No abstract

Regional seismic reflection profiles and potential field data across the conjugate magma-poor Camamu/Almada-Gabon margins, complemented by crustal-scale gravity modelling and plate reconstructions, are used to reveal and illustrate the relationship of crustal structure to along-margin variation of potential field anomalies, to refine and constrain the continent -ocean boundary, as well as to study the structural architecture and nature of the continent -ocean transitional domain. The analysis reveals that the prominent conjugate Salvador-N'Komi transfer system appears to be a first-order structural element, governing the margin segmentation and evolution, and may have acted as an intraplate decoupling zone. The continent -ocean transitional domain, offshore northeastern Brazil, is characterized by rotated fault-blocks and wedge-shaped syn-rift sedimentary sequences overlying a prominent and undulated reflector ('M-reflector'), which in turn characterizes the boundary between an extremely thinned, possibly magmatically intruded, continental crust and normal lithospheric mantle. The 'M-reflector' in the northeastern Brazilian margin shows remarkable similarities to the S-reflector at the West Iberia margin. In the same way, the 'M-reflector' is interpreted as a detachment surface that was active during rifting. Unlike the well studied central and northern segments of the West Iberia margin, however, the present study of the northeastern Brazilian margin does not clearly reveal evidence of an exhumation phase. The latter predicts exhumation of middle and lower crust followed by mantle exhumation. Increase in volcanic activity during the late stages of rifting may have 'interrupted' the extensional system, implying a failed exhumation phase. In this setting, the break-up and drift phase may have replaced the exhumation phase. Nevertheless, the available observations cannot discount the possibility that the 'M-reflector' is underlain by partially serpentinized mantle. Our study further leads to the development of a detailed conceptual model, accounting for the complex tectonomagmatic evolution of the conjugate northeastern Brazilian-Gabon margins. This model substantiates a polyphase rifting evolution mode, which is associated with a complex time-dependent thermal structure of the lithosphere. In the conjugate margin setting, asymmetrical lithospheric extension resulted in the formation of the thinned continental crust domain prior to the formation of the approximately symmetrical transitional domain.

Outcrop analogue studies can significantly improve the understanding of fracture distribution and their impact on fluid flow in hydrocarbon reservoirs. In particular, the outcrops may reveal details on the relationships between mechanical stratigraphy and fracture characteristics. This has been investigated in an integrated sedimentological-structural geological study in the Aquitanian sequence of the Asmari Formation on the NE limb of the Khaviz Anticline in the Zagros foothills in SW Iran. The Aquitanian sequence was deposited in a platform top setting and is characterized by well-defined bedding planes and relatively thin layers (<4 m) with rapid changes in textures from laminated peritidal mudstones to bioclast and ooid grainstones. Fractures in the studied area dominantly strike parallel to the fold axis, have a high angle to bedding and are stratabound. In the literature it is often reported that fracture spacing or the inverse fracture intensity (FI) is controlled by the mechanical layer thickness (MLT). However, in the present study area a rather poor correlation between FI and MLT was observed. Instead, the Dunham texture appears to be more important for the FI. Mud-supported textures (mudstone and wackestone) have higher FI than grain-supported (packstone and grainstone) ones. The degree of dolomitization does not appear to have any significant effect on FI within each texture class. A strong relationship between FI and MLT is observed generally in cases where there has been one single phase of extension and when interbed contacts are weak, e.g. interbedded competent limestones and incompetent shales. However, in the present study area a rather complex deformation history exists and well-developed shales between fractured carbonate layeres are lacking. It is suggested that in such cases the MLT is of minor importance for the FI, which is controlled by the texture.

Field observations in western Sinai show that damage zones around faults are characterized by (a) a decrease in the frequency of small-scale structures with increasing distance from the master fault, (b) clustering of these structures across damage zones, and (c) a positive relationship between damage zone width and master fault throw in logarithmic space, up to maximum width of about 80 m. This relationship allows damage zone width to be estimated from fault throw, a parameter obtainable from seismic data. Preliminary data on the interconnectivity of structures within damage zones indicate that granulation seams are more likely to intersect than tip out. The thicknesses of small-scale structures were measured, and the cumulative thicknesses of all small-scale structures within individual damage zones calculated. In the examples given, these cumulative thicknesses are up to 1 m within 10-30 m wide damage zones, implying that as much as 1 m of deformed rock, most likely with reduced porosity and permeability, occurs across damage zones. This, together with the interconnectivity data, suggests that the impact of faults on fluid flow may occur not only at fault planes, but throughout their damage zones.

Tectonic subsidence in rift basins is often characterised by an initial period of slow subsidence (‘rift initiation’) followed by a period of more rapid subsidence (‘rift climax’). Previous work shows that the transition from rift initiation to rift climax can be explained by interactions between the stress fields of growing faults. Despite the prevalence of evaporites throughout the geological record, and the likelihood that the presence of a regionally extensive evaporite layer will introduce an important, sub‐horizontal rheological heterogeneity into the upper crust, there have been few studies that document the impact of salt on the localisation of extensional strain in rift basins. Here, we use well‐calibrated three‐dimensional seismic reflection data to constrain the distribution and timing of fault activity during Early Jurassic–Earliest Cretaceous rifting in the Åsgard area, Halten Terrace, offshore Mid‐Norway. Permo‐Triassic basement rocks are overlain by a thick sequence of interbedded halite, anhydrite and mudstone. Our results show that rift initiation during the Early Jurassic was characterised by distributed deformation along blind faults within the basement, and by localised deformation along the major Smørbukk and Trestakk faults within the cover. Rift climax and the end of rifting showed continued deformation along the Smørbukk and Trestakk faults, together with initiation of new extensional faults oblique to the main basement trends. We propose that these new faults developed in response to salt movement and/or gravity sliding on the evaporite layer above the tilted basement fault blocks. Rapid strain localisation within the post‐salt cover sequence at the onset of rifting is consistent with previous experimental studies that show strain localisation is favoured by the presence of a weak viscous substrate beneath a brittle overburden.