CONTROLS ON SYN-RIFT TURBIDITE DEPOSITION ON THE HANGING WALL
OF THE SOUTH VIKING GRABEN, NORTH SEA RIFT SYSTEM,
OFFSHORE NORWAY
1
Christopher A-L. Jackson
2§
Eirik Larsen
2†
Sigmund Hanslien
2
Anne-Elise Tjemsland
1
Basins Research Group (BRG), Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial
College, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BP, England, UK
2
Statoil, Forusbeen 50, N-4035 Stavanger, Norway
§
Present address: Geoconsulentene AS, Hordaveien 7, 4020 Stavanger, Norway
†
Present address: Det Norske Oljeselskap ASA, Næringslivets Hus, Haakon VIIs gt. 8,
Stavanger 4005, Norway
email: c.jackson@imperial.ac.uk
Three-dimensional (3D) seismic, wireline log, core and biostratigraphic data from the South
Viking Graben, North Sea rift system are integrated to investigate the controls on the
temporal and spatial development of a Late Jurassic, syn-rift turbidite system deposited on the
hanging wall dipslope of a salt-influenced half-graben. Turbidite deposition was coeval with
the initiation and upslope (palaeo-landward) migration of activity across a gravity-driven
normal fault array. Three main syn-rift stratal units are identified and these are mapped using
seismic and well data. The lowermost unit (Upper Oxfordian) comprises thick, amalgamated
turbidites, which are restricted to the hanging wall of the earliest, most basinward growth
fault. The middle unit (Kimmeridgian) is more areally extensive than the underlying system,
draping the now-inactive basinward growth fault and extending upslope into the hanging wall
of a newly activated landward growth fault. The uppermost unit (Lower-to-Middle Volgian)
is more sheet-like and was deposited when activity across all growth faults had largely ceased
and slope topography had been almost fully healed. This study demonstrates that hanging
wall dipslopes within rifts can be characterised by volumetrically-significant, sand-rich,
gravity flow-dominated depositional systems, and that the reservoir architecture of such
deposits can be strongly controlled by syn-depositional growth faulting. In addition, this study
provides insights into the response of turbidites to tectonically-driven changes in bathymetry,
which may be applicable in a range of basin settings.