coagulation and transport of sediments in the gironde estuary the distribution of suspended particle size and concentration were measured along the gironde estuary france from the river seaward to the ocean the suspended particle size and volume concentration were measured using in situ holography and onboard optical techniques utilizing special procedures in order to avoid floc breakage sediments discharged by the rivers coagulate upon encountering the very low salinities 0 2 of the upper estuary confirmed with laboratory experiments and are then transported and deposited by currents in the remainder of the estuary this coagulation coupled with estuarine circulation produces a turbidity maximum which is offset between the surface and bottom waters the floc size maximum is oceanward of the turbidity maximum and is likewise offset along the estuary by about 30 km the estuary can be subdivided into the following zones 1 coagulation 2 hydrodynamic landward of the null point and 3 hydrodynamic seaward of the null point initial coagulation appears to be completed in coagulation zone 1 and particles are transported and settled with very little floc breakage and recoagulation in zones 2 and 3 only the floc settling velocities coupled with estuarine circulation control the concentration and size distributions of flocs in the water column and eventually control the deposition of sediments

the eruption environment of multi tiered columnar basalt lava flows field studies on the eruption environment and prevailing cooling conditions of multi tiered lava flows of the type exemplified by the giant s causeway were carried out at localities on the columbia river plateau southern iceland on the islands of mull and staffa and around the giant s causeway ne ireland common features can be recognized in the volcanology of such flows in all the localities examined these include palaeotopographic evidence of river valleys giving conditions conducive to the ponding of flows and the damming of existing drainage evidence of high rainfall regimes or abundant surface water association of interlava lacustrine and fluviatile sediments association of hyaloclastite flow foot breccias within multi tiered basalt lava successions and evidence of large volume lava flows and high eruption rates examination of the petrography of the upper curvi columnar parts of the lava the entablature shows textural signs of quenching compared with the lower more regular columnar zone the colonnade these common field and petrographic features confirm the model of multi tiered flow formation by modification of the cooling regime in the upper part of the flow following inundation of the hot lava surface by displaced river drainage

three dimensional reservoir characterization and flow simulation of heterolithic tidal sandstones tidal sandstone reservoirs contain significant intervals of hydrocarbon bearing heterolithic facies characterized by the presence of tide generated sedimentary structures such as flaser wavy and lenticular bedding millimeter to centimeter sand mud alternations we have characterized the reservoir properties sandstone connectivity effective permeability and displacement efficiency of these facies using three dimensional 3 d models reconstructed directly from large rock specimens the models are significantly larger than a core plug but smaller than a typical reservoir model grid block we find that the key control on reservoir quality is the connectivity and continuity of the sandstone and mudstone layers if the sandstone layers form a connected network they are likely to be productive even at low values of net to gross about 0 30 5 this may explain why the productivity of low net to gross heterolithic tidal sandstones is commonly underestimated or overlooked connectivity is the dominant control on the transition between productive pay and nonproductive nonpay heterolithic facies however connectivity is difficult to characterize because core plugs sampled from the subsurface are too small to capture connectivity whereas two dimensional outcrop measurements can significantly underestimate the true 3 d value our results suggest that core plug measurements of permeability and displacement efficiency are unlikely to yield representative values at the scale of a reservoir model grid block because the connectivity and continuity of sandstone and mudstone layers varies significantly with length scale

estuarine clay mineral distribution modern analogue for ancient sandstone reservoir quality prediction the spatial distribution of clay minerals in sandstones which may both enhance or degrade reservoir quality is poorly understood to address this clay mineral distribution patterns and host sediment properties grain size sorting clay fraction abundance and bioturbation intensity have for the first time been determined and mapped at an unprecedentedly high resolution in a modern estuarine setting ravenglass estuary uk results show that the estuary sediment is dominated by illite with subordinate chlorite and kaolinite although the rivers supply sediment with less illite and significantly more chlorite than found in the estuary fluvial supplied sediment has been locally diluted by sediment derived from glaciogenic drift deposits on the margins of the estuary detailed clay mineral maps and statistical analyses reveal that the estuary has a heterogeneous distribution of illite chlorite and kaolinite chlorite is relatively most abundant on the northern foreshore and backshore and is concentrated in coarse grained inner estuary dunes and tidal bars illite is relatively most abundant as well as most crystalline and most fe mg rich in fine grained inner estuary and central basin mud and mixed flats kaolinite has the highest abundance in fluvial sediment and is relatively homogenous in tidally influenced environments clay mineral distribution patterns in the ravenglass estuary have been strongly influenced by sediment supply residence time and subsequently modified by hydrodynamic processes there is no relationship between macro faunal bioturbation intensity and the abundance of chlorite illite or kaolinite based on this modern analogue study outer estuarine sediments are likely to be heavily quartz cemented in deeply buried burial temperatures exceeding 80 to 100 c sandstone reservoirs due to a paucity of clay grade material 0 5 to form complete grain coats in contrast chlorite enriched tidal bars and dunes in the inner estuary with their well developed detrital clay coats are likely to have quartz cement inhibiting authigenic clay coats in deeply buried sandstones

early diagenesis of inner shelf phosphorite and iron silicate minerals lower cretaceous of the orpheus graben southeastern canada implications for the origin of chlorite rims wells in the orpheus graben encountered the most proximal part of the deltaic lower cretaceous rocks of the scotian basin more distal sandstones are important gas reservoir rocks with good reservoir quality where fe rich chlorite chamosite rims on framework grains have inhibited quartz cementation cutting samples from the orpheus graben show the presence of fe rich sheet silicates berthierine or chamosite and early diagenetic phosphorite these minerals were analyzed by electron microprobe and their textures were mapped with backscattered electron images studies in the north sea have shown a relationship between high phosphorus and the presence of good chlorite rims in reservoir rocks the mineralization of pore water phosphorus instead of its return to seawater is favored by fe rich sediments and sorption on iron oxides during shallow sea floor diagenesis the fe ti and p contents are uncommonly high in scotian basin shales compared with global average shale compositions the uncommon occurrence of inner shelf phosphorite in this study is interpreted to be a consequence of the same high fe content of the sediment that also favors the formation of fe rich sheet silicates in rapidly deposited deltaic sandstones of the offshore reservoirs the dominance of type 3 kerogen led to sulfate depletion occurring at depths of tens of meters and a corresponding great thickness for overlying eh oxidation potential controlled diagenetic zones the thick fe reduction zone allowed the formation of early diagenetic berthierine which on burial formed the chamosite rims that resulted in the improved reservoir quality in sandstones the distribution of phosphorus minerals may be an indicator of conditions suitable for berthierine formation

clay coated sand grains in petroleum reservoirs understanding their distribution via a modern analogue abstract clay coated grains can inhibit ubiquitous porosity occluding quartz cement in deeply buried sandstones and thus lead to anomalously high porosity a moderate amount of clay that is distributed as grain coats is good for reservoir quality in deeply buried sandstones being able to predict the distribution of clay coated sand grains in petroleum reservoirs is thus important to help find and exploit anomalously good reservoir quality here we have adopted a high resolution analogue approach using the ravenglass estuary marginal shallow marine system in nw england u k extensive geomorphic mapping grain size analysis and bioturbation intensity counts were linked to a range of scanning electron microscopy techniques to characterize the distribution and origin of clay coated sand grains in surface sediment our work shows that grain coats are common in this marginal shallow marine system but they are heterogeneously distributed as a function of grain size clay fraction and depositional facies the distribution and characteristics of detrital clay coated grains can be predicted with knowledge of specific depositional environment clay fraction percentage and grain size the most extensive detrital clay coated grains are found in sediment composed of fine grained sand containing 3 5 to 13 0 clay fraction associated with inner estuary tidal flat facies thus against common convention the work presented here suggests that in deeply buried prospects the best porosity might be found in fine grained clay bearing inner tidal flat facies sands and not in coarse clean channel fill and bar facies

facies and architecture of an estuarine tidal bar the trompeloup bar gironde estuary sw france abstract this study describes the sedimentary facies and internal architecture of a modern estuarine tidal bar present in the bay head delta of a wave and tide dominated estuary the gironde estuary in southwest france based on 51 cores 2 to 5 m long this work demonstrates that such bars are composite sedimentary bodies made up of individual sigmoidal sand units isolated from one another by thick muddy layers the bar appeared in the study area around 1874 since then its evolution has been characterized by phases of rapid downstream bar migration alternating with periods of bar abandonment during the periods of active bar progradation which commonly last between 10 and 20 years the bar progrades up to 7 km seaward and forms a narrow 200 800 m wide sand ridge up to 6 m thick during abandonment phases which also last around 10 20 years the bar is starved of sand and a mud layer 1 to 3 m thick is deposited the vertical succession formed by the seaward progradation of the tidal bar records these alternating phases of growth and abandonment a typical vertical succession in the bar system is 8 m thick and comprises several superimposed upward coarsening units of cross stratified sand deposited during phases of seaward progradation separated by a thick layer of thinner bedded mud and sand laminae deposited during phases of bar abandonment when a tidal bar builds up to the supratidal zone marshes accumulate and the bar becomes a permanent island in the estuary the large scale architecture of the bar is thus made of an alternation of potential sandy reservoir units and muddy internal seals the reservoir units are characterized by a sigmoidal shape the muddy layer which is deposited between the two sigmoidal units is a thick continuous potential internal seal this complex internal architecture is due to the fact that there is a considerable amount of mud present in the bay head delta of the gironde estuary it is thought to be representative of the architecture of tidal bars in the inner part of wave and tide dominated estuaries

reservoir quality and rock properties modeling triassic and jurassic sandstones greater shearwater area uk central north sea abstract the complex burial and diagenetic histories of the jurassic fulmar and triassic skagerrak sandstones in the uk central north sea present significant challenges with regard to reservoir quality and rock property prediction commercial reservoir quality is retained despite deep burial and associated high temperatures and pressures shallow marine fulmar sands are normally compacted mean igv 26 3 yet have porosities of 21 33 porosity was preserved through inhibition of quartz cementation by clay and microquartz coatings and enhanced by dissolution of framework grains 5 skagerrak fluvial sands are more compacted mean igv 23 2 exhibit minor feldspar dissolution we modeled reservoir quality evolution using the forward diagenetic model touchstone which simulates porosity loss due to compaction and quartz cementation quantitative petrographic analyses and burial history data were used to calibrate touchstone model parameters the results were applied to deeper prospects for pre drill prediction of porosity and permeability in parallel petrophysical data were used to characterize the elastic properties of the sandstones to provide a basis for quantitative seismic forward modeling experimental data and core calibrated petrophysical results reflecting variable in situ fluids and saturations were used to build an elastic properties model the model is robust and was used to generate fluid filled sandstone properties incorporating touchstone results for prospect specific seismic attribute modeling well results from exploration wells are in good agreement with pre drill touchstone and elastic properties model predictions

tidal and fluvial controls on the internal architecture and sedimentary facies of a lobate estuarine tidal bar the plassac tidal bar in the gironde estuary france abstract estuarine tidal bars emplaced in estuaries are complex sediment bodies composed of sand and mud provided by rivers this study focuses on the plassac tidal bar which is the unique lobate shape tidal bar of the gironde estuary located at the very upstream extremity of the bay head delta because no detailed sedimentological studies have been made on such geomorphological category of tidal bar its stratigraphy was investigated using a dense grid of 65 very high resolution seismic profiles ground truthed by 6 to 9 meter long cores and time controlled by historical bathymetric surveys the base of the tidal bar consists of a tidal erosional surface this surface has eroded muddy tidalites corresponding to the maximum flooding surface of the gironde estuary the bar is composed of two vertical sequences of facies composed of thickening up cross stratified fine to medium grained sand beds at the top and decimeter thick mud layers at the base those mud layers constitute the master bedding of the bar and are dipping in a channelward direction perpendicularly to the tidal flows and to the sediment transport directions one phase of lateral accretion of the plassac tidal bar is correlated with variations in fluvial discharge of the last decades and suggests a climate control on the internal architecture of this sandbar low water periods lead to the upstream migration of the turbidity maximum and to the deposition and consolidation of the muddy master bedding planes during the subsequent flood periods the muddy master bedding planes are partially eroded and then buried by the fluvially sourced sandy mini flood lobes that merge with the tidal bar the internal architecture of the plassac tidal bar is controlled by a lateral accretion process its master bedding surfaces which record this process are dipping perpendicularly to the axis of the tidal flows all the other tidal bars of the bay head delta around a dozen exhibit an elongated morphology and prograde longitudinally by seaward frontal accretion occurring in the axis of the tidal flows the master bedding surfaces which record this process are seaward dipping along the axis of the tidal flows those variations in internal accretion surfaces orientation of tidal bars are of considerable importance and must be taken into account for studies of ancient tidal deposits paleoenvironment reconstructions and for heterogeneities characterization and quantification of reservoir properties in these types of sandstones

infilling stratigraphy of macrotidal tide dominated estuaries controlling mechanisms sea level fluctuations bedrock morphology sediment supply and climate changes the examples of the seine estuary and the mont saint michel bay english channel nw france this article presents a synthesis of recent works performed on two macrotidal tide dominated estuaries located along the southern coast of the english channel the seine estuary and the mont saint michel bay nw france on the basis of very high resolution seismic data combined with sediment cores and ams dating these works allow reconstructing the holocene in ll of such singular estuaries yet rarely documented in the literature rate in sea level rise bedrock morphology sediment supply are the main controlling factors of the general in ll pattern both in lls are composed of two units the transgressive systems tract tst and highstand systems tract hst the maximum ooding surface mfs is dated around 6500 cal bp when the holocene sea level rise slowed down and corresponds to the main architectural change the tst is poorly preserved compared with the hst that constitutes the main depositional unit making this incised valley ll deviating from the classical models the hst is composed above the axis of the incised valley of a highly wandering estuarine channel belt characterized by deep tidal reworking throughout its building on the margin of this high energy estuarine system the hst is made of wave dominated barriers tidal ats and offshore tidal banks they constitute dominantly aggradational systems the aggradation rate of which is in accordance with the rate of sea level rise from 6500 cal bp onwards consequently the impacts of the rapid climate changesthat characterized mid to late holocene times can be preserved in these marginal successions various sedimentary and geometrical signatures indicate that periodic enhanced storminess episodes probably related to the bond cold events 1500 years periodicity are responsible for the most drastic environmental changes in these macrotidal tide dominated settings the role of long term tidal cycles as well as the impact of human activities are also considered

high frequency turbulence and suspended sediment concentration measurements in the garonne river tidal bore the study details new sediment concentration measurements associated with some turbulence characterisation conducted at high frequency in the undular tidal bore of the garonne river france acoustic doppler velocimetry was used and the suspended sediment concentration was deduced from the acoustic backscatter intensity the field data set demonstrated some unique flow features of the tidal bore including some large and rapid turbulent velocity fluctuations during and after the bore passage some unusually high suspended sediment concentration was observed about 100 s after the tidal bore front lasting for more than 10 min it is thought that the tidal bore passage scoured the bed and convected upwards the bed material reaching the free surface after the bore passage behind the tidal bore the net sediment flux magnitude was 30 times larger than the ebb tide net flux and directed upstream a striking feature of the data set was the intense mixing and suspended sediment motion during the tidal bore and following flood tide this feature has been rarely documented

ams 14c chronology of 40 0 cal ka bp continuous deposits from a crater lake lake massoko tanzania abstract lake massoko tanzania 8 20 s 33 45 e 870 m a s l is a freshwater maar lake belonging to the rungwe volcanic area 15 km northwest of the livingstone mountains and lake malawi the rainfall regime is driven by the yearly oscillation of the intertropical convergence zone which determines a wet summer and a dry and windy winter the presence of lake malawi to the south and high ranges to the north result in a higher annual precipitation than that observed at a regional scale air masses overloaded with humidity bypassing lake malawi are submitted to ascending currents producing rainfall up to 2400 mm yr 1 in the lake massoko area important exchanges between the lake and groundwater reservoirs have been demonstrated from hydrological and isotopic balances of lake massoko on a regional scale these exchanges are superimposed on groundwater circulation the hydrological setting of lake massoko is also influenced by the tectonics of the region dominated by the northwest southeast tilt of tectonic blocks the sedimentary sequences of lake massoko cored in 1995 and 1996 under the eec project rukwa rukwa project final report 1997 likely register the palaeoenvironmental changes on the catchment the sediment record is nearly continuous due to the near constant high water level of the lake in contrast with many other lacustrine sequences in which reduced deposition rates discrepancies and or gaps characterise arid periods such as the last glacial maximum and the younger dryas event all the ams 14c dates on authigenic organic samples fit with the stratigraphy and the palaoenvironmental record of lake massoko exhibits a constant mean sedimentation rate of 0 628 mm yr 1 for the last ca 40 cal ka bp

a sequence stratigraphic model for an intensely bioturbated shallow marine sandstone the bridport sand formation wessex basin uk the bridport sand formation is an intensely bioturbated sandstone that represents part of a mixed siliciclastic carbonate shallow marine depositional system at outcrop and in subsurface cores conventional facies analysis was combined with ichnofabric analysis to identify facies successions bounded by a hierarchy of key stratigraphic surfaces the geometry of these surfaces and the lateral relationships between the facies successions that they bound have been constrained locally using 3d seismic data facies analysis suggests that the bridport sand formation represents progradation of a low energy siliciclastic shoreface dominated by storm event beds reworked by bioturbation the shoreface sandstones form the upper part of a thick up to 200 m steep 2 3 mud dominated slope that extends into the underlying down cliff clay clinoform surfaces representing the shoreface slope system are grouped into progradational sets each set contains clinoform surfaces arranged in a downstepping offlapping manner that indicates forced regressive progradation which was punctuated by flooding surfaces that are expressed in core and well log data in proximal locations progradational shoreface sandstones corresponding to a clinoform set are truncated by conglomerate lags containing clasts of bored reworked shoreface sandstones which are interpreted as marking sequence boundaries in medial locations progradational clinoform sets are overlain across an erosion surface by thin 10 m and overlie conglomerate lags at sequence boundaries sequence boundaries are thus interpreted as being amalgamated with overlying transgressive surfaces to form composite erosion surfaces in distal locations oolitic ironstones that formed under conditions of extended physical reworking overlie composite sequence boundaries and transgressive surfaces over most of the wessex basin clinoform sets corresponding to high frequency sequences are laterally offset thus defining a low frequency sequence architecture characterized by high net siliciclastic sediment input and low net accommodation aggradational stacking of high frequency sequences occurs in fault bounded depocentres which had higher rates of localized tectonic subsidence

entablature fracture types and mechanisms entablature is the term used to describe zones or tiers of irregular jointing in basaltic lava flows it is thought to form when water from rivers dammed by the lava inundates the lava flow surface and during lava meltwater interaction in subglacial settings a number of different fracture types are described in entablature outcrops from the burfell lava and older lava flows in jorsardalur southwest iceland these are striae bearing column bounding fractures and pseudopillow fracture systems that themselves consist of two different fracture types master fractures with dimpled surface textures and subsidiary fractures with curved striae the interaction of pseudopillow fracture systems and columnar jointing in the entablature produces the chevron fracture patterns that are commonly observed in entablature cube jointing is a more densely fractured version of entablature which likely forms when more coolant enters the hot lava the entablature tiers display closely spaced striae and dendritic crystal shapes which indicate rapid cooling master fracture surfaces show a thin band with an evolved composition at the fracture surface mineral textures in this band also show evidence of quenching of this material this is interpreted as gas driven filter pressing of late stage residual melt that is drawn into an area of low pressure immediately preceding or during master fracture formation by ductile extensional fracture of hot partially crystallised lava this melt is then quenched by an influx of water and or steam when the master fracture fully opens our findings suggest that master fractures are the main conduit for coolant entering the lava flow during entablature formation

chemical stratigraphy of the parana lavas south america classification of magma types and their spatial distribution a new classification scheme has been developed to assign the lava flows of the parana continental flood basalt province south america into geochemically distinct magma types with six basaltic major and trace element abundances and or ratios by mapping out the spatial distribution of these magma types within the lava sequences it has been possible to determine the internal stratigraphy of the lava pile on a regional scale previous studies on road profiles traversing the well exposed coastal serra geral escarpment of southern brazil are summarised together with results from some new sampled sections more widespread stratigraphical investigations of the parana lavas have been hampered by the lack of sufficient topographic relief and the cover of sedimentary rocks however access to drill core chippings from nine boreholes in the central parana region has provided a unique opportunity to investigate the stratigraphy of the otherwise inaccessible deeper levels of the lava pile and to map out stratigraphic variations in three dimensions the borehole samples have indicated cated a stacking of units of different magma types all overlapping towards the north which suggests that the main locus of magmatism moved northwards with time within the parana basin this migration could be related to the northward propagation of rifting during the initiation of the south atlantic ocean maps of the surface distribution of samples of each magma type show a pattern consistent with the stratigraphy inferred from the boreholes although suggesting that the shift in magmatism may have been towards the northwest on the basis of geochemical similarities between magma types and their inferred stratigraphical relationships it is proposed that the parana can be divided into two principal magmatic centres 1 an older one in the south comprising the gramado esmeralda and urubici magma types and 2 a younger one developed about 750 km to the north formed by the pitanga paranapanema and ribeira magma types

isostatic rebound due to tectonic denudation a viscous flow model of a layered lithosphere a four layer model of the upper 150 km of the earth is used to calculate the viscous response of continental crust and the underlying mantle to tectonic denudation the model comprises a strong upper crustal layer a weak lower crustal layer a very strong mantle lithosphere layer and a weak mantle asthenosphere layer which is in accord with experimental constraints on strength depth profiles for continental lithosphere the strength of each layer is represented by its effective viscosity flow in the crust and mantle is driven by buoyancy forces which arise from the unloading of an allochthon along a detachment fault by a series of instantaneous displacements earthquakes or rapid creep events numerical solutions obtained by using a finite element technique predict footwall uplift moho deflection and surface topography that are consistent with observations from the basin and range province of the western united states the calculated curvature of the footwall uplift is also similar to that observed and is sensitive to the geometry of the detachment fault such bending need not be elastically controlled hence the curvatures of footwall domes do not clearly place limits on the effective elastic thickness of the extending crust the upward deflection of the moho and the surface topography are sensitive to the viscosity structure and enable us to bound the range of the various viscosities by matching observations from the basin and range province which indicate no moho deflection and low magnitude of surface topography 3 5 km we estimate the upper crustal lower crustal and mantle lithospheric viscosities in the ranges 1021 1023 pa s 1019 1021 pa s and 1021 1023 pa s respectively

detrital clay grain coats in estuarine clastic deposits origin and spatial distribution within a modern sedimentary system the gironde estuary south west france

modelling the extension of heterogeneous hot lithosphere abstract the consequences of weak heterogeneities in the extension of soft and hot lithosphere without significant previous crustal thickening has been analysed in a series of centrifuge models the experiments examined the effects of i the location of heterogeneities in the ductile crust and or in the lithospheric mantle and ii their orientation perpendicular or oblique to the direction of bulk extension the observed deformation patterns are all relevant to the so called wide rifting mode of extension weak zones located in the ductile crust exert a more pronounced influence on localisation of deformation in the brittle layer than those located in the lithospheric mantle the former localise faulting in the brittle crust whereas the latter tend to distribute faulting over a wider area this latter behaviour depends in turn upon the decoupling provided by the ductile crust localised thinning in the brittle crust is accompanied by ductile doming of both crust and mantle domains of maximum thinning in the brittle crust and ductile crust and mantle are in opposition lateral differences in brittle crust thinning are accommodated by lateral flow in the ductile crust and mantle this contrasts with cold and strong lithospheres whose high strength sub moho mantle triggers a necking instability at the lithosphere scale this also differs from the extension of thickened hot and soft lithospheres whose ductile crust is thick enough to give birth to metamorphic core complexes thus for the given lithospheric rheology the models have relevance to backarc type extensional systems such as the aegean and the tyrrhenian domains

dynamics of periodic instabilities during stretching of the continental lithosphere view from centrifuge models and comparison with natural examples 1 analogue models are used to investigate the development of periodic instabilities during a wide rifting mode of continental extension the results of modeling support that unstable lithospheric extension is accompanied by development of regularly spaced structures at two characteristics wavelengths a crustal shorter wavelength and mantle longer wavelength both wavelengths are dependent on the brittle ductile decoupling i e dominance of the brittle rheology of the upper crust over the ductile behavior as an increase in the brittle layer thickness and a decrease in the extension velocity decreasing the ductile resistance lead to an increase in both crustal and mantle wavelengths the characteristic wavelengths also increase with increasing the amount of total extension whereas variations in the thickness of the ductile lower crust have minor effects on the spacing of structures these results are similar to previous analytical models and match well the wavelength of structures in regions undergoing wide rifting as the basin and range the aegean the west antarctic rift system and examples from the extensional systems of the china mongolia regions

the effect of lower crustal flow on continental extension and passive margin formation the great variety of styles of continental extension may reflect different crustal thickness and thermal states of continental lithosphere during the initiation of rifting to investigate how these and other factors affect rifting and the development of passive continental margins we develop a simplified model of lithospheric extension we consider the evolution of extensional deformation for a three layer model lithosphere bounded laterally by much stronger lithosphere the cold part of the crust and mantle are treated as thin brittle plastic layers the lower crust is approximated as a thin viscous channel each brittle plastic layer can extend in only one location determined by the strength of the layer shear of the lower crust and buoyancy forces related to both crustal thickness variations and thermally induced density differences the lower crust flows in response to crustal thickness variations and is sheared when the loci of extension for the two brittle plastic layers are horizontally offset a situation we term shear decoupling as in previous studies we see three distinct patterns or modes of extensional deformation that occur under different sets of model parameters the core complex mode the wide rift mode and the narrow rift mode shear decoupling occurs only in cases with a crustal rheology at the weak end of the spectrum of laboratory estimated values we are aware of no observations that require that the upper crust and upper mantle strain at laterally displaced positions we show that for large magnitudes of extension there can be transitions between modes as inferred for some highly extended continental areas predicted patterns of crustal thickness and heat flow for some models are similar to observations at several rifted continental margins including very wide and asymmetric margins

facies associations detrital clay grain coats and mineralogical characterization of the gironde estuary tidal bars a modern analogue for deeply buried estuarine sandstone reservoirs abstract estuarine tidal bar sandstones are complex reservoir geobodies commonly exploited by the oil and gas industry in order to better predict the reservoir potential of these geobodies this study provides a modern day reservoir analogue describing tidal bars in the inner and outer gironde estuary from the microscopic to the macroscopic scale the originality of this work lies in the multi scale study of modern estuarine tidal bars based on numerous piston cores extracted in a high energy environment this work demonstrates that these tidal bars are composite sedimentary bodies made up of individual reservoir sand units separated by thick muddy layers their vertical facies associations and internal architectures are controlled by local hydrodynamic variations and seasonal river influxes detrital clay grain coats are notably characterized using a portable and handheld mineral spectrometer from the base to the top of the tidal bars x ray diffraction and electron microscopes reveal that these coats are mainly composed of di octahedral smectite illite chlorite and kaolinite associated with other components such as diatoms or pyrite the best reservoir geobodies are those with the minimum clay permeability barriers at the macro and mesoscale an optimum coated grain content and clay fraction volume is also needed for generating authigenic clay coatings and inhibiting quartz overgrowth these conditions are met within the tidal sand bars of the outer estuary funnel that are expected to be the best reservoir geobodies in deeply buried sandstones

the effect of grain coating microquartz on preservation of reservoir porosity clay coatings have been widely accepted by many workers as an explanation for preserving high porosity in deeply buried sandstones but few workers have realized that similar effects can be produced by microcrystalline quartz coatings this phenomenon can be expected only under special circumstances but in such cases it can have profound consequences for exploration in the central graben area of the southern north sea unusually high porosity 20 27 and permeability 100 1000 md are found in certain zones in upper jurassic sandstones at depths of 3 4 4 4 km the porosity in these zones is 5 15 higher than expected based on average porosity depth trends from brent and haltenbanken sandstones we propose that the high porosity is due to continuous grain coatings of euhedral microcrystalline quartz crystals that are 0 1 2 m thick the distribution of microcrystalline quartz coatings is controlled by the presence of siliceous sponge spicules rhaxella which implies a sedimentological control on the reservoir quality we present a thermodynamic model showing how continuous microcrystalline quartz coatings inhibit development of no mal macrocrystalline quartz overgrowths sourced mainly from stylolites high porosities in parts of various upper jurassic oil fields ula and gyda have previously been explained by inhibition of quartz cementation by early hydrocarbon charge we suggest that the microcrystalline quartz coatings provide a more plausible explanation

seismic anisotropy of the french massif central and predisposition of cenozoic rifting and volcanism by variscan suture hidden in the mantle lithosphere 1 we model the structure of the lithosphere its thickness and seismic anisotropy caused mainly by systematic orientation of olivine crystals from spatial variations of p wave delay times and the shear wave splitting observed at a dense network of mobile and permanent stations within the french massif central mc three major lithosphere domains with different seismic anisotropy are distinguished a suture in the deep lithosphere limits the thick lithosphere of the limousin western mc characterized by a consistent anisotropic pattern with high velocities dipping to the west the eastern mc comprising two different domains with a weakened mantle fabric in the south shows the high velocities dipping systematically to the east the suture between the western and eastern mc parallels the major crustal boundary the late variscan sillon houiller transfer fault in the south and the tauve aigueperse fault in the north with an offset of 10 20 km to the east the offset of the crustal and mantle parts of the same suture indicates that the rigid upper crust might be detached from the mantle lithosphere we suggest that the mantle suture hidden beneath an allochthonous crust was reactivated during the cenozoic extension of the weakened and thinned lithosphere in the south of the eastern mc and predestined a space for the major volcanism mont dore cantal the rigid northern domain characterized by a thicker lithosphere with a well preserved mantle fabric reacted to the extension predominantly by rifting e g limagne and roanne grabens

correlation of the deccan and rajahmundry trap lavas are these the longest and largest lava flows on earth abstract we propose that the rajahmundry trap lavas found near the east coast of peninsular india are remnants of the longest lava flows yet recognized on earth 1000 km long these outlying deccan like lavas are shown to belong to the main deccan traps several previous studies have already suggested this correlation but have not demonstrated it categorically the exposed rajahmundry lavas are interpreted to be the distal parts of two very large volume p hoehoe flow fields one each from the ambenali and mahabaleshwar formations of the wai sub group in the deccan basalt group eruptive conditions required to emplace such long flows are met by plausible values for cooling and eruption rates and this is shown by applying a model for the formation of inflated p hoehoe sheet flow lobes the model predicts flow lobe thicknesses similar to those observed in the rajahmundry lavas for the last 400 km of flow the lava flows were confined to the pre existing krishna valley drainage system that existed in the basement beyond the edge of the gradually expanding deccan lava field allowing the flows to extend across the subcontinent to the eastern margin where they were emplaced into a littoral and or shallow marine environment these lavas and other individual flow fields in the wai sub group may exceed eruptive volumes of 5000 km3 which would place them amongst the largest magnitude effusive eruptive units yet known we suggest that the length of flood basalt lava flows on earth is restricted mainly by the size of land masses and topography in the case of the rajahmundry lavas the flows reached estuaries and the sea where their advance was perhaps effectively terminated by cooling and or disruption however it is only during large igneous province basaltic volcanism that such huge volumes of lava are erupted in single events and when the magma supply rate is sufficiently high and maintained to allow the formation of very long lava flows the rajahmundry lava fields were emplaced around 65 ma during the later times of deccan volcanism probably just after the k t environmental crisis however many lava forming eruptions of similar magnitude and style straddled the k t boundary

continental rifting at pre existing lithospheric weaknesses continental rifting is the poorly understood thermomechanical process by which continents break up and new ocean basins form two dominant styles of continental rifting are recognized1 crevice style rifts are characterized by initial graben formation local uplift of the graben shoulders and little or no volcanism arch volcanic rifts exhibit an initial doming of the crust extensive volcanism and late stage graben formation the prevailing expla nation for the two styles is that crevice rifts form in response to regional horizontal stresses principally derived from the inter action of the lithospheric plates along their edges whereas arch volcanic rifts are thought to be the result of mantle convection currents which upwell directly beneath the rift axis2 we propose an alternative working model of continental rifting in which both styles initiate in response to regional horizontal stresses the different surface expressions of the two styles are explained in terms of differences in the mode of failure at different kinds of pre existing weaknesses in the continental lithosphere rather than differences in the nature of the driving forces involved

effect of estuarine sediment resuspension on early diagenesis sulfide oxidation and dissolved molybdenum and uranium distribution in the gironde estuary france abstract vertical distributions of dissolved major redox parameters mo and u from the water to the sediment were sampled in the salinity gradient of the gironde estuary in the water sulfate and mo are conservatively transported throughout the salinity gradient in contrast u shows a significant removal rate of 85 mol m 2 a 1 related to reductive sequestration of u in the anoxic sediment early diagenesis is highly transient and characterized by a three zone regime related to three density layers functioning at different timescales excess of sulfate up to 1 mm is observed in the soft mud layer and is assigned to sulfide oxidation by both abiotic mn and fe oxide reduction and bacterial nitrate reduction during early diagenesis mo and u are released in the sediment porewater from mn and fe oxides in not dredged anoxic sediments authigenic precipitation of mo and u with iron sulfides is proposed to explain their removal from solution in contrast in dredged sediments authigenic precipitation of u is inhibited probably owing to the less effective reduction of soluble u vi to insoluble u iv due to oxidizing transient conditions mixing of anoxic sediment porewater with oxygenated water due to i cyclical resuspension of the soft mud layer and ii dredging operations in the navigation channel induces addition of dissolved sulfate produced from diagenetic sulfide oxidation mo and u to the water this addition is equivalent to 2 sulfate 5 5 mo and 0 5 u of the dissolved fluvial inputs into the estuary for the natural resuspension and 0 4 mo less than 0 2 sulfate u for dredge induced resuspension addition of dissolved mo and u produced by oxidation of sulfide phases in the dredged sediments redeposited in dynamic environments are equivalent to 12 mo and 0 8 u of their respective fluvial inputs additional mo and u inputs into the water originate from diffusive outflow from muddy sediments and are equivalent to 2 mo and 0 3 u of their respective fluvial inputs however we show that all these dissolved inputs are scavenged by solid phases

anomalously high porosity and permeability in deeply buried sandstone reservoirs origin and predictability porosity and permeability generally decrease with increasing depth thermal exposure and effective pressure however a significant number of deep 4 km approximately 13 000 ft sandstone reservoirs worldwide are characterized by anomalously high porosity and permeability anomalous porosity and permeability can be defined as being statistically higher than the porosity and permeability values occurring in typical sandstone reservoirs of a given lithology composition and texture age and burial temperature history in sandstones containing anomalously high porosities such porosities exceed the maximum porosity of the typical sandstone subpopulation major causes of anomalous porosity and permeability were identified decades ago however quantification of the effect of processes responsible for anomalous porosity and permeability and the assessment of the predictability of anomalous porosity and permeability occurrence in subsurface sandstones have rarely been addressed in published literature the focus of this article is on quantification and predictability of three major causes of anomalously high porosity 1 grain coats and grain rims 2 early emplacement of hydrocarbons and 3 shallow development of fluid overpressure grain coats and grain rims retard quartz cementation and concomitant porosity and permeability reduction by inhibiting precipitation of quartz overgrowths on detrital quartz grains currently prediction of anomalous porosity associated with grain coats and grain rims is dependent on the availability of empirical data sets in the absence of adequate empirical data sedimentologic and diagenetic models can be helpful in assessing risk due to reservoir quality such models provide a means to evaluate the effect of geologic constraints on coating occurrence and coating completeness required to preserve economically viable porosity and permeability begin page 302 in a given play or prospect these constraints include thermal history and sandstone grain size and composition the overall effect of hydrocarbon emplacement on reservoir quality is controversial it appears that at least some cements quartz and illite may continue to precipitate following emplacement of hydrocarbons into the reservoir our work indicates that integration of basin modeling with reservoir quality modeling can be used to quantify prior to drilling the potential impact of hydrocarbon emplacement on porosity and permeability the best case scenario for significant reservoir quality preservation due to fluid overpressure development is in rapidly deposited tertiary or quaternary sandstones our models suggest that significant porosity can be preserved in sandstones that have experienced continuous high fluid overpressures from shallow burial depths the models also indicate that the potential for porosity preservation is greatest in ductile grain rich sandstones because compaction tends to be the dominant control on reservoir quality in such rocks the case for significant porosity preservation associated with fluid overpressures in pre tertiary basins however is more problematic because of the complexities in the history of fluid overpressure and the greater significance of quartz cementation as a potential mechanism of porosity loss

continental rift architecture and patterns of magma migration a dynamic analysis based on centrifuge models 1 small scale centrifuge models were used to investigate the role of continental rift structure in controlling patterns of magma migration and emplacement experiments considered the reactivation of weakness zones in the lower crust and the presence of magma at moho depths results suggest that surface deformation which reflects the weakness zone geometry exerts a major control on patterns of magma migration in the case of a single rift segment the experimental lower crust and magma were both transferred in an extension parallel direction toward the rift flanks this lateral migration reflected the dominance of far field stresses over extension induced buoyancy forces local pressure gradients favored the raise of experimental magma in correspondence of marginal grabens the lateral migration gave rise to major accumulations below the footwall of major boundary faults providing the magma source able to feed off axis volcanoes in nature as inferred for the main ethiopian rift in the case of two offset rift segments a major transfer zone developed this transfer zone was characterized by prominent experimental lower crust doming and strong magma accumulation dynamic analysis showed that the transfer zone development caused a strong pressure difference in a rift parallel direction which dominated over the far field thinning owing to this pressure gradient almost all the underplated experimental magma collected below the lower crust dome suggesting a rift parallel extension orthogonal migration this process has a direct relevance for the localization of magmatic activity at transfer zones in natural continental rifts such as in the western branch of the east african rift system

geologic geochemical and geophysical consequences of plume involvement in the emeishan flood basalt province prevolcanic kilometer scale lithospheric doming in the emeishan large igneous province southwest china allows us to evaluate the spatial and temporal consequences of uplift on the paleogeography geology geochemistry and geophysics of the region systematic spatial variations are observed across the domal structure in the distribution and thickness of clastic and carbonate sediments the extent of erosion thickness and chemistry of volcanic rocks and the crust mantle structure these features which are best explained by a mantle plume may be used to track older plume sites in the geologic record

structure and organization of submarine basaltic flows sheet flow transformation into pillow lavas in shallow submarine environments distal pillows occur associated with a sheet flow and megapillows in the menakoz outcrops of the basque cantabrian basin n spain basaltic volcanic rocks are interbedded with turonian sediments and depict typical features of shallow submarine emissions an exceptional basaltic flow displays four types of morphology 1 sheet lava with columnar jointing 2 welded columnar breccia 3 megapillows and 4 pillow lavas with sparse megapillows the field data from menakoz combined with experimental and field data from the literature for similar volcanic facies can be integrated into a new propagation model for the transition from sheet flows to pillow lavas in underwater environments at near vent high emission rates lava flows develop a thin crust immediately after its emplacement and break at the front under the magma pressure allowing for the massive propagation of lava as a sheet flow increased cooling promotes thickening of the lava outer crust far from the vent while continuous supply of fresh magma increases the pressure onto the thick crust until its rupture the lava emitted in small volumes from the flow front promotes the formation of megapillows and pillow lavas that are later on covered by the advancing sheet flow the lava flow freezes progressively toward more distal parts gradually increasing its viscosity until it stops the crust temporarily holds the residual melt pressure increasing the volume of the flow distal section by inflation finally the internal magma pressure breaks the crust and liberates lava at moderate to low flow rates producing pillows while lava drainage inside the inflated sheet flow produces lava tunnels and gravitational collapse of the roofs by hydrostatic pressure to form breccias nurtured by columnar lava fragments

physical volcanology of a large crater complex formed during the initial stages of karoo flood basalt volcanism sterkspruit eastern cape south africa abstract the sterkspruit complex exposed at the base of the karoo flood basalts in south africa is a complex of mostly massive volcaniclastic rocks dikes and lava that fills a crater 45 km 2 cut into country rock and is surrounded by a blanket of more distal bedded volcaniclastic rocks the moderately to steeply inward dipping margins of the crater are delineated by country rock breccia that grades into rocks within the complex intra complex rocks are dominated by massive polymict lapilli tuff and tuff breccia 150 m thick with intercalated lavas and minor bedded volcaniclastic rocks pillow lava 50 m thick and thinly bedded inferred lacustrine deposits cap the complex succession and are in turn covered by subaerial karoo flood basalts beyond the crater a succession of bedded finer grained volcaniclastic rocks 100 60 m thick rests on country rock and thins distally over at least 5 km magma emplaced over a broad area through a network of feeder dikes and sheets created many small vents that grew into their neighbours through lateral quarrying and vent migration and whose deposits overlap both within and outside the complex an abrupt end to eruptions that formed volcaniclastic deposits is recorded by flooding of the lowest part of the crater by first water then lava then subsequently by inundation of the complex and the surrounding landscape by voluminous effusion of flood basalt formation of the sterkspruit complex and many others like it in south africa confirms that the opening phases of karoo flood basalt volcanism were partly explosive the abundant volcaniclastic products at sterkspruit and in other flood basalt provinces result from eruptions that disperse ash and volcanic aerosols differently than effusive eruptions of lava and thus may have important implications for climate change and landscape development associated with the initial stages of flood basalt provinces

peperite formed by lava flows over sediments an example from the central parana continental flood basalts brazil pahoehoe flows interbedded with sediments have been identified in the superior portion of parana continental flood basalts pcfb west portion of parana state southern brazil in the study area peperites are generated by the interaction between lava flows and wet lacustrine sediments silt and clay evidence that the sediments were unconsolidated or poorly consolidated and wet when the lava flowed over them includes vesiculated sediment sediment in vesicles and fractures in lava flow and in juvenile clasts in the peperite and soft sediment deformation hydrodynamic mingling of lava and wet sediments coarse mingling is predominant and volcanic rocks and textures related to explosive phase of molten fuel coolant interaction mfci are not observed in study area locally centimeter sized areas display direct contact between ash sized juvenile clasts and sediments formed by the collapse of a vapor film the textures of fluidal peperites in the central pcfb indicate that the relevant factors that led to a coarse mingling between lava sediment are 1 lava properties low viscosity 2 fine grained unconsolidated or poorly consolidated wet sediment and 3 a single episode of interaction between lava flows and sediment

lava sediment interaction in desert settings are all peperite like textures the result of magma water interaction abstract this study reports on lava sediment interaction in dry depositional settings focusing on the early cretaceous volcano sedimentary sequence in the huab basin nw namibia as a detailed example here an active aeolian sand sea erg system was progressively engulfed by lavas of the etendeka flood basalt province 133 ma bp this volcanic flooding resulted in 1 the unprecedented preservation of large parts of the active dune system 2 the development of a variety of sediment interlayers and 3 a record of excellent examples of the dynamic interaction between lava and aeolian sand the lava sediment interaction happens on a variety of scales from simple sediment interbeds within the lavas at a large scale down to complex breccia horizons and bulbous lava sediment contacts at small scales peperite like textures are found where hot lava has dynamically interacted with unconsolidated aeolian sands such interaction could involve lava cascading down the front of dune faces or active aa style flow fronts bulldozing into and oversteepening dune faces causing rapid influx of sand into the active flow front resulting breccia horizons have been found up to 5 m thick locally the aeolian sand is baked to a quartzite by the hot lava in contrast on other surfaces the lava leaves striations in the sand as it flows across it indicating local flow directions and less pronounced interaction in places wind ripples and topset beds are preserved on the stoss side of the dune indicating the passive nature of emplacement for some of the lava flows peperites are often thought to form due to the presence of water within the unconsolidated sediments that the juvenile magma comes into contact with however examples from arid environments demonstrate that peperite forming processes are diverse and may not always require water therefore it is suggested that the term peperite should be used to describe deposits consisting of sediments mixed with juvenile magmatic components where it is clear that there has been a dynamic interaction between the two this leaves the presence or lack of water as an issue for interpreting the processes by which the peperite formed

morphometric study of pillow size spectrum among pillow lavas measurements of h and v dimensions in the horizontal and vertical directions of pillows exposed in vertical cross section were made on 19 pillow lavas from the azores cyprus iceland new zealand tasmania the western usa and wales the median values of h and v plot on a straight line that defines a spectrum of pillow sizes having linear dimensions five times greater at one end than at the other basaltic toward the small size end and andesitic toward the large size end the pillow median size is interpreted to reflect a control exercised by lava viscosity pillows erupted on a steep flow foot slope in lava deltas can however have a significantly smaller size than pillows in tabular pillowed flows inferred to have been erupted on a small depositonal slope indicating that the slope angle also exercised a control pipe vesicles generally abundant in the tabular pillowed flows and absent from the flow foot pillows have potential as a paleoslope indicator pillows toward the small size end of the spectrum are smooth surfaced and grew mainly by stretching of their skin whereas disruption of the skin and spreading were important toward the large size end disruption involved increasing skin thicknesses with increasing pillow size and pillows toward the large size end are more analogous with toothpaste lava than with pahoehoe and are inferred from their thick multiple selvages to have taken hours to grow pseudo pillow structure is also locally developed an example of endogenous pillow lava growth that formed intrusive pillows between normal pillows is described from sicily isolated pillow like bodies in certain andesitic breccias described from iceland were previously interpreted to be pillows but have anomalously small sizes for their compositions it is now proposed that they may lack an essential attribute of pillows namely the development of bulbous forms by the inflation of a chilled skin and are hence not true pillows para pillow lava is a common lava type in the flow foot breccias it forms irregular flow sheets that are locally less than 5 cm thick and failed to be inflated to pillows perhaps because of an inadequate lava supply rate or too high a flow velocity

development of the north viking graben inferences from laboratory modelling abstract the north viking graben is a classic sedimentary basin in the north sea that has been thoroughly studied over the last decade despite the amount and quality of seismic and well data now available the processes of extension remain unclear and the relationship between sedimentation and deformation is still a matter of debate we present the results of small scale laboratory modelling the models are made with sand and silicone putty to simulate brittle and ductile behaviour on a crustal scale the experiments were designed to study the effects of a the degree of coupling between brittle and ductile layers b the obliquity of extension and c the reactivation of inherited crustal scale structures the results are used to discuss the symmetry of extensional processes on crustal and lithospheric scales as well as the relationship between sedimentation and deformation it is proposed that the asymmetry of faulting in the upper crust and the nearly symmetric thinning of the whole crust are not mutually exclusive a model involving nearly pure shear on the lithospheric scale is used to explain the development of an asymmetrical basin at shallow level in addition this model accounts for the nearly horizontal stratification of lower cretaceous sediments the basal cretaceous unconformity which caps many of the normal faults and the localization of deformation to the west of the graben during the lower cretaceous

preservation of aeolian genetic units by lava flows in the lower cretaceous of the parana basin southern brazil the lower cretaceous geological record of the intracratonic parana basin in southern brazil comprises a thick succession of aeolian sandstones and volcanic rocks the intercalation between aeolian sandstone and volcanic floods allowed the preservation of distinct aeolian genetic units each genetic unit represents an accumulation episode bounded by supersurfaces that coincides with the base of lava flood events the entire package can be subdivided into a lower genetic unit which corresponds to aeolian sandstones preserved below the initial lava flows botucatu formation and an upper set of genetic units which comprises interlayered aeolian deposits and lava floods serra geral formation the lower genetic unit is up to 100 m thick its base is composed of ephemeral stream and aeolian sand sheet deposits that are overlain by cross bedded sandstones whose origin is ascribed to simple locally composite crescentic and complex linear aeolian dunes aeolian accumulation of the lower unit was possible as a result of the existence of a wide topographic basin which caused wind deceleration and a large sand availability that promoted a positive net sediment flux the upper genetic units comprise isolated sand bodies that occur in two different styles 1 thin lenses 3 m thick formed by aeolian sand sheets and 2 thick sand lenses 3 15 m comprising cross bedded cosets generated by migration and climbing of simple to locally composite crescentic aeolian dunes accumulation of the aeolian strata was associated with wind deceleration within depressions on the irregular upper surface of the lava floods the interruption of sedimentation in the lower and upper genetic units and related development of supersurfaces occurred as a result of widespread effusions of basaltic lava preservation of both wind rippled topset deposits of the aeolian dunes and pahoehoe lava imprints indicates that lava floods covered active aeolian dunes and hence protected the aeolian deposits from erosion thus preserving the genetic units

crustal scale geometry and kinematics of late orogenic extension in the central aegean cyclades and ewia island abstract the aegean continental domain is known to be the site of widespread back arc extension since at least the middle miocene overprinting structures related to the mesozoic cenozoic hellenic orogeny features attributed to early thrusting include the overall ductile deformation within two broad belts that have suffered hp lt metamorphism across the aegean this study summarizes the results of a structural study in the central aegean area cyclades and evvia island examining in particular the relationship between ductile and brittle deformation on a regional scale extension appears to be responsible for most of the ductile deformation within hp rock units that have experienced penetrative greenschist facies and higher grade metamorphic overprinting on each island studied progressive extensional deformation has occurred through the development of a major normal sense detachment zone down to depths of about 18 25 km the geometry of the extensional system on the scale of the central aegean is described taking into account the characteristic features of the regional scale ductile strain field at least two probably three subparallel major north dipping detachment zones are identified trending nw se in the northwestern cyclades and e w in the southeastern cyclades both with initial dips estimated at around 30 45 the present geometry of the extensional system implies that these detachment zones and related metamorphic core complexes interfere with each other two main evolutionary models are considered which can account for such a kinematic link between parallel detachment zones structural data favour the sequential development of synthetic major detachments zones in a direction opposite to the sense of dip of the detachments early oligocene lower miocene detachment type extension in the area studied is related to a late orogenic post thickening back arc setting

the importance of pahoehoe abstract pahoehoe lava flows are common in every basaltic province and their submarine variants pillow lavas and sheet flows cover the bulk of the earth pahoehoe flows are emplaced by inflation the injection of molten lava underneath a solidified crust only in the past few years has an understanding of the inflation process and the ability to recognize ancient inflated lava flows been achieved all large terrestrial basaltic flow fields studied to date including flood basalts were emplaced as thermally efficient inflated compound pahoehoe sheet flows this leads us to propose that this is the standard way of emplacing large lavas the swell hypothesis the atmospheric impact of such flood basalt eruptions could have been protracted and severe providing a plausible link between flood basalt eruptions and mass extinctions

structures textures and cooling histories of columbia river basalt flows flood basalt flows of the columbia river basalt group commonly exhibit well developed colonnade and entablature structures formed during cooling of individual flows the colonnade refers to the well defined columnar structure of many flows which appears in the lowermost 10 to 30 and in places the uppermost 10 to 20 entablature refers to those parts of a flow that have smaller column diameters and more irregular pattern fractures than those of colonnade entablature commonly occupies the central 60 to 70 of a flow in some cases however the entablature is interrupted by colonnade in such cases the entablature and colonnade may be repeated once or twice within a single flow in other cases flows may lack an entablature entirely petrographic examination reveals a pronounced correlation between structural and textural features thin sections of colonnade basalt have relatively coarse cruciform or octahedral fe ti oxide crystals and 20 glassy mesostasis the central entablature basalt in contrast has much more mesostasis as much as 60 and has textural features such as feathery fe ti oxide crystals indicative of more rapid cooling these features are the reverse of what might be expected for normal conductive cooling because cooling rates at the flow margins should be greater than those in the flow interior we reconciled the observed basalt textures with thermal models by taking into account rainfall and deranged drainage during crystallization of the flow downward migration of water through cracks would cause convective cooling of underlying unsolidified lava this effect and its consequences have been modeled numerically in order to clarify the physical constraints on the mechanism by which the central part of the lava can be quenched we have found that a water infiltration front can explain the presence of a thick quenched flow interior provided that the infiltration front moves downward just behind the lava solidification front despite heavy rainfall on hawaii for example 250 cm yr at kilauea iki exposed prehistoric lava flows on that island exhibit only colonnades we deduce from this that heavy rainfall alone is inadequate to quench flow interiors extensive flooding by deranged drainage or perhaps extremely heavy rainfall 250 cm yr is apparently required to produce entablatures the model also can be used to explain the occurrence of repeated entablature and colonnade by considering the effects of intermittent inundation the imposition of boundary conditions that mimic the removal and reoccurrence of flooding yields cooling histories that are consistent with the development of multiple colonnades and entablatures

magmatism and continental break up in the south atlantic high precision40ar 39ar geochronology abstract a detailed ar ar study of the parana etendeka continental flood basalts cfb has been undertaken using laser spot analysis data provide information not only on the age of the samples but also on the variability of the non radiogenic ar component and state of alteration the results indicate the parana etendeka cfb were erupted over 10 million years between 137 and 127 ma providing a minimum overall eruption rate of 0 1 km3 yr 1 this is an order of magnitude less than that previously proposed for this the deccan and siberian cfb provinces but it is similar to estimates for hawaii iceland and the columbia river cfb in detail the new ar ar analyses indicate that magmatism within the parana etendeka province migrated from nw to se prior to and during the opening of the south atlantic providing an explanation for the asymmetry of the cfb lavas about the south atlantic moreover chemically defined magma types were erupted at different times in different places and so within the paranathey may not be used as reliable chronostratigraphic units rather such magmatic units may reflect the extent of compositionally distinct source regions in the uppermost mantle and indicate that partial melting took place over a wide area under the paranabasin the nw se migration of the onset of magmatism might be interpreted as a plume trace but the inferred rate of movement is 3 times faster than that inferred from subsequent magmatism on the rio grande rise it is argued that the onset of magmatism reflected extensional tectonics normal to the ponta grossa dyke swarm given that magmatism preceded the main phase of rifting and that extension across the ponta grossa was moderate current plume models have difficulty in predicting sufficient melting within the asthenosphere

eruption and emplacement of flood basalt an example from the large volume teepee butte member columbia river basalt group flows of the teepee butte member grande ronde basalt issued from a vent system in southeastern washington northeastern oregon and western idaho three distinct basalt flows were erupted the limekiln rapids flow the joseph creek flow and the pruitt draw flow together these mappable flows cover more than 52 000 km sup 2 and have a volume exceeding 5 000 km sup 3 a portion of the vent system for the joseph creek flow is exposed in cross section in joseph canyon washington it is one of the best preserved columbia river basalt group vent complexes known the vent complex is about 1 km in cross section 30 m high and composed of deposits characteristic of hawaiian type volcanism the vent is asymmetrical the eastern rampart consists of intercalated pyroclastic deposits and thin pahoehoe flows the western rampart is composed wholly of pahoehoe flows flows of the teepee butte member are compositionally homogeneous and were emplaced as sheet flows each having several local flow units our study supports the importance of linear vent systems and the westward palouse slope along with the large volume lava flows in controlling the distribution of columbia river basalt group flows other factors including the number of active fissure segments andmore topography modified the shape of the flows and the number of flow units 45 refs 19 figs 2 tabs less

emplacement and inflation of pahoehoe sheet flows observations and measurements of active lava flows on kilauea volcano hawaii inflated pahoehoe sheet flows have a distinctive horizontal upper surface which can be several hundred meters across and are bounded by steep monoclinal uplifts the inflated sheet flows we studied ranged from 1 to 5 m in thickness but initially propagated as thin sheets of fluid pahoehoe lava generally 20 30 cm thick individual lobes originated at outbreaks from the inflated front of a prior sheet flow lobe and initially moved rapidly away from their source velocities slowed greatly within hours due to radial spreading and to depletion of lava stored within the source flow as the outward flow velocity decreases cooling promotes rapid crustal growth at first the crust behaves plastically as pahoehoe toes form after the crust attains a thickness of 2 5 cm it behaves more rigidly and develops enough strength to retain incoming lava thus increasing the hydrostatic head at the flow front the increased hydrostatic pressure is distributed evenly through the liquid lava core of the flow resulting in uniform uplift of the entire sheet flow lobe initial uplift rates are rapid flows thicken to 1 m in 1 2 hours but rates decline sharply as crustal thickness increases and as outbreaks occur from the margins of the inflating lobe one flow reached a final thickness of nearly 4 m after 350 hr inflation data define power law curves whereas crustal cooling follows square root of time relationships the combination of data can be used to construct simple models of inflated sheet flows as the flow advances preferred pathways develop in the older portions of the liquid cored flow these pathways can evolve into lavatube systems within a few weeks formation of lava tubes results in highly efficient delivery of lava at velocities of several kilometers per hour to a flow front that may be moving 1 2 orders of magnitude slower if advance of the sheet flow is terminated the tube remains filled with lava that crystallizes in situ rather than draining to form the cave like lava tubes commonly associated with pahoehoe flows inflated sheet flows from kilauea and mauna loa are morphologically similar to some thick icelandic and submarine sheet flows suggesting a similar mechanism of emplacement the planar sheet like geometry of flood basalt flows may also result from inflation of sequentially emplaced flow lobes rather than nearly instantaneous emplacement as literal floods of lava

dynamics of magma emplacement in centrifuge models of continental extension with implications for flank volcanism a set of experimental small scale models of continental extension investigated the emplacement of orthogonal and oblique magma chambers initially underplated at the base of the crust the models are driven by a centrifugal body force which simulates the role of gravity in nature the models represent crustal conditions analogous to relatively mature continental rifts and consider both symmetric and asymmetric extension the experimental results suggest that magma emplacement is controlled by the interactions between tectonics and rheology of the crustal layers in particular extension is mainly accommodated by lateral flow and ductile doming in the viscous layer simulating the lower crust and by listric normal faults in the overlying brittle layer associated with the ductile domal uplift stretching of the continental crust induces a reactive migration of viscous layers into the footwall of major normal faults where magma accumulation at the core of the domes takes place this behavior suggests that widespread magmatism is expected to localize in the footwall of major normal faults a situation that is often observed in core complex structures although the models presented here are intended to simulate magma emplacement during extension of a two layer brittle ductile system lateral flow and migration of magma initially underplated at the base of the crust beneath narrow rifts e g the ethiopian rift may also provide a similar mechanism and a possible explanation for the occurrence of important volcanoes on the plateaus flanking the rift zones in the suggested model such volcanoes are related to large basaltic magma reservoirs located at the base of the crust to accommodate the space vacated by lateral flow and thinning of the ductile crust the similarity in structure of the models with natural examples of continental extension modes such as rift systems and core complexes may suggest a close similarity of dynamic processes

coagulation rates of clay minerals and natural sediments abstract coagulation experiments conducted using illite kaolinite montmorillonite and four natural sediment samples in blade and couette reactors with solutions of various salinities yielded collision efficiency factors significantly higher than those in the previous literature indicating that coagulation begins at lower salinities 1 2 1 the natural sediments do not generally behave as might be predicted for a mixture of the standards of the minerals of which the natural sediment samples were comprised the half times for coagulation of the particles indicate that in nature the coagulation process would probably be completed in the first few parts per thousand salinity

a dynamic model of extension in the baltimore canyon trough region a dynamic model of extension in the baltimore canyon trough region of the central north atlantic indicates that rifting proceeded in two stages and was controlled by laterally offset preexisting weaknesses within the middle crust and upper mantle beneath the appalachian orogen the crustal weakness is hypothesized to result from thin skinned thrust faulting in the appalachian foreland and the upper mantle weakness results from crustal thickening beneath the appalachian hinterland during the early stages of rifting 225 185 ma the loci of extension in the crust and mantle lie within the respective preweakened regions and are connected by a shear zone in the lower crust in a manner similar to whole lithosphere simple shear extension and thinning of the upper crust at this time results in the formation of late triassic early jurassic rift basins in the appalachian piedmont and in the development of a horizontal pressure gradient which drives widespread ductile flow in the lower crust the pressure gradient may also have influenced magma transport moving melt generated beneath the eastern baltimore canyon trough into the more westerly triassic basin province during the late stages of rifting 185 175 ma extension in the crust shifts to a position overlying the preexisting upper mantle weakness as a result of thermal weakening by the upwelling asthenosphere in this region the loci of extension in the crust and mantle are then coincident and the style of rifting becomes similar to whole lithosphere pure shear the shift in the locus of crustal extension is accompanied by the cessation of subsidence and volcanism in the triassic basins the onset of rapid subsidence in the baltimore canyon trough and the formation of a basement hinge zone separating the highly thinned crust beneath the baltimore canyon trough from moderately thinned crust beneath the triassic basin province extension becomes increasingly focused beneath the eastern edge of the baltimore canyon trough until the onset of seafloor spreading approximately 50 m y after rifting began the resulting conjugate margins are asymmetric with most of the region encompassing the triassic basins stranded on the north american plate

squeeze box in a centrifuge abstract a squeeze box which operates in a centrifuge is presented in the experimental set up the centrifugal body force mimics the role of gravity in nature and at the same time drives a hydraulic press which simulates lateral forces the rate of lateral shortening is controlled by varying the loads placed on the hydraulic press utilization of a squeeze box in a centrifuge enhances the range of scaling and enables the use of coherent model materials without violating similitude requirements in the traditional squeeze box which operates under normal gravity similitude requirements severely limit the choice of model materials as a test of the apparatus simple experiments were carried out comparing models shortened in a centrifuge with similar models shortened under normal gravity the realistic form of decollement structures e g folds faults and diapirs shortened in a centrifuge in these tests as well as in other tests which will be reported later show the potential of this new technique for rigorous modelling of geodynamic systems which evolve under the influence of both gravity and a push from the rear the set up can also be used as a simple shear box in a centrifuge after a slight adjustment

tidal bore dynamics in funnel shaped estuaries the formation and dynamics of tidal bores in funnel shaped estuaries is investigated from both a global tidal wave scaling analysis and new quantitative field observations we show that tidal bore occurrence in convergent estuaries can be estimated from a dimensionless scaling parameter characterizing the relative intensity of nonlinear friction versus local inertia in the momentum equation a detailed analysis of tidal bore formation and secondary wave structure is presented from a unique long term database observations of more than 200 tides acquired during four campaigns in the two main french tidal bore estuaries the seine and gironde garonne estuaries we describe the effect of freshwater discharge on the global tidal wave transformation at the estuarine scale and on local tidal bore occurrence in the upper estuary our field data suggest that the tidal bore intensity is mainly governed by the dimensionless tidal range which characterizes the local tidal wave nonlinearity we also show that the secondary wavefield associated with tidal bore propagating in natural estuaries differs significantly from those associated to undular bores in rectangular channels in particular we observe an abrupt decrease of the whelp steepness when the froude number goes below 1 1 this secondary field transition can explain why tidal bore occurrence in worldwide estuaries is certainly underestimated

a portable coring device for use in the intertidal environment abstract the construction of a portable coring unit with a telescopic tube and stationary piston mounted on a tripod frame is described using the procedure outlined it is possible to core unconsolidated sediments clay and sands in intertidal environments with the minimum of disturbance down to depths of 6 m

residual transport model in correlation with sedimentary dynamics over an elongate tidal sandbar in the gironde estuary southwestern france abstract this study qualitatively describes by a multidisciplinary approach hydrodynamic and residual sediment transport over a sandbar in a macrotidal environment the sandbar is elongated and attached to a headland that is located in the gironde estuary southwestern france bathymetric surveys side scan sonar sonograms grain size trends of surficial sediment and 2dh numerical simulations of current patterns were used to define a conceptual model for the dynamics of this sandbar the sandbar is oriented anticlockwise with respect to the main flow the channel oriented bar face is ebb dominated whereas the opposite face is flood dominated resulting in a clockwise residual transport the line of sediment flux convergence corresponds to the crest of the bar the residual flow over the bar appears to originate from the regional estuarine flow the dominant process responsible for the maintenance of the sandbar seems to be the depth averaged main tidal flow rather than secondary circulation due to headlands or the interaction between the tidal flow and the seabed to generalize this regional conceptual model a qualitative comparison is made with the theories of sandbar dynamics due to tidal currents pingree and maddock 1979 zimmerman 1981 huthnance 1982 and others the seabed stability approach developed by huthnance 1982 seems to be the most reliable theory to explain the saint georges bank dynamics even though many natural factors are not taken into account

relationship of diagenetic chlorite rims to depositional facies in lower cretaceous reservoir sandstones of the scotian basin the relationship between diagenetic chlorite rims and depositional facies in deltaic strata of the lower cretaceous missisauga formation was investigated using a combination of electron microprobe bulk geochemistry and x ray diffraction data the succession studied comprises several stacked parasequences the delta progradational facies association includes i fluvial or distributary channel sandstones some with tidal influence ii thick bedded delta front graded beds of sandstone interpreted as resulting from fluvial hyperpycnal flow during floods and storms and iii more distal muddier delta front and prodeltaic facies the transgressive facies association includes lag conglomerate siderite cemented muddy sandstone and mudstone and bioclastic sandy limestone chlorite rims are absent in the fluvial facies and best developed in thick sandstones lacking mudstone baffles good quality chlorite rims are well correlated with ti in bulk geochemistry ti is a proxy for fe availability principally from the breakdown of abundant detrital ilmenite fetio3 under conditions of sea floor diagenesis the abrupt decrease in sedimentation rate at transgressive surfaces caused progressive shallowing of the sulphate depletion level and of the overlying eh controlled diagenetic zones resulting in conditions suitable for diagenetic formation of berthierine to migrate upwards through the packet of reservoir sandstones this early diagenetic berthierine suppressed silica cementation and later recrystallized to chlorite thick euhedral outer chlorite rims were precipitated from formation water in sandstone lacking muddy baffles on this chlorite substrate and inhibited late carbonate cementation this study thus shows that the preservation of porosity by chlorite rims is a two stage process rapidly deposited delta front turbidite facies create early diagenetic conditions that eventually lead to the formation of chlorite rims but the best quality chlorite rims are restricted to sandstones with high permeability during burial diagenesis

the impact of diagenesis on the heterogeneity of sandstone reservoirs a review of the role of depositional facies and sequence stratigraphy diagenesis exerts a strong control on the quality and heterogeneity of most clastic reservoirs variations in the distribution of diagenetic alterations usually accentuate the variations in depositional porosity and permeability linking the types and distribution of diagenetic processes to the depositional facies and sequence stratigraphic framework of clastic successions provides a powerful tool to predict the distribution of diagenetic alterations controlling quality and heterogeneity the heterogeneity patterns of sandstone reservoirs which determine the volumes flow rates and recovery of hydrocarbons are controlled by geometry and internal structures of sand bodies grain size sorting degree of bioturbation provenance and by the types volumes and distribution of diagenetic alterations variations in the pathways of diagenetic evolution are linked to 1 depositional facies hence pore water chemistry depositional porosity and permeability types and amounts of intrabasinal grains and extent of bioturbation 2 detrital sand composition 3 rate of deposition controlling residence time of sediments at specific near surface geochemical conditions and 4 burial thermal history of the basin the amounts and types of intrabasinal grains are also controlled by changes in the relative sea level and therefore can be predicted in the context of sequence stratigraphy particularly in paralic and shallow marine environments changes in the relative sea level exert significant control on the types and extent of near surface shallow burial diagenetic alterations which in turn influence the pathways of burial diagenetic and reservoir quality evolution of clastic reservoirs carbonate cementation is more extensive in transgressive systems tract tst sandstones particularly below parasequence boundaries transgressive surface and maximum flooding surface because of the abundance of carbonate bioclasts and organic matter bioturbation and prolonged residence time of the sediments at and immediately below the sea floor caused by low sedimentation rates which also enhance the formation of glaucony eogenetic grain coating berthierine odinite and smectite formed mostly in tst and early highstand systems tract deltaic and estuarine sandstones are transformed into ferrous chlorite during mesodiagenesis helping preserve reservoir quality through the inhibition of quartz cementation the infiltration of grain coating smectitic clays is more extensive in braided than in meandering fluvial sandstones forming flow barriers in braided amalgamated reservoirs and may either help preserve porosity during burial because of quartz overgrowth inhibition or reduce it by enhancing intergranular pressure dissolution diagenetic modifications along sequence boundaries are characterized by considerable dissolution and kaolinization of feldspars micas and mud intraclasts under wet and warm climates whereas a semiarid climate may lead to the formation of calcrete dolocrete cemented layers turbidite sandstones are typically cemented by carbonate along the contacts with interbedded mudrocks or carbonate mudstones and marls as well as along layers of concentration of carbonate bioclasts and intraclasts commonly hybrid carbonate turbidite arenites are pervasively cemented proximal massive turbidites normally show only scattered spherical or ovoid carbonate concretions improved geologic models based on the connections among diagenesis depositional facies and sequence stratigraphic surfaces and intervals may not only contribute to optimized production through the design of appropriate simulation models for improved or enhanced oil recovery strategies as well as for co2 geologic sequestration but also support more effective hydrocarbon exploration through reservoir quality prediction

sedimentary controls on modern sand grain coat formation abstract coated sand grains can influence reservoir quality evolution during sandstone diagenesis porosity can be reduced and fluid flow restricted where grain coats encroach into pore space conversely pore lining grain coats can restrict the growth of pore filling quartz cement in deeply buried sandstones and thus can result in unusually high porosity in deeply buried sandstones being able to predict the distribution of coated sand grains within petroleum reservoirs is thus important to help find good reservoir quality here we report a modern analogue study of 12 sediment cores from the anllons estuary galicia nw spain collected from a range of sub environments to help develop an understanding of the occurrence and distribution of coated grains the cores were described for grain size bioturbation and sedimentary structures and then sub sampled for electron and light microscopy laser granulometry and x ray diffraction analysis the anllons estuary is sand dominated with intertidal sand flats and saltmarsh environments at the margins there is a shallowing fining upwards trend in the estuary fill succession grain coats are present in nearly every sample analysed they are between 1 m and 100 m thick and typically lack internal organisation the extent of grain coat coverage can exceed 25 in some samples with coverage highest in the top 20 cm of cores samples from muddy intertidal flat and the muddy saltmarsh environments close to the margins of the estuary have the highest coat coverage mean coat coverage of 20 2 and 21 3 respectively the lowest mean coat coverage occurs in the sandy saltmarsh 10 4 beyond the upper tidal limit and sandy intertidal flat environments 8 4 close to the main estuary channel mean coat coverage correlates with the concentration of clay fraction the primary controls on the distribution of fine grained sediment and therefore grain coat distribution are primary sediment transport and deposition processes that concentrate the clay fraction in the sediment towards the margins of the estuary bioturbation and clay illuviation mechanical infiltration are secondary processes that may redistribute fine grained sediment and produce grain coats here we have shown that detrital grain coats are more likely in marginal environments of ancient estuary fills which are typically found in the fining upward part of progradational successions

dynamical models of the role of crustal shear zones in asymmetric continental extension abstract this paper presents a simple quantitative model for the transfer of lithospheric extension along deep crustal shear zones during rifting of continents these shear zones are interpreted to connect laterally offset pre existing weaknesses in the crust to the centre of mantle lithospheric thinning the rift axis for quartz and quartz over feldspar dominated crustal models we predict the formation of major crustal shear zones which transfer extension to offset crustal weak zones as much as several hundreds of kilometres from the rift axis the length scale of this transfer depends on the initial thermal regime of the lithosphere the composition and thickness of the crust and the relative strengths of the crust at the rift axis and in the offset weak zones when rifting results from a combination of in plane tensile stress and active heating of the mantle lithosphere from below the lateral transfer of strain occurs for a period of time early in the rifting process later crustal thinning switches to the rift axis because heat diffusing from below weakens the crust at this location and it is no longer energetically preferable to transfer strain to offset weak zones for the parameter values used in our models the sedimentary basins formed by extension at the offset weak zones remain tectonically active for no more than 10 my transfer of strain to the offset or rift flank basins is most efficient when the rate of active heating of the lithosphere is similar to the rate of deformation along the crustal shear zone results from a more complete plane strain finite element model agree with the basic predictions of the simple quantitative model they do however indicate that effects ignored in the simple model will reduce our estimates of the maximum distance of shear transfer this is particularly true when the deformation is large we interpret sedimentary basins located on the flanks of rifts or atlantic type margins to be the products of this process of strain partitioning in an inhomogeneous lithosphere the models provide an explanation for flank or offset basins that were active for a short interval early in a rift phase that have no thermal subsidence phase and that cannot be attributed to the gravitationally driven extension and collapse of orogenically overthickened crust

hot orogens tectonic switching and creation of continental crust many granulite terrains were too hot to have formed during continental collision rather along with many high grade metamorphic terrains that typify continental crust most formed in accretionary orogens during tectonic switching when prolonged lithospheric extension was interrupted by intermittent transient contraction based on modern and ancient examples tectonic switching occurs when slab retreat induces upper plate extension causing arc splitting formation of microcontinent slivers and backarc basins then intermittent arrival of buoyant oceanic plateaus induces transient flat subduction or slab flip and crustal thickening during slab retreat basaltic magmas produced from decompressed asthenosphere advect into the extending orogen causing granulite facies metamorphism and granite generation but subsequent thickening during flat subduction cools the region thickening is focused in the thermally softened backarc region and if sediment filled a hot short lived 10 m y narrow 50 100 km orogenic belt forms such thickening is often misleadingly ascribed to arc or microcontinent collision once slab retreat mode is reestablished lithospheric extension recommences and a new arc backarc system forms generally outboard arrival of another plateau will reverse the procedure and another short lived hot orogen will form within the orogenic system cycles of tectonic switching efficiently produce continental crust

pillow lavas and fluvio lacustrine deposits in the northeast of parana continental magmatic province brazil abstract the northeast edge of the parana continental magmatic province was marked by a topographical barrier that gave rise to a predominantly peridesertic environment this high allowed the recurrent of above average rainfall in this area of the province in contrast with other areas where many evidences indicate that lava flows have settled in an arid climate in a desert environment as a result alluvial fan debris flows and fluvio lacustrine systems developed occasionally this paper presents one of these sequences which is remarkable for the presence of sedimentary rocks and two sets of pillow lavas both sets of pillow lavas show interaction with the fluvio lacustrine sediments with distinctive grain size from pebbly sand to clay that locally preserve the original sedimentary structures such as bedding and lamination this interaction gives rise to peperites which show a diversity of textures for different sedimentary granulometries hyaloclastites and fragments of lava also occur in the interpillow material and may be intricately mixed with sediment these features based mainly on detailed field observations in the northeastern region demonstrate that the palaeorelief sedimentary environment stratigraphy and morphology of sedimentary units and basaltic flows are contrasting from the central and southern regions of the parana continental magmatic province

biofilm origin of clay coated sand grains the presence of clay sized particles and clay minerals in modern sands and ancient sandstones has long presented an interesting problem because primary depositional processes tend to lead to physical separation of fine and coarse grained materials numerous processes have been invoked to explain the common presence of clay minerals in sandstones including infiltration the codeposition of flocculated muds and bioturbation induced sediment mixing how and why clay minerals form as grain coats at the site of deposition remains uncertain despite clay coated sand grains being of paramount importance for subsequent diagenetic sandstone properties we have identified a new biofilm mechanism that explains clay material attachment to sand grain surfaces that leads to the production of detrital clay coats this study focuses on a modern estuary using a combination of field work scanning electron microscopy petrography biomarker analysis and raman spectroscopy to provide evidence of the pivotal role that biofilms play in the formation of clay coated sand grains this study shows that within modern marginal marine systems clay coats primarily result from adhesive biofilms this bio mineral interaction potentially revolutionizes the understanding of clay coated sand grains and offers a first step to enhanced reservoir quality prediction in ancient and deeply buried sandstones

sedimentological control on the diagenesis and reservoir quality of tidal sandstones of the upper cape hay formation permian bonaparte basin australia abstract the deep siliciclastic reservoir 3500 m of the upper cape hay formation of the bonaparte basin petrel gas field petrel sub basin permian exhibits wide heterogeneity in porosity 2 26 and permeability 0 001 2500 md to investigate this variability 42 samples were taken from five wells drilled through this formation six facies were identified from core descriptions and microscopic study of the sandstones these facies are typical of a tide dominated estuary and include 1 mud flat 2 sand flat 3 top of tidal sand bar 4 middle of tidal sand bar 5 bottom of tidal sand bar and 6 outer estuary facies the paragenetic sequence comprises the emplacement of early aggregates of ferrous clay mineral precursors mechanical compaction recrystallization of those ferrous clay mineral precursors to fe rich chlorite and crystallization of fe rich chlorite forming coatings around detrital grains chemical compaction development of quartz overgrowth feldspar alteration crystallization of dickite and illite rich illite smectite i s mixed layers and ferrous calcite cementation the middle and top of the tidal bars generally exhibit the highest porosity 10 and permeability values k 1 md feldspar alteration released silica and aluminium into the reservoir promoting the development of dickite and illite rich i s mixed layers which tended to destroy porosity and permeability as calcite cements and quartz overgrowths diagenetic chlorite coatings around detrital grains are restricted to the sand bar facies deposited at the end of the last third order transgressive systems tract of the cape hay formation the formation and conservation of ferrous clay precursors seems to be possible in an estuarine environment where seawater and fresh water are mixed and tidal sand bars are formed these ferrous clay precursors recrystallized to fe rich chlorite coating after mechanical compaction these coatings inhibited quartz cementation and prove to be the key parameter behind good reservoir qualities