School of Earth and Environment
University of Leeds
Rob Butler and Bill McCaffrey
Outline
STRUCT-STRAT
The linked study of deformation and depositional processes on submarine slopes
VIRTUAL SEISMIC ATLAS
Knowledge Transfer community initiative
Please pass comments back to:
butler@earth.leeds.ac.uk
mccaffrey@earth.leeds.ac.uk
http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/struc-strat/project-descriptions
CONFIDENTIAL
A NEW RESEARCH PROGRAM
STRUCT-STRAT
The linked study of deformation and depositional processes on submarine slopes
Rob Butler and Bill McCaffrey with Martin Casey
Outline
Background – research at Leeds
Outline the scientific challenges
Research Program
Pathfinder project
Consortium project
Please pass comments back to:
butler@earth.leeds.ac.uk
mccaffrey@earth.leeds.ac.uk
http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/struc-strat/project-descriptions
Leeds Research Environment
School of Earth and Environment (SEE)
One of the largest geoscience groups in the UK.
Long history of academic and applied research
Large research-student community (40+)
Unique range of industry-focused taught Masters
courses
(Geophysics, Structural Geology, Engineering Geology)
Links to industry through consortium research and spinoff companies (e.g. RDR)
Leeds Research Environment – key groupings
Structure Group 25 years structural research in thrust belts, fold modelling etc.
Rob Butler, Martin Casey + 6 PhD students
MSc Structural Geology with Geophysics
Turbidites Research Group (TRG) 12 years deep marine clastics research
Bill McCaffrey plus Rob Butler, Jaco Baas,
Jeff Peakall + 8 PhD students + externals
Rock Deformation Research (RDR)
Leading structural consultancy and applied research group.
Rob Knipe et al.
Geophysics Group
Greg Houseman, Lykke Gemmer and students.
Numerical modeling of lithosphere deformation
Graham Stuart, Roger Clark et al.
Seismics: MSc Geophysics
Engineering Geology Group etc
Bill Murphy, Lucy Phillip: geotechnical studies,
mass wasting. PhD and MSc students – linking
with Civil Engineering groups in Leeds
+ external collaborator: Scott Bowman, President of PetroDynamics
Development of PHIL Stratigraphic Modelling package
Leeds Research Environment – investigators
Outlines of the key research personnel in the Struct-Strat project. Collectively
we have published over 150 research papers and supervised >40 research students.
Rob Butler
25 years experience in the structural geometry and evolution of thrust systems.
Research has developed to use high resolution stratigraphy to investigate thrust-fold
kinematics. Founding director of MSc Structural Geology with Geophysics.
Bill McCaffrey
Currently Director of TRG. Over 15 years experience of deep marine clastics and
application of research to industry.
Martin Casey
Co-investigator. 30 years experience of numerical structural geology, particularly
the use of finite element methods to investigate deformations. Latterly has applied
soil mechanical approach to study deformation in poorly consolidated sediments.
+ External collaborator: Scott Bowman, President of PetroDynamics
A NEW RESEARCH PROGRAM
STRUCT-STRAT
The linked study of deformation and depositional processes on submarine slopes
Rob Butler and Bill McCaffrey with Martin Casey and Scott Bowman
Outline
UPDATE – FROM POTENTIAL SPONSORS
Outline the scientific challenges
Research Program
Pathfinder project
Consortium project
http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/struc-strat
UPDATE – April 2005.
Following discussions with possible sponsors we would like to draw out
the following key themes:
1. Regional aspects – a main driver here is to develop predictions of slope
geometries in the past – using these to predict possible sites of preferential
sand accumulation. Beneficial for evaluating new prospects within known
slope systems – say when seismic data are poor and the system is
subsequently deformed, or to examine consequences.
2. Prospect scale – Understanding links between fold-thrust development and
nature of strat template may reduce risk in poorly imaged fore-limb areas.
3. All scales – feedbacks between rates of deformation and deposition could
have large control on scales/timing/distribution of remobilisation.
4. Relationship with proprietary data. Data are needed – the Pathfinder phase
will need to establish nature of release/confidentiality of proprietary data
within the consortium (and for publication).
External controls on deep water clastic
systems
The bathymetric influence on sediment
deposition
e.g. TRG
Sediment patterns on slopes.
Multi-disciplinary
project
Why?
Sed load drives/modifies slope structure
Sed style impacts wedge rheology
Sed architecture impacts on fault zone
evolution
Structural evolution
geometry
mechanics
Consortium
Pathfinder
Establish workflows
Focus deliverables
Develop partnerships
OUTLINE OF RESEARCH CHALLENGES
Sedimentation and deformation on submarine slopes
deformation styles
Deposition/strat architectures
Scales…
The slope system (wedge dynamics)
Individual/groups of folds/thrusts
Evolution of fold-thrusts and fault zone architecture
Slope grading processes
different stable (“equilibrium”) slopes…
Deposition of turbidites
Shallow-detached MTCs
Whole prism creep
Controls
1 – tectonic subsidence (thermal, inversion etc)
2 – sediment load (flexural isostatic)
3 – sediment input (timing, flux, nature)
4 – gravity spreading deformation
Evolution of active submarine slopes:
sediment load drives deformation, deformation impacts on sediment distribution.
Predict slope-dip and rugosity
create synthetic slopes – input to facies distribution models
Probabilistic prediction of the distribution and characteristic architectures of
sand bodies on deformed submarine slopes.
before
after
A 2-D finite element model of the system geometry,
populated with rheological properties.
viscous
plastic
SEDIMENT
WEDGE
DETACHMENT
e.g. salt
e.g. mud (rate-dependent)
Differential sediment loading and associated surface slope
modification
A diffusion-based sediment dispersal model,
or proprietary strat-modelling packages.
Strat model
deformation model
A key target is to investigate sensitivities
in both model elements to choices of time
increments, rheological properties,
deposition rules and the spatial resolution
Multiple scenarios
Strat model
deposition
PetroDynamics PHIL simulator.
Impose a vector deformation
field onto the strat model,
(which entails modification of
the seabed profile)
Build
wedge
geometry
Finite element
deformation model
A key target is to investigate sensitivities
in both model elements to choices of time
increments, rheological properties,
deposition rules and the spatial resolution
compaction
flexural
subsidence
thermal
subsidence
Refine
wedge
geometry
Rheological
properties
Gravitational
deformation
Multiple scenarios
Sedimentation and deformation in deepwater fold-thrust belts
deformation styles
Deposition/strat architectures
Scales…
The slope system (wedge dynamics)
Individual/groups of folds/thrusts
Evolution of fold-thrusts and fault zone architecture
Styles of contraction at toe of slope?
thrusting
strain
Tectonic compaction….
folding
Sedimentation
during
thrusting
Spaced anticlines,
Little overlap
Little syn-thrusting
sedimentation
Stacked with overlap
Sediment loading conditions influences mechanics of folding and faulting…
Structural activity influences mini-basin evolution
Stratigraphic controls on
fault zone/forelimb architecture
Sedimentation and deformation in deepwater fold-thrust belts
deformation styles
Deposition/strat architectures
Scales…
The slope system (wedge dynamics)
Individual/groups of folds/thrusts
Evolution of fold-thrusts and fault zone architecture
WNW
(Example case study: Butler & McCaffrey 2004, Mar Petrol Geol)
ESE
WNW
ESE
Substrate carbonates
WNW
ESE
Interaction between
distributed deformation
-BUCKLING – and
thrust faulting…
Mechanical behaviour of multilayer influences thrust-fold zone evolution –
and hence final architecture
Sedimentation and deformation in deepwater fold-thrust belts
deformation styles
Deposition/strat architectures
Scales…
The slope system (wedge dynamics)
Individual/groups of folds/thrusts
Evolution of fold-thrusts and fault zone architecture
STRUCT STRAT ISSUES
modelling
observations
Large-scale slope evolution
Numerical modelling
Database of depositional/structural styles on modern slopes
Deep-water fold-thrust belts
Quantify structural architectural elements and relate to deposition
Model sediment loading on fold-thrust arrays
Fold-fault zone evolution
Numerical modelling of multilayers
Exceptional outcrop analogues - quantified
Data provision
External controls on deep water clastic
systems
The bathymetric influence on sediment
deposition
e.g. TRG
Sediment patterns on slopes.
Multi-disciplinary
project
Why?
Sed load drives/modifies slope structure
Sed style impacts wedge rheology
Sed architecture impacts on fault zone
evolution
Structural evolution
geometry
mechanics
Consortium
Pathfinder
Establish workflows
Focus deliverables
Develop partnerships
Program
Pathfinder: mid-late 2005
Main consortium: Sept 2006 - 2009
Costs:
Pathfinder £26k ($50k) per sponsor
Early access to results
Better alignment of research results to sponsor needs
Discounted participation of consortium
Main Struct-Strat consortium (3 years)
£30k per sponsor/year
Discounted to £27k for Pathfinder or TRG Phase 5 sponsors
Discounted to £24k for sponsors of both of the above.
Priorities driven by pathfinder sponsors – activities depend on number of sponsors
http://earth.leeds.ac.uk/struc-strat/project-descriptions