Clearwater multilaterals, Duvernay and Montney liquids have reversed a decade of conventional decline.
Alberta's non-oil-sands crude plus condensate stands at 9.3 billion barrels proved. Production reached 548 kbbl/d in 2025 and the AER expects a peak near 582 kbbl/d in 2028. The Clearwater cold-flow play is the lowest-cost new oil in the basin; Montney and Duvernay supply the condensate the oil sands need as diluent.
Crude oil + condensate — proved9.3 Bbbl · Remaining established reserves · 31 Dec 2023AGS/AER INF 161 ↗
Heavy-oil multilaterals (Clearwater) — P+P2.26 Bbbl · Remaining established reserves · 31 Dec 2023AER ST98 2026 reserves ↗
Duvernay oil + condensate — proved2.4 Bbbl · Remaining established reserves · 31 Dec 2023AGS/AER INF 161 ↗
Cardium oil — P+P0.587 Bbbl · Remaining established reserves · 31 Dec 2023AER ST98 2026 reserves ↗
Live Atlas valuation (reference scenario)
2 subsurface assets priced by the Atlas engine: economic value $135B. Move the Scenario Laboratory sliders on the map to reprice.
Duvernay Shale Fairway15K MMbbl in place · recoverable $65B · economic $62B (95% clears break-even)
Montney (Alberta side)390K Bcf in place · recoverable $81B · economic $74B (91% clears break-even)
GEOLOGY: WHAT MAKES A DEPOSIT MORE LIKELY
Resource plays (tight shale/siltstone) and shallow unstimulated heavy-oil sands, plus mature conventional pools under waterflood.
Host formations
Clearwater (Mannville) · Duvernay · Montney · Cardium · Viking · Charlie Lake · Leduc / Swan Hills
Depth range
500–4K m
Favourable conditions
Clearwater: 5–25 m stacked sand, 20–30 % porosity, 5–500 mD, oil under 300 cP so it flows cold through 4–8 open-hole laterals
Duvernay/Montney: thermal maturity in the oil–condensate window with overpressure and brittle mineralogy
Proximity to existing batteries and NGTL / crude gathering
Prospectivity envelopes on the map (2)
Duvernay (Kaybob and East Shale Basin)Highly favourable
Devonian organic-rich shale — condensate / light oil resource play · 2K–4K m
Duvernay TOC 3–8 %, thermal maturity in the oil–condensate window
Over-pressure and brittleness from carbonate content aid fracture stimulation
Light oil window shallower in the East Shale Basin near Red Deer
Source: AER Duvernay reserves; AGS Duvernay play study.
Clearwater heavy-oil play (Marten Hills–Nipisi)Producing / drill-proven
Shallow Cretaceous heavy oil produced with multilateral unstimulated horizontals · 500–900 m
Clearwater Formation sands 500–900 m deep with 12–20 °API oil
No fracturing required — lowest finding and development cost in the basin
Access via existing Slave Lake / Wabasca infrastructure
Source: Clearwater play reserves growth (AER ST98 2024–2026).
DATASETS THAT TEST THE TARGET
Stack these layers on the integrated map
Discriminating datasets first, then every catalogued public dataset tagged to this commodity. Verified endpoints draw directly; link-only entries open the publisher page.
3D Provincial Geological Framework: Precambrian subcrop zonesAlberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · drawable · verifiedEntry point to the provincial 3D framework: which Paleozoic zone sits on basement controls helium traps, brine aquifers and storage seals.Source ↗
Active producing wells (Alberta Energy Geoview)Alberta Energy and Minerals · Wells · link only · verifiedWhere hydrocarbons are flowing today: live reservoir pressure, produced-water (brine) access, helium-bearing gas streams and infrastructure for re-entry.Source ↗
Petroleum & natural gas agreementsAlberta Energy and Minerals · Mineral tenure · drawable · verifiedWho holds the hydrocarbon (and helium) rights; open Crown land shows where a posting is possible.Source ↗
AER Map-90 oil & gas fields (digitized)Alberta Energy Regulator (digitized) · Known reserves · drawable · verifiedWhere established pools sit; brine, helium and CO2 storage ride on the same reservoirs.Source ↗
3D PGF depth-to-Precambrian grid (LERC, link only)Alberta Geological Survey · Structure, depth & isopach · link only · verifiedBasement depth controls geothermal gradient, helium source proximity and basin-centred gas pressure.Source ↗