Sequence stratigraphy simulations of carbonate, clastics, and mixed basin margins

Conference · Fri Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1991 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States)

OSTI ID:5675697

Kendall, C G.St.C.; Moore, P; Birdwell, B A; Rouchie, L; Cannon, R ^[1]; Biswas, G ^[2]; Bezdek, J ^[3]

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1. Univ. of South Carolina, Columbia (United States)
2. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States)
3. Univ. of West Florida, Pensacola (United States)

Clastics, carbonates, and their mixtures have different depositional and post-depositional behavior that produces the different margin characteristics seen in seismic sequences. Carbonates undergo early cementation while maintaining higher angles of repose, while clays and sands accumulate at lower-angle slopes whose inclination is proportional to the grain size and post-depositional cohesive behavior. In higher energy regimes, waves or currents winnow less cohesive finer material that is transported downdip to from slope sediments rimming the basin. Simulations of mixed carbonate-clastic sediment accumulation, tectonism, and eustasy for settings in the Permian basin of west Texas and New Mexico show that sharp differentiation of clastics from carbonates is a product of higher angles of repose that carbonates maintain and the higher rates of clastic input at lowstands in sea level. In contrast, simulation of mixed grain-size margins like the Exmouth Plateau of Western Australia, the Baltimore Canyon, and the Gulf Coast Tertiary indicate that muds are winnowed preferentially from shelf-margin crests but accumulate on slopes, while sands accumulate on higher energy shelves. When they bypass at lowstands in sea level, they accumulate in the near slope basin but not on the slope. Simulation of pure carbonate systems like that of the Bahamian platform suggests that progradation is greatest in areas of low wave and current energy while backstepping and cliffed margins occur in high energy settings. The ability to accurately simulate mixed carbonate-clastic slopes is a key to development of exploration and production models of these systems.

• OSTI ID: 5675697
• Report Number(s): CONF-910403-; CODEN: AABUD
• Journal Information: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (United States), Vol. 75:3; Conference: Annual meeting of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), Dallas, TX (United States), 7-10 Apr 1991; ISSN 0149-1423
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

58 GEOSCIENCES
02 PETROLEUM
03 NATURAL GAS
PERMIAN BASIN
STRATIGRAPHY
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
GEOLOGIC MODELS
US GULF COAST
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
BALTIMORE CANYON
CARBONATE ROCKS
EXPLORATION
NEW MEXICO
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTATION
SEDIMENTS
SEISMIC SURVEYS
SIMULATION
SLOPE STABILITY
TEXAS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
FEDERAL REGION VI
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
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GEOPHYSICAL SURVEYS
NORTH AMERICA
ROCKS
SEAS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STABILITY
SURFACE WATERS
SURVEYS
USA
580000* - Geosciences
020200 - Petroleum- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
030200 - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration