Early Cretaceous sequence stratigraphy and sea level on southern Exmouth Plateau, NW Australia

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

OSTI ID:7033568

Boyd, R ^[1]

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1. GEOMAR/Dalhousie Univ., Kiel (West Germany)

Permian-Jurassic rifting of northwest Australia resulted in the development of a passive continental margin flanking the northeast Indian Ocean. On this margin, a relatively thin synrift to postrift sedimentary sequence was deposited on the southern Exmouth Plateau. A sequence stratigraphy analysis of the Early Cretaceous sedimentary succession on the southern Exmouth Plateau was derived from a synthesis of extensive industry and ODP (Ocean Drilling Project) seismic stratigraphy, wireline logs, lithostratigraphy, and biostratigraphy. Results indicate that during breakup, the southern Exmouth Plateau was a transform margin. Between the Tithonian and Valanginian a continental slope/margin system deposited over 1,500 m of clastic sediments in less than 15 m.y., over a 300-km-wide depositional wedge. Over the plateau, wireline log sequences correlate rapidly deposited progradational sets of seismic clinoforms and cored sandstone intervals of turbidite deposition. Intervals of slower deposition occupy condensed sections of thin glauconitic limestones and belemnite-rich mudstones. The high density and quality of regional seismic and stratigraphic data, the proximity to previously published and dated sequence boundaries, and the continuous ODP core allows the Exmouth Plateau to be used as a test for the concept of global sea level cycles. Southern clastic supply decreased into the Aptian-Cenomanian and cyclic deposition of deep-water mudstones continued during subsidence of the earlier shelf margin wedge. Between the Albian and Cenomanian, deposition gradually became dominated by pelagic carbonates.

• OSTI ID: 7033568
• 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
AUSTRALASIA
AUSTRALIA
CARBONATE ROCKS
CRETACEOUS PERIOD
DEPOSITION
DRILLING
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC STRUCTURES
GEOLOGY
JURASSIC PERIOD
LIMESTONE
MESOZOIC ERA
PALEOZOIC ERA
PERMIAN PERIOD
RIFT ZONES
ROCKS
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SILTSTONES
STRATIGRAPHY
WELL DRILLING