The Flathead Formation
The most prolific potential hydrogen and helium production zone on the Ingomar Dome is the basal Cambrian Flathead Sandstone Formation that directly overlies the Precambrian. It is the Flathead in our Clink #1 well that showed 11% Hydrogen from the drilling mud, signifying a much richer actual hydrogen concentration within the formation. From a reservoir quality perspective, the Flathead produces helium in southwest Saskatchewan and analyses of the Flathead on area wells in Montana show commercial helium concentrations ranging from 1.2% to 2.2%. When drilling through the Flathead on East Poplar Dome, the operator send a mud sample to be analyzed at Isotech Laboratories that tested 27% hydrogen - the first of its kind in the State of Montana and the reason for the hydrogen and helium pursuit at Ingomar Dome. Outside of the Root well (below on map), the highest concentrations of helium occur in the Flathead Formation as it directly overlies the helium-generating Precambrian basement. The reason for the cluster of high Flathead helium concentrations in Northern Montana, rather than Central Montana, is due to lack of deep drilling in the central portion of the State. Central Montana is ripe for Flathead hydrogen and helium exploration because it has rarely been penetrated, although is known to be present. The Flathead horizon on Ingomar Dome represents a multi-Bcf hydrogen and helium opportunity.
Flathead (i.e. Deadwood) Example
Mankota, Saskatchewan
Example: E. Poplar Dome, Roosevelt County Montana - Flathead Formation
Below is a computer analysis of the full suite of logs run on the East Poplar Anticline which tested 27% hydrogen and 2.2% helium out of the Flathead formation (non-productive due to technical failures). Note the boxes highlighting cross-over porosity and clean gamma ray. This Flathead cross-over porosity exists on ALL wells that have commercial deposits of helium in Canada and Montana. On Ingomar, as Flathead deposition was extremely active during Cambrian times (see "Geology" tab) when Central Montana was a trough, we believe the Flathead in the area could be one of the most prolific targets in the country due not only to the Flathead depositional environment but also the extremely high Uranium and Thorium concentrations (helium-producing, see "Geophysics") in the immediate area. Some of the highest surface Uranium and Thorium readings in the State are situated in and near the Ingomar Dome area.
Gas Analysis
This well has Helium AND Hydrogen
2.2% Helium
27% Hydrogen
First of its kind in the United States
Example: Treasure County Flathead (6.5 miles west of Ingomar)
Just to the west of the Ingomar Dome (about 2 miles off-structure), The Southport Treasure County #1-18 was the deepest well in the entire Ingomar Dome area that drilled to Precambrian at 7,827 feet. Not a single well on the Ingomar Dome drilled into the basal Cambrian Flathead section until we drilled our well in August of this year. (TGEC Froze #24-8 drilled into the top of the Cambrian (NOT the lower Cambrian Flathead) in the southern end of the Ingomar Dome). Given the structural size of the Dome, the Flathead Formation represents one of the biggest potential virgin reservoirs of geological hydrogen and helium-bearing gas in Montana.
The logs below show the lower Cambrian section in the off-structure well of the Southport Treasure County #1-18. Take note of the clean Gamma Ray, the formation of Mudcake on the Caliper Log, the High Resistivity, and most importantly, Crossover in the Neutron Density Log. This zone was never tested. This sand is now known to exist over the entire Ingomar Anticline.
Further, note the presence of "non-burnable gas" uphole on a Drill Stem Test of the Charles Formation (5,144 - 5,171) in the box below the well logs. This non-burnable gas was never analyzed for helium or hydrogen.
Beyond the Flathead Formation, there are multiple stack plays on the Ingomar Dome due to the presence of nitrogen-rich gas in several formations that have never been tested for helium or hydrogen. And in virtually all cases in the State of Montana, where there is Nitrogen, there is helium.
Southport Well
see log below:
"Inert" gases are found in ALL well bores that penetrated the Amsden and deeper intervals
(Mississippian)
Regional Setting
The Ingomar Dome is located on the upthrown side of the deep-seated and extensive Sumatra Anticline (as defined in literature), which is responsible for shallower, Mississippian Tyler Formation traps on the Sumatra, Stensvad, and Keg Coulee Fields just to the northwest of the Ingomar Dome. These fields produce predominantly out of the Pennsylvanian Tyler Formation. Interestingly, NO well along the upthrown side of this Anticline has ever tested the Flathead Formation. The deepest interval tested on the Sumatra Field, for example, was the Mississippian Lodgepole formation. Operators seldom tested deep reservoirs during the discovery phase of these Fields as operators already had an idea of what they wanted to target. However, Ingomar is the only field in this area that has tested inert gas from shallower intervals, which implies similar inert gases in the deeper Flathead formation, as all of this gas was sourced from Uranium and Thorium rich basement rock below.
This specific area in the State of Montana has ALL of the components required for the generation and migration of geological hydrogen and helium. First, this area sits on the edge of the Wyoming Craton which is some of the oldest rock in North America. This ultra mafic and uranium/thorium rich rock is a key component (theorized) for the generation of hydrogen via serpentinization and/or radiolysis and the generation of helium (known) via radioactive decay of uranium/thorium. Secondly, this area in Montana is geothermal hot as you will see on the "Geophysics" tab meaning that heat is being generated by radioactive elements, enhancing the production of hydrogen and helium. And lastly, this area sits on the edge of major fault zones, allowing for gases to migrate up and into the sedimentary column.
Below is an Isopach Map of the Cambrian Formation with Ingomar Dome highlighted by the yellow star. As uplift occurred during Devonian time, the full Cambrian section is preserved, including the Flathead Sandstone.
Below is a cartoon depiction of the Central Montana depositional environment. During late Precambrian to early Cambrian time, the entire Central Montana region was a deep trough (as deep as 15,000 ft in the deepest part). This trough indicates that the underlying lithosphere was "thinner" thus lessoning the overburden from the connection to the upper mantle. This is important in two ways. First, on the south end of the Ingomar Dome is a volcanic vent known as a lamproite which is one of two methods responsible for bringing diamonds to the surface (the other method is via a kimberlite pipe). There are only 24 known lamproites in the entire world, and the Ingomar Dome area has three of them in a relatively straight line (more on this later). The reason why this is important is that it represents a deeper connection to the deeper earth which would allow for even more helium to become mobile in the crustal rock via thermal and tensional fracturing.
During mantle convection, the upward migration of the hot mantle to the cooler top of the mantle caused an enrichment of Uranium and Thorium (and Potassium) into the adjacent crustal rock. As Uranium and Thorium are lithophile elements (lithophile meaning "rock loving"), they are very mobile in the mantle and seek the silica-rich crustal rocks above. It is this reason why Uranium and Thorium are far more abundant in the upper crust than the lower.
Below is the first stage of deposition during Precambrian/Cambrian time. As the highland Precambrian eroded, they fell into the deeper basin depositing what would become the Sandstone of the Flathead Formation (middle Cambrian). The Flathead formation, as mentioned above, is the primary helium-bearing formation in southern Canada and is known to exist throughout Eastern Montana.
After Cambrian-time, the trough remained intact and was filled with Ordovician-aged sediments which completely covered and sealed the Flathead formation (below).
Below is a diagram of the Ingomar Dome as it appears today. After the Ordovician period and during the Devonian period, the Central Montana "Trough" became inverted most likely due in part to magma upwelling along with other deep-seated tectonic forces. The magma in this area is "ultra-mafic" meaning it has a lesser silica content than normal magma. This ultramafic rock, rich in iron, is the reason for a magnetic high in and around the Ingomar area. Despite the ultra-mafic denser material, it is still less dense than surrounding granitic rock thus creating a lighter overburden, thus allowing for at least one mechanism for its inversion from trough to anticline.
After Devonian time, the Devonian was eroded from the "now" anticline and subsequent periods of geologic time deposited sediments in sequential order. On the surface, the Judith River Formation is the surface formation on the apex of the dome (the Bearpaw was eroded). Encircling the apex of the exposed Judith River is the Bearpaw Formation.
As far as hydrogen and helium generation and mobility, the inversion process coupled with the deeper magmatic activity created fundamentally ideal conditions for hydrogen and helium accumulation. The magmatic upwelling would have caused thermal and tensional fracturing in the deep Precambrian rock but also the uplift itself would have completely fractured enormous volumes of crustal Precambrian rock. The Precambrian in this case is the "source rock." And the source rock is tens of thousands (if not more) feet deep. Thus, hydrogen and helium migration out of this rock would have to be immense.
The diagram below is a demonstration of helium (and most likely hydrogen) escaping the deep earth and accumulating in the upper sedimentary column. On the Ingomar Dome itself, we know both the Amsden and Charles formation are gas-bearing (inert, helium-bearing gas) but the lower Flathead formation has never been flow-tested, most likely because it was non-hydrocarbon bearing - and old operations were seeking crude oil. On the Southport well (6.5 miles west of Ingomar and off-structure), the Flathead WAS shown to have gas-bearing rock but was NEVER tested. This, we believe, is the most prolific target in the State of Montana.
Below is a cartoon illustrating the helium generation and migration dynamics on the Ingomar Dome (the process for hydrogen generation can be found on the "Hydrogen" tab above). The Ingomar Dome is bordered along the northern edge of the Sumatra Anticline (in literature) which is actually a deep-seated fault with over 1,000 ft of throw on the downward (NE) side (see Cross Section tab). This fault is one of many migration pathways for any helium generated in the basement rock. In addition to this fault, any fracturing in the basement rock itself (likely due to the high thermal component (see Geothermal section in Geophysics tab)) is another method of migration. Thermal and tectonic fracturing in the Ingomar Dome area create ideal conditions for helium migration and subsequent trapping in the Flathead formation (and other formations). As the Flathead is the formation directly overlying the Precambrian, it is the first stop for helium accumulation.
We know from studies in the Geothermal tab that this area is anomalously high in Uranium and Thorium content and is thus highly suited for large accumulations of helium. In addition, the Flathead is a well-known porous and permeable formation.
