The Province of Quebec represents a vast territory where hydrocarbons potential is still largely underdeveloped. Even so, oil and gas exploration activity began in Quebec as soon as nineteenth century. Mainly in Gaspesia and in the St-Lawrence Lowlands, many oil seepages had attracted oil drillers having techniques that were still too rudimentary.

Prospecting work carried out since then up to now has conducted to the discovery of three important natural gas deposits, but it has mainly fixed the boundaries of the different geological areas in Quebec, with a quite good precision. As a result, the total area said to be good for hydrocarbons accumulation is more than 200 000km². The sedimentary basins have been correctly delimited, many seismic profiles give relevant information about these geological areas and presence of hydrocarbons has been proven in each of these six basins : St-Lawrence Lowlands, Lower St-Lawrence, Gaspesia, St-Lawrence Estuary, St-Lawrence Gulf and North of Quebec.

Some lately events such as the introduction of new drilling techniques, new technology such as 3D seismic-reflection or the emergence of new geological notions have brought up since a few years and a new lease of interest for hydrocarbons exploration in Quebec. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources of Quebec, this enthusiasm « could be due to the striking similarities between some Quebec sedimentary areas and many prolific basins of the United States, for example the Arkoma Basin and the Wilberton field (600 bcf) ; the one of Black Warrior ; those of North and West of Texas ; the Appalachian Basin, the Illinois and Ohio Basins and near us, the one in the West of Newfoundland. Indeed, these sedimentary areas share the same age (Ordovician) and the same sediment environment (carbonates slope) as deposits located along the paleoshoreline of Cambrian-Ordovician. This paleoshoreline stretches from Texas to Newfoundland, passing through sedimentary basins of Quebec ».