Early evolution of a forearc basin: Georgia Basin, Vancouver Island, Canada

The Late Cretaceous lower Nanaimo Group was deposited in the forearc Georgia Basin of BC, Canada along the western margin of the Canadian Cordillera, and records its initiation and early depositional evolution. Nanaimo Group strata are currently subdivided into 11 lithostratigraphic units, which are identified based on lithology, texture (i.e., dominantly coarse- or fine-grained), and position relative to the basal nonconformity and to one another. Paleotopography on the basal nonconformity, however, ensures that these lithostratigraphic units are not time correlative, and hence, cannot reliably be used to reconstruct basin evolution. Herein, transgressive-regressive sequence stratigraphy is employed to construct a stratigraphic framework for the lower Nanaimo Group. Eight depositional phases are identified in the lower Nanaimo Group. Depositional phases are separated by flooding surfaces, regressive surfaces, or unconformities. The stratigraphy of the lower Nanaimo Group reflects net transgression, manifested as an upwards transition from braided fluvial conglomerates through to marine mudstones.