The Hammerhead Delta—deepwater fold-thrust belt, Bight Basin, Australia: 2D kinematic and geomechanical reconstructions*
J. MacDonald A , G. Backé A , R. King A and R. Hillis BA University of Adelaide.
B Deep Exploration Technologies Cooperative Research Centre.
The APPEA Journal 51(2) 739-739 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ10119
Published: 2011
Abstract
The Hammerhead Delta—deepwater fold-thrust belt is located in the Ceduna Sub-basin of the Bight Basin, offshore southern Australia. It is a short-lived gravity gliding system, Late Santonian-Maastrichtian in age. It exhibits a distinctive spoon shape in cross-section and detaches on a master horizon above Santonian marine shales of the Tiger Supersequence. Here, we have interpreted a large seismic dataset—including the recently acquired regional two-dimensional seismic dataset provided by Ion Geophysical—to constrain the regional structural geometry of the Hammerhead Delta—deepwater fold-thrust belt.
Two structural restorations were completed to quantify the amount of extension and shortening in the system. These restorations were: a two-dimensional kinematic restoration, using 2D MOVE; and a two-dimensional geomechanical restoration, using Dynel 2D. By comparing results from the two techniques we demonstrate that the amount of observed extension in the delta top is nearly balanced by the shortening in the delta toe. The near balance (< 2 % excess extension) of the system is a unique result. Other passive margin systems demonstrate larger amounts of extension compared to shortening, due to the regional-scale pro-gradational nature of the systems.
These results suggest that the balanced geometry of the Hammerhead Delta—deepwater fold-thrust belt is consistent with either a sudden decrease in sediment supply during the upper Maastrichtian, resulting in a cessation of prograding fault activity, or a loss of extension to the underlying Cenomanian growth faults or some combination thereof. Thus, the system failed to develop into an extensive passive margin delta—deepwater fold-thrust belt.
Justin MacDonald is a PhD student at the Australian School of Petroleum and the recipient of a prestigious International Postgraduate Research Scholarship for his research. He is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland (BSc Hons), and the University of Waterloo (MSc). Justin’s MSc thesis involved structural analyses of the Mackenzie Mountains foreland fold and thrust belt in northern Canada. His present research interests pertain to structural controls on delta—deepwater fold-thrust belts with particular emphasis on the late-Cretaceous Ceduna Delta systems of the Bight Basin. He is the past president and active member of the Adelaide University AAPG Student Chapter, and the PESA SA postgraduate representative. Member: AAPG, PESA, EAGE, ASEG, SEG. |
Guillaume Backé is a structural geologist with an expertise in seismic interpretation, three-dimensional geomodelling and geomechanical modelling. He joined the Australian School of Petroleum in May 2009, following a two year Post Doctoral research position at the Centre for Mineral Exploration Under Cover (CMXUC) of the University of Adelaide. He obtained a Master of Geophysics at the University of Toulouse III in France in June 2002, and completed a PhD at the University of Pau et des Pays de l’Adour in December 2006 with a dissertation on the tectonic evolution of the Venezuelan Andes (Venezuela), the Southern Central Andes and the Neuquén basin (Argentina). His main research focus is in the integration of geophysics and geology for the construction of accurate and validated three-dimensional models of the earth’s sub-surface, in particular for petroleum, geothermal or geological storage of carbon dioxide applications. |
Dr Rosalind King successfully completed her BSc (Hons) and PhD at the University of Liverpool in 2001 and 2005. Her PhD research was the structural evolution of the Cape Fold Belt, South Africa. She worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Australian School of Petroleum (UA) from 2005—10 studying the present-day stresses of North West Borneo and delta—deepwater fold-thrust belts. Rosalind is a lecturer in the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (UA) and her research includes the tectonics of deepwater fold-thrust belts, detachments, fold and thrust mechanics and petroleum geomechanics. Ros is the vice president of SA PESA. Member: GSL, AAPG and PESA. |
Richard Hillis is CEO of the Deep Exploration Technologies CRC. He graduated with a BSc (Hons) from Imperial College, London (1985), and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh (1989). Until recently, he was the State of South Australia Professor of Petroleum Geology and Head of the Australian School of Petroleum at the University of Adelaide. He has published over 100 papers in the areas of petroleum geomechanics and basin tectonics and has consulted extensively to, and run short courses for, the petroleum industry on these topics. Richard is a non-executive director of JRS Petroleum Research (a privately owned image log and geomechanics consultancy), Petratherm (ASX-listed geothermal company) and AuScope (a national research facility in the earth sciences). Member: AAPG, AGU, ASEG, EAGE, GSA, GSL, PESA, SEG and SPE. |
References
Bouef, M.G., and Doust, H. (1975). Structure and development of the southern margin of Australia. APPEA Journal 15, 33–43.Blevin, J.E., Totterdell, J.M., Logan, G.A., Kennard, J.M., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., and Colwell, J.B., 2000— Hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Bight Basin—petroleum systems analysis in a frontier basin. In: Second Sprigg Symposium: Frontier Basins and Frontier Ideas, Adelaide, 29–30 June, GSA Abstracts, 60, 24–9.
Espurt, N., Callot, J.P., Totterdell, J., Struckmeyer, H., and Vially, R., 2009—Interactions between continental breakup dynamics and large-scale delta system evolution: insights from the Cretaceous Ceduna delta system, Bight basin, Southern Australia margin. Tectonics 28(TC6002), 26 pp.
Fraser, A.R., and Tilbury, L.A. (1979). Structure and stratigraphy of the Ceduna Terrace region, Great Australian Bight. APPEA Journal 19, 53–65.
Griffiths, P., Jones, S., Salter, N., Schaefer, F., Osfield, R., and Reiser, H. (2002). A new technique for 3-D flexural-slip restoration. Journal of Structural Geology 24, 773–82.
King, R.C., and Backé, G. (2010). A balanced 2D structural model of Hammerhead Delta—deepwater fold-thrust belt, Bight Basin, Australia. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 57, 1005–12.
King, R.C., Backé, G., Morley, C.K., Hillis, R.R., and Tingay, M.R.P. (2010). Balancing deformation in NW Borneo: Quantifying plate-scale vs. gravitational tectonics in a Delta and Deepwater Fold-Thrust Belt Systems. Marine and Petroleum Geology 27, 238–46.
King, S.J., and Mee, B.C., 2004—The seismic stratigraphy and petroleum potential of the Late Cretaceous Ceduna Delta, Ceduna Sub-basin, Great Australian Bight. In: Boult, P.J., Johns, D.R., and Lang, S.C. (eds.) Eastern Australasian Basins Symposium II. PESA, Special Publication, 63–73.
Krassay, A.A., and Totterdell, J.M. (2003). Seismic stratigraphy of a large, Cretaceous shelf-margin delta complex, offshore southern Australia. AAPG Bulletin 87, 935–63.
MacDonald, J.D., Backé, G., King, R., Holford, S.P., AND Hillis, R.R., (in review)—Geomechanical modelling of fault reactivation in the Ceduna Sub-basin, Bight Basin, Australia. In: Sibson, R., Butler, R, and Healy, D. (eds.) Faulting, fracturing and igneous intrusion in the Earth’s crust. GSL, Special Publication.
Macdonald, J.D., King, R., Hillis, R.R., and Backé, G. (2010). Structural style of the White Pointer and Hammerhead delta—deepwater fold-thrust belts, Bight Basin, Australia. APPEA Journal 50, 487–510.
Maerten, L., and Maerten, F. (2006). Chronologic modelling of faulted and fractured reservoirs using geomechanically based restoration: technique and industry applications. AAPG Bulletin 90, 1201–26.
Mandl, G., and Crans, W., 1981—Gravitational gliding in deltas. In: McClay K.R. and Price N.J. (eds.) Mechanics of thrusts and nappes. GSL, Special Publication 9, 41–54.
Mcclay, K.R., Dooley, T., and Lewis, G. (1998). Analog modelling of progradational delta systems. Geology, 26, 771–4.
McClay, K., Dooley, T., and Zamora. G., 2003—Analogue models of delta systems above ductile substrates. In: Van Rensbergen, P., Hillis, R.R., Maltman, A.J., and Morley, C.K. (eds.) Subsurface sediment mobilization. GSL, Special Publications, 216, 411–28.
Morley, C.K., and Guerin, G. (1996). Comparison of gravity-driven deformation styles and behaviour associated with mobile shales and salt. Tectonics 15, 1154–70.
Porébski, S.J., and Steel, R.J. (2003). Shelf margin deltas: their stratigraphic significance and relation to deepwater sands. Earth Science Reviews 62, 283–326.
Ruble, T.E., Logan, G.A., Blevin, J.E., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Liu, K., Ahmed, M., Eadington, P.J., and Quezada, R.A., 2001—Geochemistry and charge history of a palaeo-oil column: Jerboa-1, Eyre Sub-basin, Great Australian Bight. In: Hill, K.C., and Bernecker, T. (eds.) EABS. A refocused energy perspective for the future. PESA, Special Publication, 521–30.
Sayers, J., Symonds, P., Direen, N.G., and Bernardel, G., 2001—Nature of the continent-ocean transition on the non-volcanic rifted margin of the central Great Australian Bight. In: Wilson, R.C.L., Whitmarsh, R.B., Taylor, B., and Froitzheim, N. (eds.) Non-volcanic rifting of continental margins: a comparison of evidence from land and sea. GSL, Special Publication, 187, 51–76.
Somerville, R. (2001). The Ceduna Sub-basin – a snapshot of prospectivity. APPEA Journal 41, 321–46.
Strachan, L.J, and Alsop, G.I. (2006). Slump folds as estimators of palaeoslope: a case study from the Fisherstreet Slump of County Clare, Ireland. Basin Research 18, 451–70.
Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Totterdell, J.M., Blevin, J.E., Logan, G.A., Boreham, C.J., Deighton, I., Krassay, A.A., and Bradshaw, M.T., 2001—Character, maturity and distribution of potential Cretaceous oil source rocks in the Ceduna Sub-basin, Bight Basin, Great Australian Bight. In: Hill, K.C., and Bernecker, T. (eds.) EABS, a refocused energy perspective for the future. PESA, Special Publication, 543–52.
Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Williams, A.K., Cowley, R., Totterdell, J.M., Lawrence, G., and O’Brien, G.W. (2002). Evaluation of hydrocarbon seepage in the Great Australian Bight. APPEA Journal 42, 371–85.
Tapley, D., Mee, B.C., King, S.J., Davis, R.C., and Leischner, K.R. (2005). Petroleum potential of the Ceduna Sub-basin: impact of Gnarlyknots-1A. APPEA Journal 45, 365–80.
Totterdell, J.M., Blevin, J.E., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Bradshaw, B.E., Colwell, J.B., and Kennard, J.M. (2000). A new sequence framework for the Great Australian Bight: starting with a clean slate. APPEA Journal 40, 95–117.
Totterdell, J.M., and Krassay, A.A., 2003—The role of shale deformation and growth faulting in the Late Cretaceous evolution of the Bight Basin, offshore southern Australia. In: Van Rensbergen, P., Hillis, R.R., Maltman, A.J. and Morley, C.K. (eds.) Subsurface sediment mobilisation. GSL, Special Publications, 216, 429–42.
Totterdell, J.M., and Bradshaw, B.E., 2004—The structural framework and tectonic evolution of the Bight Basin. In: Boult, P.J., Johns, D.R., and Lang, S.C. (eds.) EABS II. PESA, Special Publication, 41–61.
Totterdell, J.M., Struckmeyer, H.I.M., Boreham, C.J., Itchell, C.H., Monteil, E., and Bradshaw, B.E. (2008). Mid–Late Cretaceous organic-rich rocks from the eastern Bight Basin: implications for prospectivity. EABS III. PESA , 137–58.
