PCQ - new Utica gas play !!The permit block lies within the southern end of the St.Lawrence Lowlands sedimentary basin that extends from the Ontario border to the West to Quebec City to the East and from the St. Lawrence River to the North to the USA border to the South, in the shallow portion of a more or less undisturbed Ordovician Carbonate Platform. Three permits covering 56,622 hectares were granted in April 2006 by the Quebec government and a fourth permit covering an additional 16,399 hectares was granted in April 2007.
Numerous paved and gravel roads exist throughout the permitted area. A secondary gas pipeline connected to the main Gaz Metro line to the north of the St. Lawrence River runs across the property.
The properties are believed to have potential for shallow gas production. These permits are located over the Ordovician carbonate platform near important normal faults bringing the Utica source rocks in contact with potential reservoir rocks in the Beekmantown and the Potsdam Formations providing trapping mechanisms for gas accumulation. The company has developed an exploration program aimed at demonstrating the potential of this area of the Lowlands and is planning to proceed in the field during Fall 2007.