Composition, Tectonics, and Hydrocarbon Significance of Zechstein Supergroup Salt on the United Kingdom and Norwegian Continental Shelves

Jackson, Christopher; Stewart, Simon

doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809417-4.00009-4

Cited by 21 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…E‐W oriented extension and associated magmatism occurred across central Europe and the southern North Sea during the late Carboniferous‐early Permian, mainly affecting the southern part of the study area (Figure ; Pegrum, ; Phillips et al, ; Wilson et al, ). Postrift thermal subsidence following late Carboniferous‐early Permian extension led to the formation of the North and South Permian basins, and deposition of the evaporite‐dominated Zechstein Supergroup, which influenced depocenter distribution in the southern section of the study area (Jackson & Stewart, ; Stewart et al, ; Stewart & Coward, ). The first major rift phase to have affected the northern North Sea rift initiated in the late Permian and continued into the Early Triassic (here termed Rift Phase 1 (RP1); Coward, ; Coward et al, ; Færseth, ; Roberts et al, ; Ziegler, ).…”

Section: Regional Setting and Evolution Of The North Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Structural Inheritance and Multiphase Extension on Rift Development, the NorthernNorth Sea

et al. 2019

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The northern North Sea rift evolved through multiple rift phases within a highly heterogeneous crystalline basement. The geometry and evolution of syn-rift depocenters during this multiphase evolution and the mechanisms and extent to which they were influenced by preexisting structural heterogeneities remain elusive, particularly at the regional scale. Using an extensive database of borehole-constrained 2D seismic reflection data, we examine how the physiography of the northern North Sea rift evolved throughout late Permian-Early Triassic (RP1) and Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous (RP2) rift phases, and assess the influence of basement structures related to the Caledonian orogeny and subsequent Devonian extension. During RP1, the location of major depocenters, the Stord and East Shetland basins, was controlled by favorably oriented Devonian shear zones. RP2 shows a diminished influence from structural heterogeneities, activity localizes along the Viking-Sogn graben system and the East Shetland Basin, with negligible activity in the Stord Basin and Horda Platform. The Utsira High and the Devonian Lomre Shear Zone form the eastern barrier to rift activity during RP2. Toward the end of RP2, rift activity migrated northward as extension related to opening of the proto-North Atlantic becomes the dominant regional stress as rift activity in the northern North Sea decreases. Through documenting the evolving syn-rift depocenters of the northern North Sea rift, we show how structural heterogeneities and prior rift phases influence regional rift physiography and kinematics, controlling the segmentation of depocenters, as well as the locations, styles, and magnitude of fault activity and reactivation during subsequent events.

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Section: Regional Setting and Evolution Of The North Seamentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Structural Inheritance and Multiphase Extension on Rift Development, the NorthernNorth Sea

et al. 2019

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“…Similar relationships between thickness, composition and structural position have been described from the UK sector of the North Sea (Figure ; Clark et al, ; Stewart, ; see also Jackson & Lewis, ; Jackson & Stewart, ); we incorporate these observations with our data from offshore SW Norway to produce what we believe is the first, almost fully northern North Sea‐wide map of the ZSG distribution and lithology (Figure ). Even though the relationship between ZSG thickness and composition and structural position is strong, it is not clear if the thickness and potentially, the primary lithological variability of the unit has been strongly modified by post‐depositional flow; in this case, unit thickness and composition may not, therefore, reflect or be used to infer the syn‐depositional basin physiography.…”

Section: Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 63%

“…The Zechstein Supergroup (ZSG) is one of the world's best‐known and largest salt giants, documenting repeated flooding and evaporation of a continent‐scale saline water body that covered much of NW Europe during the Lopingian (i.e. late Permian) (Bachmann et al, ; Glennie, Highman, & Stemmerik, ; Jackson & Stewart, ; McKie, ; Soto, Flinch, & Tari, ). Notably, the ZSG occurs within the prerift succession to and likely influenced the development of, the Middle Jurassic‐to‐Early Cretaceous rift.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Compared to the UK sector, almost nothing is known about basin‐scale compositional variations in the ZSG in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea Basin (Jackson & Stewart, ). Jackson and Lewis () use 3D seismic and reflection data from the Sele High Fault System, eastern Sele High, to document rapid across‐fault variations in salt thickness and composition, demonstrating the footwall apex of this large‐displacement fault system (>2 km) is capped by relatively thin (58 m), largely immobile carbonate and claystone, whereas relatively thick (>200 m) and mobile halite occurs in the adjacent hangingwall.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Salt thickness and composition influence rift structural style, northern North Sea, offshore Norway

et al. 2019

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“Salt” giants are typically halite‐dominated, although they invariably contain other evaporite (e.g. anhydrite, bittern salts) and non‐evaporite (e.g. carbonate, clastic) rocks. Rheological differences between these rocks mean they impact or respond to rift‐related, upper crustal deformation in different ways. Our understanding of basin‐scale lithology variations in ancient salt giants, what controls this and how this impacts later rift‐related deformation, is poor, principally due to a lack of subsurface datasets of sufficiently regional extent. Here we use 2D seismic reflection and borehole data from offshore Norway to map compositional variations within the Zechstein Supergroup (ZSG) (Lopingian), relating this to the structural styles developed during Middle Jurassic‐to‐Early Cretaceous rifting. Based on the proportion of halite, we identify and map four intrasalt depositional zones (sensu Clark et al., Journal of the Geological Society, 1998, 155, 663) offshore Norway. We show that, at the basin margins, the ZSG is carbonate‐dominated, whereas towards the basin centre, it becomes increasingly halite‐dominated, a trend observed in the UK sector of the North Sea Basin and in other ancient salt giants. However, we also document abrupt, large magnitude compositional and thickness variations adjacent to large, intra‐basin normal faults; for example, thin, carbonate‐dominated successions occur on fault‐bounded footwall highs, whereas thick, halite‐dominated successions occur only a few kilometres away in adjacent depocentres. It is presently unclear if this variability reflects variations in syn‐depositional relief related to flooding of an underfilled presalt (Early Permian) rift or syn‐depositional (Lopingian) rift‐related faulting. Irrespective of the underlying controls, variations in salt composition and thickness influenced the Middle Jurassic‐to‐Early Cretaceous rift structural style, with diapirism characterising hangingwall basins where autochthonous salt was thick and halite‐rich and salt‐detached normal faulting occurring on the basin margins and on intra‐basin structural highs where the salt was too thin and/or halite‐poor to undergo diapirism. This variability is currently not captured by existing tectono‐stratigraphic models largely based on observations from salt‐free rifts and, we argue, mapping of suprasalt structural styles may provide insights into salt composition and thickness in areas where boreholes are lacking or seismic imaging is poor.

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“…This leads to significant differences in the structural styles and evolution of salt-influenced basins relative to those unaffected by salt. Thick layers of salt have been encountered in several basins across the European Atlantic margin, including offshore Iberia (Alves et al, 2006;Pena dos Reis et al, 2017;Ramos et al, 2017;Zamora et al, 2017), offshore France (Chapman, 1989;Ferrer et al, 2012), on the United Kingdom Continental Shelf (UKCS) (Stewart et al, 1996;Jackson & Stewart, 2017) and offshore Norway (Jackson et al, 2019;Rojo et al, 2019). Salt is also present in basins on the conjugate margin of Atlantic Canada (Jansa et al, 1980;Deptuck & Kendell, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-layered salt-prone stratigraphy and its influence on rift-basin development; The Slyne and Erris basins, offshore NW Ireland

O’Sullivan¹,

Childs²,

Saqab³

et al. 2024

Preprint

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While salt-influenced rift basins have been identified across the European Atlantic margin, the Irish Atlantic margin remains the exception despite salt being proven in several boreholes. Using an extensive seismic database coupled with data from exploration wells and shallow boreholes, this study maps the distribution and composition of salt layers and investigates their role in the structural evolution of the Slyne and Erris basins offshore west of Ireland. Two salt-prone intervals have been proven: The Upper Permian Zechstein Group and the Upper Triassic Uilleann Halite Member. The Zechstein Group is present throughout the Slyne and Erris basins, while the Uilleann Halite Member is only developed in the Northern Slyne and Southern Erris sub-basins. Where salt-prone, both layers mechanically detach pre-, post-, and intra-salt stratigraphy. Both layers underwent halokinesis during basin development, creating a variety of salt-related structures; The Zechstein Group forms salt pillows and salt rollers, causing folding and rafting in the overlying Mesozoic section, driven by active faulting within the pre-salt basement. The Uilleann Halite Member caused thinskinned crestal collapse of the overlying Jurassic section above anticlines cored by Zechstein salt. Where both Triassic and Permian salt are present, unique structural geometries are formed when two stratigraphically discrete but kinematically linked halokinetic structures develop. The most common structural configuration consists of a Zechstein salt pillow and an Uilleann Halite salt wall separated by Lower Triassic sandstones. The fold-axis of the salt pillow trends parallel to the strike of the salt wall. The results of this study provide a framework for the evolution of halokinetic structures in other basins on the Irish Atlantic margin, greater insight into the Permian and Triassic paleogeography of the region, as well as having more general implications for the evolution of salt-related structures in rift basins with multiple stratigraphically discrete salt layers. This research is funded in part by a research grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) under Grant Number 13/RC/2092 and is co-funded under the European Regional Development Fund, and by the Petroleum Infrastructure Programme (PIP) and its member companies. Efstratios Delogkos is thanked for thoughtful discussions regarding the links between the Slyne and Erris basins and the Bróna and Pádraig basins. Neil Jones and Kristian Lomas are thanked for engaging discussions on the structural evolution of the Slyne and Goban Spur basins respectively. The authors would like to thank the Petroleum Affairs Division (PAD) of the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCAE), Ireland, for providing access to released well, seismic, and potential field datasets. Europa Oil & Gas are thanked for providing access to the Inishkea 2018 reprocessed seismic volume and allowing a section from the volume to be shown. Shell Exploration & Production Ireland Ltd. are thanked for providing acc...

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Composition, Tectonics, and Hydrocarbon Significance of Zechstein Supergroup Salt on the United Kingdom and Norwegian Continental Shelves

Cited by 21 publications

References 55 publications

The Influence of Structural Inheritance and Multiphase Extension on Rift Development, the NorthernNorth Sea

The Influence of Structural Inheritance and Multiphase Extension on Rift Development, the NorthernNorth Sea

Salt thickness and composition influence rift structural style, northern North Sea, offshore Norway

Multi-layered salt-prone stratigraphy and its influence on rift-basin development; The Slyne and Erris basins, offshore NW Ireland

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