Linking dynamic elastic parameters to static state of stress: toward an integrated approach to subsurface stress analysis

Stress is the most important parameter to understand basin dynamics and the evolution of hydrocarbon systems. The state of stress can be quantified by numerical geo-mechanical modelling techniques. These techniques require static elastic parameters of the rocks as input, while tectonic and gravitational forces are given as explicit boundary conditions to compute the local state of stress at different scales. We developed a technique to determine the density and elastic constants at seismic frequencies using full Zoeppritz inversion on angle-dependent seismic reflection data. The dynamic elastic parameters as obtained from seismic data differ from their static equivalents, which are necessary to determine the static state of stress. The dynamic elastic parameters are related to their static equivalents through experimentally obtained relations. In these rock-physics experiments, the static and dynamic elastic parameters are measured simultaneously during different external loading conditions. The experiments used here are all carried out in a tri-axial pressure machine under equal axial stresses. Then pre-stack seismic data analysis in combination with the relation between the static and dynamic elastic parameters, from the rock-physics experiments, provides the input parameters for geo-mechanical modelling.     

The effects of a lateral variation in lithospheric strength on foredeep evolution: Implications for the East Carpathian foredeep

Lateral variations in lithospheric strength have been adopted often in flexural modeling (both 2D and 3D) to better fit the observed basement deflections, typically supported by gravity data. This approach provides essentially a “snap-shot” of the role of lithosphere strength in determining the present day geometry.In contrast, we investigate and quantify the effects of a lateral change in lithospheric strength on the evolution of the foredeep in front of an advancing orogen. Transitions in lithospheric strength are common in the foreland of orogens and show large variations in the width of the transition zone and the strength difference. Former passive margins, for instance, will display strength changes distributed over several tens to hundreds of kilometers. Other transitions may originate from juxtaposition or accretion of pieces of lithosphere with different properties and may be characterized by a much smaller width than former passive margins.In our modeling, a constant load, representing an advancing orogenic belt, is displaced towards and across a transition from a weak to a strong plate in a 2D elastic thin plate model. The effect of different transition widths and strength contrasts on foredeep geometry and bending stress is investigated. Interference of flexural wavelengths across the transition affects foredeep geometry by causing rapid basin widening, oscillation of the bulge and volume increase. The bending stresses are found to concentrate and amplify around the strength transition. Large transition gradients, i.e. large strength contrast or small transition width, cause the highest rates of change.Basin widening caused by the orogenic load advancing towards the transition between the East European Craton and the Moesian Platform, appears to control the Sarmatian transgression over the East Carpathian foreland in Romania.     

Non‐uniform splitting of a single mantle plume by double cratonic roots: Insight into the origin of the central and southern East African Rift System

Using numerical thermo‐mechanical experiments we analyse the role of an active mantle plume and pre‐existing lithospheric thickness differences in the structural development of the central and southern East African Rift system. The plume‐lithosphere interaction model setup captures the essential features of the studied area: two cratonic bodies embedded into surrounding lithosphere of normal thickness. The results of the numerical experiments suggest that localization of rift branches in the crust is mainly defined by the initial position of the mantle plume relative to the cratons. We demonstrate that development of the Eastern branch, the Western branch and the Malawi rift can be the result of non‐uniform splitting of the Kenyan plume, which has been rising underneath the southern part of the Tanzanian craton. Major features associated with Cenozoic rifting can thus be reproduced in a relatively simple model of the interaction between a single mantle plume and pre‐stressed continental lithosphere with double cratonic roots.     

Numerical simulation of rifting in the northern Viking Graben: the mutual effect of modelling parameters

Numerous basin modelling studies have been performed on the Viking Graben in the northern North Sea during the past decades in order to understand the driving mechanisms for basin evolution and palaeo temperature estimations. In such modelling, it is important to include lithospheric flexure. The values derived for the lithospheric strength by these studies vary considerably (i.e. up to a factor of 30). In this study, which is based on new interpretation of a regional transect, we show that both the estimated value of the effective elastic thickness and the derived β-profile are dependent on the assumed value of the depth of necking. The use of models that implicitly set the level of necking at a depth of 0 km generally leads to an underestimation of the lithospheric strength, and an overestimation of the thinning factors. In the northern Viking Graben, a necking depth at intermediate crustal levels gives results comparable to the observations. Extension by faulting is modelled to be a significant factor. In conclusion, rifting in the northern Viking Graben can be explained with various models of effective elastic thicknesses (EET) varying from 1 km for a zero necking depth to the depth of the 450 °C isotherm for an intermediate level of necking.It is also shown that the development of the basin during the post-rift phase cannot be explained by pure shear/simple shear extension. Two mechanisms are proposed here to explain the post-rift subsidence pattern, namely intra-plate stress and phase boundary migration. The two extreme models for EET mentioned above (1 km for a zero necking depth to the depth of the 450 °C isotherm for an intermediate level of necking) give very different responses to compressional stress, the latter gives basically no response for realistic intra-plate stress.     

On the use of rayleigh wave group velocities for the analysis of continental margins

Rayleigh wave group velocities provide a low-cost means for a quick assessment of averaged local properties of the Earth's crust in continental margin regions of the Atlantic type. Sufficiently accurate measurements (with a standard error of 0.3 km/s or less) of group velocities in continental shelf areas at periods between 5 and 30 seconds provide important information about structural parameters. They may resolve the Moho depth to within 4 or 5 km, depending on crustal thickness and give useful estimates of the average velocities in the upper part of the crust. The group velocities of Rayleigh waves in this period range are influenced most by the shear velocity at all depths and the compressional velocity and the density near the surface. For continental rise regions, the dominating influence of the water layer limits the effectiveness of the method.     

Perspectives on Environmental Earth System Dynamics

The quantification of geohazards and water resources in intraplate areas requires an integrated approach connecting monitoring, reconstruction and prediction of underlying processes. Intraplate rifts such as the Northwestern European rift system and coastal areas such as the Rhine–Meuse delta system are characterized by an interplay of climatic variations and neotectonics. The Netherlands Environmental Earth System Dynamics Initiative (NEESDI) addresses the interplay of lithosphere and surface processes through an integration of upper mantle and crustal scale studies with high-resolution analyses of the sedimentary record, geomorphology and hydrodynamic regime. Recent faulting imaged by seismic reflection data and trenching appears to exert a major control on uplift and subsidence patterns in the area, effecting coastal evolution and river dynamics in the Rhine–Meuse system.