Sedimentary basins on the connugate margins of South America and Africa

Conference · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1990 · AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA)

OSTI ID:6688084

Moore, G T ^[1]

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1. Chevron Oil Field Research, Co., La Habra, CA (USA)

An Early Cretaceous spreading system formed the South Atlantic by separating South America from Africa along two subparallel major transform fault systems. The distribution of major sedimentary depocenters is controlled by the complex interplay of two factors: the late Mesozoic-Cenozoic cycle of sea-floor spreading and the legacy of a Precambrian collage of ancient cores that comprised western Gondwana. Three spreading modes created this configuration: rift, transform, and subduction. Each produces a different geometry and tectonic framework for the accumulation of sediment. Rifted margins (60%) contain basins that are elongate, form with their depocenter axes inboard of the ocean-continent transition, and rest on a tectonically complex, foundered basement. Transform margins have abrupt ocean-continent transitions. Such margins (30%) may be sediment starved or contain a thick sedimentary section controlled by the volcanic ridges of transform faults. Off Tierra del Fuego, Burdwood Bank is bounded on the north by a fossil (aseismic) subduction zone. The associated basin is an elongate, deformed accretionary prism of sediments on a gently dipping, faulted oceanic plate. The South Atlantic margins are divisible into 68 basins or segments that collectively contain over 33 {times} 106 km{sup 3} of syn- and postbreakup sediments. The South American margin contains 22 {times} 10{sup 6} km{sup 3} in 46 basins, and the African margin, 11 {times} 10{sup 6} km{sup 3} in 22 basins. Over 65% of the basins have a sediment column greater than 5 km with some depocenters that locally exceed 10 km. The source rock quality and character vary along both margins. The top of the oil generation window averages about 3.3 km; however, due to differing thermal histories, individual basins can depart significantly from this average.

• OSTI ID: 6688084
• Report Number(s): CONF-900605--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AAPG Bulletin (American Association of Petroleum Geologists); (USA) Journal Volume: 74:5
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020200* -- Petroleum-- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration
58 GEOSCIENCES
580000 -- Geosciences
AFRICA
CONTINENTAL MARGIN
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FAULTS
GEOLOGIC FRACTURES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GONDWANA
LATIN AMERICA
MESOZOIC ERA
MINERAL RESOURCES
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
RESOURCES
RIFT ZONES
SEDIMENTARY BASINS
SOURCE ROCKS
SOUTH AMERICA
TECTONICS