The stress regime of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin

All available information relevant to in situ stress orientations and magnitudes in the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) were examined to provide a better understanding of how regional stress fields may affect geothermal development. The smallest principal stress is horizontal over most of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin, and it varies in magnitude across the region. Horizontal stress trajectories show that S_Hmax axes are generally aligned SW–NE. A total of 1643 measurements of microfracture and minifracture closure pressures, leak‐off pressures and fracture breakdown pressures have been harnessed to map S_Hmin gradients across the basin at depths of 156–500, 500–1000, 1000–4185 and 2000–4185 m. Vertical stress magnitudes, calculated in 91 wells, showed that at constant depth, S_V increases towards the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Resultant regional stress maps show consistent trends in orientation of stress axes. As a result, predictions can be made that propagation axes of subsurface hydraulic fractures will be dominantly SW–NE, except over the Peace River Arch area, where they will trend more towards SSW–NNE. Engineered geothermal systems in the WCSB can be optimised by drilling horizontal wells parallel to S_Hmin.