Stratigraphic Organization and Predictability of Mixed Coarse- and Fine-grained Lithofacies Successions in a Lower Miocene Deep-water Slope-channel System, Angola Block 15

Porter, M. L.; Sprague, A. R.; Sullivan, Morgan D.; Jennette, David C.; Beaubouef, R. T.; Garfield, Timothy R.; Rossen, Christine; Sickafoose, D. K.; Jensen, G. N.; Friedmann, S. Julio; Mohrig, David

doi:10.1306/1215880m883273

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Many of the stratigraphic features described in this study compare quite well with those derived from a number of erosional slope channels imaged in high-resolution seismic datasets (Samuel et al, 2003;Mayall et al, 2006;Porter et al, 2006;Macauley & Hubbard, 2012). Despite different tectonic settings and source to sink sediment routing systems, the stratigraphy of the Castignano slope system bears several similarities to the evolutionary model described by Samuel et al (2003) for roughly contemporaneous slopechannel systems of the offshore Nile Delta (Egypt).…”

Section: Implications For Reservoir Characterizationsupporting

confidence: 67%

“…In this respect, the Castignano succession represents an outcrop reference for slope valley reservoirs, providing insight into the internal heterogeneity and stratigraphic compartmentalization commonly encountered within these deep-water systems (e.g. Porter et al, 2006). Within the strata studied, turbidite deposition progressed through repeated episodes of erosional bypass and sedimentation at multiple scales, all of which were characterized by an overall waxing then waning of the current energy.…”

Section: Implications For Reservoir Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Stratigraphic organization and predictability of mixed coarse‐grained and fine‐grained successions in an upper slope Pleistocene turbidite system of the Peri‐Adriatic basin

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The early Pleistocene clastic succession of the Peri‐Adriatic basin, eastern central Italy, records the filling of a series of piggyback sub‐basins that formed in response to the development of the eastward‐verging Apennine fold‐thrust belt. During the Gelasian (2·588 to 1·806 Ma), large volumes of Apennine‐derived sediments were routed to these basins through a number of slope turbidite systems. Using a comprehensive outcrop‐based dataset, the current study documents the depositional processes, stratigraphic organization, foraminiferal age and palaeodepth, and stratigraphic evolution of one of these systems exposed in the surroundings of the Castignano village. Analysis of foraminiferal assemblages consistently indicates Gelasian deposition in upper bathyal water depths. Sediments exposed in the study area can be broken into seven main lithofacies, reflecting specific gravity‐induced depositional elements and slope background deposition: (i) clast‐supported conglomerates (conglomerate channel‐fill); (ii) amalgamated sandstones (late stage sandstone channel‐fill); (iii) medium to thick‐bedded tabular sandstones (frontal splay sandstones); (iv) thin to thick‐bedded channelized sandstones (sandy channel‐fill); (v) medium to very thin‐bedded sandstones and mudstones (levée‐overbank deposits); (vi) pebbly mudstones and chaotic beds (mudstone‐rich mass‐transport deposits); and (vii) massive mudstones (hemipelagic deposits). Individual lithofacies combine vertically and laterally to form decametre‐scale, disconformably bounded, fining‐upward lithofacies successions that, in turn, stack to form slope valley fills bounded by deeply incised erosion surfaces. A hierarchical approach to the physical stratigraphy of the slope system indicates that it has evolved through multiple cycles of waxing then waning flow energy at multiple scales and that its packaging can be described in terms of a six‐fold hierarchy of architectural elements and bounding surfaces. In this scheme, the whole system (sixth‐order element) is comprised of three distinct fifth‐order stratigraphic cycles (valley fills), which define sixth‐order initiation, growth and retreat phases of slope deposition, respectively; they are separated by discrete periods of entrenchment that generated erosional valleys interpreted to record fifth‐order initiation phases. Backfilling of individual valleys progressed through deposition of two vertically stacked lithofacies successions (fourth‐order elements), which record fifth‐order growth and retreat phases. Fourth‐order initiation phases are represented by erosional surfaces bounding lithofacies successions. The component lithofacies (third‐order element) record fourth‐order growth and retreat phases. Map trends of erosional valleys and palaeocurrent indicators converge to indicate that the sea floor bathymetric expression of a developing thrust‐related anticline markedly influenced the downslope transport direction of gravity currents and was sufficient to cause a major diversion of the turbidite system around ...

show abstract

Section: Implications For Reservoir Characterizationsupporting

confidence: 67%

Section: Implications For Reservoir Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stratigraphic organization and predictability of mixed coarse‐grained and fine‐grained successions in an upper slope Pleistocene turbidite system of the Peri‐Adriatic basin

2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1). Channelform features mapped in three-dimensional seismic volumes range from hundreds to thousands of meters across and tens to hundreds of meters thick (e.g., Morris and Normark, 2000;Samuel et al, 2003;Mayall et al, 2006;Porter et al, 2006;Cross et al, 2009;Jobe et al, 2011;Janocko et al, 2013). The largest of these represent composite features that consist of numerous smaller channelform bodies (e.g., Gardner and Borer, 2000;Campion et al, 2005;Schwarz and Arnott, 2007;Hubbard et al, 2009;Di Celma et al, 2011).…”

Section: Slope Channel Fillmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sediment transfer and deposition in slope channels: Deciphering the record of enigmatic deep-sea processes from outcrop

Hubbard

Covault

Fildani³

et al. 2014

Geological Society of America Bulletin

139

211

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The processes within deep-sea sedimentrouting systems are diffi cult to directly monitor. Therefore, we rely on other means to decipher the sequence and relative magnitude of the events related to erosion, sediment bypass, and deposition within channels that crosscut the seascape, and in particular, continental slopes. In this analysis, we examine the nature of slope channel fi ll in outcrop (Cretaceous Tres Pasos Formation, southern Chile) in order to evaluate the geological evidence of the full channel cycle, from inception to terminal infi ll with sediment, and we attempt to provide insight into the enigmatic deep-sea processes that are critical for a comprehensive understanding of Earth surface dynamics. In the stratigraphic record, slope channel fi lls are typically represented by sandstoneor conglomerate-dominated deposits that defi ne channelform sedimentary bodies tens of meters thick and hundreds of meters across. Despite the prevalence of coarse-grained sediment, key information is recorded in the fi ne-grained deposits locally preserved within the channelform bodies, as well as a breadth of scours or internal channelform stratal surfaces. These characteristics preserve the record of protracted sedimentary bypass and erosion. In many instances, the life of a slope channel is dominated by sedimentary bypass, and the stratigraphic record is biased by the products of shorter-lived channel fi lling and abandonment.

show abstract

“…Despite the crucial role of submarine channels for the dynamics of sediment-routing systems and their importance as hydrocarbon reservoirs, the complex interactions between the mechanisms of sediment transport and the depositional architectures developed by the associated submarine channel systems remain poorly understood (Samuel et al, 2003;Porter et al, 2006;McHargue et al, 2011). Recent advances in seismic stratigraphy applied to conventional and high-resolution three-dimensional datasets offer a compelling method for understanding the large-scale geometries and stacking patterns of submarine channels (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi‐scale analysis of a migrating submarine channel system in a tectonically‐confined basin: The Miocene Gorgoglione Flysch Formation, southern Italy

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Miocene Gorgoglione Flysch Formation records the stratigraphic product of protracted sediment transfer and deposition through a long‐lived submarine channel system developed in a narrow and elongate thrust‐top basin of the Southern Apennines (Italy). Channel‐fill deposits are exposed in an outcrop belt approximately 500 m thick and 15 km long, oriented oblique to the palaeoflow, which was roughly south‐eastward. These exceptional exposures of channel‐fill strata allow the stacking architectures and the evolution of the channel system to be analyzed at multiple scales, enabling the effects of syn‐sedimentary thrust tectonics and basin confinement on the depositional system development to be deciphered. Two end‐member types of elementary channel architecture have been identified: high‐aspect‐ratio, weakly‐confined channels, and low‐aspect‐ratio, incisional channels. Their systematic stacking results in a complex pattern of seismic‐scale depositional architectures that determines the stratigraphic framework of the deep‐water system. From the base of the succession, two prominent channel complex sets have been recognized, namely CS1 and CS2, consisting of amalgamated incisional channel elements and weakly‐confined channel elements. These channelized units are overlain by isolated incisional channels, erosional into mud‐prone slope deposits. The juxtaposition of different channel architectures is interpreted to have been governed by regional thrust‐tectonics, in combination with a high subsidence rate that promoted significant aggradation. In this scenario, the alternating ‘in sequence’ and ‘out of sequence’ tectonic pulses of the basin‐bounding thrusts controlled the activation of coarse‐clastic inputs in the basin and the resulting stacking architectures of channelized units. The tectonically‐driven confinement of the depositional system limited the lateral offset in channel stacking, preventing large‐scale avulsions. This study represents an excellent opportunity to analyze the stratigraphic evolution of a submarine channel system in tectonically‐active settings from an outcrop perspective. It should find wide applicability in analogous depositional systems, whose stratigraphic architecture has been influenced by tectonically‐controlled lateral confinement and associated lateral tilting.

show abstract

Stratigraphic Organization and Predictability of Mixed Coarse- and Fine-grained Lithofacies Successions in a Lower Miocene Deep-water Slope-channel System, Angola Block 15

Cited by 12 publications

References 0 publications

Stratigraphic organization and predictability of mixed coarse‐grained and fine‐grained successions in an upper slope Pleistocene turbidite system of the Peri‐Adriatic basin

Stratigraphic organization and predictability of mixed coarse‐grained and fine‐grained successions in an upper slope Pleistocene turbidite system of the Peri‐Adriatic basin

Sediment transfer and deposition in slope channels: Deciphering the record of enigmatic deep-sea processes from outcrop

Multi‐scale analysis of a migrating submarine channel system in a tectonically‐confined basin: The Miocene Gorgoglione Flysch Formation, southern Italy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About