Publications
137 results found
Phillips TB, Magee C, Jackson CA-L, et al., 2017, Determining the three-dimensional geometry of a dike swarm and its impact on later rift geometry using seismic reflection data, Geology, Vol: 46, Pages: 119-122, ISSN: 0091-7613
Dike swarm emplacement accommodates extension during rifting and large igneous province (LIP) formation, with ancient dike swarms serving to localize strain during later tectonic events. Deciphering three-dimensional (3-D) dike swarm geometry is critical to accurately calculating magma volumes and magma-assisted crustal extension, allowing syn-emplacement mantle and tectonic processes to be interrogated. It is also important for quantifying the influence of ancient dike swarms on post-emplacement faulting. However, the essentially 2-D nature of Earth's surface, combined with the difficulties in imaging subvertical dikes in seismic reflection data and the relatively low resolution of geophysical data in areas of active diking, means our understanding of dike swarm geometry at depth is limited. We examine an ~25-km-wide, >100-km-long, west-southwest–trending dike swarm imaged, due to post-emplacement rotation to shallower dips, in high-quality 2-D and 3-D seismic reflection data offshore southern Norway. Tuned reflection packages correspond to thin (<75 m thick), closely spaced dikes. These data provide a unique opportunity to image and map an ancient dike swarm at variable structural levels. Crosscutting relationships indicate emplacement occurred in the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian, and was linked to the formation of the ca. 300 Ma Skagerrak-centered LIP. Dike swarm width increases with depth, suggesting that magma volume and crustal extension calculations based on surface exposures are dependent on the level of erosion. During the Mesozoic, rift-related faults localized above and exploited mechanical anisotropies within the dike swarm. We demonstrate that seismic reflection data are a powerful tool in understanding dike swarm geometry and the control of dikes on subsequent faulting.
Claringbould JS, Bell RE, Jackson CAL, et al., 2017, Pre-existing normal faults have limited control on the rift geometry of the northern North Sea, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol: 475, Pages: 190-206, ISSN: 0012-821X
Many rifts develop in response to multiphase extension with numerical and physical models suggesting that reactivation of first-phase normal faults and rift-related variations in bulk crustal rheology control the evolution and final geometry of subsequent rifts. However, many natural multiphase rifts are deeply buried and thus poorly exposed in the field and poorly imaged in seismic reflection data, making it difficult to test these models. Here we integrate recent 3D seismic reflection and borehole data across the entire East Shetland Basin, northern North Sea, to constrain the long-term, regional development of this multiphase rift. We document the following key stages of basin development: (i) pre-Triassic to earliest Triassic development of multiple sub-basins controlled by widely distributed, NNW- to NE-trending, east- and west-dipping faults; (ii) Triassic activity on a single major, NE-trending, west-dipping fault located near the basins western margin, and formation of a large half-graben; and (iii) Jurassic development of a large, E-dipping, N- to NE-trending half-graben near the eastern margin of the basin, which was associated with rift narrowing and strain focusing in the Viking Graben. In contrast to previous studies, which argue for two discrete periods of rifting during the Permian–Triassic and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, we find that rifting in the East Shetland Basin was protracted from pre-Triassic to Cretaceous. We find that, during the Jurassic, most pre-Jurassic normal faults were buried and in some cases cross-cut by newly formed faults, with only a few being reactivated. Previously developed faults thus had only a limited control on the evolution and geometry of the later rift. We instead argue that strain migration and rift narrowing was linked to the evolving thermal state of the lithosphere, an interpretation supporting the predictions of lithosphere-scale numerical models. Our study indicates that additional regional studie
Olakunle O, Chapman M, Bell RE, et al., 2017, Modelling Orthorhombic Anisotropic Effects for Reservoir Fracture Characterization of a Naturally Fractured Tight Carbonate Reservoir, Onshore Texas, USA, Pure and Applied Geophysics
Bell RE, 2017, Modelling Orthorhombic Anisotropic Effects for Reservoir Fracture Characterization of a Naturally Fractured Tight Carbonate Reservoir, Onshore Texas, USA, Pure and Applied Geophysics, ISSN: 1420-9136
Fazli Khani H, Fossen H, Gawthorpe RL, et al., 2017, Basement structure and its influence on the structural configuration of the northern North Sea, Tectonics, Vol: 36, Pages: 1151-1171, ISSN: 1944-9194
The northern North Sea rift basin developed on a heterogeneous crust comprising structures inherited from the Caledonian orogeny and Devonian postorogenic extension. Integrating two-dimensional regional seismic reflection data and information from basement wells, we investigate the prerift structural configuration in the northern North Sea rift. Three seismic facies have been defined below the base rift surface: (1) relatively low-amplitude and low-frequency reflections, interpreted as pre-Caledonian metasediments, Caledonian nappes, and/or Devonian clastic sediments; (2) packages of high-amplitude dipping reflections (>500 ms thick), interpreted as basement shear zones; and (3) medium-amplitude and high-frequency reflections interpreted as less sheared crystalline basement of Proterozoic and Paleozoic (Caledonian) origin. Some zones of Seismic Facies 2 can be linked to onshore Devonian shear zones, whereas others are restricted to the offshore rift area. Interpreted offshore shear zones dip S, ESE, and WNW in contrast to W to NW dipping shear zones onshore West Norway. Our results indicate that Devonian strain and ductile deformation was distributed throughout the Caledonian orogenic belt from central South Norway to the Shetland Platform. Most of the Devonian basins related to this extension are, however, removed by erosion during subsequent exhumation. Basement shear zones reactivated during the rifting and locally control the location and geometry of rift depocenters, e.g., in the Stord and East Shetland basins. Prerift structures with present-day dips >15° were reactivated, although some of the basement shear zones are displaced by rift faults regardless of their orientation relative to rift extension direction.
Al-Maghlouth M, Szafian P, Bell RE, 2017, Characterising carbonate facies using high definition frequency decomposition: case study from northwest Australia, Interpretation, Vol: 5, Pages: SJ49-SJ59, ISSN: 0020-9635
Carbonate facies identification is difficult using conventional seismic attributes due to subtle lithologic changes that cannot be easily recognized. Therefore, there is a need to develop new methodologies to study their evolution and their associated sedimentary processes, which will eventually lead to better prediction for reservoir-quality rocks. New insights into the Cenozoic carbonates in North West Australia have been captured with the application of a high-definition seismic attribute workflow. The workflow starts with conditioning of the seismic volume using structurally oriented noise attenuation filters to remove any random and coherent noise from the input data. It also benefits from a high-definition frequency decomposition that matches the original seismic resolution without smearing interfaces using a “matching pursuit” algorithm. A color blend of multigeometric attributes, such as semblance and conformance, has also been used in the workflow to define edges and discontinuities present in the data within carbonate deposits that are attributed to depositional geometries, such as barrier reefs. Our workflow has been developed to investigate the geomorphology and the sedimentary processes affecting Cenozoic successions in the Northern Carnarvon Basin in North West Australia. Geomorphological and sedimentological observations have been documented such as an Eocene rounded carbonate ramp with evidence of slump blocks and scarps, Middle Miocene accretions generated due to longshore drift, and the presence of Pliocene-Pleistocene patch and barrier reefs. These observations were extracted as geobodies to allow for visualization, and they can be used in an automated seismically based facies classification scheme. The new appreciations are not only useful for understanding the carbonate evolution but can also be used to identify geohazards such as slumps ahead of future drilling.
Jackson, Rotevatn A, Tvedt BM, et al., 2017, The role of gravitational collapse in controlling the evolution of crestal faults systems (Espirito Santo Basin, SE Brazil) - Discussion, Journal of Structural Geology, Vol: 98, Pages: 95-97, ISSN: 0191-8141
Jackson CA-L, Bell RE, Rotevatn A, et al., 2017, Techniques to determine the kinematics of synsedimentary normal faults and implications for fault growth models, Geometry and Growth of Normal Faults
Bell RE, Kwok YT, Mochizuki K, 2017, Characterising the Japan Trench subduction margin in the vicinity of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake using seismic reflection data, EGU General Assembly
Bell RE, Orme H, Lenette K, et al., 2017, Geometry and kinematics of accretionary wedge faults inherited from the structure and rheology of the incoming sedimentary section; insights from 3D seismic reflection, EGU General Assembly
Bell R, Szafian P, Hampson GJ, et al., 2017, Identification of dolomite bodies using seismic attributes - A case study from the Arabian Basin, onshore Saudi Arabia
The aim of this study is to test a new seismic interpretation workflow based on high-definition seismic attributes, by evaluating its efficiency in identifying and mapping dolomite bodies and dolomitization fronts. Recently shot 3D seismic data from the Arabian Basin, onshore Saudi Arabia have been chosen for evaluating the workflow, since they cover a rock volume that exhibits extensive dolomitization containing dolomite bodies more than 300 m thick. The seismic interpretation has been calibrated with well-log and core data, to ensure that the results are geologically plausible. The results of the new high-definition workflow have also been benchmarked with conventional seismic attributes, such as RMS amplitudes, to evaluate the efficiency and level of detail provided by the new approach.
Bell R, Szafian P, Hampson GJ, et al., 2017, Identification of dolomite bodies using seismic attributes - A case study from the Arabian Basin, onshore Saudi Arabia
The aim of this study is to test a new seismic interpretation workflow based on high-definition seismic attributes, by evaluating its efficiency in identifying and mapping dolomite bodies and dolomitization fronts. Recently shot 3D seismic data from the Arabian Basin, onshore Saudi Arabia have been chosen for evaluating the workflow, since they cover a rock volume that exhibits extensive dolomitization containing dolomite bodies more than 300 m thick. The seismic interpretation has been calibrated with well-log and core data, to ensure that the results are geologically plausible. The results of the new high-definition workflow have also been benchmarked with conventional seismic attributes, such as RMS amplitudes, to evaluate the efficiency and level of detail provided by the new approach.
Duffy OB, Nixon CW, Bell RE, et al., 2016, Topology of Evolving Rift Fault Networks: Single-Phase vs. Multi-Phase Rifts, Journal of Structural Geology, ISSN: 0191-8141
Bell RE, Orme H, Jackson CA-L, et al., 2016, Geometry and growth of segmented thrust faults influences hydraulic connectivity in accretionary wedges: New Insights from 3D seismic reflection data, AGU Fall meeting
Bell RE, Duclaux G, Nixon C, et al., 2016, High-angle faults control the geometry and morphology of the Corinth Rift, AGU Fall Meeting
Phillips T, Jackson CA-L, Bell RE, et al., 2016, Reactivation of intrabasement structures during rifting: a case study from offshore southern Norway, Journal of Structural Geology, Vol: 91, Pages: 54-73, ISSN: 0191-8141
Pre-existing structures within crystalline basement may exert a significant influence over the evolution of rifts. However, the exact manner in which these structures reactivate and thus their degree of influence over the overlying rift is poorly understood. Using borehole-constrained 2D and 3D seismic reflection data from offshore Southern Norway we identify and constrain the three-dimensional geometry of a series of enigmatic intrabasement reflections. Through 1D waveform modelling and 3D mapping of these reflection packages, we correlate them to the onshore Caledonian thrust belt and Devonian shear zones. Based on the seismic-stratigraphic architecture of the post-basement succession we identify several phases of reactivation of the intrabasement structures associated with multiple tectonicevents. Reactivation preferentially occurs along relatively thick (c. 1km), relatively steeply dipping (c. 30°) structures, with three main styles of interactions observed between them and overlying faults: (i) faults exploiting intrabasement weaknesses represented by intra-shear zone mylonites; (ii) faults that initiate within the hangingwall of the shear zones, inheriting their orientation and merging with said structure at depth; or (iii) faults that initiate independently from and cross-cut intrabasement structures. We demonstrate that large-scale discrete shear zones act as a long-lived structural template for fault initiation during multiple phases of rifting.
Reeve MT, Jackson CA-L, Bell RE, et al., 2016, The Stratigraphic Record of Pre-breakup Geodynamics: Evidence from the Barrow Delta, offshore Northwest Australia, Tectonics, Vol: 35, Pages: 1935-1968, ISSN: 1944-9194
The structural and stratigraphic evolution of rift basins and passive margins has been widely studied, with many analyses demonstrating that delta systems can provide important records of post-rift geodynamic processes. However, the apparent lack of ancient syn-breakup delta systems and the paucity of seismic imaging across continent-ocean boundaries means the transition from continental rifting to oceanic spreading remains poorly understood. The Early Cretaceous Barrow Group of the North Carnarvon Basin, offshore NW Australia was a major deltaic system that formed during the latter stages of continental rifting, and represents a rich sedimentary archive, documenting uplift, subsidence and erosion of the margin. We use a regional database of 2D and 3D seismic and well data to constrain the internal architecture of the Barrow Group. Our results highlight three major depocentres: the Exmouth and Barrow sub-basins, and southern Exmouth Plateau. Over-compaction of pre-Cretaceous sedimentary rocks in the South Carnarvon Basin, and pervasive reworking of Permian and Triassic palynomorphs in the offshore Barrow Group, suggests that the onshore South Carnarvon Basin originally contained a thicker sedimentary succession, which was uplifted and eroded prior to breakup. Backstripping of sedimentary successions encountered in wells in the Exmouth Plateau depocentre indicate anomalously rapid tectonic subsidence (≤0.24 mm yr-1) accommodated Barrow Group deposition, despite evidence for minimal, contemporaneous upper crustal extension. Our results suggest that classic models of uniform extension cannot account for the observations of uplift and subsidence in the North Carnarvon Basin, and may indicate a period of depth-dependent extension or dynamic topography preceding breakup.
Nixon CW, McNeill LC, Bull JM, et al., 2016, Rapid spatio-temporal variations in rift structure during development of the Corinth Rift, central Greece, Tectonics, ISSN: 1944-9194
Duffy OB, Bell RE, Jackson CA-L, et al., 2015, Fault Growth and Interactions in a Multiphase Rift Fault Network: Horda Platform, Norwegian North Sea, Journal of Structural Geology, Vol: 80, Pages: 99-119, ISSN: 0191-8141
Physical models predict that multiphase rifts that experience a change in extension direction between stretching phases will typically develop non-colinear normal fault sets. Furthermore, multiphase rifts will display a greater frequency and range of styles of fault interactions than single-phase rifts. Although these physical models have yielded useful information on the evolution of fault networks in map view, the true 3D geometry of the faults and associated interactions are poorly understood. Here, we use an integrated 3D seismic reflection and borehole dataset to examine a range of fault interactions that occur in a natural multiphase fault network in the northern Horda Platform, northern North Sea. In particular we aim to: i) determine the range of styles of fault interaction that occur between non-colinear faults; ii) examine the typical geometries and throw patterns associated with each of these different styles; and iii) highlight the differences between single-phase and multiphase rift fault networks. Our study focuses on a ca. 350 km2 region around the >60 km long, N-S-striking Tusse Fault, a normal fault system that was active in the Permian-Triassic and again in the Late Jurassic-to-Early Cretaceous. The Tusse Fault is one of a series of large (>1500 m throw) N-S-striking faults forming part of the northern Horda Platform fault network, which includes numerous smaller (2-10 km long), lower throw (<100 m), predominantly NW-SE-striking faults that were only active during the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous. We examine how the 2nd-stage NW-SE-striking faults grew, interacted and linked with the N-S-striking Tusse Fault, documenting a range of interaction styles including mechanical and kinematic isolation, abutment, retardation and reactivated relays. Our results demonstrate that: i) isolated, non-interacting and abutting interactions are the most common fault interaction styles in the northern Horda Platform; ii) pre-existing faults can act as
Magee C, Duffy OB, Purnell K, et al., 2015, Fault-controlled fluid flow inferred from hydrothermal vents imaged in 3D seismic reflection data, offshore NW Australia, Basin Research, Vol: 28, Pages: 299-318, ISSN: 1365-2117
Fluid migration pathways in the subsurface are heavily influenced by pre-existing faults. Although studies of active fluid-escape structures can provide insights into the relationships between faults and fluid flow, they cannot fully constrain the geometry of and controls on the contemporaneous subsurface fluid flow pathways. We use 3D seismic reflection data from offshore NW Australia to map 121 ancient hydrothermal vents, likely related to magmatic activity, and a normal fault array considered to form fluid pathways. The buried vents consist of craters up to 264 m deep, which host a mound of disaggregated sedimentary material up to 518 m thick. There is a correlation between vent alignment and underlying fault traces. Seismic-stratigraphic observations and fault kinematic analyses reveal that the vents were emplaced on an intra-Tithonian seabed in response to the explosive release of fluids hosted within the fault array. We speculate that during the Late Jurassic the convex-upwards morphology of the upper tip-lines of individual faults acted to channelize ascending fluids and control where fluid expulsion and vent formation occurred. This contribution highlights the usefulness of 3D seismic reflection data to constraining normal fault-controlled subsurface fluid flow.
Reeve MT, Bell RE, Duffy OB, et al., 2014, The Development of Non-Colinear Fault Systems: What Can We Learn From 3D Seismic Reflection Data?, Journal of Structural Geology, Vol: 70, Pages: 141-155, ISSN: 0191-8141
Many rift zones exhibit a range of fault orientations, rather than simple colinear faults that strike orthogonal to the least principal stress. The formation of non-colinear fault sets has implications in assessing rift zone kinematics, as well as determining the palaeo-stress state in extensional basins. Using high-resolution borehole-constrained 3D seismic reflection data we deduce the likely mechanisms responsible for the formation of a population of non-colinear faults in the Måløy Slope area of the northern North Sea. Three basement-displacing fault populations exist on the Måløy Slope; (i) large (>1 km throw), N-S-striking faults, and smaller (<250 m throw) (ii) N-S- and (iii) NE-SW-striking faults, all of which initiated in the Middle Jurassic. Coeval growth of these fault populations, and the apparent correlation between the NE-SW faults and a NE-SW-trending gravity and magnetic anomaly high suggests that variation in basement properties may have represented a NE-SW trending zone of weakness which was subsequently exploited during Jurassic extension. The results of our study have critical implications for understanding the larger-scale kinematic evolution of the North Sea rift, arguing that major rotations in the extension direction are not required to generate multiple fault sets locally or across the rift.
Jackson CA-L, Rodriguez CR, Rotevatn A, et al., 2014, Geological and geophysical expression of a primary salt weld; an example from the Santos Basin, Brazil, Interpretation, Vol: 2, Pages: SM77-SM89
Primary salt welds form at the base of minibasins in response to complete evacuation of autochthonous salt. Analytical and numerical models suggest it is difficult to completely remove salt from a weld by viscous flow alone, which is especially true in multilayered evaporites, within which flow is likely heterogeneous due to lithologically controlled viscosity variations. Welds are of importance in the hydrocarbon industry because they may provide a hydrodynamic seal and trap hydrocarbons or may allow transmission of fluids from source to reservoir rocks. Few papers document the subsurface expression of welds, principally because of they have not been penetrated or because associated data are proprietary. We use 3D seismic and borehole data from the Santos Basin, offshore Brazil to characterise the geological and geophysical expression of a primary weld associated with the flow of Aptian salt. Seismic data suggest that, locally, presalt and postsalt rocks are in contact at the base of an Upper Cretaceous minibasin, implying that several apparent welds, separated by low-relief salt pillows, are present. However, borehole data indicate that 22 m of anhydrite, carbonate and sandstone are present in one of the welds, indicating that this and other welds may be incomplete. Our study shows that seismic data may be unable to discriminate between a complete and incomplete weld, and we suggest that, during the subsurface analysis of welds, the term ‘apparent weld’ is used until borehole data unequivocally proves the absence of salt. Furthermore, we speculate that preferential expulsion of halite and potash salt from the autochthonous layer during viscous flow and welding resulted in the formation of an incomplete weld, which, when compared to the initial autochthonous layer, is volumetrically enriched in non-evaporite lithologies and relatively viscous evaporite lithologies (anhydrite). The composition and stratigraphy of the autochthonous layer may thus dictate
Bell RE, Jackson CA-L, Whipp PS, et al., 2014, Strain migration during multiphase extension: observations from the northern North Sea, Tectonics, Vol: 43, Pages: 1936-1963
Many rifts develop through multiphase extension; it can be difficult, however, to determine how strain is distributed during reactivation because structural and stratigraphic evidence associated with earlier rifting is often deeply buried. Using 2D and 3D seismic reflection and borehole data from the northern North Sea, we examine the style, magnitude and timing of reactivation of a pre-existing, Permian-Triassic (Rift Phase 1) fault array during a subsequent period of Middle Jurassic-to-Early Cretaceous (Rift Phase 2) extension. We show that Rift Phase 2 led to the formation of new N-S-striking faults close to the North Viking Graben, but did not initially reactivate pre-existing Rift Phase 1 structures on the Horda Platform. We suggest that, at the beginning of Rift Phase 2, strain was focused in a zone of thermally weakened lithosphere associated with the Middle Jurassic North Sea thermal dome, rather than reactivating extant faults. Diachronous reactivation of the Permian-Triassic fault network did eventually occur, with those faults located closer to the Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous rift-axis reactivating earlier than those toward the eastern margin. This diachroneity may have been related to flexural down-bending as strain became focused within the North Viking Graben and/or the shifting of the locus of rifting from the North Sea to the proto-North Atlantic. Our study shows that the geometry and evolution of multiphase rifts is not only controlled by the orientation of the underlying fault network, but also by the thermal and rheological evolution of the lithosphere and variations in the regional stress field.
Reeve MT, Bell RE, Jackson CA-L, 2014, Origin and significance of intra-basement seismic reflections offshore western Norway (vol 171, pg 1, 2014), JOURNAL OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY, Vol: 171, Pages: 737-737, ISSN: 0016-7649
Bell RE, Holden C, Power W, et al., 2014, Hikurangi margin tsunami earthquake generated by slow seismic rupture over a subducted seamount, Earth and Planetary Science Letters, Vol: 397, Pages: 1-9, ISSN: 0012-821X
Tsunami earthquakes generate much larger tsunami than their surface wave magnitude would suggest and are a problem for tsunami warning systems. They are often not accompanied by intense or even strong ground shaking and hence do not provide a natural warning for self-evacuation. The lesser-known 1947 Offshore Poverty Bay and Tolaga Bay earthquakes along the east coast of the North Island, New Zealand share many characteristics with other well-known tsunami earthquakes (including low amplitude shaking, long durations and anomalously large tsunami), however these two New Zealand events are rare in that their source area has been imaged directly by long-offset 2D seismic reflection profiles. In this contribution we propose a source model for the 1947 Offshore Poverty Bay tsunami earthquake, recognising that the hypocentre occurs in a region where seismic reflection and magnetic data support the existence of a shallow (<10 km) subducted seamount updip of an area that experiences slow slip events. We propose a fault source model for the 1947 Offshore Poverty Bay event with two potential slip scenarios: i) uniform slip of 2.6 m across the fault; or ii) variable slip with slip of up to 5–6 m in the region of a more strongly geodetically coupled subducted seamount. Both the uniform and variable slip models require an unusually low rupture velocity of 150–300 m/s in order to model regional and teleseismic seismograms. Tsunami modelling shows that tsunami run-up heights are more than doubled when low rupture speeds of 150–300 m/s are employed, rather than assuming instantaneous rupture. This study suggests that subducted topography can cause the nucleation of up to earthquakes with complex, low velocity rupture scenarios that enhance tsunami waves, and their role in seismic hazard should not be under-estimated.
Bell RE, Jackson CAL, Elliott GM, et al., 2014, Insights into the development of major rift-related unconformities from geologically constrained subsidence modelling: Halten Terrace, offshore mid Norway, Basin Research, Vol: 26, Pages: 203-224
Due to the effects of sediment compaction, thermal subsidence and ‘post-rift’ fault reactivation, the present-day geometry of buried, ancient rift basins may not accurately reflect the geometry of the basin at any stage of its syn-rift evolution. An understanding of the geometry of a rift basin through time is crucial for resolving the dynamics of continental rifting and in assessing the hydrocarbon prospectivity of such basins. In this study, we have restored the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous geometry of the southern Halten Terrace, offshore mid Norway, using a combination of well log- and core-derived, sedimentological and stratigraphic data, seismic-stratigraphic observations and reverse subsidence modelling. This integrated geological and geophysical approach has allowed the large number of input parameters involved in flexural backstripping and post-rift thermal subsidence modelling to be constrained. We have thus been able to determine the regional structure of the basin at the end of the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous rift phase and the associated amount of crustal stretching. Our basin geometry reconstructions reveal that, during the latest syn-rift period in the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, the Halten Terrace was characterized by a series of isolated depocentres, located between footwall islands, which were not connected into a single depocentre until the Late Cretaceous (Coniacian). We show that two major unconformities, which are now vertically offset by ca. 2 km and located ca. 60 km apart, formed at similar subaerial elevations in the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous and were subsequently vertically offset by thermally induced tilting of the basin margin. Cretaceous sediments were deposited in a single, relatively unconfined basin in water depths of 1–1.5 km. The β profile that best restores palaeobathymetry to match our geological constraints is the same as that derived from summing visible post-Late Tri
Alves TM, Bell RE, Jackson CA-L, et al., 2014, Deep-water continental margins: geological and economic frontiers, Basin Research, Vol: 26, Pages: 3-9
Deep-water margins have been the focus of considerable research during the past decade. They comprise vast, underexplored regions, in which only recently have improvements in seismic imaging and drilling technology allowed the discovery of significant hydrocarbon accumulations. This volume comprises of a series of manuscripts based on studies from continental margins bordering India, East Africa, Australia, China, Norway, the United Kingdom, Iberia, Newfoundland, the southern US, West Africa and Brazil, thus offering a global perspective on the evolution and economic significance of deep-water margins. The articles in this volume examine: (i) the quantification of extension and hyperextension in distal parts of continental margins, and their relationship with regional subsidence, (ii) the importance of magmatism in the structural and thermal evolution of rifted continental margins, (iii) the processes driving and the significance of regional exhumation during and after syn-rift stretching, (iv) the tectonic setting of salt basins and (v) depositional patterns along deep-water margins. To complement this work, we present a personal view of some of the specific questions that need to be addressed in the next few years of deep-water continental margin research.
Bell RE, Duffy O, Jackson CA-L, et al., 2014, Long term (> 250 Ma) and long length-scale (>300 km) strain migration along a rift border fault, Geometry and Growth of Normal Faults
Xutong L, Bell RE, Wrona T, et al., 2014, Drilling a virtual core in the Gulf of Corinth, MAGELLAN Plus/NERC UKIODP Workshop
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