Inferring denudation variations from the sediment record; an example of the last glacial cycle record of the Golo Basin and watershed,East Corsica,western Mediterranean sea

Geophysical data and sampling of the Golo Basin (East Corsica margin) provide the opportunity to study mass balance in a single drainage system over the last 130 kyr, by comparing deposited sediments in the sink and the maximum eroded volume in the source using total denudation proxies. Evaluation of the solid sediments deposited offshore and careful integration of uncertainties from the age model and physical properties allow us to constrain three periods of sedimentation during the last climatic cycle. The peak of sedimentation initiated during Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS) 3 (ca. 45 ka) and lasted until late in MIS 2 (ca. 18 ka). This correlates with Mediterranean Sea palaeoclimatic records and the glaciation in high altitude Corsica. The yield of solid sediment into the Golo Basin drops in the observed present day Mediterranean basins (gauging stations), whereas the palaeo‐denudation estimate derived from the sediments over the last glacial period is one to ten times higher than that predicted using cosmogenic or thermochronometer estimates of exhumation. The catchment‐wide denudation rate calculated from deposited solid sediment ranges from 47 to 219 mm kyr^?1, which is higher than the estimate from palaeosurface ablation in the proximal part of the source (9–140 mm kyr^?1) and lower than the distal, narrow, incised channel of the Golo River (160–475 mm kyr^?1). This mismatch raises questions about the investigation of denudation at millennial‐time scale (kyr) and at higher integrating times (Myr) as a reliable tool for determining the effect of climate change on mountain building and on sedimentary basin models.     

Parameter identification of minifrac numerical tests using a gradient boosting-based proxy model and genetic algorithm

In recent years, the petroleum industry has devoted considerable attention to studying fluid flow inside fracture channels due to the discovery of naturally fractured reservoirs. The behavior prediction of these reservoirs is a well-known challenging task, in which the initial stage consists of identifying reservoir hydromechanical parameters. This work proposes an artificial intelligence-based approach to identify hydromechanical parameters from borehole injection pressure curves acquired through minifrac tests. This approach combines proxy modeling with a stochastic optimization algorithm to match observed and predicted borehole pressure curves. Therefore, a gradient boosting-based proxy model is built to predict borehole pressure curves, considering a proper strategy to develop time series modeling. Moreover, a Bayesian optimization algorithm is applied to compute the gradient boosting hyperparameters. In this optimization scenario, this paper proposes an appropriate objective function established from the assumed time series prediction strategy and the k-fold cross-validation. Finally, a genetic algorithm is adopted to identify unknown hydromechanical parameters, solving an inverse problem. Based on the proposed workflow, a study of the importance of the hydromechanical parameters is developed. To assess the methodology applicability, the approach is employed to identify parameters in synthetic and field minifrac tests. The results present how this approach can adequately identify hydromechanical parameters of hydraulic fracturing problems.     

Proterozoic links between Northeastern Brazil and West Africa: A plate tectonic model based on gravity data

Using the Bullard predrift reconstruction for the southern Atlantic, analysis of the major gravimetric trends of the West African craton (2000 Ma) and the surrounding mobile belts allows us to delineate the upper Proterozoic shield boundary and to put forward an evolutionary model for late Precambrian time.Over the cratonic area gravimetric anomalies are related to a basement framework or to sedimentary basins whose geometry is linked to reactivation of ancient faults. Gravity anomalies and LANDSAT imagery show a NE-SW lineament in West Africa which can be correlated with a variety of geologic features, the largest being the late Precambrian Gourma aulacogen.At the margins of the craton the deformation patterns and gravity signatures associated with the 600 Ma orogeny were largely controlled by the geometry of the stable craton itself. On the eastern edge (Pan-African belt and Brazilian belt east of the São Luis and Amazonian cratons), the distribution of the anomalies and deduced structures can be explained by a continental collision process. On the western and southern edge (Brazilian belt between the São Luis and Amazonian cratons, Rokelide belt, Mauritanide belt) the gravity signature is different, suggesting a large amount of intensely tectonized basic rocks. A limited spreading process followed by an intense compressional episode is suggested.