea turtles are characterized by a wide variety of invertebrate ectoparasites. Few of these ectop... more Sea turtles are characterized by a wide variety of invertebrate ectoparasites. Few of these ectoparasites leave a permanent indication of their presence on the skeletal remains of their host taxa and thus represent ecological information doomed to be lost in the paleontological record. Some barnacle taxa provide an exception to this, in that they cause the formation of small, subcircular to circular divots, pits, and holes on the skull, mandible, carapace or plastron of sea turtles. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) skeletons from Cumberland Island, Georgia, USA were examined to assess the presence, frequency, and loci of occurrence of barnacle pits, and to establish which taxa are involved in pit development. Six types of divot and pit attributed to barnacles are identified in this study. Type I traces are shallow, oval/semi-circular in outline, with smooth, gently sloped bases. Type II traces are deep, hemispherical pits with smooth bases. Type III traces are deep, circular ...
PALAIOS
The carapace and plastron bones of fossil turtles are often characterized by bone modification fe... more The carapace and plastron bones of fossil turtles are often characterized by bone modification features such as pits, grooves, and holes. The significance, origin, and frequency of these features remains unclear because they have not been described from the bones of modern turtles. Taxon-specific description and analyses of defleshed turtle shell is essential for assessing the paleoecological significance of bone modification features. This study focuses on bone modification features on carapace and plastron bones of the emydid turtle Trachemys scripta elegans. Four subadult and 14 adult turtle shells were examined for non-ontogenetic features such as pits, grooves, holes, wounds, abrasions, and pathological growth structures. Bone modification features were lacking on subadult specimens but observed on each adult. Shallow, circular to subcircular pits (similar to the ichnotaxon Karethraichnus lakkos), and to a lesser extent pit clusters, are the most common feature noted on T. scri...
Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes as evidence for an anomalous ocean during recovery from the ... more Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes as evidence for an anomalous ocean during recovery from the End Permian mass extinction
For the last few years we have been focused on the development of our Montney (Early Triassic) Tu... more For the last few years we have been focused on the development of our Montney (Early Triassic) Tupper and Tupper West tight gas fields in NE BC. As development has progressed from our Tupper Field to our Groundbirch assets, we identified that the 'type wells' for the Montney-Doig Formational boundary were not representative for the western part of the Peace River Embayment (PRE) where we identified additional stratigraphic units, and shallower water facies, that were not present in the 'type logs'. In the east the boundary is a clear, erosional unconformity, however, in the west the boundary is much more transitional-conformable and suggests more continuous deposition between the Montney and Doig Phosphate Formations (Figure 1).
Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 2018
The Montney Formation is dominated by fine-grained lithologies, primarily siltstone and very fine... more The Montney Formation is dominated by fine-grained lithologies, primarily siltstone and very fine-grained sandstone. Regionally pervasive hydrocarbon saturation and a lithological framework that is both relatively easy to drill horizontally, as well as sufficiently brittle to respond satisfactorily to hydraulic fracture programs have rendered this the primary unconventional reservoir target in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Recent drilling programs in the Altares Field of northeastern British Columbia have encountered heterogeneities in the Altares Member of the Montney Formation that present challenges to fracture stimulation. The Altares Member, consist of centimetre to decimetre-scale interbeds of bituminous siltstone, very fine-grained sandstone and bioclastic packstone to grainstone beds. These beds accumulated in a proximal offshore to offshore transition setting, above maximum storm wave base but below fairweather wave base. Bioclast-rich beds were subjected to syndepo...
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs
Lithos, Sep 1, 2007
A wide variety of geological data and geological observations by numerous geoscientists do not su... more A wide variety of geological data and geological observations by numerous geoscientists do not support a two-stage crater excavation and in-fill model, or a champagne glass-shaped geometry for the 169 or 140/141 kimberlite bodies in the Fort à la Corne kimberlite field, Saskatchewan as described by Berryman, A., Scott Smith, B.H., Jellicoe, B., (2004). Rather, these kimberlite bodies are best
Lithos, Sep 1, 2004
Diamond-bearing kimberlites in the Fort à la Corne region, eastcentral Saskatchewan, consist pri... more Diamond-bearing kimberlites in the Fort à la Corne region, eastcentral Saskatchewan, consist primarily of extra-crater pyroclastic deposits which are interstratified with Lower Cretaceous (Albian and Cenomanian) marine, marginal marine and continental ...
Lithos, Nov 1, 2009
... Revised geometry of the Pense P2/P3 feeder vent and the inferred location of the EJF-1 feeder... more ... Revised geometry of the Pense P2/P3 feeder vent and the inferred location of the EJF-1 feeder vent is from post-2004 drill data. Note in the central part of the image the P2 tuff cone summit (brown) appears as a window in the EJF and LJF solids volumes. ...
The Norian Stage is the longest stage in the Phanerozoic, and some members of the boundary workin... more The Norian Stage is the longest stage in the Phanerozoic, and some members of the boundary working group have been evaluating suitable Carnian-Norian boundary sections for roughly two decades. This has identified two possible candidate boundary sections, at Black Bear Ridge (British Columbia, Canada) and Pizzo Mondello (Sicily, Italy). After a formal voting procedure within the working group, ending on the 26th July, 2021, the Pizzo Mondello section was selected as the global stratotype section and point for the base of the Norian. We evaluated the global correlation potential of the two proposed primary markers, the conodont Metapolygnathus parvus and the ‘flat-clam’ Halobia austriaca. Secondary markers were also evaluated around these boundary datums for correlation potential, Wroking Group Report THE CASE FOR THE GLOBAL STRATOTYPE SECTION AND POINT(GSSP) FOR THE BASE OF THE NORIAN STAGE Mark W. Hounslow1, and the Carnian-Norian boundary working group comprising: Gerhard H. Bachma...
The Cardium Formation has, for many decades, proven itself to be one of Canada’s premier clastic ... more The Cardium Formation has, for many decades, proven itself to be one of Canada’s premier clastic reservoir successions, hosting vast reserves of natural gas and oil (eg. Krause et al., 1994; Hart and Plint, 2003). The Cardium was considered to be a mature play in 2008 with approximately 35,000,000 barrels of ~ 50,000,000 barrels initial recoverable reserves produced (Krause et al., 1994; Hart and Plint, 2003). Like many formations, the Cardium experienced a renaissance in 2009 with the introduction of large scale horizontal drilling and multi-stage frac technology to western Canada (Baranova and Mustaqeem, 2011; Kuntz et al., 2012; Pedersen et al., 2013; Grey and Cheadle, 2016.Rojas-Aldana, 2016; Zonneveld et al., 2017). Considerable attention has been focused on ‘halo’ plays in the areas surrounding Alberta legacy pools such as the Pembina and Willesden Green fields to the southeast and the Wapiti and Kakwa Fields to the northwest.
Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 2018
Revised lithostratigraphic correlations reveal that the current stratigraphic nomenclature for th... more Revised lithostratigraphic correlations reveal that the current stratigraphic nomenclature for the Middle Triassic within the subsurface of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin needs modification. This paper introduces a new formation, the Sunset Prairie Formation, for an interval of interbedded light grey, pervasively bioturbated sandstone and dark grey, minimally bioturbated to non-bioturbated siltstone, which sits stratigraphically between the Lower Triassic Montney Formation and the Middle Triassic Doig Formation within northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The Sunset Prairie is sedimentologically, ichnologically and paleontologically distinct from the overlying and underlying formations and warrants a new formational name to be established. The Sunset Prairie consists of seven lithofacies which are interpreted to have been deposited within offshore, offshore transition and lower shoreface settings. There is limited preservation of physical sedimentary structures due to pervasi...
Nature, 2019
Homo erectus is the founding early hominin species of Island Southeast Asia, and reached Java (In... more Homo erectus is the founding early hominin species of Island Southeast Asia, and reached Java (Indonesia) more than 1.5 million years ago 1,2. Twelve H. erectus calvaria (skull caps) and two tibiae (lower leg bones) were discovered from a bone bed located about 20 m above the Solo River at Ngandong (Central Java) between 1931 and 1933 3,4 , and are of the youngest, most-advanced form of H. erectus 5-8. Despite the importance of the Ngandong fossils, the relationship between the fossils, terrace fill and ages have been heavily debated 9-14. Here, to resolve the age of the Ngandong evidence, we use Bayesian modelling of 52 radiometric age estimates to establish-to our knowledgethe first robust chronology at regional, valley and local scales. We used uranium-series dating of speleothems to constrain regional landscape evolution; luminescence, 40 argon/ 39 argon (40 Ar/ 39 Ar) and uranium-series dating to constrain the sequence of terrace evolution; and applied uranium-series and uranium series-electron-spin resonance (US-ESR) dating to non-human fossils to directly date our re-excavation of Ngandong 5,15. We show that at least by 500 thousand years ago (ka) the Solo River was diverted into the Kendeng Hills, and that it formed the Solo terrace sequence between 316 and 31 ka and the Ngandong terrace between about 140 and 92 ka. Non-human fossils recovered during the re-excavation of Ngandong date to between 109 and 106 ka (uranium-series minimum) 16 and 134 and 118 ka (US-ESR), with modelled ages of 117 to 108 thousand years (kyr) for the H. erectus bone bed, which accumulated during flood conditions 3,17. These results negate the extreme ages that have been proposed for the site and solidify Ngandong as the last known occurrence of this longlived species. Our current understanding of H. erectus in Asia largely derives from evidence from the Solo River region of central Java in the Indonesian archipelago 7. However, this region presents great challenges to constructing solid chronologies for hominin occupation, evolution and dispersal 9. These problems relate to finding appropriate materials for dating, confusion over the location of previous excavations and find spots, a lack of direct association between the fossils and material being dated, taphonomic differences within the faunal assemblages, reworking of surrounding fluvial deposits and fossils and the leaching of uranium from the fossils being dated. Nowhere are these complications and misperceptions more apparent than at the site of Ngandong 12,18-20. In 1996, late-Pleistocene age estimates from uranium-series (U-series) and ESR dating were reported for mammalian bone within the 20-m terrace fill at Ngandong and other nearby localities 9. These unexpectedly young results (corresponding to ages of 53 to 27 kyr) triggered debate regarding the taphonomy of the Ngandong fossil assemblage and the sedimentological context of the dated material 12. More dating followed: direct gamma-spectrometric 230 Th/ 234 U dating of H. erectus
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, 2016
Journal of Paleontology, 2011
Cassianastraea is an enigmatic colonial Triassic cnidarian first described as a coral but subsequ... more Cassianastraea is an enigmatic colonial Triassic cnidarian first described as a coral but subsequently referred to the Hydrozoa. We report here the first occurrence in Canada of fossils we designate as Cassianastraea sp. from the Williston Lake region of British Columbia. The specimens come from older collections of the Geological Survey of Canada, collected in Upper Triassic (Carnian) strata assigned to either the Ludington or Baldonnel Formations. While well known in reef associations of the former Tethys region, Cassianiastraea is relatively rare in North America. The Carnian Baldonnel Formation contains the earliest coral reefs from the North American craton and we suspect that Cassianastraea sp. also came from this reef association.
PALAIOS
Low-level drone photogrammetry is a technique that allows for the construction of surface orthomo... more Low-level drone photogrammetry is a technique that allows for the construction of surface orthomosaics and elevation models. Despite being used for a wide range of geological applications, these types of datasets have not yet been explored from a neoichnological perspective. This study uses three examples of tidal flats from the Bay of Fundy to demonstrate the usefulness of 3D photogrammetry in the collection of high-resolution neoichnological datasets. The first site is a bar top along the Petitcodiac River that is situated between a salt marsh and tidal channel margin. The second site, which is located along the Shepody River, represents a laterally accreting channel margin and thus has a relatively high relief. In contrast, the final site comprises a gently sloping tidal flat that is far from the influence of a major tidal channel. Spatial analysis of the shorebird tracks at each site was used to assess the relationship between shorebird track distributions (e.g., track density, ...
PALAIOS
Sea turtles are characterized by a wide variety of invertebrate ectoparasites. Few of these ectop... more Sea turtles are characterized by a wide variety of invertebrate ectoparasites. Few of these ectoparasites leave a permanent indication of their presence on the skeletal remains of their host taxa and thus represent ecological information doomed to be lost in the paleontological record. Some barnacle taxa provide an exception to this, in that they cause the formation of small, subcircular to circular divots, pits, and holes on the skull, mandible, carapace or plastron of sea turtles. Loggerhead Sea Turtle (Caretta caretta) skeletons from Cumberland Island, Georgia, USA were examined to assess the presence, frequency, and loci of occurrence of barnacle pits, and to establish which taxa are involved in pit development. Six types of divot and pit attributed to barnacles are identified in this study. Type I traces are shallow, oval/semi-circular in outline, with smooth, gently sloped bases. Type II traces are deep, hemispherical pits with smooth bases. Type III traces are deep, circular ...
PALAIOS
The carapace and plastron bones of fossil turtles are often characterized by bone modification fe... more The carapace and plastron bones of fossil turtles are often characterized by bone modification features such as pits, grooves, and holes. The significance, origin, and frequency of these features remains unclear because they have not been described from the bones of modern turtles. Taxon-specific description and analyses of defleshed turtle shell is essential for assessing the paleoecological significance of bone modification features. This study focuses on bone modification features on carapace and plastron bones of the emydid turtle Trachemys scripta elegans. Four subadult and 14 adult turtle shells were examined for non-ontogenetic features such as pits, grooves, holes, wounds, abrasions, and pathological growth structures. Bone modification features were lacking on subadult specimens but observed on each adult. Shallow, circular to subcircular pits (similar to the ichnotaxon Karethraichnus lakkos), and to a lesser extent pit clusters, are the most common feature noted on T. scri...
Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes as evidence for an anomalous ocean during recovery from the ... more Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes as evidence for an anomalous ocean during recovery from the End Permian mass extinction
For the last few years we have been focused on the development of our Montney (Early Triassic) Tu... more For the last few years we have been focused on the development of our Montney (Early Triassic) Tupper and Tupper West tight gas fields in NE BC. As development has progressed from our Tupper Field to our Groundbirch assets, we identified that the 'type wells' for the Montney-Doig Formational boundary were not representative for the western part of the Peace River Embayment (PRE) where we identified additional stratigraphic units, and shallower water facies, that were not present in the 'type logs'. In the east the boundary is a clear, erosional unconformity, however, in the west the boundary is much more transitional-conformable and suggests more continuous deposition between the Montney and Doig Phosphate Formations (Figure 1).
Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 2018
The Montney Formation is dominated by fine-grained lithologies, primarily siltstone and very fine... more The Montney Formation is dominated by fine-grained lithologies, primarily siltstone and very fine-grained sandstone. Regionally pervasive hydrocarbon saturation and a lithological framework that is both relatively easy to drill horizontally, as well as sufficiently brittle to respond satisfactorily to hydraulic fracture programs have rendered this the primary unconventional reservoir target in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. Recent drilling programs in the Altares Field of northeastern British Columbia have encountered heterogeneities in the Altares Member of the Montney Formation that present challenges to fracture stimulation. The Altares Member, consist of centimetre to decimetre-scale interbeds of bituminous siltstone, very fine-grained sandstone and bioclastic packstone to grainstone beds. These beds accumulated in a proximal offshore to offshore transition setting, above maximum storm wave base but below fairweather wave base. Bioclast-rich beds were subjected to syndepo...