Publications
70 results found
Yusoff HHM, Johnson HD, Lonergan L, et al., 2024, Seismic stratigraphy of Late Pleistocene incised valleys and adjacent environments, eastern Central Luconia Province, offshore north-west Borneo, Sedimentology, Vol: 71, Pages: 319-354, ISSN: 0037-0746
Incised valleys are commonly investigated based on outcrop, modern setting and seismic data, which are often limited by data availability, especially for broad (ca >100 km wide) shelf settings. Consequently, few have described complete depositional systems of the incised valleys, especially those linked to their corresponding modern rivers in a source-to-sink framework to determine comprehensive controlling factors. This study documents Late Quaternary incised valleys and their characteristics in the Balingian – Central Luconia shelf based on regionally-extensive three-dimensional seismic data, two-dimensional high-resolution seismic data and boreholes. The three-dimensional seismic data show that the main Tatau incised valley and tributary Suai incised valley fed the Tatau–Suai shelf-edge delta. The Tatau incised valley is interpreted as the main incised valley based on its broader width, thicker infill, two-tier stratigraphic architecture and its larger drainage basin area compared to the tributary Suai incised valley. The Tatau incised valley shifted its direction towards an active tectonic lineament (West Baram Line) and bypassed sediments to the deep-water via a series of upper slope channels. The Tatau incised valley system comprises the following elements: (i) an upstream segment characterized by rivers dissecting an uplifted hinterland comprising Neogene sedimentary rocks, humid-tropical vegetation, monsoonal climate, extremely high river discharge and sediment supply; (ii) a midstream segment comprising an emergent, vegetated (tropical rainforest to mangroves) and relatively narrow (ca 150 to 200 km wide) shelf, which was characterized by basinward-increasing, tectonically-driven accommodation space, valley incision and deposition; (iii) a downstream segment with increasing tidal-influence where the Tatau and its tributary valley merged; and (iv) a short (15 to 20 km), narrow (10 to 15 km), tectonically-controlled
Ali MY, John CM, Johnson HD, 2023, DIAGENESIS OF THE CENTRAL LUCONIA CARBONATE PLATFORMS: THE ROLES OF EARLY DOLOMITIZATION AND LATE HYDROTHERMAL FLUIDS IN ENHANCING DEEP RESERVOIR PROPERTIES, SEPM Special Publications, Vol: 114, Pages: 268-296, ISSN: 1060-071X
The Central Luconia Miocene carbonate platform represents one of the largest regions of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) production in the world. Although several studies have been conducted, the reservoir diagenesis of this gas-producing region remains poorly understood. To address this issue, a comprehensive and systematic diagenetic study has now been undertaken. Methodologies used included petrography, X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), backscattered electron microscopy (BSEM), and cathodoluminescent microscopy (CL). Other technologies included elemental analysis using electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA), fluid inclusion microthermometry (FIM), and stable C, O, S, and Sr isotope analyses. The resulting datasets have been integrated so that the paleodiagenetic fluid flow, cementation history, and potential late-stage high-temperature hydrothermal corrosive fluids can be assessed with respect to the effect on reservoir potential. The results show that the reservoirs have undergone a complex diagenetic evolution over time. Six stages of calcite cementation (Cal-1 to Cal-6), four stages of dolomitization (Dol-1 to Dol-4), and one stage of dedolomitization (Ded-1) have occurred. Three phases of major dissolution and several minor late burial diagenetic events, such as fluorite and anhydrite replacement, pyritization, and kaolinite bridging have also been recognized. Each stage is characterized by different crystal habits, cathodoluminescent characteristics, elemental compositions, and isotopic signatures, indicating their precipitation took place at different temperatures and diagenetic environments. The early surface to shallow burial calcites (Cal-1 to Cal-4) and dolomites (Dol-1 to Dol-2) were mainly precipitated in marine, phreatic, and possible mixing water environments at relatively low temperatures (<508 C). The late calcites (Cal-5 and Cal-6), dolomites (Dol-3 and Dol-4), and dedolomite (Ded-1) were precipitated at higher temperatur
Nugraha HD, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2022, Extreme erosion by submarine slides, GEOLOGY, Vol: 50, Pages: 1130-1134, ISSN: 0091-7613
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- Citations: 5
Collins DS, Avdis A, Wells MR, et al., 2021, Prediction of shoreline–shelf depositional process regime guided by palaeotidal modelling, Earth-Science Reviews, Vol: 223, ISSN: 0012-8252
Ancient shoreline–shelf depositional systems are influenced by an unusually wide array of geological, biological and hydrodynamic processes, with sediment transport and deposition primarily determined by the interaction of river, wave (including storm) and tidal processes, and changes in relative sea level. Understanding the impact of these processes on shoreline–shelf morphodynamics and stratigraphic preservation remains challenging. Numerical modelling integrated with traditional facies analysis provides an increasingly viable approach, with the potential to quantify, and thereby improve understanding of, the impact of these complex coastal sedimentary processes. An integrated approach is presented here that focuses on palaeotidal modelling to investigate the controls on ancient tides and their influence on sedimentary deposition and preservation – one of the three cornerstones of the ternary process classification scheme of shoreline-shelf systems. Numerical tidal modelling methodology is reviewed and illustrated in three palaeotidal model case studies of different scales and focus. The results are synthesised in the context of shoreline–shelf processes, including a critique and modification of the process-based classification scheme.The emphasis on tidal processes reflects their global importance throughout Earth’s history. Ancient palaeotidal models are able to highlight and quantify the following four controls on tidal processes: (1) the physiography (shape and depth) of oceans (1000s km scale) determines the degree of tidal resonance; (2) the physiography of ocean connections to partly enclosed water bodies (100–1000s km scale) determines the regional-scale flux of tidal energy (inflow versus outflow); (3) the physiography of continental shelves influences shelf tidal resonance potential; and (4) tides in relatively local-scale embayments (typically 1–10s km scale) are influenced by the balance of tidal amplification
Steventon MJ, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2021, Evolution of a sand-rich submarine channel-lobe system, and the impact of mass-transport and transitional-flow deposits on reservoir heterogeneity: Magnus Field, Northern North Sea, PETROLEUM GEOSCIENCE, Vol: 27, ISSN: 1354-0793
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- Citations: 6
Wu N, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2021, Lithological, petrophysical, and seal properties of mass-transport complexes, northern Gulf of Mexico, AAPG BULLETIN, Vol: 105, Pages: 1461-1489, ISSN: 0149-1423
Wu N, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2021, The formation and implications of giant blocks and fluid escape structures in submarine lateral spreads, BASIN RESEARCH, Vol: 33, Pages: 1711-1730, ISSN: 0950-091X
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- Citations: 10
Nugraha HD, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2020, Lateral variability in strain along the toewall of a mass transport deposit: a case study from the Makassar Strait, offshore Indonesia, JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, Vol: 177, Pages: 1261-1279, ISSN: 0016-7649
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- Citations: 13
Steventon MJ, Jackson CA-L, Hodgson DM, et al., 2020, LATERAL VARIABILITY OF SHELF-EDGE AND BASIN-FLOOR DEPOSITS, SANTOS BASIN, OFFSHORE BRAZIL, JOURNAL OF SEDIMENTARY RESEARCH, Vol: 90, Pages: 1198-1221, ISSN: 1527-1404
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- Citations: 10
Wu N, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2020, Mass-transport complexes (MTCs) document subsidence patterns in a northern Gulf of Mexico salt minibasin, BASIN RESEARCH, Vol: 32, Pages: 1300-1327, ISSN: 0950-091X
Collins DS, Johnson HD, Baldwin CT, 2020, Architecture and preservation in the fluvial to marine transition zone of a mixed‐process humid‐tropical delta: Middle Miocene Lambir Formation, Baram Delta Province, north‐west Borneo, Sedimentology, Vol: 67, Pages: 1-46, ISSN: 0037-0746
The interaction of river and marine processes in the fluvial to marine transition zone fundamentally impacts delta plain morphology and sedimentary dynamics. This study aims to improve existing models of the facies distribution, stratigraphic architecture and preservation in the fluvial to marine transition zone of mixed‐process deltas, using a comprehensive sedimentological and stratigraphic dataset from the Middle Miocene Lambir Formation, Baram Delta Province, north‐west Borneo. Eleven facies associations are identified and interpreted to preserve the interaction of fluvial and marine processes in a mixed‐energy delta, where fluvial, wave and tidal processes display spatially and temporally variable interactions. Stratigraphic successions in axial areas associated with active distributary channels are sandstone‐rich, comprising fluvial‐and wave‐dominated units. Successions in lateral, or interdistributary, areas, which lack active distributary channels, are mudstone‐rich, comprising fluvial‐dominated, tide‐dominated and wave‐dominated units, including mangrove swamps. Widespread mudstone preservation in axial and lateral areas suggests well‐developed turbidity maximum zones, a consequence of high suspended‐sediment concentrations resulting from tropical weathering of a mudstone‐rich hinterland. Within the fluvial to marine transition zone of distributary channels, interpreted proximal–distal sedimentological and stratigraphic trends suggest: (i) a proximal fluvial‐dominated, tide‐influenced subzone; (ii) a distal fluvial‐dominated to wave‐dominated subzone; and (iii) a conspicuously absent tide‐dominated subzone. Lateral areas preserve a more diverse spectrum of facies and stratigraphic elements reflecting combined storm, tidal and subordinate river processes. During coupled storm and river floods, fluvial processes dominated the fluvial to marine transition zone along major and minor distributary channels and channel mouths, causing significant overprintin
Levell BK, Johnson HD, Collins DS, et al., 2020, Deposition and preservation of fluvio-tidal shallow-marine sandstones: A re-evaluation of the Neoproterozoic Jura Quartzite (western Scotland), Sedimentology, Vol: 67, Pages: 173-206, ISSN: 0037-0746
The 2 to 5 km thick, sandstone‐dominated (>90%) Jura Quartzite is an extreme example of a mature Neoproterozoic sandstone, previously interpreted as a tide‐influenced shelf deposit and herein re‐interpreted within a fluvio‐tidal deltaic depositional model. Three issues are addressed: (i) evidence for the re‐interpretation from tidal shelf to tidal delta; (ii) reasons for vertical facies uniformity; and (iii) sand supply mechanisms to form thick tidal‐shelf sandstones. The predominant facies (compound cross‐bedded, coarse‐grained sandstones) represents the lower parts of metres to tens of metres high, transverse fluvio‐tidal bedforms with superimposed smaller bedforms. Ubiquitous erosional surfaces, some with granule–pebble lags, record erosion of the upper parts of those bedforms. There was selective preservation of the higher energy, topographically‐lower, parts of channel‐bar systems. Strongly asymmetrical, bimodal, palaeocurrents are interpreted as due to associated selective preservation of fluvially‐enhanced ebb tidal currents. Finer‐grained facies are scarce, due largely to suspended sediment bypass. They record deposition in lower‐energy environments, including channel mouth bars, between and down depositional‐dip of higher energy fluvio‐ebb tidal bars. The lack of wave‐formed sedimentary structures and low continuity of mudstone and sandstone interbeds, support deposition in a non‐shelf setting. Hence, a sand‐rich, fluvial–tidal, current‐dominated, largely sub‐tidal, delta setting is proposed. This new interpretation avoids the problem of transporting large amounts of coarse sand to a shelf. Facies uniformity and vertical stacking are likely due to sediment oversupply and bypass rather than balanced sediment supply and subsidence rates. However, facies evidence of relative sea level changes is difficult to recognise, which is attributed to: (i) the areally extensive and polygenetic nature of the preserved facies, and (ii) a large stored sedime
Nugraha H, Jackson C, Johnson H, et al., 2019, Tectonic and oceanographic process interactions archived in the Late Cretaceous to Present deep-marine stratigraphy on the Exmouth Plateau, offshore NW Australia, Basin Research, Vol: 31, Pages: 405-430, ISSN: 0950-091X
Deep-marine deposits provide a valuable archive of process interactions between sediment gravity flows, pelagic sedimentation, and thermo-haline bottom-currents. Stratigraphic successions can also record plate-scale tectonic processes (e.g. continental breakup and shortening) that impact long-term ocean circulation patterns, including changes in climate and biodiversity. One such setting is the Exmouth Plateau, offshore NW Australia, which has been a relatively stable, fine-grained carbonate-dominated continental margin from the Late Cretaceous to Present. We combine extensive 2D (~40,000 km) and 3D (3,627 km2) seismic reflection data with lithologic and biostratigraphic information from wells to reconstruct the tectonic and oceanographic evolution of this margin. We identified three large-scale seismic units (SUs): (1) SU-1 (Late Cretaceous) – 500 m-thick, and characterised by NE-SW-trending, slope-normal elongate depocentres (c. 200 km long and 70 km wide), with erosional surfaces at their bases and tops, which are interpreted as the result of contour-parallel bottom-currents, coeval with the onset of opening of the Southern Ocean; (2) SU-2 (Palaeocene – Late Miocene) – 800 m-thick and characterised by: (i) very large (amplitude, c. 40 m and wavelength, c. 3 km), SW-migrating, NW-SE-trending sediment waves, (ii) large (4 km-wide, 100 m-deep), NE-trending scours that flank the sediment waves, and (iii) NW-trending, 4 km wide and 80 m deep turbidite channel, infilled by NE-dipping reflectors, which together may reflect an intensification of NE-flowing bottom currents during a relative sea-level fall following the establishment of circumpolar-ocean current around Antarctica; and (3) SU-3 (Late Miocene – Present) – 1000 m-thick and is dominated by large (up to 100 km3) mass-transport complexes (MTCs) derived from the continental margin (to the east) and the Exmouth Plateau Arch (to the west), and accumulated mainly in the adjacent Kangaro
Steventon M, Jackson C, Hodgson D, et al., 2019, Strain analysis of a seismically-imaged mass-transport complex (MTC), offshore Uruguay, Basin Research, Vol: 31, Pages: 600-620, ISSN: 0950-091X
Strain style, magnitude, and distribution within mass-transport complexes (MTCs) is important for understanding the process evolution of submarine mass flows and for estimating their runout distances. Structural restoration and quantification of strain in gravitationally-driven passive margins have been shown to approximately balance between updip extensional and downdip compressional domains; such an exercise has not yet been attempted for MTCs. We here interpret and structurally restore a shallowly buried (c. 1500 mbsf) and well-imaged MTC, offshore Uruguay using a high-resolution (12.5 m vertical and 15x12.5 m horizontal resolution) 3D seismic-reflection survey. This allows us to characterise and quantify vertical and lateral strain distribution within the deposit. Detailed seismic mapping and attribute analysis shows that the MTC is characterised by a complicated array of kinematic indicators, which vary spatially in style and concentration. Seismic-attribute extractions reveal several previously undocumented fabrics preserved in the MTC, including internal shearing in the form of sub-orthogonal shear zones, and fold-thrust systems within the basal shear zone beneath rafted-blocks. These features suggest multiple phases of flow and transport directions during emplacement. The MTC is characterised by a broadly tripartite strain distribution, with extensional (e.g. normal faults), translational and compressional (e.g. folds and thrusts) domains, along with a radial frontally emergent zone. We also show how strain is preferentially concentrated around intra-MTC rafted-blocks due to kinematic interaction between these features and the underlying basal shear zone. Overall, and even when volume loss within the frontally emergent zone is included, a strain deficit between the extensional and compressional domains (c. 3-14%) is calculated, which we attribute to a combination of distributed, sub-seismic, ‘cryptic’ strain, likely related to de-watering, grain-
Hamilton-Wright J, Dee S, von Nicolai C, et al., 2019, Investigating controls on salt movement in extensional settingsusing finite-element modelling, Petroleum Geoscience, Vol: 25, Pages: 258-271, ISSN: 1354-0793
Salt structures present numerous challenges for targeting reservoirs. Salt movement within the subsurface can follow complex pathways, producing deformation patterns in surrounding strata which are often difficult to decipher. Consequently, the relative role of key salt-flow drivers and geological sensitivities on salt-structure evolution are often poorly understood. To address this, we have developed 2D geomechanical models using the finite-element method to simulate salt diapir and pillow development in two extensional tectonic settings. We conducted model sensitivity analyses to examine the influence of geological parameters on field-scale salt structures and their corresponding deformation pattern. Modelled diapirs developing in thin-skinned extensional settings closely resemble published analogue experiments; however, active and passive stages of diapir growth are seldom or never reached, respectively, thus challenging existing ideas that diapir evolution is dominated by passive growth. In all modelled cases, highly strained domains bound the diapir flanks where extensive small-scale faulting and fracturing can be expected. Asymmetrical diapirs are prone to flank collapse and are observed in models with fast extension or sedimentation rates, thin roof sections or salt layers, or initially short or triangular-shaped diapirs. In modelled thick-skinned extensional settings, salt pillows and suprasalt overburden faults can be laterally offset (decoupled) from a reactivating basement fault. This decoupling increases with increased salt-layer thickness, overburden thickness, sedimentation rate and fault angle, and decreased fault slip rates. Contrary to existing consensus, overburden grounding onto the basement fault scarp does not appear to halt development of salt structures above the footwall basement block.
Collins D, Alvdis A, Allison P, et al., 2018, Controls on tidal sedimentation and preservation: insights from numerical tidal modelling in the late oligocene–miocene South China sea, Southeast Asia, Sedimentology, Vol: 65, Pages: 2468-2505, ISSN: 0037-0746
Numerical tidal modelling, when integrated with other geological datasets, can significantly inform the analysis of physical sedimentation processes and the depositional and preservational record of ancient tide-influenced shoreline–shelf systems. This is illustrated in the Oligo–Miocene of the South China Sea (SCS), which experienced significant changes in basin physiography and where tide-influenced, shoreline–shelf deposition is preserved in ca 10 sub-basins. Palaeogeographic reconstructions, palaeotidal modelling and regional sedimentary facies analysis have been integrated in order to evaluate the spatial–temporal evolution and physiographic controls on tidal sedimentation and preservation during the ca 25 Myr Oligo–Miocene record in the SCS. Palaeotidal modelling, using an astronomically forced and global tidal model (Fluidity) at a maximum 10 km resolution, indicates that spring tides along Late Oligocene–Middle Miocene coastlines were predominantly mesotidal– macrotidal and capable of transporting sand, which reflects two main conditions: (1) increased tidal inflow through wider ocean connections to the Pacific Ocean; and (2) tidal amplification resulting from constriction of the tidal wave in a ‘blind gulf’ type of basin morphology. Since the Middle–Late Miocene, a reduction in the amplitude and strength of tides in the SCS was mainly due to diminishing tidal inflow from the Pacific Ocean caused by the northward movement of the Philippines and Izu-Bonin-Mariana arc. Sensitivity tests to palaeogeographic and palaeobathymetric uncertainty indicate that regional–scale (100–1000s29 km) palaeogeographic changes influencing tidal inflow versus outflow can override local30scale (1–100s km) changes to tidal resonance and convergence effects (funnelling and shoaling), such as shelf width and shoreline geometry. Palaeotidal model results compare favourably to the distribution and sedimenta
van Cappelle M, Hampson GJ, Johnson HD, 2018, Spatial and temporal evolution of coastal depositional systems and regional depositional process regimes: Campanian Western Interior Seaway, USA, Journal of Sedimentary Research, Vol: 88, Pages: 873-897, ISSN: 1527-1404
This paper provides a critical review and regional synthesis of Late Cretaceous shallow-marine deposits along part of the western margin of the Western Interior Seaway of North America, which contains the most extensively documented outcrop-based studies of siliciclastic coastal depositional systems in the world. The results of this synthesis are presented in the form of paleogeographic maps (covering present-day New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, USA) for five timeslices in the Campanian. These maps are used to evaluate the spatial and temporal evolution of regional depositional process regimes along a large (> 1000 m) stretch of coastline. The evolution of regional depositional process regimes is linked to tectonic and paleoceanographic controls on the Western Interior Seaway, which enables the results of this synthesis to be applied to prediction of depositional process regimes in other, less intensively studied basins.Six gross depositional environments have been mapped for each timeslice: (1) alluvial to coastal-plain sandstones; (2) coastal-plain coals, mudstones, and sandstones; (3) shoreline sandstones; (4) marine mudstones; (5) gravity-flow siltstones and sandstones; and (6) marine marls and chalk. Shoreline sandstones in each timeslice are interpreted in further detail using documented evidence for the three principal classes of depositional process (wave, tidal, and fluvial) and published reconstructions of coastal morphology, which is widely considered to reflect depositional process regime. Based on these interpretations, shoreline sandstones are assigned to five categories of depositional process regime: (1) regressive wave-dominated shorefaces and delta fronts; (2) regressive river-dominated delta fronts; (3) regressive mixed tide- and wave-influenced delta fronts; (4) regressive tide-dominated delta fronts; and (5) transgressive barrier islands, back-barrier lagoons, and estuaries. The accuracy of and uncertainty in classification of deposit
Collins DS, Johnson HD, Allison PA, et al., 2018, Mixed process, humid-tropical, shoreline-shelf deposition and preservation: middle Miocene-modern Baram Delta Province, Northwest Borneo, Journal of Sedimentary Research, Vol: 88, Pages: 399-430, ISSN: 1527-1404
This evaluation of the Miocene–Modern Baram Delta Province (BDP) depositional system provides: (1) a rare case study of outcrop observations that can be directly compared with a closely comparable and geographically adjacent modern analogue; (2) new insights into how deposition and preservation occur across a range of process regimes in a highly aggradational tectono-stratigraphic setting; and (3) an example of a well-exposed mixed-influenced shoreline–shelf depositional system, displaying variable interaction of fluvial, wave, and tidal processes. The exceptionally close relationship between the present-day BDP source-to-sink system and its ancient (Miocene–Pliocene) counterpart is because the climatic (humid-tropical, ever-wet, monsoon-influenced), tectonic (active foreland margin), hydrological (multiple, relatively short rivers), and gross depositional (shoreline–shelf) settings have remained consistent over the past c. 15–20 Myr. This study compares exposure-based analyses of facies and stratigraphic architecture in the middle Miocene Belait Formation (eastern BDP) with process-based geomorphological and sedimentological analyses of coastal–deltaic depositional environments in the present-day BDP. The Belait Formation comprises three distinct types of vertical facies-succession sets: (1) aggradationally-stacked, upward-sanding units (10–50 m thick), dominated by erosionally based sandstone beds showing swaly cross-stratification and gutter casts, record deposition during simultaneously high storm-wave energy and storm-enhanced fluvial discharge (“storm floods”); these are interpreted as analogs for deposits along the present-day open coastline in the BDP (e.g., the present-day, open-shelf Baram delta and flanking strandplain); (2) aggradationally stacked, heterolithic, upward-sanding units characterized by interbedded swaly cross-stratified sandstone and combined-flow-rippled heterolithics, record deposition
Collins D, Johnson HD, Allison PA, et al., 2017, Coupled ‘storm-flood’ depositional model: application to the Miocene–Modern Baram Delta Province, north-west Borneo, Sedimentology, Vol: 64, Pages: 1203-1235, ISSN: 0037-0746
The Miocene to Modern Baram Delta Province is a highly efficient source to sink system that has accumulated 9 to 12 km of coastal-deltaic to shelf sediments over the past 15 Myr. Facies analysis based on ca 1 km of total vertical outcrop stratigraphy, combined with subsurface geology and sedimentary processes in the present-day Baram Delta Province, suggests a ‘storm-flood’ depositional model comprising two distinct periods: (i) fair-weather periods are dominated by alongshore sediment reworking and coastal sand accumulation; and (ii) monsoon-driven storm periods are characterised by increased wave energy and offshore-directed downwelling storm flow that occur simultaneously with peak fluvial discharge caused by storm-precipitation (‘storm-floods’). The modern equivalent environment has the following characteristics: (i) humid-tropical monsoonal climate; (ii) narrow (ca <100 km) and steep (ca 1°), densely vegetated, coastal plain; (iii) deep tropical weathering of a mudstone-dominated hinterland; (iv) multiple independent, small to moderate-sized (102 to 105 km2) drainage basins; (v) predominance of river-mouth bypassing; and (vi) supply-dominated shelf. The ancient, proximal part of this system (the onshore Belait Formation) is dominated by strongly cyclical sandier-upward successions (metre to decametre-scale) comprising (from bottom to top): (i) finely laminated mudstone with millimetre-scale silty laminae; (ii) heterolithic sandstone-mudstone alternations (centimetre to metre-scale); and (iii) sharp-based, swaley cross-stratified sandstone beds and bedsets (metre to decimetre-scale). Gutter casts (decimetre to metre-scale) are widespread, they are filled with swaley cross-stratified sandstone and their long-axes are oriented perpendicular to the palaeo-shoreline. The gutter casts and other associated waning-flow event beds suggest that erosion and deposition was controlled by high-energy, offshore-directed, oscillatory-dominated, s
Collins DS, Avdis A, Allison PA, et al., 2017, Tidal dynamics and mangrove carbon sequestration during the Oligo–Miocene in the South China Sea, Nature Communications, Vol: 8, ISSN: 2041-1723
Modern mangroves are among the most carbon-rich biomes on Earth, but their long-term (≥106 yr) impact on the global carbon cycle is unknown. The extent, productivity and preservation of mangroves are controlled by the interplay of tectonics, global sea level and sedimentation, including tide, wave and fluvial processes. The impact of these processes on mangrove-bearing successions in the Oligo–Miocene of the South China Sea (SCS) is evaluated herein. Palaeogeographic reconstructions, palaeotidal modelling, and facies analysis suggest that elevated tidal range and bed shear stress optimised mangrove development along tide-influenced tropical coastlines. Preservation of mangrove organic carbon (OC) was promoted by high tectonic subsidence and fluvial sediment supply. Lithospheric storage of OC in peripheral SCS basins potentially exceeded 4000 Gt (equivalent to 2000 ppm of atmospheric CO2). These results highlight the crucial impact of tectonic and oceanographic processes on mangrove OC sequestration within the global carbon cycle on geological timescales.
Alqahtani F, Jackson CA-L, Johnson HD, et al., 2017, Controls on the geometry and evolution of humid-tropical fluvial systems: insights from 3D seismic geomorphological analysis of the Malay Basin, Sunda Shelf, Southeast Asia, Journal of Sedimentary Research, Vol: 87, Pages: 17-40, ISSN: 1527-1404
High-resolution three-dimensional (3D) seismic reflection data from the Pleistocene-to-Recent succession of the Malay Basin (Sunda Shelf, SE Asia) have been used to evaluate the geometry, dimensions, distribution and evolution of humid-tropical fluvial channel systems. Based on their seismic expression, and variations in sinuosity and depth, we identify six fluvial channel types, which occur within eight, seismically-defined, 18-145 m thick depositional units. Each unit is characterized by a consistent vertical change in channel body geometry and dimensions as follows (bottom to top): (1) relatively large (300-3000 m wide and 15-45 m deep), straight-to-low-sinuosity channels and/or large incised valleys at their bases, and (2) smaller (75-250 m wide and 8-23 m deep), highly-sinuous channels at their tops. This cyclical stratigraphic architecture is interpreted as a mainly climatically-driven change in fluvial discharge and sediment supply, rather than by eustatically- or tectonically-driven changes in relative sea-level based on (i) the study area was located far upstream (c. 700 km) of the coeval shoreline, and (ii) tectonically-quiescent nature of the basin during the Pleistocene to Recent. Although, the upstream control were likely the main control on the stratigraphic organization (Units 2-4 and 6), the large incised valleys (Units 5 and 7) are interpreted to be formed due a relative sea-level fall during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This study demonstrates how an improved understanding of the temporal and spatial variability of fluvial channel systems can be obtained through detailed analysis of regionally-extensive, high-resolution 3D seismic reflection data. In particular, regional constraints on channel geometry, scale and orientation can be more confidently determined than is typically permitted b
jordan OD, Gupta S, Hampson GJ, et al., 2016, Preserved stratigraphic architecture and evolution of a net-transgressive mixed wave- and tide-influenced coastal system: Cliff House Sandstone, northwestern New Mexico, USA, Journal of Sedimentary Research, Vol: 86, Pages: 1399-1424, ISSN: 1527-1404
The Cretaceous Cliff House Sandstone comprises a thick (400 m) net-transgressive succession representing a mixed wave- and tide-influenced shallow-marine system that migrated episodically landwards. This study examines the youngest part (middle Campanian) of the Cliff House Sandstone, exposed in Chaco Cultural Natural Historical Park, northwest New Mexico, U.S.A. Detailed mapping of facies architecture between a three-dimensional network of measured sections has allowed the character, geometry, and distribution of key stratigraphic surfaces and stratal units to be reconstructed. Upward-shallowing facies successions (parasequences) are separated by laterally extensive transgressive erosion (ravinement) surfaces cut by both wave and tide processes. Preservation of facies tracts in each parasequence is controlled by the depth of erosion and migration trajectory of the overlying ravinement surfaces. In most parasequences, there is no preservation of the proximal wave-dominated facies tracts (foreshore, upper-shoreface), resulting in thin (4–7 m) top-truncated packages. Four distinct shallow marine tongues (parasequence sets) have been identified, consisting of ten parasequences with a total stratigraphic thickness of ~ 100 m. Each tongue records an episode of complex shoreline migration history (multiple regressive–transgressive phases) in an overall net-transgressive system. The ravinement surfaces provide a stratigraphic framework in which to understand partitioning of tide- and wave-dominated deposits in a net-transgressive system, and a model is presented to account for the sediment distribution and stratigraphic architecture observed in each parasequence. Despite a complex internal architecture, parasequences exhibit a predictable pattern which can be related to the regressive and transgressive phases of deposition. Preservation of wave-dominated facies tracts is associated with shoreline regression, while tide-dominated facies tracts are interpreted to
van Cappelle M, Ravnås R, Hampson GJ, et al., 2016, Depositional evolution of a progradational to aggradational, mixed-influenced deltaic succession: Jurassic Tofte and Ile formations, southern Halten Terrace, offshore Norway, Marine and Petroleum Geology, Vol: 80, Pages: 1-22, ISSN: 0264-8172
Predicting the hydrodynamics, morphology and evolution of ancient deltaic successions requires the evaluation of the three-dimensional depositional process regime based on sedimentary facies analysis. This has been applied to a core-based subsurface facies analysis of a mixed-energy, clastic coastal-deltaic succession in the Lower-to-Middle Jurassic of the Halten Terrace, offshore mid-Norway. Three genetically related successions with a total thickness of 100–300 m and a total duration of 12.5 Myr comprising eight facies associations record two initial progradational phases and a final aggradational phase. The progradational phases (I and II) consist of coarsening upward successions that pass from prodelta and offshore mudstones (FA1), through delta front and mouth bar sandstones (FA2) and into erosionally based fluvial- (FA3) and marine-influenced (FA4) channel fills. The two progradational phases are interpreted as fluvial- and wave-dominated, tide-influenced deltas. The aggradational phase (III) consists of distributary channel fills (FA3 and FA4), tide-dominated channels (FA5), intertidal to subtidal heterolithic fine-grained sandstones (FA6) and coals (FA7). The aggradational phase displays more complex facies relationships and a wider range of environments, including (1) mixed tide- and fluvial-dominated, wave-influenced deltas, (2) non-deltaic shorelines (tidal channels, tidal flats and vegetated swamps), and (3) lower shoreface deposits (FA8). The progradational to aggradational evolution of this coastal succession is represented by an overall upward decrease in grain size, decrease in fluvial influence and increase in tidal influence. This evolution is attributed to an allogenic increase in the rate of accommodation space generation relative to sediment supply due to tectonic activity of the rift basin. In addition, during progradation, there was also an autogenic increase in sediment storage on the coastal plain, resulting in a gradual autoretreat of
Amir Hassan MH, Johnson HD, Allison PA, et al., 2016, Sedimentology and stratigraphic architecture of a Mioceneretrogradational, tide-dominated delta system: BalingianProvince, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, Geological Society, London, Special Publication
Massart BYG, Jackson MD, Hampson GJ, et al., 2016, Effective flow properties of heterolithic, cross-bedded tidal sandstones: Part 1. Surface-based modeling, AAPG Bulletin, Vol: 100, Pages: 697-721, ISSN: 0149-1423
Tidal heterolithic sandstones are commonly characterized by millimeter- to centimeter-scale intercalations of mudstone and sandstone. Consequently, their effective flow properties are poorly predicted by (1) data that do not sample a representative volume or (2) models that fail to capture the complex three-dimensional architecture of sandstone and mudstone layers. We present a modeling approach in which surfaces are used to represent all geologic heterogeneities that control the spatial distribution of reservoir rock properties (surface-based modeling). The workflow uses template surfaces to represent heterogeneities classified by geometry instead of length scale. The topology of the template surfaces is described mathematically by a small number of geometric input parameters, and models are constructed stochastically. The methodology has been applied to generate generic, three-dimensional minimodels (9 m3 volume) of cross-bedded heterolithic sandstones representing trough and tabular cross-bedding with differing proportions of sandstone and mudstone, using conditioning data from two outcrop analogs from a tide-dominated deltaic deposit. The minimodels capture the cross-stratified architectures observed in outcrop and are suitable for flow simulation, allowing computation of effective permeability values for use in larger-scale models. We show that mudstone drapes in cross-bedded heterolithic sandstones significantly reduce effective permeability and also impart permeability anisotropy in the horizontal as well as vertical flow directions. The workflow can be used with subsurface data, supplemented by outcrop analog observations, to generate effective permeability values to be derived for use in larger-scale reservoir models. The methodology could be applied to the characterization and modeling of heterogeneities in other types of sandstone reservoirs.
van Cappelle M, Stukins S, Hampson GJ, et al., 2016, Fluvial to tidal transition in proximal, mixed tide-influenced and wave-influenced deltaic deposits: Cretaceous lower Sego Sandstone, Utah, USA, Sedimentology, Vol: 63, Pages: 1333-1361, ISSN: 0037-0746
Facies models for regressive, tide-influenced deltaic systems are under-represented in the literature compared with their fluvial-dominated and wave-dominated counterparts. Here, a facies model is presented of the mixed, tide-influenced and wave-influenced deltaic strata of the Sego Sandstone, which was deposited in the Western Interior Seaway of North America during the Late Cretaceous. Previous work on the Sego Sandstone has focused on the medial to distal parts of the outcrop belt where tides and waves interact. This study focuses on the proximal outcrop belt, in which fluvial and tidal processes interact. Five facies associations are recognized. Bioturbated mudstones (Facies Association 1) were deposited in an offshore environment and are gradationally overlain by hummocky cross-stratified sandstones (Facies Association 2) deposited in a wave-dominated lower shoreface environment. These facies associations are erosionally overlain by tide-dominated cross-bedded sandstones (Facies Association 4) interbedded with ripple cross-laminated heterolithic sandstones (Facies Association 3) and channelized mudstones (Facies Association 5). Palaeocurrent directions derived from cross-bedding indicate bidirectional currents which are flood-dominated in the lower part of the studied interval and become increasingly ebb-directed/fluvial-directed upward. At the top of the succession, ebb-dominated/fluvial-dominated, high relief, narrow channel forms are present, which are interpreted as distributary channels. When distributary channels are abandoned they effectively become estuaries with landward sediment transport and fining trends. These estuaries have sandstones of Facies Association 4 at their mouth and fine landward through heterolithic sandstones of Facies Association 3 to channelized mudstones of Facies Association 5. Therefore, the complex distribution of relatively mud-rich and sand-rich deposits in the tide-dominated part of the lower Sego Sandstone is attributed to t
Massart BYG, Jackson MD, Hampson GJ, et al., 2016, Effective flow properties of heterolithic, cross-bedded tidal sandstones: Part 2. Flow simulation, AAPG Bulletin, Vol: 100, Pages: 723-742, ISSN: 0149-1423
Tidal heterolithic sandstone reservoirs are heterogeneous at the sub-meter scale, due to the ubiquitous presence of intercalated sandstone and mudstone laminae. Core-plug permeability measurements fail to sample a representative volume of this heterogeneity. Here we investigate the impact of mudstone drape distribution on the effective permeability of heterolithic, cross-bedded tidal sandstones using three-dimensional (3D) surface-based “mini-models” that capture the geometry of cross-beds at an appropriate scale. The impact of seven geometric parameters has been determined: (1) mudstone fraction, (2) sandstone laminae thickness, (3) mudstone drape continuity, (4) toeset dip, (5) climb angle of foreset-toeset surfaces, (6) proportion of foresets to toesets, and (7) trough or tabular geometry of the cross-beds.We begin by identifying a representative elementary volume (REV) of 1 m3, confirming that the model volume of 9 m3 yields representative permeability values. Effective permeability decreases as the mudstone fraction increases, and is highly anisotropic: vertical permeability falls to c. 0.5% of the sandstone permeability at a mudstone fraction of 25%, while the horizontal permeability falls to c. 5% and c. 50% of the sandstone value in the dip (across mudstone drapes) and strike (parallel to mudstone drapes) directions, respectively. There is considerable spread around these values, because each parameter investigated can significantly impact effective permeability, with the impact depending upon the flow direction and mudstone fraction. The results yield improved estimates of effective permeability in heterolithic, cross-bedded sandstones, which can be used to populate reservoir-scale model grid blocks using estimates of mudstone fraction and geometrical parameters obtained from core and outcrop-analog data.
Alqahtani FA, Johnson HD, Jackson CA-L, et al., 2015, Nature, origin and evolution of a Late Pleistocene incised valley-fill, Sunda Shelf, Southeast Asia, Sedimentology, Vol: 62, Pages: 1198-1232, ISSN: 1365-3091
Shallow (<500 ms TWT/c. 500 m sub-sea) 3D seismic reflection data from a large (11500 km2), ‘merge’ survey, supplemented with high-resolution site survey data, have enabled identification and characterisation of a large (up to 18 km wide by 80 m deep) Late Pleistocene incised valley on the Sunda Shelf, offshore eastern Malaysia. The valley-fill displays five large-scale stratigraphic features: (1) it is considerably larger than other seismically-resolvable channel forms and can be traced for at least 180 km along its length within the available 3D seismic volume; (2) it is located in the axial part of the Malay Basin with a_NNW-SSE orientation, which is parallel to the maximum thickness of the underlying Oligo-Miocene succession (the main fill of the Malay Basin); (3) the youngest fill of the valley-fill is dominated by a large (up to 800 m wide and 23 m deep), high-sinuosity channel, with well-developed lateral accretion surfaces, point bars and meander loop cut-offs; (4) the immediately adjacent interfluves contain much smaller, dendritic ‘tributary’ channel systems, which drain into the larger incised valley system, and (5) a ca. 16 m thick, shell-bearing, Holocene age clay caps the valley-fill. Site survey borehole data from the abandonment part of the large meandering channel at the top of the incised valley-fill display the following: (1) pebbles, gravels and cobbles form a basal channel lag above a prominent, seismically-defined erosional surface; .(2) interbedded fine-grained sandstones and claystones, with shell fragments and terrestrially-derived organic material, form the middle part of the channel-fill; and (3) inclined heterolithic stratification (IHS), visible on high-resolution site survey seismic data, is the dominant macro-scale sedimentary structure. The interval adjacent to the incised valley comprises muds and silts with dispersed plant material and shell debris. These data document two major depositional environments
Hampson GJ, Morris JE, Johnson HD, 2015, Synthesis of time-stratigraphic relationships and their impact on hydrocarbon reservoir distribution and performance, Bridport Sand Formation, Wessex Basin, UK, Editors: Smith, Bailey, Burgess, Fraser, Publisher: GEOLOGICAL SOC PUBLISHING HOUSE, Pages: 199-222
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Legler B, Hampson GJ, Jackson CA, et al., 2014, Facies relationships and stratigraphic architecture of distal, mixed tide-and-wave-influenced deltaic deposits: lower Sego Sandstone, western Colorado, Journal of Sedimentary Research, Vol: 84, Pages: 605-625, ISSN: 1527-1404
The facies characteristics and stratigraphic architectures of ancient mixed, wave- and tide-influenced deltas are poorly documented, despite the abundance of analogous modern shorelines. This paper presents the first facies analysis and stratigraphic-architectural characterization of the distal part of the Cretaceous lower Sego Sandstone (Book Cliffs, Colorado, U.S.A.), whose correlative proximal part is arguably the most comprehensively documented example of ancient deltaic strata that exhibit evidence for the activity of tides and waves.The distal lower Sego Sandstone consists of tide-dominated and wave-dominated deposits arranged within four regressive–transgressive tongues bounded by flooding surfaces. The proximal part of each regressive–transgressive tongue contains tide- dominated sandstones that sharply to erosionally overlie, and laterally interfinger with, wave-dominated deposits in the distal part of the tongue. Tide-dominated sandstones are fine to medium grained, and comprise wavy bedded and cross-bedded sandstones with abundant mud drapes, reactivation surfaces, and bidirectional, ebb- and flood-tide-directed paleocurrents. They define active tidal distributary channel-fill and nonchannelized tidal-bar deposits of similar lithologic character, which represent the proximal part of the delta front. Abandoned tidal distributary channel fills comprise intensely bioturbated mudstones. The outer, paleoseaward parts of tidal bars contain direct evidence for mixed tide and wave influence in the form of hummocky cross-stratified, very fine-grained sandstone beds intercalated with cross-bedded, fine- to medium-grained sandstones containing tidal indicators. These deposits locally pass paleoseaward into low-angle and hummocky cross-stratified sandstones with grain size and texture similar to tidal-bar deposits, implying reworking by storm waves. Wave-dominated deposits consist of coarsening-upward successions of mudstone and hummocky cross-stratified
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