Distribution of igneous facies and potential-field modelling of the Mentelle Basin, southwestern margin, Australia

Abstract

Seismic interpretation of the Mentelle Basin, coupled with 2.5D gravity modelling has provided information on the distribution of volcanic material throughout the basin and the large-scale structure of the basin. The gravity models suggest the presence of thinned continental crust in the central parts of the western Mentelle Basin. Maps showing the distribution and thickness of various igneous facies were used to establish a spatial correlation between the distribution of volcanic material and crustal thickness. Analogue models indicate that volcanism during continental rifting phases is confined to the centre of the extensional zone; therefore the mantle high and corresponding volcanic deposits observed in the Mentelle Basin could be the result of a failed rift event.