Impact of normal faulting and pre‐rift salt tectonics on the structural style of salt‐influenced rifts: the Late Jurassic Norwegian Central Graben, North Sea

Ge, Zhiyuan; Gawthorpe, Rob L.; Rotevatn, Atle; Thomas, Michel Bøgh

doi:10.1111/bre.12219

Cited by 17 publications

(12 citation statements)

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“…In the northern Danish‐Norwegian Basin the presence of Permian evaporites decouples reactivated basement structures from rift‐related normal faults above the evaporites [ Heeremans and Faleide , ]. Hence, the suprasalt fault and basin geometry are controlled by the (re)distribution of evaporites [ Duffy et al ., ; Ge et al ., ], regardless of the reactivation of preexisting basement shear zones (here JSZ) at depth (C in Figure ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basement structure and its influence on the structural configuration of the northern North Sea rift

et al. 2017

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Basement structure and its influence on the structural configuration of the northern North Sea rift

et al. 2017

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“…halite, potash salt). Salt basin morphology is thus a key control on lithology distribution in salt giants and the resulting spatial variations in the mechanical‐stratigraphic of the prerift template may directly govern structural styles during subsequent phases of crustal extension (Clark et al, ; Duffy et al, ; Ge et al, ; Jackson & Lewis, ; Lewis et al, ; Marsh et al, ; Stewart et al, ; Wilson et al, ).…”

Section: Interpretation and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In Model 4, variations in the thickness and lithology of the ZSG were simply augmented by syn-depositional faulting. T1-3 = sea-level , 1998;Duffy et al, 2013;Ge et al, 2017;Jackson & Lewis, 2016;Lewis et al, 2013;Marsh et al, 2009;Stewart et al, 1996Stewart et al, , 1997Wilson et al, 2013).…”

Section: Comparison To Other Saline Giantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of these rheological properties, salt can strongly modify the structural style of rift basins. For example, salt can impede the vertical (and lateral) propagation of faults and thus degree of sub-and suprasalt kinematic coupling (Clark et al, 1998;Duffy, Gawthorpe, Docherty, & Brocklehurst, 2013;Ge, Gawthorpe, Rotevatn, & Thomas, 2017;Jackson & Lewis, 2016;Lewis et al, 2013;Marsh, Imber, Holdsworth, Brockbank, & Ringrose, 2009;Stewart et al, 1996Stewart et al, , 1997Wilson et al, 2013). Furthermore, activity on basement-restricted, thick-skinned and suprasalt faults can trigger halokinesis by, for example, tilting the salt and triggering thin-skinned, gravity-driven deformation and causing reactive diapirism (Vendeville & Jackson, 1992).…”

Section: Mechano-stratigraphic Controls On Structural Style Developmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Locally, very small minibasins may form, although these are rare. This variability is currently not captured by existing tectono-stratigraphic models largely based on observations from salt-free rifts (Gawthorpe & Leeder, 2000;Ge et al, 2017). As a corollary, mapping of suprasalt structural styles may provide insights into salt lithology and thickness in areas where boreholes are lacking or seismic imaging is poor below thick, structurally complex overburden.…”

Section: Mechano-stratigraphic Controls On Structural Style Developmentioning

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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Basement fault control on the extensional process of a basin: A case study from the Cambrian–Silurian of the Sichuan Basin, South‐west China

et al. 2022

Geological Journal

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The Sichuan Basin, located on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is an intracontinental basin that developed in the Yangtze Block. The Cambrian–Silurian strata in this basin have enormous exploration potential in terms of natural gas, but their structural evolution during the Cambrian–Silurian remains controversial. Based on wells, seismic profiles, aeromagnetic data, and previous research results, this study investigated the structures related to the Leshan–Longnvsi palaeo‐uplift and the activity of the Cambrian–Silurian basement faults, revealing the activity of the extensional process during the Cambrian–Silurian. The results of this study were as follows: (1) the flattening of the bottom of the Permian strata in seismic profiles located in the Leshan–Longnvsi palaeo‐uplift revealed a large number of normal faults, grabens, and horsts in the Cambrian–Silurian strata, indicating that the Leshan–Longnvsi palaeo‐uplift was an extensional structure during the Cambrian–Silurian period; (2) balanced cross‐sections and strata isopach maps showed that all seven basement faults in the basin were normal faults during the Cambrian–Silurian; (3) Sichuan Basin was in an extensional setting during the Cambrian–Silurian; (4) seven basement faults controlled the extensional process during the Cambrian–Silurian in the Sichuan Basin.

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Impact of normal faulting and pre‐rift salt tectonics on the structural style of salt‐influenced rifts: the Late Jurassic Norwegian Central Graben, North Sea

Cited by 17 publications

References 54 publications

Basement structure and its influence on the structural configuration of the northern North Sea rift

Basement structure and its influence on the structural configuration of the northern North Sea rift

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

Basement fault control on the extensional process of a basin: A case study from the Cambrian–Silurian of the Sichuan Basin, South‐west China

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