Lower Cretaceous of the southern North Sea Basins: reservoir distribution within a sequence stratigraphic framework

Abstract

Facies belts exhibit a back-stepping trend towards the London Brabant/ Rhenish Massif through the Early Cretaceous. The overall eustatic sea-level rise was punctuated by short-term tectonic events identified either as localised or North Sea wide in extent. The biostratigraphically constrained sequences have, for the first time, allowed a detailed calibration of tectonic and eustatic events on a North Sea scale. The most extensive database available to any North Sea Cretaceous study was available to the authors together with a comprehensive suite of new high-resolution biostratigraphy and sedimentology. This has allowed unique insights into provenance, depositional environment, extent of sequence stratigraphical events and the degree to which unconformities have been tectonically accentuated.

Pressure and fluid dynamic characterisation of the Dutch subsurface

“…Subsequently, sedimentation in the basin became progressively influenced by the development of swells and lows. The Hardegsen event induced uplift of these swells and caused deep erosion of sediments of the Lower Germanic Trias Group on the swells (Geluk & Röhling, 1997;Geluk, 2005 Unconformity (Jeremiah et al, 2010 f.…”

Using high‐resolution XRF analyses as a sequence stratigraphic tool in a mudstone‐dominated succession (Early Cretaceous, Lower Saxony Basin, Northern Germany)

“…The lower one (FS1) is dated with macrofossils as lying within the uppermost Berriasian albidum Zone whilst palynological data confirm an earliest Valanginian age (lower Paratollia Zone) for FS2 (Jeremiah et al, 2010). Furthermore, the earliest Valanginian FS2 (named Lower Paratollia MFS; Jeremiah et al, 2010) may correspond to the MFS recognized at the base of the Valanginian (TR1-2 MFS; Figure 6). Furthermore, the earliest Valanginian FS2 (named Lower Paratollia MFS; Jeremiah et al, 2010) may correspond to the MFS recognized at the base of the Valanginian (TR1-2 MFS; Figure 6).…”

“…The LSB was largely separated during the Berriasian from marine influence, and non-marine deposits up to 700 m thick were accumulated under a brackish-lacustrine regime Mutterlose and Bornemann, 2000;Schneider et al, 2018). This prominent transgression is also evident in the southern North Sea Basins by an overall retrogradational facies pattern, and two fairly prominent flooding surfaces (FS; Jeremiah et al, 2010). This prominent transgression is also evident in the southern North Sea Basins by an overall retrogradational facies pattern, and two fairly prominent flooding surfaces (FS; Jeremiah et al, 2010).…”

“…However, a gradual shift towards a more marine influenced setting occurred in the upper part of the Berriasian (Martin, 1961;Kemper, 1973), and in the earliest Valanginian the LSB became fully marine, documented by ammonite-bearing strata (Mutterlose, 1992;Mutterlose and Bornemann, 2000). The lower one (FS1) is dated with macrofossils as lying within the uppermost Berriasian albidum Zone whilst palynological data confirm an earliest Valanginian age (lower Paratollia Zone) for FS2 (Jeremiah et al, 2010). The lower one (FS1) is dated with macrofossils as lying within the uppermost Berriasian albidum Zone whilst palynological data confirm an earliest Valanginian age (lower Paratollia Zone) for FS2 (Jeremiah et al, 2010).…”

“…(Continued) correlates closely with the comparably high Si/Al ratios observed in the depth interval around 402 mcd. One of these MFSs is located at the base of the Bentheim Formation and represents a regional flooding surface (Upper Paratollia MFS; Jeremiah et al, 2010). Another prominent sandstone horizon representing the Bentheim Formation was deposited during the upper lower Valanginian in the western part of the LSB (Mutterlose, 1992;Mutterlose and Bornemann, 2000;Hoedemaeker and Herngreen, 2003) (Figure 7B).…”