Burial/exhumation histories for the Cooper–Eromanga Basins and implications for hydrocarbon exploration, Eastern Australia

The Cooper–Eromanga Basins of South Australia and Queensland are not at their maximum burial depth due to Late Cretaceous–Tertiary, and Late Triassic–Early Jurassic exhumation. Apparent exhumation (maximum burial depth–present burial depth) for the Cooper Basin has been quantified using the compaction methodology. The results show that exhumation of the Cooper Basin for the majority of the wells is greater than the exhumation of the Eromanga Basin. Using the compaction methodology, apparent exhumation of Early to Middle Triassic age Arrabury and Tinchoo Formatios has been quantified. Both units yield similar results and do not support that the Arrabury/Tinchoo boundary represents the Cooper–Eromanga boundary. Hence, the Cooper Basin is believed to have reached its maximum burial depth in Late Triassic times. Sonic log data are not available for the units overlying the Late Cretaceous Winton Formation; thus, it is not possible to date exhumation beyond the Late Cretaceous–Tertiary using the compaction methodology. Tertiary sequences as are preserved are relatively thin and separated by marked unconformities and weathered surfaces; hence, exhumation rather than sedimentation dominated the Tertiary, and in exhumed areas, maximum burial depth was attained in Late Cretaceous times. The burial/exhumation history of representative wells was synthesized using sediment decompaction and establishing porosity/depth relations for the Cooper–Eromanga units. Considering the relative significance of the major periods of exhumation in the Cooper/Eromanga Basins, three broad types of burial/exhumation histories can be distinguished. Maximum burial depth of the Cooper Basin sequence was attained before the deposition of the Eromanga Basin sequence, i.e. Late Triassic–Early Jurassic times; maximum burial depth of the Cooper and Eromanga Basin sequences attained in Late Cretaceous times; and Cooper and Eromanga Basin sequences are currently at maximum burial‐depth. Incorporation of exhumation into burial history has major implications for hydrocarbon exploration.     

Origin of early overpressure in the Upper Devonian Catskill Delta Complex, western New York state

The Upper Devonian Rhinestreet black shale of the western New York state region of the Appalachian Basin has experienced multiple episodes of overpressure generation manifested by at least two sets of natural hydraulic fractures. These overpressure events were thermal in origin and induced by the generation of hydrocarbons during the Alleghanian orogeny close to or at the Rhinestreet's ～3.1 km maximum burial depth. Analysis of differential gravitational compaction strain of the organic‐rich shale around embedded carbonate concretions that formed within a metre or so of the seafloor indicates that the Rhinestreet shale was compacted ～58%. Compaction strain was recalculated to a palaeoporosity of 37.8%, in excess of that expected for burial >3 km. The palaeoporosity of the Rhinestreet shale suggests that porosity reduction caused by normal gravitational compaction of the low‐permeability carbonaceous sediment was arrested at some depth shy of its maximum burial depth by pore pressure in excess of hydrostatic. The depth at which the Rhinestreet shale became overpressured, the palaeo‐fluid retention depth, was estimated by use of published normal compaction curves and empirical porosity‐depth algorithms to fall between 850 and 1380 m. Early and relatively shallow overpressuring of the Rhinestreet shale likely originated by disequilibrium compaction induced by a marked increase in sedimentation rate in the latter half of the Famennian stage (Late Devonian) as the Catskill Delta Complex prograded westward across the Appalachian Basin in response to Acadian tectonics. The regional Upper Devonian stratigraphy of western New York state indicates that the onset of overpressure occurred at a depth of ～1100 m, well in advance of the Rhinestreet shale's entry into the oil window during the Alleghanian orogeny.     

Incremental Growth of Plains-Type (Compactional) Folds in a Cratonic Environment as Revealed by the Sedimentary Sequence

The enigma of the origin and development of plains-type folds, as they were christened in the early 20th Century, essentially has been solved. The folds, a considerable distance from the tectonic disturbance, were formed by draping of sediments over differentially displaced Precambrian basement fault blocks. These Precambrian basement fault blocks controlled the location, size, and shape of the folds. Forces were transmitted through the rigid basement causing readjustment along the indigenous fracture/fault pattern formed much earlier. In the U.S. Midcontinent, the crystalline basement is overlain by a thin veneer of sediments, and once the structures were formed, they continued to develop as evidenced by features in the overlying sediments. As the stress was transmitted through the basement and then relaxed, the fault blocks moved differentially in concert to these outside forces. Sediment compaction and nondeposition over structural topographic highs reacted accordingly to form the features as seen today. To determine the structural history, structural closure on different horizons on the anticline is plotted in their appropriate stratigraphic position at depth. This gives a compaction line for each tectonically coherent segment. Similar segments show a relatively straightline with offsets at major unconformities indicating breaks in the continuum. It is at these breaks that the section can be stretched until the compaction line matches as a continuum with the resulting gap giving the approximate amount of missing section for that part of the rock column. Conversely, the amount of closure on a structure at depth for each line segment can be estimated by extrapolating downward in that segment. This technique to determine depth of burial and thus the amount of missing stratigraphic section from well data at numerous locations has been compared with estimates made by other methods and the results are similar. Where no other data are available or for quick estimates, then, it is proposed that this approach will give reasonable results and that the values can be used as a constraint in basin modeling.     

Modelling of pore pressure evolution associated with sedimentation and uplift in sedimentary basins

Unconformities, which represent either periods of interruption of sedimentation or, in most cases events characterized by deposition and subsequent erosion, are commonplace geological phenomena in sedimentary basins, and will affect the pore pressure evolution of the basin fill. The effect of unconformities on pore pressure, as well as on sediment compaction and on burial processes is studied using a numerical basin model. For coarse sediments, which are permeable so that their pore pressure always remains nearly hydrostatic, the effects of both pure deposition interruption (hiatus) and deposition-erosion events are negligible for pore pressure evolution. However, for fine-grained sediments, unconformities can modify the pore pressure and the stress state to varying degrees. The results show that the rate of removal of overlying sediments, the permeability of sediments and time play important roles in the pore pressure evolution. In the East Slope of the Ordos Basin (China), in which overpressure has not been detected in deep wells, the modelling results suggest that the large-scale erosion occurring in the Late Cretaceous and in the Tertiary may have removed high overpressure existing in the basin before the erosion.     

Estimating uncertainties on net erosion from well-log porosity data

Estimating the amount of erosion experienced by a sedimentary basin during its geological history plays a key role in basin modelling. In this paper, we present a novel probabilistic approach to estimate net erosion from porosity–depth data from a single well. Our approach uses a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm which readily allows us to deal with imprecise knowledge of the lithology-dependent compaction parameters in a joint inversion scheme using multiple lithologies. The results using synthetic data highlight the advantages of our approach over conventional techniques for net erosion estimation: (a) uncertainties on compaction parameters can be effectively mapped into a probabilistic solution for net erosion; (b) posterior uncertainties are easy to quantify; (c) the joint inversion scheme can automatically reconcile porosity data from different lithologies. Our results also underscore the critical role of prior assumptions on controlling the retrieved estimates for net erosion. Using real data from a well in the Barents Sea, we simulate three possible scenarios of variable prior assumptions on compaction parameters to demonstrate the general applicability of our approach. Strong prior assumptions on the compaction parameters led to unrealistic estimates of net erosion for the target well, indicating the assumptions are probably inappropriate. Our preferred strategy for this dataset is to include additional data to constrain the normal compaction trend of the sediments. This provides a net erosion estimate for the target well of about 2300 m with a standard deviation of 140 m which is in line with previous studies. Finally, we discuss potential guidelines to deal with real applications in which data from normally compacted sediments are not available. One is to use our algorithm as a hypothesis-testing tool to evaluate the results under a large set of assumed compaction parameters. A second is to infer compaction parameters and net erosion simultaneously from the target well porosity data. Although appealing and successful with synthetic data, this strategy provides results which are strongly dependent on the calibration data and the geological history of the sediments sampled by the target well.     

Thermochronology, denudation and variations in palaeosurface temperature: a case study from the North Slope foreland basin, Alaska

Integration of vitrinite reflectance (R_o) and apatite fission track (AFT) data from well sequences can provide a direct estimate of the geothermal gradient at the time of maximum palaeotemperatures and the time at which sequences began to cool from maximum palaeotemperatures. These values, plus an understanding of the effects of cooling in response to long-term climatic changes, are particularly important when estimating the amount of denudation experienced by the sequences during cooling from maximum palaeotemperatures. In this case study, AFT data have been generated for subsurface samples from eight wells drilled within the North Slope foreland basin of northern Alaska in an effort to study the thermal history of the basin. The combination of R_o and AFT data establish that maximum palaeotemperatures were attained within the North Slope foreland basin prior to cooling beginning in the Palaeocene. Furthermore, they indicate that palaeogeothermal gradients when cooling began were close to the present-day values, and that Cenozoic surface cooling resulted in a significant amount of 'apparent' denudation. These results suggest that heating throughout the basin was largely due to deeper burial, and that cooling was due to both removal of section by denudation and a drop in the mean annual surface temperature.     

A Petroleum System for the Salina Basin in Kansas Based on Organic Geochemistry and Geologic Analog

The Salina Basin historically has been an exploration desert—a home of dryholes. Although this basin, which underlies much of north-central Kansas, may never be a prolific source of hydrocarbons, recent research into the maturation and geochemistry of organic matter and oils in Kansas can provide guidelines for a new exploration strategy. The Salina Basin is similar to the oil-productive Forest City Basin in northeastern Kansas in many ways. Both basins originated as a single large basin (i.e., the North Kansas Basin) prior to the rise of the Nemaha Uplift in Late Mississippian-Early Pennsylvanian time. Their Paleozoic stratigraphy thus is similar and the axes of both basins are presently at approximately the same depth. Thermal maturation modeling and available organic-matter maturation data indicate that the lower Paleozoic rocks in the axes of both basins are in the early stages of oil generation. In the Forest City Basin the Ordovician Simpson Group is the deepest known hydrocarbon source-rock—oil-reservoir interval, and by analogy, exploration tests in the Salina Basin, at a minimum, should penetrate through this stratigraphic interval. Ordovician Simpson Group shales in the Forest City Basin are the source rocks for a geochemically distinct oil, which also occurs in Ordovician reservoirs in the extreme southern end of the Salina Basin. To increase the odds of success in an exploration program in the Salina Basin, wildcat wells should be drilled where thermal maturation is greatest. The broad NW–SE-trending basin axis is the most logical area. Exploration tests along this axis in the northern end of the basin may have an extra advantage as organic matter in the Simpson Group may be more thermally mature because of greater burial depth during the Cretaceous. Along the eastern margin of the nearby Central Kansas Uplift and Pratt Anticline, several Paleozoic geologic structures, some of which contain major oil fields, are attributable to tectonic reactivation along the western margin of the Precambrian Central North American Rift System (CNARS). Prospective structural trends in the Paleozoic section of the Salina Basin are anticipated to be associated with this underlying tectonic boundary. The western margin of the CNARS trends NNE–SSW where it passes under the axis of the Salina Basin in northeastern Lincoln and southeastern Mitchell counties. This area is sparsely drilled, with less than two tests per township. If an exploration program can define lower Paleozoic structural closures in this region, these structures may represent the best chance for future petroleum discoveries.     

Constraining the burial history of the Ghadames Basin, North Africa: an integrated analysis using sonic velocities, vitrinite reflectance data and apatite fission track ages

Constraining the burial history of a sedimentary basin is crucial for accurate prediction of hydrocarbon generation and migration. Although the Ghadames Basin is a prolific hydrocarbon province, with recoverable oil discovered to date in excess of 3.5 billion bbl, exploration on the eastern margin is still limited and the prospectivity of the area depends on the identification of effective source rocks and the timing of hydrocarbon generation. Sonic velocity, apatite fission track (FT) and vitrinite reflectance analysis offer three complementary methods to determine burial history and provide independent analytical techniques to evaluate the timing and amount of exhumation. The results indicate that two phases of tectonic activity had the biggest influence on basin evolution: the Hercynian (Late Carboniferous–Triassic) and Alpine (Late Mesozoic/Cenozoic) tectonic events. Exhumation during the Hercynian tectonic event increases from the SE, where an almost complete Palaeozoic section is preserved, towards the NW. This study quantifies the significant regional Alpine exhumation of the southern and eastern margins of the basin, with important implications for the timing of hydrocarbon maturation and expulsion, particularly for the Silurian source rock interval. Incorporating elevated Alpine exhumation values into burial history models for wells in the eastern (Libyan) part of the basin allows calibration with available maturity (Ro_eq) data using moderate values of Hercynian erosion. The result is preservation of the generation potential of Silurian (Tanezzuft) source rocks until maximum burial during Mesozoic/Cenozoic time, which improves the chance for preservation of hydrocarbon accumulations following entrapment.     

Submarine sediment routing over a blocky mass‐transport deposit in the Espírito Santo Basin,SE Brazil

The control of slide blocks on slope depositional systems is investigated in a high‐quality 3D seismic volume from the Espírito Santo Basin, SE Brazil. Seismic interpretation and statistical methods were used to understand the effect of differential compaction on strata proximal to the headwall of a blocky mass‐transport deposit (MTD), where blocks are large and undisturbed (remnant), and in the distal part of this same deposit. The distal part contains smaller rafted blocks that moved and deformed with the MTD. Upon their emplacement, the positive topographic relief of blocks created a rugged seafloor, confining sediment pathways and creating accommodation space for slope sediment. In parallel, competent blocks resisted compaction more than the surrounding debrite matrix during early burial. This resulted in differential compaction between competent blocks and soft flanking strata, in a process that was able to maintain a rugged seafloor for >5 Ma after burial. Around the largest blocks, a cluster of striations associated with a submarine channel bypassed these obstructions on the slope and, as a result, reflects important deflection by blocks and compaction‐related folds that were obstructing turbidite flows. Log‐log graphs were made to compare the width and height of different stratigraphic elements; blocks, depocentres and channels. There is a strong correlation between the sizes of each element, but with each subsequent stage (block–depocentre–channel) displaying marked reductions in height. Blocky MTDs found on passive margins across the globe are likely to experience similar effects during early burial to those documented in this work.     

坡度在坡面侵蚀中的作用*

本文分析了坡度在坡面侵蚀中的作用,包括不同坡度下被蚀体的特征差异,坡度对坡面溅蚀、坡面入渗、坡面径流及坡面侵蚀的影响,最后从理论上阐明了坡面侵蚀中的临界坡度。     

Unravelling the multi-stage burial history of the Swiss Molasse Basin: integration of apatite fission track, vitrinite reflectance and biomarker isomerisation analysis

A complex basin evolution was studied using various methods, including thermal constraints based on apatite fission‐track (AFT) analysis, vitrinite reflectance (VR) and biomarker isomerisation, in addition to a detailed analysis of the regional stratigraphic record and of the lithological properties. The study indicates that (1) given the substantial amount of data, the distinction and characterisation of successive stages of heating and burial in the same area are feasible, and (2) the three thermal indicators (AFT, VR and biomarkers) yield internally consistent thermal histories, which supports the validity of the underlying kinetic algorithms and their applicability to natural basins. All data pertaining to burial and thermal evolution were integrated in a basin model, which provides constraints on the thickness of eroded sections and on heat flow over geologic time. Three stages of basin evolution occurred in northern Switzerland. The Permo‐Carboniferous strike–slip basin was characterised by high geothermal gradients (80–100°C km^?1) and maximum temperature up to 160°C. After the erosion of a few hundreds of metres in the Permian, the post‐orogenic, epicontinental Mesozoic basin developed in Central Europe, with subsidence triggered by several stages of rifting. Geothermal gradients in northern Switzerland during Cretaceous burial were relatively high (35–40°C km^?1), and maximum temperature typically reached 75°C (top middle Jurassic) to 100°C (base Mesozoic). At least in the early Cretaceous, a stage of increased heat flow is needed to explain the observed maturity level. After erosion of 600–700 m of Cretaceous and late Jurassic strata during the Paleocene, the wedge‐shaped Molasse Foreland Basin developed. Geothermal gradients were low at this time (≤20°C km^?1). Maximum temperature of Miocene burial exceeded that of Cretaceous burial in proximal parts (<35 km from the Alpine front), but was lower in more distal parts (>45 km). Thus, maximum temperature as well as maximum burial depth ever reached in Mesozoic strata occurred at different times in different regions. Since the Miocene, 750–1050 m were eroded, a process that still continues in the proximal parts of the basin. Current average geothermal gradients in the uppermost 2500 m are elevated (32–47°C km^?1). They are due to a Quaternary increase of heat flow, most probably triggered by limited advective heat transport along Paleozoic faults in the crystalline basement.     

山前洪积扇坡面细沟侵蚀跌坑特征的试验研究

跌坑的出现是坡面侵蚀过程中的重要现象,标志着细沟侵蚀正在发育,跌坑的贯穿标志着细沟的形成。采用土槽冲刷模型试验,选取流量、坡度、冲刷时间和坡面形态作为影响跌坑发育的因子结合正交试验调查了不同试验条件下跌坑发育特征及影响因素。结果表明：影响跌坑发育的因素主次为冲刷时间、流量、坡面形态、坡度;跌坑沿坡面连续分布,深度具有波动性,沿坡向下呈现先增大后减小的趋势,最大值一般发育在坡面中部;根据跌坑的发育特征将坡面细沟侵蚀划分为片蚀、细沟雏形、细沟发育和细沟调整四个阶段;坡面细沟侵蚀跌坑深宽积与土壤侵蚀量具有较显著线性关系。研究结果对输油管线水毁及水土流失防治具有一定的参考价值。     

Mudstone compaction curves in basin modelling: a study of Mesozoic and Cenozoic Sediments in the northern North Sea

Basin modelling studies are carried out in order to understand the basin evolution and palaeotemperature history of sedimentary basins. The results of basin modelling are sensitive to changes in the physical properties of the rocks in the sedimentary sequences. The rate of basin subsidence depends, to a large extent, on the density of the sedimentary column, which is largely dependent on the porosity and therefore on the rate of compaction. This study has tested the sensitivity of varying porosity/depth curves and related thermal conductivities for the Cenozoic succession along a cross‐section in the northern North Sea basin, offshore Norway. End‐member porosity/depth curves, assuming clay with smectite and kaolinite properties, are compared with a standard compaction curve for shale normally applied to the North Sea. Using these alternate relationships, basin geometries of the Cenozoic succession may vary up to 15% from those predicted using the standard compaction curve. Isostatic subsidence along the cross‐section varies 2.3–4.6% between the two end‐member cases. This leads to a 3–8% difference in tectonic subsidence, with maximum values in the basin centre. Owing to this, the estimated stretching factors vary up to 7.8%, which further gives rise to a maximum difference in heat flow of more than 8.5% in the basin centre. The modelled temperatures for an Upper Jurassic source rock show a deviation of more than 20 °C at present dependent on the thermal conductivity properties in the post‐rift succession. This will influence the modelled hydrocarbon generation history of the basin, which is an essential output from basin modelling analysis. Results from the northern North Sea have shown that varying compaction trends in sediments with varying thermal properties are important parameters to constrain when analysing sedimentary basins.     

Thermal evolution and shale gas potential estimation of the Wealden and Posidonia Shale in NW‐Germany and the Netherlands: a 3D basin modelling study

Sedimentary basins in NW‐Germany and the Netherlands represent potential targets for shale gas exploration in Europe due to the presence of Cretaceous (Wealden) and Jurassic (Posidonia) marlstones/shales as well as various Carboniferous black shales. In order to assess the regional shale gas prospectivity of this area, a 3D high‐resolution petroleum system model has been compiled and used to reconstruct the source‐rock maturation based on calibrated burial and thermal histories. Different basal heat flow scenarios and accordingly, different high‐resolution scenarios of erosional amount distribution were constructed, incorporating all major uplift events that affected the study area. The model delivers an independent 3D reappraisal of the tectonic and thermal history that controlled the differential geodynamic evolution and provides a high‐resolution image of the maturity distribution and evolution throughout the study area and the different basins. Pressure, temperature and TOC‐dependent gas storage capacity and gas contents of the Posidonia Shale and Wealden were calculated based on experimentally derived Langmuir sorption parameters and newly compiled source‐rock thickness maps indicating shale gas potential of the Lower Saxony Basin, southern Gifhorn Trough and West Netherlands Basin.     

Polygonal faults-furrows system related to early stages of compaction – upper Miocene to recent sediments of the Lower Congo Basin

A new polygonal fault system has been identified in the Lower Congo Basin. This highly faulted interval (HFI), 700±50 m thick, is characterized by small extensional faults displaying a polygonal pattern in plan view. This kind of fracturing is attributed to volumetric contraction of sediments during early stages of compaction at shallow burial depth. 3‐D seismic data permitted the visualization of the progressive deformation of furrows during burial, leading to real fractures, visible on seismic sections at about 78 m below seafloor. We propose a new geometrical model for volumetrical contraction of mud‐dominated sediments. Compaction starts at the water–sediment interface by horizontal contraction, creating furrows perpendicular to the present day slope. During burial, continued shrinkage evolves to radial contraction, generating hexagonal cells of dewatering at 21 m below seafloor. With increasing contraction, several faults generations are progressively initiated from 78 to 700 m burial depth. Numerous faults of the HFI act as highly permeable pathways for deeper fluids. We point out that pockmarks, which represent the imprint of gas, oil or pore water escape on the seafloor, are consistently located at the triple‐junction of three neighbouring hexagonal cells. This is highly relevant for predictive models of the occurrence of seepage structures on the seafloor and for the sealing capacity of sedimentary cover over deeper petroleum reservoirs.     

Prediction of Shale Plugs between Wells in Heavy Oil Sands using Seismic Attributes

A fundamental geologic problem in the Steam-Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) heavy oil developments in the McMurray Formation of Northern Alberta is to determine the location of shales in the reservoirs that may interfere with the steaming or recovery process. Petrophysical analysis shows that a key acoustic indicator of the presence of shale is bulk density. In theory, density can be derived from seismic data using Amplitude Versus Offset (AVO) analysis of conventional or multicomponent seismic data, but this is not widely accepted in practice. However, with billions of dollars slated for SAGD developments in the upcoming years, this technology warrants further investigation. In addition, many attributes can be investigated using modern tools like neural networks; so, the density extracted from seismic using AVO can be compared and combined with more conventional attributes in solving this problem. Density AVO attributes are extracted and correlated with “density synthetics” created from the logs just as the seismic stack correlates to conventional synthetics. However, multiattribute tests show that more than density is required to best predict the volume proportion of shale (Vsh). Vsh estimates are generated by passing seismic attributes derived from conventional PP, and multicomponent PS seismic, AVO and inversion from an arbitrary line following the pilot SAGD wells through a neural network. This estimate shows good correlation to shale proportions estimated from core. The results have encouraged the application of the method to the entire 3D.     

Burial,Maturation, and Petroleum Generation History of the Arkoma Basin and Ouachita Foldbelt,Oklahoma and Arkansas

Removed overburden, burial, maturation, and petroleum generation analysis indicates that maturity in the Arkoma Basin and the Ouachita Foldbelt is explained effectively using simple burial models that account for the significant surface erosion that has occurred and assuming geothermal gradients similar to present-day gradients have been approximately constant through geologic time. Regional models, based on analysis at 115 well locations, indicate that from 5,000 to 15,000 ft (1.5–4.5 km) of section, differing with location from north to south and west to east, has been removed from the Arkoma Basin region, and as much as 25,000–40,000 ft (7.5–12 km) have been removed from areas of the Ouachita Foldbelt. Based on burial and thermal history reconstruction, increasing maturation from west to east across the basin is primarily the result of increasing overburden and subsequent surface erosion from west to east. The models predict most publicly available vitrinite reflectance data within a factor of 1.5 at two standard deviations. Comparison of model and measured reflectance-depth trends in six wells indicates that hydrothermal fluid movement should not have modified reflectance by more than approximately 20% in the center of the basin. Analysis indicates that most of the basin is overmature for oil production from intervals below the Spiro Sandstone, except to the north and northwest. Although thermal maturities are high, methane is stable throughout the basin. Except for the basal Arbuckle Group, all formations were thermally immature for oil generation prior to burial by the Mississippian and Morrowan in the Ouachita Foldbelt of Oklahoma and by the Atokan and Desmoinesian over most of the basin and study area. In the deeper part of the present basin, all strata entered and passed through the oil window during or within 10 My after Atokan time. Because no additional major quantities of hydrocarbons were generated after Atokan time, the hydrocarbons must have been emplaced and trapped during this brief time interval.     

Rapid extensive erosion of the North Alpine foreland basin at 5–4 Ma

An extensive low‐temperature thermochronology study of the Swiss part of the North Alpine Foreland Basin has been conducted with the aim of deciphering the late Neogene basin development. Apatite fission‐track (AFT) ages from wells located in the distal and weakly deformed Plateau Molasse reveal rapid, km‐scale erosion with an onset in early Pliocene times. The distribution of erosion implies that there was a strong gradient in late Miocene deposition rates along the strike of the basin, with an increase towards the northeast. Additionally, renewed tectonic activity and km‐scale out‐of‐sequence thrusting during Plio‐Pleistocene times is indicated by AFT data from wells within the thrusted, proximal Subalpine Molasse. Several different mechanisms driving late Neogene basin erosion and accelerated erosional discharge from the European Alps have been considered in the literature. Based on our AFT results, we reevaluate previously published hypotheses, and suggest that a change in climate and/or drainage reorganisation coincided and possibly interacted with preexisting tectonic and geodynamic forces in the Alpine region.     

Mesozoic–Cenozoic exhumation events in the eastern North Sea Basin: a multi-disciplinary study based on palaeothermal, palaeoburial, stratigraphic and seismic data

Four Mesozoic–Cenozoic palaeothermal episodes related to deeper burial and subsequent exhumation and one reflecting climate change during the Eocene have been identified in a study of new apatite fission‐track analysis (AFTA^®) and vitrinite reflectance data in eight Danish wells. The study combined thermal‐history reconstruction with exhumation studies based on palaeoburial data (sonic velocities) and stratigraphic and seismic data. Mid‐Jurassic exhumation (ca. 175 Ma) was caused by regional doming of the North Sea area, broadly contemporaneous with deep exhumation in Scandinavia. A palaeogeothermal gradient of 45 °C km^?1 at that time may be related to a mantle plume rising before rifting in the North Sea. Mid‐Cretaceous exhumation affecting the Sorgenfrei–Tornquist Zone is probably related to late Albian tectonic movements (ca. 100 Ma). The Sole Pit axis in the southern North Sea experienced similar inversion and this suggests a plate‐scale response along crustal weakness zones across NW Europe. Mid‐Cenozoic exhumation affected the eastern North Sea Basin and the onset of this event correlates with a latest Oligocene unconformity (ca. 24 Ma), which indicates a major Scandinavian uplift phase. The deeper burial that caused the late Oligocene thermal event recognized in the AFTA data reflect progradation of lower Oligocene wedges derived from the uplifting Scandinavian landmass. The onset of Scandinavian uplift is represented by an earliest Oligocene unconformity (ca. 33 Ma). Late Neogene exhumation affected the eastern (and western) North Sea Basin including Scandinavia. The sedimentation pattern in the central North Sea Basin shows that this phase began in the early Pliocene (ca. 4 Ma), in good agreement with the AFTA data. These three phases of Cenozoic uplift of Scandinavia also affected the NE Atlantic margin, whereas an intra‐Miocene unconformity (ca. 15 Ma) on the NE Atlantic margin reflects tectonic movements of only minor amplitude in that area. The study demonstrates that only by considering episodic exhumation as an inherent aspect of the sedimentary record can the tectonic evolution be accurately reconstructed.     

Correction of Single Log-Derived Temperatures in the Danish Central Graben,North Sea

An equation for correcting log-derived temperatures measured at well depths between 1200 and 5400 m has been derived by comparing log-derived temperatures from wells in the Danish Central Graben (North Sea) with DST temperatures, from the same wells, that are believed to represent true formation temperatures. Equations developed previously using data over different depth ranges from Malaysia and Mexico yield fair results when applied to the North Sea. However, a better fit to the Danish data was obtained using new equations that are similar to those published in the earlier studies. The correction method here is based principally on time since end of circulation (TSC), but it also includes a small dependence on depth. In this study the true subsurface temperature (T_true) (°C) is given by where the correction factor f = 3.07·TSC^(–0.09)/(0.47·Z^(0.175)), T_surf is the seafloor temperature in °C, T_meas is the measured log temperature in °C, TSC is in hours, and Z is the depth below seafloor in meters. When TSC is not known, maximum probable, minimum probable, and most likely values can be estimated from the observed trend of TSC with depth.An estimate of the uncertainty in the corrected temperature can be obtained from the equation where is the standard deviation of the error in the correction factor f. This approach can be modified to include the additional uncertainty associated with unspecified TSC.