Geometry of the Wagner basin,upper Gulf of California based on seismic reflections

The Wagner basin occupies the northernmost spreading centre in the Gulf of California, located along the Pacific‐North America plate boundary. It is filled with sediments from the Colorado River that obscure its bathymetric expression; therefore it is not as well defined as other basins in the central and southern Gulf of California. To define the geometry and extension of the Wagner basin, a 2D multi‐channel seismic reflection database was used. Data were collected by Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in 1979–1980. The most important regional structural features identified are the Consag and Wagner normal faults and the Cerro Prieto strike‐slip fault. These structures play an important role in the development of the basin. The Consag fault, described for the first time in this paper, marks the western side of the basin. The eastern and northwest limits are bound by the Cerro Prieto and Wagner faults respectively. The Wagner fault intersects the Cerro Prieto fault at an angle of 130°, bending the depocentre in a NW direction, adjacent to the Cerro Prieto fault zone. The northernmost segment of the Consag fault bends 25° in a NE direction and joins the Cerro Prieto fault at an angle of 110°. Greater subsidence (up to 300 m) takes place along the northern trace of the Cerro Prieto fault, with a downthrown displacement of 400 m. The Consag and Wagner breaks obliquely intersect the Cerro Prieto fault, and, inasmuch as both are normal faults, they have small horizontal slip components which generated oblique displacement. This structural pattern is different relative to the pattern of basins located south of Wagner basin, such as the Upper and Lower Delfin basins. The orientations of the normal faults are perpendicular to the master fault (Ballenas transform fault). The relationship between normal and transform faults in the Wagner basin and the observed ‘S’ shape are typical of a basin that has not yet reached maturity. As a result of this study, the previously uncertain area (～1330 km²) and perimeter (158 km) of the Wagner basin were defined.     

Tectonic framework of Tiburon Basin,Gulf of California,from seismic reflection evidence

Tiburon Basin is characterized by a thick sedimentary fill that records the evolution of one of the rift segments of the East Pacific Rise. Its structure corresponds to an echelon pull-apart basin bounded by two dextral-oblique faults. Unlike basins in the southern Gulf of California that are underlain by oceanic crust, rift basins in the northern Gulf of California contain sedimentary thickness (up to 6 km) that masks the structure of the crust. To study the architecture of the Tiburon Basin, two-dimensional, multichannel seismic reflection data collected by Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) in the early 1980s were used. The data base is a grid of lines, 5–20 km apart, with 6 s of record in 48 channels. Additional seismic data of the Ulloa 99 project were also interpreted. Our results indicate that the general structural pattern of the Tiburon Basin is controlled by two dextral-oblique faults: De Mar and Tiburon. De Mar lies to the east and ends in elevated basement transferring the stress to the Desemboque fault. The latter borders the incoming basement from the Sonora and Tiburon faults to the west, ending to the north in an antiform. Four structural domains are recognized: (1) the northern Tiburon domain is a high basement that divides the Delfin Basin to the northeast and exhibits extensional folds with their axes parallel to the basement and its flanks; (2) the Libertad domain is a sheared basement high along the margin of Sonora and forms the right step of the Tepoca Basin to the north; (3) the Tiburon central domain defines a broad sag cut by a dense NE-striking pattern of normal faults with opposed dips in the depocentre and abruptly ends to the west against the Tiburon fault; and (4) the southern Tiburon domain forms a basement ramp offshore Isla Tiburon and is controlled by a pattern of NNE-striking normal faults on the south that likely connect at an oblique angle (?60°) to the De Mar fault. We propose a rhombochasm basin model with more than 6 s of sedimentary record in the depocentre, in which the basement is not recorded. The NW-trending faults in the Libertad domain possibly continue towards the Sonora coastal plain. The principal NW-trending dextral faults and the secondary NNE-striking pattern of normal faults cut the shallow strata of this domain.     

Structural characteristics of the Altar Basin,Northwest Sonora,Mexico

Eight two-dimensional, multichannel seismic reflection lines were acquired, processed, and interpreted to study the structure of the Altar Basin, which is part of the Salton Trough tectonic province. We identified two basin-bounding zones characterized by different degrees of strain: the Cerro Prieto–Altar deformation zone (CPADZ) and the Altar–Caborca deformation zone (ACDZ). The CPADZ is bounded on the west by the Cerro Prieto fault and on the east by the Altar fault. To the north, the strike of both faults changes slightly from a NW to more NNW direction. In the CPADZ, the thickness of the crust decreases southward towards the Gulf of California, and is associated with a deformation-developing fault. The CPADZ has a rotation component orientating these faults in an oblique direction to the Cerro Prieto fault, whereas within the ACDZ, a geometric coherence of synthetic and antithetic faults exists, creating horsts and graben striking N37° W. The Altar fault is recognized by basement interruption, with a vertical component of ～1 km, striking at N37° W and dipping 83° SW. On the northeastern side of the Altar Basin, the basement configuration shows that the minimum time of basement record (～0.4 s of two-way travel time) and the time curve gradient decrease in the NE–SW direction. The depocentre is ～6 km deep in the central-west portion of the basin. We identified a graben between the Rosario and Tinajas Altas mountains (Rosario Basin). The extension–connection of the Altar and Rosario basins to the south is not well defined; nevertheless, these basins could represent the link between the Colorado River and the Gulf of California during the late Miocene, whereas this link was abandoned in the Pliocene as subsidence migrated towards the northwest into the Cerro Prieto and Laguna Salada basins.     

Geochemical evidence for the nature of the crust beneath the eastern North Penninic basin of the Mesozoic Tethys ocean

The North Penninic basin was a subbasin in the northern part of the Mesozoic Tethys ocean. Its significance within the framework of this ocean is controversial because it is not clear whether it was underlain by thinned continental or oceanic crust. Remnants of the eastern North Penninic basin are preserved in the Alps of eastern Switzerland (Grisons) as low metamorphic "Bündnerschiefer" sediments and associated basaltic rocks which formed approximately 140–170 Ma ago (Misox Bündnerschiefer zone, Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous). Nb/U, Zr/Nb, and Y/Nb ratios, as well as Nd–Sr isotopic and REE data of most of the metabasalts point to a depleted MORB-type mantle origin. They have been contaminated by magmatic assimilation of Bündnerschiefer sediments and by exchange with seawater, but do not prove the existence of a subcontinental lithospheric mantle or continental crust beneath the North Penninic basin. This suggests that the studied part of the North Penninic realm was underlain by oceanic crust. Only the metabasalts from two melange zones (Vals and Grava melanges) show a more important contamination by crustal material. Since this type of contamination cannot be observed in the other tectonic units, we suggest that its occurrence is related to melange formation during the subduction of the North Penninic basin in the Tertiary. The North Penninic basin was probably, despite the occurrence of oceanic crust, smaller than the South Penninic ocean where the presence of oceanic crust is well established. Modern analogues for the North Penninic basin could be the transitional zone of the Red Sea or the pull-apart basins of the southernmost Gulf of California where local patches of oceanic crust with effusive volcanism have been described.     

Sedimentary filling characteristics of the South China Sea oceanic basin,with links to tectonic activity during and after seafloor spreading

ABSTRACT

Based on approximately 11,000 km of seismic reflection data collected across the South China Sea oceanic basin, we describe the sedimentary filling characteristics of the basin since its Oligocene opening, as well as connections between this history and contemporaneous regional tectonic events. The seismic lines are spaced ~50 km apart, and the data are tied to International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 349 drilling data. Basin filling occurred in three phases, with basin-wide mean sedimentation rates increasing through time. During the Oligocene to middle Miocene, sediments accumulated primarily in the northern East and Northwest Sub-basins, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 8 m/m.y. The presence of these deposits over deep basement floor indicates that seafloor spreading initiated in these northern regions. During the late Miocene, deposition occurred primarily in the Northwest Sub-basin and partly in the southern East Sub-basin, with a mean basin-wide sedimentation rate of 30 m/m.y. Basin filling during this time seems to have been linked to slip reversal of the Red River Fault and collision of the North Palawan Block with the Luzon Arc. During the Pliocene and Pleistocene, sediments accumulated rapidly in the northeastern and southern East Sub-basin and the Southwest Sub-basin. The mean basin-wide sedimentation rate was 70 m/m.y. Basin filling during this phase seems to have been associated with the Taiwan and North Palawan collisions, SCS subduction along the Manila Trench, and Tibetan Plateau uplift. Gravity flow deposits predominate throughout the basin fill.     

Structure of the Transkei Basin and Natal Valley, Southwest Indian Ocean, from seismic reflection and potential field data

Marine geophysical data from the southern Natal Valley and northern Transkei Basin, offshore southeast Africa, were used to study the structure of the crust and sedimentary cover in the area. The data includes seismic reflection, gravity and magnetics and provides information on the acoustic basement geometry (where available), features of the sedimentary cover and the basin's development. Previously mapped Mesozoic magnetic anomalies over a part of the basin are now recognized over wider areas of the basin. The ability to extend the correlation to the southeast within the Natal Valley further confirms an oceanic origin for this region and provides an opportunity to amplify the existing plate boundary reconstructions.The stratigraphic structure of the southern Natal Valley and the northern Transkei Basin reflects processes of the ocean crust formation and subsequent evolution. The highly variable relief of the acoustic basement may relate to the crust formation in the immediate vicinity of the continental transform margin. Renewed submarine seismicity and neotectonic activity in the area is probably related to the diffuse boundary between the Nubia and Somalia plates.2.5-D crustal models show that a 1.7–3.2-km-thick sediment sequence overlies a 6.3±1.2-km-thick normal oceanic crust in the deep southern Natal Valley and Transkei Basin. The oceanic crust in the study area is heterogeneous, made up of blocks of laterally varying remanent magnetization (0.5–3.5 A/m) and density (2850–2900 kg/m³). Strong modifications of accretionary processes near ridge/fracture zone intersections may be a reason of such heterogeneity.     

The superdeep North Chukchi Basin: formation by eclogitization of continental lower crust,with petroleum potential implications

The large North Chukchi Basin in the northeastern Eurasian shelf is filled with up to 22 km of sediments, which is far thicker than filling a basin upon oceanic crust would require. The basin sedimentation began 380 Myr ago, and about 16 km of sediments have been deposited for the past 125 Myr, long after the oceanic crust would have completed its subsidence. This fact is in favor of the continental instead of oceanic crust origin. Rapid basin subsidence appears to be driven by a mechanism other than crustal stretching as the latter has no evidence over the greatest part of the basin area. The suggested basin formation model implies a transformation of gabbro into denser eclogite in the lower crust and related contraction of mafic rocks. To sustain consolidated crust beneath 22 km thick sediments, the layer of dense eclogites under the granitic layer must be at least ～25 km thick. The presence of basement flexures formed at several stages of the basin evolution indicates a considerable loss of lithospheric rigidity under the effect of fluid infiltration from small mantle plumes. The fluids catalyzed the eclogitization and thus increased the subsidence rate. Rapid subsidence apparently occurred in Barremian-Albian time when the basin had accumulated up to 11.5 km of sediments. Besides the Early Cretaceous event, there were, possibly several older events of rapid subsidence. This basin subsidence history, along with the evidence of steep lithospheric flexure, is a known feature of large petroleum basins. Therefore, the North Chukchi Basin may be expected to be an oil and gas producer.     

Implications of gravity data from East Kalimantan and the Makassar Straits: a solution to the origin of the Makassar Straits?

Recent free-air gravity data covering the Makassar Straits is integrated with Bouguer gravity data from onshore East Kalimantan to provide new insights into the basement structure of the region. Onshore Kalimantan, gravity highs on the northern margin of the Kutai Basin trend NNE–SSW and N–S and correspond with the axes of inverted Eocene half-grabens. NW–SE trending lows correspond to deep seated basement weaknesses reactivated as normal faults during the Tertiary. An intra-basin gravity high trending NNE–SSW, the Kutai Lakes Gravity High, is modelled as folded high density Paleogene sediments flanked by syn-inversion synclines infilled with low density sediments. Offshore Kalimantan, the Makassar Straits include two basins offset by an en-echelon fault zone, suggestive of an extensional origin. The regional signature of the free-air anomaly data mirrors the bathymetry, but this effect can be reduced by the use of filters in order to examine the basin architecture. The free-air gravity minimum in the Makassar Strait is only −20 mGal, much smaller than that appropriate for a foreland basin, and more indicative of an extensional basin. The steepness of the gradients on the flanks of the basins indicates fault control of their margins. A regional 2D profile across the North Makassar Basin suggests the presence of attenuated crust (<14 km) in the basin axis at the present day, whereas flexural backstripping implies the presence of oceanic crust of middle Eocene age. The presence of oceanic crust in the North Makassar Straits Basin has implications for regional plate tectonic models.     

Crustal structure of the Levant Basin, eastern Mediterranean

A seismic refraction/wide-angle reflection experiment was undertaken in the Levant Basin, eastern Mediterranean. Two roughly east–west profiles extend from the continental shelf of Israel toward the Levant Basin. The northern profile crosses the Eratosthenes Seamount and the southern profile crosses several distinct magnetic anomalies. The marine operation used 16 ocean bottom seismometers deployed along the profiles with an air gun array and explosive charges as energy sources. The results of this study strongly suggest the existence of oceanic crust under portions of the Levant Basin and continental crust under the Eratosthenes Seamount. The seismic refraction data also indicate a large sedimentary sequence, 10–14 km thick, in the Levant Basin and below the Levant continental margin. Assuming the crust is of Cretaceous age, this gives a fairly high sedimentation rate. The sequence can be divided into several units. A prominent unit is the 4.2 km/s layer, which is probably composed of the Messinian evaporites. Overlying the evaporitic layer are layers composed of Plio–Pleistocene sediments, whose velocity is 2.0 km/s. The refraction profiles and gravity and magnetic models indicate that a transition from a two layer continental to a single-layer oceanic crust takes place along the Levant margin. The transition in the structure along the southern profile is located beyond the continental margin and it is quite gradual. The northern profile, north of the Carmel structure, presents a different structure. The continental crust is much thinner there and the transition in the crustal structure is more rapid. The crustal thinning begins under western Galilee and terminates at the continental slope. The results of the present study indicate that the Levant Basin is composed of distinct crustal units and that the Levant continental margin is divided into at least two provinces of different crustal structure.     

Structure and tectonic evolution of the Southern Eurasia Basin, Arctic Ocean

Multichannel seismic reflection data acquired by Marine Arctic Geological Expedition (MAGE) of Murmansk, Russia in 1990 provide the first view of the geological structure of the Arctic region between 77–80°N and 115–133°E, where the Eurasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean adjoins the passive-transform continental margin of the Laptev Sea. South of 80°N, the oceanic basement of the Eurasia Basin and continental basement of the Laptev Sea outer margin are covered by 1.5 to 8 km of sediments. Two structural sequences are distinguished in the sedimentary cover within the Laptev Sea outer margin and at the continent/ocean crust transition: the lower rift sequence, including mostly Upper Cretaceous to Lower Paleocene deposits, and the upper post-rift sequence, consisting of Cenozoic sediments. In the adjoining Eurasia Basin of the Arctic Ocean, the Cenozoic post-rift sequence consists of a few sedimentary successions deposited by several submarine fans. Based on the multichannel seismic reflection data, the structural pattern was determined and an isopach map of the sedimentary cover and tectonic zoning map were constructed. A location of the continent/ocean crust transition is tentatively defined. A buried continuation of the mid-ocean Gakkel Ridge is also detected. This study suggests that south of 78.5°N there was the cessation in the tectonic activity of the Gakkel Ridge Rift from 33–30 until 3–1 Ma and there was no sea-floor spreading in the southernmost part of the Eurasia Basin during the last 30–33 m.y. South of 78.5°N all oceanic crust of the Eurasia Basin near the continental margin of the Laptev Sea was formed from 56 to 33–30 Ma.     

Thin and layered subcontinental crust of the great Basin western north America inherited from Paleozoic marginal ocean basins?

The seismic profile of the crust of the northern part of the Basin and Range province by its thinness and layering is intermediate between typical continental and oceanic crust and resembles that of marginal ocean basins, especially those with thick sedimentary fill. The geologic history of the Great Basin indicates that it was the site of a succession of marginal ocean basins opening and closing behind volcanic arcs during much of Paleozoic time. A long process of sedimentation and deformation followed throughout the Mesozoic modifying, but possibly not completely transforming the originally oceanic crust to continental crust. In the Cenozoic, after at least 40 m.y. of quiescence and stable conditions, substantial crustal and upper-mantle changes are recorded by elevation of the entire region in isostatic equilibrium, crustal extension resulting in Basin and Range faulting, extensive volcanism, high heat flow and a low-velocity mantle. These phenomena, apparently the result of plate tectonics, are superimposed on the inherited subcontinental crust that developed from an oceanic origin in Paleozoic time and possibly retained some of its thin and layered characteristics. The present anomalous crust in the Great Basin represents an accretion of oceanic geosynclinal material to a Precambrian continental nucleus apparently as an intermediate step in the process of conversion of oceanic crust into a stable continental landmass or craton.     

CDP seismic sections of the western Beaufort continental margin

The continental rise, slope, and shelf in the Beaufort Sea off northern Alaska were surveyed with 5600 km of common-depth-point (CDP) seismic data by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1977. The lower continental rise consists of a wedge of at least 4.5 km of low-velocity, generally flat-lying, parallel-bedded sediments. Slump-related diapiric folds, probably cored by shale, occur on the upper rise and lower slope. The observed minimum depth to oceanic basement in the Canada Basin requires an age for this basin of at least 120 m.y., assuming it to be floored by oceanic crust with a subsidence history similar to that of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.     

Sedimentary basins of the east antarctic craton from geophysical evidence

Ninety-five percent of Antarctica is buried under an ice sheet up to 4.7 km thick. Within interior East Antarctica (~10.2 · 10⁶ km²) recent airborne geophysical observations, principally radio echo sounding, have enabled widespread investigation of ice covered bedrock. Limited seismic refraction profiling, magnetic and gravity investigations combined with the radar studies have provided a generalized picture of sedimentary basins in Antarctica between 180° and 60° E.Two major basinal structures have been detected within East Antarctica—the Wilkes Basin and Aurora Basin complex. The former lies sub-parallel to the Transantarctic Mountains, while the Aurora Basin forms a branching system of basins in central East Antarctica trending northwest towards the Wilkes Land coast.Analyses of macro-scale terrain roughness and bedrock reflection coefficients from radio echo sounding indicate significant differences between basins and their surrounding regions. Small-scale surface irregularities and slowly changing, high reflectivities from radar measurements are interpreted as suggesting the presence of a smoothing cover of sediments. Residual magnetic anomalies (from airborne operations), when combined with topographic data, exhibit low gradients over basins, but steep, fluctuating characteristics over adjacent basement highs. Source-depth calculations from oversnow magnetic determinations across the Wilkes Basin indicate an average thickness for the sedimentary layer of <3 km. This is corroborated by reinterpretation of gravity anomalies, which average ~—30 mGal, over the basin. Sediments appear absent or extremely thin on the flanks of the Wilkes Basin where seismic refraction shooting has detected the near-surface presence of granitic crust. Furthermore an increase in roughness of terrain combined with sudden breaks in slope argue that these basin margins may be fault-controlled and deeply eroded.The distribution and configuration of the depressions is therefore thought to be governed by intra-cratonic fracture patterns possibly related to ancient orogenic sutures. Juxtaposition of basins and flanking basement highs of probable Precambrian and Early Palaeozoic age are reminiscent of basin and swell structures of the African and Australian cratons, with which East Antarctica has had a common geologic history throughout most of the Phanerozoic. Any sediments must pre-date growth of the ice sheet and are hence older than Miocene.     

The Levantine Basin—crustal structure and origin

The origin of the Levantine Basin in the Southeastern Mediterranean Sea is related to the opening of the Neo-Tethys. The nature of its crust has been debated for decades. Therefore, we conducted a geophysical experiment in the Levantine Basin. We recorded two refraction seismic lines with 19 and 20 ocean bottom hydrophones, respectively, and developed velocity models. Additional seismic reflection data yield structural information about the upper layers in the first few kilometers. The crystalline basement in the Levantine Basin consists of two layers with a P-wave velocity of 6.0–6.4 km/s in the upper and 6.5–6.9 km/s in the lower crust. Towards the center of the basin, the Moho depth decreases from 27 to 22 km. Local variations of the velocity gradient can be attributed to previously postulated shear zones like the Pelusium Line, the Damietta–Latakia Line and the Baltim–Hecateus Line. Both layers of the crystalline crust are continuous and no indication for a transition from continental to oceanic crust is observed. These results are confirmed by gravity data. Comparison with other seismic refraction studies in prolongation of our profiles under Israel and Jordan and in the Mediterranean Sea near Greece and Sardinia reveal similarities between the crust in the Levantine Basin and thinned continental crust, which is found in that region. The presence of thinned continental crust under the Levantine Basin is therefore suggested. A β-factor of 2.3–3 is estimated. Based on these findings, we conclude that sea-floor spreading in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea only occurred north of the Eratosthenes Seamount, and the oceanic crust was later subducted at the Cyprus Arc.     

Structural controls on the evolution of the Kutai Basin,East Kalimantan

The Kutai Basin formed in the middle Eocene as a result of extension linked to the opening of the Makassar Straits and Philippine Sea. Seismic profiles across the northern margin of the Kutai Basin show inverted middle Eocene half-graben oriented NNE–SSW and N–S. Field observations, geophysical data and computer modelling elucidate the evolution of one such inversion fold. NW–SE and NE–SW trending fractures and vein sets in the Cretaceous basement have been reactivated during the Tertiary. Offset of middle Eocene carbonate horizons and rapid syn-tectonic thickening of Upper Oligocene sediments on seismic sections indicate Late Oligocene extension on NW–SE trending en-echelon extensional faults. Early middle Miocene (N7–N8) inversion was concentrated on east-facing half-graben and asymmetric inversion anticlines are found on both northern and southern margins of the basin. Slicken-fibre measurements indicate a shortening direction oriented 290°–310°. NE–SW faults were reactivated with a dominantly dextral transpressional sense of displacement. Faults oriented NW–SE were reactivated with both sinistral and dextral senses of movement, leading to the offset of fold axes above basement faults. The presence of dominantly WNW vergent thrusts indicates likely compression from the ESE. Initial extension during the middle Eocene was accommodated on NNE–SSW, N–S and NE–SW trending faults. Renewed extension on NW–SE trending faults during the late Oligocene occurred under a different kinematic regime, indicating a rotation of the extension direction by between 45° and 90°. Miocene collisions with the margins of northern and eastern Sundaland triggered the punctuated inversion of the basin. Inversion was concentrated in the weak continental crust underlying both the Kutai Basin and various Tertiary basins in Sulawesi whereas the stronger oceanic crust, or attenuated continental crust, underlying the Makassar Straits, acted as a passive conduit for compressional stresses.     

西藏色林错及邻区古近纪沉积凹陷对地壳增厚的响应

青藏高原中部古近纪发育伦坡拉盆地、色林错盆地、尼玛盆地,组成伦坡拉-色林错-尼玛沉积凹陷,总体呈近东西走向,长超过250km,宽30~50km;凹陷中心古近系河湖相沉积地层厚度达5~6km,下部为古新统-始新统牛堡组砾岩、砂岩、泥岩、泥灰岩,上部为渐新统丁青湖组泥岩、页岩、粉砂岩夹油页岩,顶部被新近系河湖相沉积不整合覆盖。凹陷南部发育尼玛-色林错逆冲推覆构造,凹陷北侧发育赛布错-扎加藏布逆冲推覆构造,伦坡拉盆地北部发育薄皮推覆构造,伴有不同规模的褶皱变形。地壳深部不同深度发育多重逆冲推覆构造,羌塘地块南部自北向南逆冲推覆,拉萨地块北部自南向北逆冲推覆;两者对冲部位地壳厚度发生显著变化,地表形成古近纪沉积凹陷。根据深地震反射及构造解释,结合Airy均衡分析,表明不同深度逆冲推覆及对冲构造运动导致地壳缩短增厚,增厚地壳均衡隆升及密度差异对古近纪沉积凹陷及盆地演化具有重要控制作用。色林错凹陷及邻区古近纪沉积记录对青藏高原地壳增厚与隆升过程具有重要指示意义。     

Structural and tectonic interpretation of geophysical data along the Eastern Continental Margin of India with special reference to the deep water petroliferous basins

The study area encompasses the Eastern Continental Margin of India (ECMI) and the adjoining deep water areas of Bay of Bengal. The region has evolved through multiple phases of tectonic activity and fed by abundant supply of sediments brought by prominent river systems of the Indian shield. Detailed analysis of total field magnetic and satellite-derived gravity data along with multi channel seismic reflection sections is carried out to decipher major tectonic features, basement structure, and the results have been interpreted in terms of basin configuration and play types for different deep water basins along the ECMI. Interpretation of various image enhanced gravity and magnetic anomaly maps suggest that in general, the ENE–WSW trending faults dominate the structural configuration at the margin. These maps also exhibit a clear density transition from the region of attenuated continental crust/proto oceanic crust to oceanic crust based on which the Continent Ocean Boundary (COB) has been demarcated along the margin. Basement depths estimated from magnetic data indicate that the values range from 1 to 12 km below sea level and deepen towards the Bengal Fan in the north and reveal horst–graben features related to rifting. A comparison of basement depths derived from seismic data indicates that in general, the basement trends and depths are comparable in Cauvery and Krishna–Godavari basins, whereas, in the Mahanadi basin, basement structure over the 85°E ridge is clearly revealed in seismic data. Further, eight multichannel seismic sections across different basins of the margin presented here reveal fault pattern, rift geometries and depositional trends related to canyon fills and channel–levee systems and provide a basic framework for future petroleum in this under explored frontier.     

Structure of the Earth’s crust in the northern part of the Barents–Kara region along the 4-AR DSS profile

The 1370 km long 4-AR reference profile crosses the North Barents Basin, the northern end of the Novaya Zemlya Rise, and the North Kara Basin. Integrated geophysical studies including common deep point (CDP) survey and deep seismic sounding (DSS) were carried out along the profiles. The DSS was performed using autonomous bottom seismic stations (ABSS) spaced 10–20 km apart and a powerful air gun producing seismic signals with a step size of 250 m. As a result, detailed P- and S-wave velocity structures of the crust and upper mantle were studied. The basic method was ray-tracing modeling. The Earth’s crust along the entire profile is typically continental with compressional wave velocities of 5.8–7.2 km/s in the consolidated part. Crustal thickness increases from 30 km near the islands of Franz Josef Land to 35 km beneath the North Barents Basin, 50 km beneath the Novaya Zemlya Rise, and 40 km beneath the North Kara Basin. The North Barents Basin 15 km deep is characterized by unusually low velocities in the consolidated crust: The upper crust layer with velocities of 5.8–6.4 km/s has a thickness of about 15 km beneath the basin (usually, this layer wedges beneath deep sedimentary basins). Another special property of the crust in the North Barents Basin is the destroyed structure of the Moho.     

Deep Structure and Dynamics of Passive Continental Margin from Shelf to Ocean of the Northern South China Sea

To study the deep dynamic mechanism leading to the difference in rifting pattern and basin structure from shelf to oceanic basin in passive continental margin,we constructed long geological sections across the shelf,slope and oceanic basin using new seismic data.Integrated gravity-magnetic inversion and interpretation of these sections were made with the advanced dissection method.Results show that the basement composition changes from intermediate-acid intrusive rocks in the sheff to intermediate-basic rocks in the slope.The Moho surface shoals gradually from 31 km in the sheff to 22.5 km in the uplift and then 19 km in the slope and finally to 13 km in the oceanic basin.The crust thickness also decreases gradually from 30 km in the northern fault belt to 9 km in the oceanic basin.The crustal stretching factor increases from the shelf toward the oceanic basin,with the strongest extension under the sags and the oceanic basin.The intensity of mantle upwelling controlled the style of basin structures from sheff to oceanic basin.In the Zhu 1 depression on the shelf,the crust is nearly normal,the brittle and cold upper crust mainly controlled the fault development;so the combinative grabens with single symmetric graben are characteristic.In the slope,the crust thinned with a large stretching factor,affected by the mantle upwelling.The ductile deformation controlled the faults,so there developed an asymmetric complex graben in the Baiyun (白云) sag.     

Formation mechanisms of ultradeep sedimentary basins: the North Barents basin. Petroleum potential implications

Consolidated crust in the North Barents basin with sediments 16–18 km thick is attenuated approximately by two times. The normal faults in the basin basement ensure only 10-15% stretching, which caused the deposition of 2–3 km sediments during the early evolution of the basin. The overlying 16 km of sediments have accumulated since the Late Devonian. Judging by the undisturbed reflectors to a depth of 8 s, crustal subsidence was not accompanied by any significant stretching throughout that time. Dramatic subsidence under such conditions required considerable contraction of lithospheric rocks. The contraction was mainly due to high-grade metamorphism in mafic rocks in the lower crust. The metamorphism was favored by increasing pressure and temperature in the lower crust with the accumulation of a thick layer of sediments. According to gravity data, the Moho in the basin is underlain by large masses of high-velocity eclogites, which are denser than mantle peridotites. The same is typical of some other ultradeep basins: North Caspian, South Caspian, North Chukchi, and Gulf of Mexico basins. From Late Devonian to Late Jurassic, several episodes of rapid crustal subsidence took place in the North Barents basin, which is typical of large petroleum basins. The subsidence was due to metamorphism in the lower crust, when it was infiltrated by mantle-source fluids in several episodes. The metamorphic contraction in the lower crust gave rise to deep-water basins with sediments with a high content of unoxidized organic matter. Along with numerous structural and nonstructural traps in the cover of the North Barents basin, this is strong evidence that the North Barents basin is a large hydrocarbon basin.