control actions of sedimentary environments and sedimentation rates on lacustrine oil shale distribution an example of the oil shale in the upper triassic yanchang formation southeastern ordos basin nw china abstract oil shale is an important form of unconventional resources it is significant to determine the control factors on oil shale distribution abundant oil shale resources are hosted in the member chang 7 3 ch7 3 triassic yanchang formation in southeastern ordos basin nw china this study was conducted to investigate the sedimentary environment distribution and organic matter source of the ch7 3 oil shale by a combined study of outcrops core data organic and element geochemical indices the controlling factors of the oil shale distribution were determined by an analysis of sedimentary environments and geochemical features of the oil shale sedimentary facies analysis based on outcrops and core data indicated that the ch7 3 oil shale was deposited in lacustrine delta environments warm and moist climates and reducing conditions indicated by major and trace elements were favorable to organic matter production and preservation rock eval pyrolysis showed that the organic matter of the ch7 3 oil shale is from both lacustrine phytoplankton and terrigenous higher plants the organic matter from terrigenous higher plants was probably transported into the deep lake by gravity flows sedimentary facies and la yb n values show that the spatial distribution of oil shale was controlled by sedimentary environments and sedimentation rates in the deep lake area near to delta turbidite fan deposition systems terrestial organic matter input was bounteous and sedimentation rates were moderate which were beneficial to organic matter accumulation and preservation providing favorable conditions for oil shale formation in delta turbidite fan deposition systems high sedimentation rates led to organic matter dilution in the deep lake area far from delta turbidite fan deposition systems sedimentation rates were relatively low and organic matter was easily degraded in addition only lacustrine organic matter input with no terrestial organic matter input inhibited organic matter enrichment

radiometric slope correction of synthetic aperture radar images the brightness in a sar image is affected by topographic height variations due to 1 the projection between ground and image coordinates and 2 variations in backscattering coefficient with the local scattering geometry this paper derives a new equation for 1 i e the radiometric slope correction based on a calibration equation which is invariant under a coordinate transformation an algorithm is described to obtain the slope correction from a sar interferogram which also enables retrieval of the full scattering geometry since the sar image and interferogram are derived from the same data set there is no need to match the image with the calibration data there is also no need for phase unwrapping since the algorithm only uses the fringe frequencies a maximum likelihood estimator for the fringe frequency is analyzed and the algorithm is illustrated by processing ers 1 sar data the example demonstrates that the spatial resolution and calibration error are adequate for most applications

sedimentological characteristics and depositional processes of sediment gravity flows in rift basins the palaeogene dongying and shahejie formations bohai bay basin china abstract sediment gravity flow deposits are common particularly in sandy formations but their origin has been a matter of debate and there is no consensus about the classification of such deposits however sediment gravity flow sandstones are economically important and have the potential to meet a growing demand in oil and gas exploration so there is a drive to better understand them this study focuses on sediment gravity flow deposits identified from well cores in palaeogene deposits from the liaodong bay depression in bohai bay basin china we classify the sediment gravity flow deposits into eight lithofacies using lithological characteristics grain size and sedimentary structures and interpret the associated depositional processes based on the scale spatial distribution and contact relationships of sediment gravity flow deposits we defined six types of lithofacies associations las that reflect transformation processes and depositional morphology la1 unconfined proximal breccia deposits la2 confined channel deposits la3 braided channel lobe deposits la4 unconfined lobe deposits la5 distal sheet deposits and la6 non channelized sheet deposits finally we established three depositional models that reflect the sedimentological characteristics and depositional processes of sediment gravity flow deposits 1 slope apron gravel rich depositional model which involves cohesive debris flows deposited as la1 and dilute turbidity currents deposited as la5 2 non channelized surge like turbidity current depositional model which mainly comprises sandy slumping suspended load dominated turbidity currents and dilute turbidity currents deposited as la5 and la6 and 3 channelized subaqueous fan depositional model which consists of non cohesive bedload dominated turbidity currents suspended load dominated turbidity currents and dilute turbidity currents deposited as la2 la5 originating from sustained extrabasinal turbidity currents hyperpycnal flow the depositional models may be applicable to oil and gas exploration and production from sediment gravity flow systems in similar lacustrine depositional environments elsewhere

ichnofabric characterization of a deep marine clastic system a subsurface study of the middle eocene ainsa system spanish pyrenees this paper documents a subsurface trace fossil and ichnofabric study of the proximal parts of a structurally confined and channelized sand rich lower slope and proximal basin floor deep marine system in the middle eocene ainsa basin spanish pyrenees five depositional environments are recognized based on sedimentary facies associations depositional architecture and stratigraphic context channel axis channel off axis channel margin levee overbank and interfan as well as a channel abandonment phase each environment is characterized by distinct and recurring ichnofabrics ichnological measurements and observations were recorded from six cores recovered from six wells drilled at a spacing of between 400 m and 500 m at outcrop and totalling 1213 m in length from channel axis to levee overbank environments there is a trend of increasing bioturbation intensity and ichnodiversity ichnofabrics in channel axis and channel off axis environments are characterized by low bioturbation intensity and low ichnodiversity thalassinoides dominated firmground ichnofabrics associated with erosive sediment gravity flows are common in these environments in contrast channel margin and levee overbank environments are characterized by ichnofabrics associated with high bioturbation intensity and ichnodiversity sediments of the interfan are characterized by the highest bioturbation intensity associated with burrow mottling and an absence of primary sedimentary structures this paper demonstrates that in core based studies ichnofabric analysis is an important and valuable tool in discriminating between different environments in channelized deep marine siliciclastic systems the results of this study should find wide applicability in reservoir characterization studies in the petroleum industry in field based analogue ichnofabric studies and other core based studies in deep water siliciclastic systems worldwide such as the integrated ocean drilling program

a deep subaqueous fan depositional model for the palaeoarchaean 3 46 ga marble bar cherts warrawoona group western australia the 3 46 ga marble bar chert member of the east pilbara craton western australia is one of the earliest and best preserved sedimentary successions on earth here we interpret the finely laminated thin bedded cherts mixed conglomeratic beds chert breccia beds and chert folded beds of the marble bar chert member as the product of low density turbidity currents high density turbidity currents mass transport complexes and slumps respectively integrated into a channel levee depositional model the marble bar chert member constitutes the oldest documented deep sea fan on earth with thin bedded cherts breccia beds and slumps composing the outer levee facies tracts and scours and conglomeratic beds representing the channel systems

slope and deep shelf gully sandstones upper jurassic east greenland the upper jurassic hareelv formation of jameson land east greenland occurs in an area of 60 75 km it consists of 200 500 m of black shale with thick closely spaced sandstone bodies the sandstones fill deep steep walled gullies and elongate scours or form more regular laterally extensive parallel sided but erosive gully mouth or lobe deposits both types of sandstone bodies occur completely juxtaposed and systematic vertical or lateral trends in bed thickness or grain size have not been observed the sands were deposited in a deep water shelf basin by high density turbidity currents traveling from basin margin source areas a northeastern source area was represented by a short lived rapidly prograding delta whereas the main northwestern source area was a shallow sandy barrier occurring along the length of a major north northeast striking fault controlled slope voluminous turbidity currents probably were triggered by earthquakes in the fault zone the resulting slope and basinal sand bodies are up to 50 m thick and hundreds of meters wide and may be more than 5 km long in a downcurrent direction they occur in a thick rich oil prone source rock thus they may form potential stratigraphic reservoirs and help drain the source rock the hareelv formation shows important similarities to the ramp facies model for delta fed sand rich turbidite systems however the formation is mainly tectonically controlled and independent of eustatic sea level changes the hareelv formation may serve as a model for an unusual type of stratigraphic hydr carbon reservoir and at least one north sea oil field seems to have formed in an analogous setting

confined deep water system development on the accretionary wedge miocene kahramanmaras foreland basin s turkey abstract according to theoretical studies the foreland basin consists of accretionary wedge including wedge top or piggyback basin foredeep forebulge and backbulge depozones all of them are parallel to the orogenic belts of the overlying and underlying plates the closure of the southern branch of the neotethys during the late cretaceous led to an oblique collision of the arabian plate and the anatolide taurides platform leading to the development of the miocene kahramanmaras foreland basin kfb thus the promontory shape of the arabian plate prevented the development of an accretionary wedge parallel to the orogenic belt the accretionary wedge of the kfb includes blocks of various sizes and age mainly mesozoic limestone scattered within an early tertiary matrix mass wasting deposits and shallow to deep marine sediments at the beginning of the miocene transtensional tectonism led to the development of half graben basins on top of the accretionary wedge these basins namely the tekir and cukurhisar also cut the foredeep of the kfb obliquely in contrast with the theoretical study this paper focuses on the evolution and fillings of those basins initially claystone and basin margin reef deposits filled the half graben basins as a consequence of the lower miocene sea invasion then long and narrow conglomeratic channels starting from the northern edge of the basins fan delta progressed southwards passing into sandy lobes then into claystones an activation of the boundary faults of the wedge top basin stopped the progression of the lower middle miocene sediments and led to their deformation then the sedimentation of the kfb shifted towards the basin centre during the middle miocene

relating petroleum system and play development to basin evolution west african south atlantic basins abstract sedimentary basins can be classified according to their structural genesis and evolutionary history and the latter can be linked to petroleum system and play development we propose an approach in which we use the established concepts in a new way breaking basins down into their natural basin cycle division then defining the characteristics of each basin cycle including the type of petroleum systems and plays they may contain and comparing them with similar basin cycles in other basins thereby providing a means to learn through a greater population of perhaps not immediately obvious analogues furthermore we introduce the use of the trajectory plot as a new tool in such an analysis this methodology has been applied to the west african south atlantic marginal basins between cameroon and angola and we demonstrate that the similar tectonostratigraphic evolution of the individual basins along this margin has led to the development of similar types of petroleum systems and play level s consequently we can make analogue comparisons among these basins in order to evaluate and predict the presence of potential yet undiscovered hydrocarbon accumulations in less well explored parts of the margin

aquisgrani terrae motus factus est part 1 the aachen cathedral germany built on weak ground charlemagne charles the great placed the centre of his kingdom during carolingian times in aachen germany aquisgrana this medieval period and his regency are associated with a period of extensive constructions in aachen including the carolingian part of the aachen cathedral the cathedral was the first building in germany to join the unesco world heritage list the foundations and construction ground of the cathedral were excavated during recent archaeological and geotechnical investigations the cathedral is founded on pillars and piles in devonian blue limestone and shale covered by pleistocene loess sediments remains of roman buildings such as thermae are situated below this part of the cathedral the pillars are connected by up to 5 m deep foundation walls and are up to 2 4 m thick even though information about the construction site is important for the assessment of structural health and remediation measures it is often rare for old historical buildings documentations from construction time concentrate on the construction progress and financial aspects detailed descriptions on the foundation ground and techniques are usually not preserved this information is of relevance for assessment of earthquake related structural damages and site effects on construction investigations in the course of remediation measures or archaeological surveys fill this information gap they provide insights in the ancient foundation techniques and can be used for identifying earthquake related phenomena in the construction site furthermore a direct insight into potential seismic effects associated with the ground and building response on seismic shaking becomes possible in the case of the aachen cathedral typical geotechnical investigation methods including drilling and laboratory tests were applied together with gpr measurements to evaluate the construction ground and evaluate potential seismological effects

lithofacies analysis of the dezadeash formation jura cretaceous yukon canada the depositional architecture of a mud sand rich turbidite system abstract the dezadeash formation is a northwest trending belt of predominantly jura cretaceous deep marine siliciclastic rocks in southwestern yukon canada it is truncated to the southwest by the denali fault system a major transcurrent fault along which 370 km of dextral slip occurred in post early cretaceous time and it is flanked to the northeast by the kluane schist a mainly mica quartz schist assemblage of unknown age and origin this study provides a robust quantitative description of lithofacies comprising a point source mud sand rich turbidite system approximately 16 335 m of measured strata from 75 sections throughout the dezadeash formation indicate that up to 29 lithofacies types are present and these are dominated by thin to thick bedded sandstone mudstone couplets and medium to thick bedded sandstone the various lithofacies are grouped into conglomerate sandstone sandstone mudstone and siltstone mudstone lithofacies associations which are interpreted as slide channel lobe transition lobe and overbank architectural elements respectively stacked channel lobe transition and lobe elements predominate but the depositional architecture displays no apparent overall vertical trend the dezadeash formation represents mainly the lower middle and lower subdivisions of a point source mud sand rich turbidite system that records a single stage of fan growth as it prograded transversely from a volcano plutonic arc into the basin

quantitative textural analyses of tobi sonar imagery along the almeria canyon almeria margin alboran sea se spain hydrocarbon exploration and the ongoing assessment of potential seismic risks are the main drivers behind the high resolution mapping of continental margins the large volume of literature devoted to turbidite systems in particular shows the importance of detailed descriptions of their characteristics and overall geomorphological variability primarily through the distribution of sediment facies these descriptions rely mainly on acoustic measurements which are notoriously difficult to interpret textural analyses quantify the second order statistics of sonar imagery detecting and quantifying details invisible to the human eye we show the potential and limitations of this approach using high resolution 6m towed ocean bottom instrument tobi sidescan sonar imagery acquired in the alboran sea south of almeria spain during the high resolution imaging of tsunamigenic structures hits 2001 programme the imagery is co registered with em 12 multibeam bathymetry topographic parametric sonar topas sub bottom profiles and localized ground truthing our study focuses on the almeria canyon a meandering channel system more than 57 km long and transporting large amounts of sediments from the coast down to the alboran trough c 1700 m deep textural analyses quantify the variations of sediment processes along the slope of the almeria canyon they agree with the results of previous studies and they can be used to provide new insights into the dynamics and evolution of the canyon

genesis and depositional model of subaqueous sediment gravity flow deposits in a lacustrine rift basin as exemplified by the eocene shahejie formation in the jiyang depression eastern china abstract subaqueous sediment gravity flow ssgf deposits have recently been recognized as a major reservoir plays in lacustrine basins research on their genesis and depositional models are crucial to understand gravity flow evolution and the distribution of their deposits this study analysed ssgf deposits in the third member of the shahejie formation in the jiyang depression eastern china based on 3 d seismic data well log data and core observations the types and origins of ssgf the distribution patterns and depositional models of ssgf deposits have been investigated the dominant types of ssgf include muddy debris flows sandy debris flows high density turbidity currents surge like low density turbidity currents and quasi steady low density turbidity currents which are mainly caused by river floods and sediment failures the overall distribution of ssgf deposits is controlled by the sediment supplies basin structure and sequence stratigraphic framework paleotopography flood energy triggering mechanism and the slope angle of the delta front are also important ssgf deposits associated with river floods can be further subdivided into elongated and fan shaped deposits elongated sandstones are composed predominantly of bedload dominated and suspension load dominated hyperpycnal flow deposits the fan shaped sandstones can be subdivided into an inner fan a middle fan and an outer fan inner fan deposits are dominated by gully filling debrites middle fan deposits are composed predominantly of channel fill deposits while outer fan deposits consist of thin bedded and laterally extensive lobe intervals ssgf deposits triggered by sediment failures can be further subdivided according to their proximity to slumping proximal intermediate and distal parts the proximal deposits are composed predominantly of slide and slump deposits the intermediate deposits are dominated by sandy debrite tongues while the distal deposits are composed predominantly of thin bedded surge like low density turbidites this study offers some insight into the types origin of gravity flow as well as the distribution of their deposits in a lacustrine rift basin

transport mechanisms of sand in deep marine environments insights based on laboratory experiments reply first of all we would like to thank dr shanmugam for his interest in our study of transport mechanisms of sand in deep marine environments breien et al 2010 in order to answer the remarks of shanmugam we here provide some more details around the experiments and we specify the intention of the study the main objective of the experiments presented in our paper was to study transportation and depositional processes in sand rich slurries run in water and how these mechanisms respond to changing sand clay ratios we find some of the comments of shanmugam 2011 to be more concentrated on the bouma sequence and the properties of its divisions ta te than on the mechanism of sediment transport itself we do not claim to have produced a complete bouma sequence cf bouma 1962 walker 1965 middleton and hampton 1973 however we rather see that our experiments indicate that similar graded bed deposits may be produced by different transport mechanisms we show that dense laminar flows may transport sand through fluidization and incrementally produce sand deposits resembling deposits produced by turbulent turbidity currents thus we regard the process observed in the laboratory as only one out of several mechanisms to transport and deposit clean sand in submarine basins as part of a ph d program breien 2009 47 debris flow experiments were performed prepared with five different compositions of varying sand clay ratio 5 10 15 20 and 25 clay by weight content of water and coal

on the optimization of interferometric sar for topographic mapping spaceborne synthetic aperture radar sar provides the possibility of producing topographic maps and cartographically corrected radar images using an interferometric method the technique requires two sar images of the same area gathered from slightly separated positions the interferometric baseline may be optimized to minimize the topographic altitude error the altitude error caused by the radar system and the topography is discussed the simulation of an interferometric measurement based on ers 1 sar parameters is presented it is found that the terrain topography has a significant effect on the height error which in many cases is more severe than baseline decorrelation

fades topography and sedimentary processes in the catskill sea devonian new york and pennsylvania topography of the floor of the sea bordering the catskill delta referred to here as the catskill sea differed markedly from modern continental margin configurations data from exposures in new york and pennsylvania indicate that the catskill sea floor was a subdued surface with three topographic subdivisions nearest the shore was the basin margin a low gradient shelf like surface seaward this gave way to the clinoform the gradient of which was not much greater the clinoform merged seaward into the basin floor a sandstone and shale sequence with abundant fauna developed on the basin margin thin turbidites and gray silty shales with both transported and pelagic fauna were deposited on the clinoform and silt stones and black shales with pelagic fauna formed on the basin floor boundaries between facies and between the inferred topographic subdivisions on which they formed reflect the different sedimentary processes active on the sea floor and not geophysical discontinuities the basin margin was affected mainly by deltaic processes waves tides and perhaps internal waves turbidity currents deposited the majority of clinoform sediments with a lesser contribution from pelagic sedimentation pelagic deposits dominate on the basin floor

seismic modelling for reservoir studies a comparison between convolutional and full waveform methods for a deep water turbidite sandstone reservoir abstract two seismic modelling approaches that is two dimensional pre stack elastic finite difference and one dimensional convolution methods are compared in a modelling exercise over the fluid flow simulation model of a producing deep water turbidite sandstone reservoir in the west of shetland basin if the appropriate parameterization for one dimensional convolution is used the differences in three dimensional and four dimensional seismic responses from the two methods are negligible the key parameters to ensure an accurate seismic response are a representative wavelet the distribution of common depth points and their associated angles of incidence conventional seismic images generated by the one dimensional convolutional model suffer from lack of continuity because it only accounts for vertical resolution after application of a lateral resolution function the convolutional and finite difference seismic images are very similar although transmission effects internal multiples and p to s conversions are not included in our convolutional modelling the subtle differences between images from the two methods indicates that such effects are of secondary nature in our study a quantitative comparison of the normalized root mean square amplitude attributes and waveform kinematics indicates that the finite difference approach does not offer any tangible benefit in our target oriented seismic modelling case study and the potential errors from one dimensional convolution modelling are comparatively much smaller than the production induced time lapse changes

deep to shallow marine sedimentology and impact of volcanism within the middle triassic palaeo tethyan semantan basin singapore abstract the middle triassic pulau ayer chawan formation is a predominantly deep marine occasionally shallow marine sedimentary succession deposited in the singapore sector of the palaeo tethyan semantan basin the formation provides an important record of the dynamic interplay between a siliciclastic sedimentary system and the products of an adjacent active volcanic arc it is characterised by six sub environments including deep marine turbidite fan deep marine background sedimentation subaqueous debris cone shallow marine volcanically sourced turbidite fan and hyaloclastite mound or ridge turbidite fan deposits preserve the input of both siliciclastic and volcaniclastic sediments from the shelf transported into the deep marine environment by a suite of subaqueous sediment gravity flow processes including turbidity currents mixed flow types hybrid event beds concentrated and hyper concentrated sediment gravity flows and debris flows thick heterolithic successions of debrites were likely sourced through regular collapse of an unstable shelf the presence of hybrid event beds encountered within the deep marine turbidite fans supports a slope that was out of grade and may have been actively retreating towards the hinterland together these factors suggest regional scale uplift of the eastern margins of the semantan basin during triassic times most likely facilitated through volcanic activity in the adjacent palaeo tethys sukhothai arc evidence for contemporaneous arc related magmatism includes ubiquitous volcaniclastic sedimentary rocks within formation including pyroclastic density current deposits and perhaps more strikingly through the hyaloclastites of the nanyang member the hyaloclastites formed through quenching of magmas delivered into the deep marine setting from a series of sub sea vents or mounds

geophysical investigations of a high latitude submarine channel system and associated channel mouth lobe in the lofoten basin polar north atlantic the lofoten basin channel forms one of two major submarine channels on the norwegian margin of the polar north atlantic the channel system connects upslope with the andoya canyon which is the only canyon to cut back across the continental shelf in this region high resolution geophysical records including multibeam swath bathymetric and tobi side scan sonar data show that the distal part of the channel system is braided and connects to a low gradient 0 01 channel mouth lobe on the abyssal plain of the lofoten basin geophysical data indicate that the channel floor is composed of sandy material deposited by turbidity currents these turbidity currents spilled out over the channel sides to deposit acoustically stratified sediment in the channel levees side scan sonar data supplemented by sediment cores indicate that the channel mouth lobe is sandy in composition the lofoten channel and its associated channel mouth lobe is therefore related to turbidity current activity and formation of the system appears to pre date the holocene morphological variation between the upper reaches of the andoya canyon lofoten channel system and the submarine channels of the greenland basin is proposed to relate to differences in the nature of the flows feeding both systems the andoya canyon lofoten channel system bears strong similarities to some mid and low latitude submarine fans with respect to its morphology and architecture

scale effects on modelling the seismic signature of gas results from an outcrop analogue numerous examples of reservoir fields from continental and marine environments involve thin bedded geology yet the inter relationship between thin bedded geology fluid flow and seismic wave propagation is poorly understood in this paper we explore the 4d seismic signature due to saturation changes of gas within thin layers and address the challenge of identifying the relevant scales and properties which correctly define the geology fluid flow and seismic wave propagation in the field based on the study of an outcrop analogue for a thin bedded turbidite we model the time lapse seismic response to fluid saturation changes for different levels of model scale and explore discrepancies in quantitative seismic attributes caused by upscaling our model reflects the geological complexity associated with thin bedded turbidites and its coupling to fluid flow which in turn affects the gas saturation distribution in space and its time lapse seismic imprint rock matrix and fluid properties are modelled after selected fields to reproduce representative field models with realistic impedance contrasts in addition seismic modelling includes multiples in order to assess their contribution in seismic propagation through thin gas layers our results show that multiples could contribute significantly to the measured amplitudes in the case of thin bedded geology this suggests that forward inverse modelling involving the flow simulation and seismic domains used in time lapse seismic interpretation should account for thin layers when these are present in the geological setting

seismic modelling of outcrop carbonate systems an application to the cretaceous platform to basin system of the maiella mountain central apennines italy

ground penetrating radar surveys used in archaeological investigations during 1982 and 1983 two ground penetrating radar surveys were carried out in conjunction with archaeological investigations in canada the first survey was a detailed high resolution radar survey at the site of a sixteenth century basque whaling station on the labrador coast designed to locate the graves of the basques the second was a rapid low resolution reconnaissance survey as part of a prehistory impact assessment program at the site of the new national museum of man in hull quebec both surveys were experimental and were designed to see whether ground penetrating radar would be useful for identifying and locating anomalies of archeological significance radar was successful in detecting archeological anomalies several meters in size at both locations and the high resolution survey was moderately successful in identifying basque graves ongoing work involves comparing radar results with the archaeological investigations to increase the understanding of how radar can be applied to archaeology a

a volcaniclastic deep sea fan off la reunion island indian ocean gradualism versus catastrophism a new geophysical data set off la reunion island western indian ocean reveals a large volcaniclastic submarine fan developing in an open ocean setting the fan is connected to a torrential river that floods during tropical cyclones sediment storage at the coast is limited suggesting that the sediments are carried directly to the basin the fan morphology and turbidites in cores lead us to classify it as a sand rich system mainly fed by hyperpycnal flows in the ancient geological record there are many examples of thick volcaniclastic successions but studies of modern analogues have emphasized mechanisms such as debris avalanches or direct pyroclastic flow into the sea because the cilaos deep sea fan is isolated from any continental source it provides information on architecture and noncatastrophic processes in a volcaniclastic deep sea fan

submarine fans and related depositional systems ii variability in reservoir architecture and wireline log character abstract the architecture and heterogeneity of deep marine clastic reservoir systems can be assessed at three scales at the macroscale lateral and vertical variations in the stacking patterns of submarine fans or fan complexes fundamentally affects the shape and scale of a reservoir and its trapping geometry at the mesoscale the distribution and type of architectural elements e g channel levees lobes sheet sands within the fan system have a major impact upon reservoir compartmentalisation and the distribution continuity and connectivity of sand shale bodies finally at the microscale the vertical and horizontal arrangement of reservoir and non reservoir facies and lithotypes defines flow units which fundamentally control fluid flow and production performance each type of submarine fan and related deep marine clastic reservoir system sand rich fans mixed sand mud ramps etc exhibits a predictable arrangement of architectural elements which form the basic building blocks of the system these features control reservoir architecture seismic expression and the geometry of sandbodies and non reservoir section a suite of reservoir architectural models is proposed for different deep marine clastic systems using unpublished and cited data from outcrop and subsurface studies these conceptual models are idealised simplifications which provide a preliminary framework for understanding broad scale reservoir archsitecture and wireline log character within contrasting types of fan and related systems the models are of value in the exploration for turbidite reservoirs by highlighting the risk on reservoir presence and distribution from an appreciation of the architectural style within appraisal and production they provide a basic framework from which an objective reservoir description can be made use of such conceptual analogue models for reservoir description will not adequately reflect the reality and individuality of a specific reservoir their use in understanding detailed reservoir complexity should therefore be approached with caution

the thermal springs of aachen germany what charlemagne didn t know the aachen hot springs flow out from upper devonian limestones at the variscan thrust front of the rhenish massif hydrogeochemical analyses were used to determine the origin of the water and show that sodium chloride and sulfate originate from dissolving evaporites that are influenced by meteoric groundwater the circulation depths of the aachen thermal water is estimated to be 3500 m using sio2 geothermometry and the regional geothermal gradient of about 30 c km the deep circulation in paleozoic sandstones siltstones and shales and a considerable residence time allow rock water reactions which explain the concentrations of ba sr f and si while the thermal water rises into upper devonian limestones carbonates are dissolved cooler fresh water from the vicinity contributes to the thermal aquifer depending on the pressure head of the springs sulfate reduction coupled with methane oxidation can be observed as soon as the water temperature is below 65 c

the toarcian oceanic anoxic event early jurassic in the neuquen basin argentina a reassessment of age and carbon isotope stratigraphy abstractthe toarcian oceanic anoxic event t oae is recorded by the presence of globally distributed marine organic carbon rich black shales and a negative carbon isotope shift with 13corg values as low as 33 interrupting an overarching positive excursion here we present new biostratigraphic data and high resolution 13corg data from two southern hemisphere localities arroyo serrucho in the north and arroyo lapa in the south of the neuquen basin argentina previous studies at these localities aimed to provide an accurate numerical age for the t oae and characterization of its carbon isotope stratigraphy the new carbon isotope data and ammonite biostratigraphy presented here from arroyo serrucho show the t oae to be recorded lower in the section than supposed by previous authors thus calling into question the published age of the t oae in this section a newly investigated exposure at arroyo lapa north shows a complex carbon isotope record with at least three high amplitude fluctuations in the h

significance of bottom currents in deep sea morphodynamics an example from the alboran sea we present an interdisciplinary study of the geomorphology sedimentology and physical oceanography of the alboran sea south western mediterranean sea to evaluate the potential role of bottom currents in shaping the spanish and moroccan continental margins and adjacent basins bathymetric and seismic data have allowed the recognition of the contourite deposits including depositional plastered sheeted channel related mounded confined elongated and separated drifts erosive moats channels and furrows and mixed terraces and scarps features hydrographic data offer new insights into the distribution of the mediterranean water masses and reveal that bottom circulation of the western intermediate water wiw and the levantine intermediate water liw interact with the spanish slope and the western mediterranean deep water wmdw on the moroccan slope spanish base of slope and deep basins the integration of distinct datasets and approaches allows a proposal of a new sedimentary model for the alboran sea that details the significance of bottom current processes in shaping deep sea morphology this model considers the bottom circulation of water masses governs physiography that interface positions of water masses with contrasting densities sculpt terraces on a regional scale and that the morphologic obstacles play an essential role in the local control of processes and water mass distributions our findings demonstrate the pivotal role of bottom water circulation in seafloor shaping and sedimentary stacking patterns for continental margins establishing a new outlook for future studies of deep marine sedimentation

compound seismic modelling of the ainsa ii turbidite system spain application to deep water channel systems offshore angola abstract seismic models of outcrops are essential for qualifying petroleum targets because they bridge a critical gap in both resolution and scale between architectural geometries observed in outcrops and in seismic data the paper describes how a seismic model of the deep marine ainsa ii turbidite system of the st vicente formation in the southern pyrenees spain is developed and used as an analogue for exploration prospects in the quifangondo formation lower congo basin offshore angola first geometry and lithology information from the ainsa ii outcrop were utilised to construct a detailed earth model the ainsa ii turbidite system consists of at least five clastic turbidite units bounded by erosional surfaces where only the youngest unit is steep sided the input geo model earth model includes stratigraphic information such as truncations onlaps thickening thinning of beds condensed sections and detailed lateral changes in lithology second subsurface petrophysical properties velocity and density logs necessary to build the forward seismic models were extracted from an offshore well in angola this allowed us to utilise the outcrop as a seismic analogue for a relatively narrow laterally aggrading turbidite system offshore angola the seismic models showed that it is difficult to image and identify amalgamated beds inside a larger unit particularly if beds have predominantly the same facies associations and weakly dipping basal boundaries as in the lower part of the ainsa ii system second seismic modelling helped to highlight areas where it is difficult to distinguish between seismic onlap and true stratigraphic onlap information which decides when evaluating stratigraphic traps we also found that lateral degradation in amplitude may represent a lateral change in lithology e g from sandy channel deposits to levee overbank heterolithics integration of outcrop mapping well data 3d seismic interpretation and forward seismic modelling has enabled us to study deep water depositional elements at a sub seismic scale this has resulted in enhanced prediction of the lithology distribution and architecture of the turbidite system offshore angola and gives new insights into the 3d geometry of the ainsa ii system

sedimentology of the neoproterozoic c 580 ma squantum tillite boston basin usa mass flow deposition in a deep water arc basin lacking direct glacial influence abstract the squantum tillite c 593 570 ma consists of thick up to 215 m massive and crudely stratified diamictites conformably interbedded with subaqueously deposited conglomerates and sandstones within a thick 7 km boston basin fill which is dominated by argillite turbidites the squantum tillite was first interpreted as being glacigenic in origin in 1914 because of the presence of diamictites argillites were interpreted as glaciolacustrine varves with rare ice rafted debris and conglomerates as glaciofluvial outwash more recently these have been shown to be the product of deep marine mass flow processes with no glacial influence yet because of its age equivalence with the deep marine glacially influenced gaskiers formation the squantum tillite is still seen by some as supporting evidence for a widespread snowball earth event at c 580 ma new sedimentological work confirms that conglomerate and sandstone facies are deep marine sediment gravity flows genetically related to massive homogeneous and crudely stratified heterogeneous diamictites produced subaqueously by downslope mixing of gravel and cobbles with muddy facies rare horizons of ice rafted debris in thin bedded and laminated turbidite facies interbedded with thick debrites show a weak but positive correlation of lamina thickness with grain size suggesting these facies are non glacial co genetic debrite turbidite couplets a significant volcanic influence on sedimentation is identified from reworked lapilli tuff beds and reworked ash in turbidites the depositional setting of the squantum tillite appears to be that of a submarine slope fan setting in an open marine volcanic arc basin receiving large volumes of poorly sorted sediment on the mid latitude active margin of gondwana no direct glacial influence is apparent

fused spectral decomposition seismic attributes and forward seismic modelling to predict sand bodies in meandering fluvial reservoirs abstract understanding the hierarchical architectural elements of fluvial sand bodies is important for planning their development strategy and to enhance oil recovery red green blue rgb blending of multiple seismic attributes and forwarding seismic modelling are commonly used in the analysis of compound sand bodies however rgb blending of multiple seismic attributes can only qualitatively describe the boundaries and thickness of sand bodies the forward seismic modelling techniques previously documented in the literature are not effective when depicting the geometry of and stacking relationships between sand bodies i e reservoir compartmentalisation hence we propose in this work a new workflow that combines fused spectral decomposition seismic attributes sdsas and forwarding seismic modelling to quantitatively predict sand thickness and to characterise stacking relationships between sand bodies first we employ a support vector machine svm algorithm to fuse high middle and low frequency components attributes of seismic data so as to quantitatively predict the thickness of sand bodies second we define the seismic waveform response patterns corresponding to the typical conceptual stacked sand bodies with the constraints of waveform patterns and predicted sand thickness fused sdsas the geometry and stacking relationships of the sand bodies are characterised by forward seismic modelling to illustrate the effectiveness of our proposed workflow we apply it to the neogene minghuazhen formation nm of the qhd 32 6 oil field bohai bay basin china we define five architectural elements of a meandering fluvial reservoir by analysing the hierarchy of sand bodies using our workflow the predicted sand bodies in this workflow were further proven by horizontal drilling and production data

a braided distributary system on the orinoco deep sea fan abstract a long range side scan sonar gloria survey has been made of part of the orinoco deep sea fan that abuts against the deformation front of the barbados outer ridge i e in a pre orogenic setting immediately east of the deformation front sinuous channels up to 65 m deep and 3 km wide extend downslope and become very shallow a few metres or less deep and branch into a pattern that resembles stream braiding near the foot of the slope here there is a possible suprafan lobe and an almost flat perched sediment pond dammed by a buried basement ridge in this locality many of the acoustic contrasts on the sonographs are primarily due to differences in sediment type and small scale roughness rather than to variations in slope angle possible debris flows aligned along some of the braided channels have been identified from high resolution profiles this braided system of shallow channels then converges into a single channel that overtops the dam because of their braided nature the internal structure of the resulting deposits is likely to be complex these deposits should eventually be incorporated into the barbados ridge complex in contrast to this pre orogenic setting gloria sonographs also suggest that some orinoco sediment moves down along synclinical axes of folds on the barbados ridge complex i e in a syn orogenic setting

the use of engineering seismological models to interpret archaeoseismological findings in tolbiacum germany a case study archaeological excavations carried out from 2001 to 2003 at the vicus tolbiacum site located in the present day city of zulpich germany unearthed heavily damaged and destroyed late roman fortification works damage includes 0 17 m wide tensile cracks in a 3 1 m wide wall tilted walls and fortification towers horizontal displacement of wall sections of 0 95 m and rotation of wall fragments engineering seismological models are used to test the hypothesis that the observed building damage is of seismogenic nature the site is located at the western edge of the lower rhine embayment lre in the northern part of the rhine rift valley more than 20 damaging earthquakes occurred in the area over the past 300 years several paleoseismic events with magnitudes of at least 6 4 occurred during the holocene site specific strong motion seismograms are modeled for assumed large earthquakes at active faults in the lre using stochastic methods and calibrated q models and duration models nonlinear site amplification is calculated based on an s velocity model from refraction seismic experiments and downhole measurements finite element simulation of the dynamic behavior of a fortification tower shows a natural period of the soil building system of about 3 0 sec horizontal and vertical displacements at the top of the 8 m tall tower reached 0 12 m and 0 06 m respectively for the simulated event no indications of man made activity exist that could explain the damage running water can also be excluded as a threat to the buildings due to the orographic situation and slow acting gravitational causes can be excluded due to the damage structure the destruction and damage is regarded as most probably seismogenic and site intensity is assessed at ix on the european macroseismic scale ems98 grunthal 1998 this result marks the first time an intensity above viii is described for a tectonic earthquake in germany preliminary dating results from three carbon 14 14c accelerator mass spectometry ams samples lead to the second half of the fourth century a d

diagenetic evolution and porosity destruction of turbiditic hybrid arenites and siliciclastic sandstones of foreland basins evidence from the eocene hecho group pyrenees spain abstract this study aims to unravel the impact of diagenetic alterations on porosity loss of foreland basin turbiditic hybrid arenites and associated siliciclastic sandstones of the eocene hecho group south central pyrenees spain in this succession hybrid arenites and calclithites are extensively cemented by mesogenetic calcite cement 18ovpdb 10 0 to 5 8 th mode 80 c salinity mode 18 8 wt eq nacl fe dolomite 18ovpdb 8 5 to 6 3 and trace amounts of siderite the extent of carbonate cementation is interpreted to be related to the amounts of extrabasinal and intrabasinal carbonate grains which provided nuclei and sources for the precipitation and growth of carbonate cements other diagenetic alterations such as pyrite and albitization had no impact on reservoir quality scarce early diagenetic cements coupled with abundant ductile carbonate and siliciclastic framework grains have led to rapid porosity loss owing to compaction conversely abundant quartz in the sandstones prevented rapid loss of porosity by mechanical compaction reservoir quality was affected by mesogenetic cementation by quartz overgrowths calcite and dolomite intergranular pressure dissolution of quartz grains and formation of fracture filling calcite cement 18ov pdb values from 10 4 to 7 8 th temperatures of 150 c which are attributed to deep circulation of hot meteoric waters during extensional stages of tectonism the results of this study illustrate that diagenetic evolution pathways of the arenites and sandstones are closely linked to the variation in detrital composition particularly the proportion and types of extrabasinal noncarbonates extrabasinal carbonates and intrabasinal carbonate grains these insights suggest that marine turbiditic hybrid arenites and calclithites of foreland basins are subjected to more rapid and extensive porosity loss owing to compaction and cementation than associated siliciclastic sandstones degradation of reservoir quality makes these hybrid arenites calclithites and sandstones suitable as tight gas reservoirs but only if fracture porosity and permeability develop during tectonic deformation

eocene fan delta submarine fan deposition in the wagwater trough east central jamaica the wagwater trough is a fault bounded basin which cuts across east central jamaica the basin formed during the late palaeocene or early eocene and the earliest sediments deposited in the trough were the wagwater and richmond formations of the wagwater group these formations are composed of up to 7000 m of conglomerates sandstones and shales six facies have been recognized in the wagwater group facies i unfossiliferous massive conglomerates facies ii channelized non marine conglomerates sandstones and shales facies iii interbedded fossiliferous conglomerates and sandstones facies iv fossiliferous muddy conglomerates facies v channelized marine conglomerates sandstones and shales and facies vi thin bedded sheet sandstones and shales the wagwater and richmond formations are interpreted as fan delta submarine fan deposits facies associations suggest that humid region fan deltas prograded into the basin from the adjacent highlands and discharged very coarse sediments on to a steep submarine slope at the coast waves reworked the braided fluvial deposits of the subaerial fan delta into coarse sand and gravel beaches sediments deposited on the delta front slope were frequently remobilized and moved downslope as slumps debris flows and turbidity currents at the slope basin break submarine fans were deposited the submarine fans are characterized by coarse inner and mid fan deposits which grade laterally into thin bedded turbidites of the outer fan and basin floor

architecture of the tectonically influenced sobrarbe deltaic complex in the ainsa basin northern spain abstract the syn tectonic sobrarbe deltaic complex eocene of the ainsa basin spanish pyrenees is confined by lateral thrust ramps and influenced by intra basinal growth anticlines six facies associations have been distinguished within the deltaic complex i slope marls and turbidite sandstones ii distal delta front silty and bioturbated sandstones iii proximal delta front and delta plain deposits tidal inlet tidal flat mouth bar bay distributary channel and floodplain environments iv biogenic deposits at flooding surfaces v collapse zone sediments and vi nummulite dominated shallow marine carbonates the deltaic complex comprises four composite sequences which each contain a number of minor sequences of the genetic maximum flooding surface bounded type regressive unconformities and their correlative surfaces separate the composite sequences cs and each cs can be divided into lowstand transgressive and highstand components at the base the comaron cs is a wnw prograding deltaic complex containing six minor sequences characterized by basinward stepping sandstone wedges separated by transgressive mudstones double regressive unconformities are often associated with these sandstone wedges proximally in the basin growth of the intra basinal arcusa anticline caused gentle folding of the comaron cs and syn growth strata at the base of the overlying las gorgas cs contain a prominent forced regressive sandstone wedge the las gorgas sandbody and display thinning of bedsets onto the crest of the anticline moreover it can be demonstrated that relative sea level rise took place in the growth synclines at the same time as a fall in relative sea level occurred on the growth anticlines the tectonic deformation caused a shift in the direction of deltaic progradation towards the north northwest as demonstrated by the well developed clinoforms in the highstand sequence set of the las gorgas cs a second phase of tectonic activity this time triggering large scale collapse of the delta front occurred at the transition between the las gorgas and barranco el solano cs tilting of the basin floor led to the development of coeval transgressive and regressive strata separated by a fulcrum line of zero net vertical movement of the shoreline in the post tilt phase reduced sediment supply and accelerated subsidence led to widespread transgression and a change from clastic to carbonate dominated sedimentation this phase was terminated by a gradual increase in sediment supply causing progradation of a mixed clastic carbonate system dominated by large nummulite banks and bioturbated shoreface marls and sandstones finally a pronounced fall in relative sea level associated with the transition to the buil cs triggered slope instabilities and eventually established fluvial conditions all over the study area with the exception of the anticline crests the relatively high rate of tectonic subsidence in the study area suppressed relative sea level falls resulting in development of discontinuous lowstand strata and bounding surfaces the segmented nature of many regressive unconformities may be related to incremental growth of thrust related structures and each segment is separated from neighbouring segments by gaps of limited vertical and lateral displacement precursors of progressive unconformities are seen in the upper proximal part of the comaron cs by downdip fanning and updip convergence of minor sequences these differentially tilted stratal units provide reliable indicators of syn sedimentary tectonism

piping coarse grained sediment to a deep water fan through a shelf edge delta bypass channel tank experiments 1 it is now generally accepted that deltas that prograde to the shelf edge are able to transport coarse sediment to deep water either with or without sea level changes however it is still unclear how feeder rivers behave differently in the shelf edge delta case to rivers found in a delta that progrades over the shelf a series of nine shelf edge delta experiments are presented to investigate the lateral mobility of the feeder channel at the shelf edge and the associated deep water depositional system under a range of sediment supply rates and shelf front depths in the experiments constant sediment supply from an upstream point source under static sea level led the fluviodeltaic system to prograde over the shallow shelf surface and advance beyond the shelf edge into deep water the feeder river of the fluviodeltaic system became a bypass system once the toe of the delta front reached the shelf edge after the delta front was perched at the shelf edge a submarine fan developed in deep water although remaining disconnected from the delta in this bypass stage no regional avulsion or lateral migration of the feeder river occurred and all sediment from the upstream source bypassed the river delta front and shelf front slope the duration of the bypass stage is proportional to shelf front depth and inversely proportional to sediment discharge the combined duration of the shelf transit phase of the fluviodeltaic system and the bypass phase is the characteristic time scale for the continental margin to anneal transgression inducing perturbation due to high frequency and or high amplitude relative sea level rise the sequential evolution in the experiment compares favorably to the eocene sobrarbe formation a shelf edge delta in spain although natural variations are noted this comparison justifies the application of concepts proposed herein to natural systems and provides insight into interpreting processes from ancient shelf edge delta systems

a study on the subsoil of the tower of pisa based on results from standard and high quality samples in this paper an updated geotechnical characterization of the soils underlying the leaning tower of pisa is presented based on results from a recent experimental investigation as well as on resul

geodetically accurate insar data processor we present a new interferometric synthetic aperture radar insar processing approach that capitalizes on the precise orbit tracking that is available with modern radar satellites our method uses an accurate orbit information along with motion compensation techniques to propagate the radar echoes to positions along a noninertial virtual orbit frame in which the location and focusing equations are particularly simple so that images are focused without requiring autofocus techniques and are computed efficiently motion compensation requires two additional focus correction phase terms that are implemented in the frequency domain if the images from an interferometric pair or stack are all computed along the same reference orbit flat earth topographic correction is not needed and image coregistration is simplified obviating many difficulties that are often encountered in insar processing we process several data sets collected by the alos palsar instrument and find that the geodetic accuracy of the radar images is 10 20 m with up to 20 m of additional image distortion needed to align 100 km 100 km scenes with reference digital elevation models we validated the accuracy by using both known radar corner reflector locations and by the registration of the interferograms with digital maps the topography corrected interferograms are free from all geometric phase terms and they clearly show the geophysical observables of crustal deformation atmospheric phase and ionospheric phase

sediment transport processes on an active submarine fault escarpment gulf of corinth greece abstract sediment transport processes on the escarpment of a listric fault in the tectonically active and terrigenous sediment dominated corinth graben in greece are studied using 3 5 khz and airgun profiles and sidescan sonar images the whole of the slope area is affected by gravitational mass movements slumps debris mud flows and liquified and turbidity flows in canyon fan systems large volumes of sediment are transported through slumping debris mud and turbidity flows into the basin here they build coalescing fans which consist of intercalations of debris flow deposits and turbidites in delta front slope fan apron systems sediments are transported radially downslope through slumping debris mud flows liquified flows and high density turbidity flows into the basin where they build coalescing fan aprons these consist of massive homogenized deposits fluxoturbidites in shelf slope systems retrogressive rotational slumping is the dominant instability feature however due to the sharp increase in the slope gradient caused by the slumping debris and turbidity flows are triggered the major factors responsible for triggering gravitational mass movements in the region are earthquakes high sedimentation rates off the river mouths and heavy rainfalls and high seas these mass movements appear to occur at least once every 2 yrs as indicated by the failure of submarine cables

integrated stratigraphic reconstruction for the last 80 kyr in a deep sector of the sardinia channel western mediterranean abstract a quantitative analysis of planktonic foraminifera coupled with petrophysical and paleomagnetic measurements and 14 c ams calibrations was carried out on a deep core recovered in the sardinia channel western mediterranean sea during the ciesm sub2 survey providing an integrated stratigraphic time framework over the last 80 kyr significant changes in the quantitative distribution of planktonic foraminifera allowed the identification of several eco bioevents useful to accurately mark the boundaries of the eco biozones widely recognized in the western mediterranean records and used for large scale correlations namely 10 eco biozones were identified based on the relative abundance of selected climate sensitive planktonic foraminiferal species sixteen codified eco bioevents were correlated with alboran sea planktonic foraminiferal data and several climatic global events sapropel s1 younger dryas greenland isotope interstadial 1 greenland isotope stadial 2 heinrich event h1 h6 were recognized the eco bioevents together with the 14 c ams calibrations allowed us to define an accurate age model spanning between 2 and 83 kyr the reliability of the age model was confirmed by comparing the colour reflectance 550 nm data of the studied record with the astronomically tuned record from the ionian sea odp site 964 a mean sedimentation rate of about 7 cm kyr included three turbidite event beds that were chronologically constrained within the relative low stand and regressive sea level phases of mis 4 and 3 the deep sea sedimentary record includes a distinct tephra occurring at the base of the core that dates 78 ka cal bp the paleomagnetic data provide a well defined record of the characteristic remanent magnetization that may be used to reconstruct the geomagnetic paleosecular variation for the mediterranean back to 83 kyr

constraining uncertainty in interpretation of seismically imaged clinoforms in deltaic reservoirs troll field norwegian north sea insights from forward seismic models of outcrop analogs forward seismic modeling of outcrop analogs has been used to characterize the seismic expression of clinoforms in different deltaic depositional environments and thus constrain uncertainty in interpretation of intra reservoir clinoforms imaged in seismic data from the troll field norwegian north sea three outcrop analogs from the cretaceous western interior seaway united states were studied to quantify the geometry distribution and lithologic character of clinoforms in fluvial dominated and mixed influence deltaic deposits outcrop derived geometric data were calibrated to sedimentological and petrophysical data from the krossfjord and fensfjord formations in the troll field and then used to create a suite of forward seismic models for comparison with real seismic reflection data from the troll field clinoforms were imaged in the forward seismic models in which they were 1 spaced wider than the tuning thickness 10 m 33 ft 2 marked by pronounced interfingering of facies associations with different acoustic properties and or 3 lined by relatively thick 50 cm 20 in carbonate cemented layers however where clinothems are thinner than the vertical resolution limit of seismic data destructive interference occurred creating misleading geometrical relationships furthermore our ability to image clinoforms is dependent on 1 the frequency of the seismic wavelet 2 the overburden velocity and or 3 the acoustic impedance contrast at the boundary between the overburden and the clinoform bearing target the established methodology has allowed characterization of deltaic clinoformal architectures in reservoir seismic data from the troll field and has facilitated a more robust interpretation by bridging the critical gap in resolution between well and seismic data

timing of canyon fed turbidite deposition in a rifted basin the early cretaceous turbidite complex of the cerrajon formation subbetic southern spain abstract the subbetic cerrajon formation of latest hauterivian earliest late albian age is made up of turbidite sandstones and calcarenites intercalated in marly limestones and marls it can be defined as a turbidite complex with three distinct intervals where turbidites are recorded latest hauterivian barremian p p late aptian p p and middle to middle late albian age the distribution of four biochronostratigraphic units of these ages throughout the studied outcrops is shown the main hiatuses latest barremian early late aptian and latest aptian early late albian mainly the latter have been identified in many other outcrops of the southern tethys and are related to tectonics and associated palaeogeographic and palaeoceanographic changes platform environments as the source area of the clastics the feeding submarine canyon base of slope channels and related basinal lobes or sheet systems have been identified and can be traced laterally along more than 80 km of discontinuous outcrops aligned in a downcurrent direction the system could have extended more than 150 km in length the mean palaeocurrent direction fits well with the present alignment of the outcrops and after corrections for tectonics rotation with the current palaeogeographic model of the southern iberian continental palaeomargin sicp this conclusion largely supports previous interpretations of a longitudinal pattern for the distribution of clastics during the cretaceous in that part of the sicp the ages of the main cretaceous events deduced from the study of the cerrajon formation correlate quite well with the sequence sets and subsidence history of the prebetic zone where the cretaceous platform environments adjacent to the turbidite basin are recorded moreover the main unconformities dated such as the onset and the end of turbidite sedimentation show good correlation with the sequence boundaries described for the european basins the analysis in time and space of the turbidite distribution and its correlation with the prebetic carbonate platforms enables us to outline some interesting conclusion that might be a suitable subject for future research

submarine fan systems i characterization and stratigraphic prediction submarine fan and related deep marine clastic systems such as submarine ramps and slope aprons are important hydrocarbon reservoirs in many parts of the world the origin and character of these systems reflect a complex interplay between a range of autocyclic and allocyclic controls including sea level fluctuations basinal tectonics and the rate type and nature of sediment supply these controls are commonly interdependent this paper reviews the characteristics which distinguish different submarine fans and their subsurface prediction then proposes a classification framework for fans which discriminates between different systems on the basis of their fundamental controls the proposed classification is discussed in terms of its value as a predictive tool in hydrocarbon exploration development and production a modus operandi is developed which uses the classification for reservoir description and prediction and involves three stages of investigation basin screening fan delineation and fan characterization each stage demands the integration of a range of tools and techniques including sequence stratigraphy seismic facies analysis seismic redisplay and geophysical modeling these stages of analysis are linked in turn with core and wireline log data to constrain the range of possible fan types within a basin fill and assess the implications for reservoir seal and trap development this structured approach to stratigraphic analysis is also valuable in constraining the range of reservoir architectural options in appraisal development and production

diagenetic variation in the oregon coast range implications for rock strength soil production hillslope form and landscape evolution the mechanisms by which lithology modulates geomorphic processes are poorly known in the oregon coast range ocr rhythmically bedded sandstones of the eocene tyee formation underlie steep soil mantled hillslopes with relatively uniform ridge valley spacing these characteristic landforms are perturbed where diagenetic variations manifest as resistant cliffs here we use petrology rock mechanics and lidar to characterize grain scale variations in rock properties and their influence on rock strength hillslope processes and landscape morphology in two adjacent watersheds petrographic analyses suggest that a suite of diagenetic products in the resistant bedrock account for a 2 5 times increase in tensile strength relative to typical tyee bedrock our reference catchment exhibits negligible resistant outcrops and consistent hillslope gradients and longitudinal valley profiles by contrast the adjacent catchment teems with resistant 1 to 10 m thick noncontiguous sandstone beds that form hanging valleys with gentle upstream hillslopes and anomalously narrow valleys mechanical and topographic analyses suggest that the low fracture density characteristic of these resistant beds may render them relatively impervious to comminution by tree root activity the dominant ocr soil production mechanism based on both hillslope gradient and hilltop curvature erosion models we estimate that hillslopes perched above resistant beds erode at approximately half the pace of hillslopes unencumbered by downstream knickpoints the diagenetic variations likely influence relief at the watershed scale depositional position and diagenetic processes appear to control the occurrence of resistant beds providing a framework to quantify how seemingly subtle variations in rock properties can impose first order controls on landscape form and evolution

repeat pass sar interferometry over forested terrain repeat pass synthetic aperture radar sar interferometry provides the possibility of producing topographic maps and geocoded as well as radiometrically calibrated radar images however the usefulness of such maps and images depends on our understanding of how different types of terrain affect the radar measurements it is essential that the scene coherence between passes is sdcient in this paper we derive a general system model including both radar system and scene scattering properties the model is used to interpret measurements over a forested area where the scene coherence varies between 0 2 and 0 5 the coherence is found to be sensitive to temperature changes around 0 c but surprisingly insensitive to wind speed the interferometric height discontinuity at the forest to openfield boundary shows good agreement with in situ tree height measurements for a dense boreal forest but is observed to decrease for a less dense forest this suggests the possibility of estimating bole volume from the interferometric tree height and a ground dem the decrease of scene coherence over a dense forest with increasing baseline is also used to estimate the effective scattering layer thickness

laser scanning and digital outcrop geology in the petroleum industry a review abstract the use of lidar light detection and ranging systems for modelling petroleum reservoir analogues has become increasingly popular over the past few years and there has been a proliferation of articles on the subject both on techniques and applications a review of the literature of recent years has been conducted focussing on the use of lidar data not only in petroleum geology related projects but also looking to the wider field of lidar usage to examine what other approaches may be of use to the petroleum geologist benefits of digital data acquisition are considered as well as a basic overview of data collection approaches use of a variety of attributes intensity colour dip azimuth co linearity co planarity among others is discussed as an aid to both manual and automated interpretation approaches integration of lidar data with other data types from traditional field data sedimentary logs for example and other digital data types such as multispectral and hyperspectral imagery and ground penetrating radar are discussed as a way of increasing the amount of information in the digital dataset the application of artificial intelligence approaches such as smart swarms and neural networks are considered as well as current developments in both hardware and software a variety of examples are given where lidar has been used in an innovative or interesting way showing the strength of this data acquisition approach when combined with appropriate interpretation and modelling techniques

connectivity estimation between turbiditic channels and overbank deposits from the modelling of an outcrop analogue pab formation maastrichtian pakistan conceptual models showing the sedimentary architecture of the turbidite depositional systems and their evolution trough time such as those published by e mutti and his school were first established in the outcrop at the reservoir scale the field development of turbidite reservoirs now requires detailed reservoir models finely describing the distribution of the heterogeneity which may influence the reservoir dynamic behaviour during production information derived from quantified outcrop models can then be used to better constrain the reservoir models in the subsurface outcrops models first focused on the heterogeneity distribution within the channel conduits emphasizing the diversity of the channel architecture regarding to the complexity of the depositional processes the facies architecture of turbiditic overbank deposits laterally to the channels are even less understood than within the channels if the general geometry of levees can be easily seen on seismic their facies and the sand shale ratio close to the channel border are poorly known as overflow deposits are rarely drilled in the subsurface and crevasse lobes are below seismic resolution the conceptual models of the overbank distribution at the reservoir scale must then rely on outcrops models the questions on which we would like to focus are the followings 1 what kind of facies model can we expect in the overbank deposits laterally to the channel conduits 2 do these facies constitute reservoir bodies with a significant volume 3 is there any heterogeneity between the channel conduits and the levees which may reduce their connectivity 4 can overbank deposits such as crevasses or spill over lobes insure connectivity between two channel conduits and homogenise the pressure regime during the reservoir production the relationship between channels and overbank are well exposed in the pab mountain range outcrops in pakistan in this paper we propose to characterize the relationships between the channel conduits and their overbank deposits from a sedimentological seismic and dynamic point of view using a geocellar model compiled in the pab outcrops the consequences on the reservoir development in the subsurface will be emphasized

reversing buoyancy in turbidity currents developing a hypothesis for flow transformation and for deposit facies and architecture a turbidity current that contains fresher or otherwise less dense water than its surroundings may initially be denser than the ambient and propagate as a bottom hugging flow but later reverse in buoyancy as its bulk density decreases through sedimentation to become lower than that of the ambient seawater it is proposed that this reversal in buoyancy may be a significant mechanism controlling the structure and facies of turbiditic deposits buoyancy reversal followed by lofting may directly affect the relative distribution of fine and coarse material in the deposit while buoyancy reversal itself may mediate the transformation between dilute and highly concentrated suspension flows particularly in distal regions and thus lead to the formation of complex turbiditic beds in particular the generation of distal co genetic debrites may be expected similar transformations occur within dilute pyroclastic density currents where a mobile basal concentrated flow termed a surge derived pyroclastic flow develops through rapid sedimentation from the suspended load of the overlying surge the physical mechanisms involved in these processes are discussed leading to the proposal of some associated facies models these are compared with field data from the northern apennines with some striking similarities being noted as well as some differences on the basis of this discussion some directions are suggested for future experimental and modelling work on the topic

discussion unraveling the provenance of eocene oligocene sandstones of the thrace basin north east greece by caracciolo et al 2011 sedimentology 58 1988 2011

simultaneous use of electrostatic quadrupole and gpr in urban context investigation of the basement of the cathedral of girona catalunya spain there is a growing demand for nondestructive geophysical investigation in archaeology especially in an urban context this is a result of taking our heritage more seriously than in the past since excavations are possible only over a very limited area any a priori information brought by geophysical methods can help to focus these excavations the classical geophysical methods used in archaeology resistivity magnetism are not applicable in an urban context with problems of accessibility and inherent electromagnetic noise the potential of the combined use of ground penetrating radar gpr and electrostatic es quadrupole data is demonstrated in the investigation of the floor of the cathedral of girona in northern spain a 1 3 1 3 m electrostatic quadrupole was towed continuously over a set of parallel profiles to produce a resistivity map for a 20 60 m area a set of resistive anomalies corresponds with known structures probably graves the largest observed anomalies appear to be related to fou

from field analogues to realistic seismic modelling a case study of an oil producing andesitic sill complex in the neuquen basin argentina interpretation of seismic data has played a major role in recent advances in the studies of igneous sill complexes seismic modelling studies based on field analogues represent a promising tool to close the scale gap between observations from outcrops and seismic data and support seismic interpretation virtual outcrop models are commonly used to include high resolution geological structures in models of seismic scale field analogues however realistic seismic modelling requires not only detailed structural input but also well constrained elastic properties and an adequate seismic modelling technique here we present a seismic modelling study of oil producing andesitic sills in the neuquen basin argentina which implements all modelling elements at high accuracy by combining virtual outcrop models well data and a 2 3 d filtering method our results indicate that the modelled seismic signatures of intrusive bodies observed in field analogues are characterized by frequency dependent interference and strong amplitude variations owing to highly variable elastic properties of both host rock and sills we demonstrate that detailed waveform patterns observed in real seismic data can be linked to intrusive bodies below the traditionally assumed limit of resolution via realistic seismic modelling this illustrates how an integrated modelling approach based on field analogues can aid seismic interpretation

the use of spectral recomposition in tailored forward seismic modeling of outcrop analogs spectral recomposition is an improved methodology for generating forward seismic models of outcrop analogs that make use of the full range of frequencies found within real world seismic volumes it overcomes the issue common to conventional forward seismic models in which single peak frequencies are modeled with the resultant models not capturing the range of frequency content that is found in the real world image this variable frequency content of real world seismic volumes has long been known to contain more detailed information within different spectral bands which forms the basis of the spectral decomposition process in which different spectral frequencies can correlate to different stratigraphic thicknesses for example in this article we introduce and illustrate the use of a new method termed spectral recomposition spectral recomposition is a poststack seismic method operating in the frequency domain that recomposes forward seismic models generated at separate peak frequencies to derive a final image which has a frequency spectrum similar to that of a targeted real world image using this method forward seismic models can be tailored to specific real world images and be used as a more appropriate comparison between the known outcrop geometries and those that are imaged in the subsurface

aquisgrani terrae motus factus est part 2 evidence for medieval earthquake damage in the aachen cathedral germany abstract during archaeological and geotechnical investigations the carolingian part of the aachen cathedral germany was excavated the aachen cathedral was the first building in germany to join the unesco world heritage list in the rock walls of the fundament and medieval floors open cracks were found subsidence of the mortar floor of about 50 cm with lateral dragging which was reconstructed during the construction of the cathedral can be observed the main building is founded on devonian limestones and shales pleistocene loess and roman urban debris the loess and loamy sediments show angular cracks and fragments which are not related to permafrost features but are interpreted as shear and extensional fractures some of the cracks are filled with black clay from below as they open downwards these structures are interpreted as injection features caused by thixotropy of clays open cracks lateral spread and injections structures occur usually during earthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5 5 the historical german earthquake catalogues provide three important passages for historical earthquakes in the region of aachen both fall into a relatively short time interval one occurred in winter 803 ad another one in 823 ad and the last one in 829 ad between ash wednesday and easter both notes tell of earthquake shaking and significant structural damage and fatalities this and the constructional history allowed dating of the event favouring the 803 ad event as the causative damaging earthquake observed in the aachen cathedral

topographic mapping from interferometric synthetic aperture radar observations interferometric synthetic aperture radar observations provide a means for obtaining high resolution topographic terrain maps from data acquired simultaneously at two slightly displaced antennas calculation of the three dimensional coordinates of all the points in a radar image can be made from the combination of along track slant range and interferometer fringe measurements thus the result compensates for the layover exhibited by conventional radar maps and removes the false targets generated by multiple signal paths to a given object in the scene we have derived a topographic map of a portion of the san francisco bay area utilizing data that were recorded by a radar system mounted on a nasa cv990 aircraft and processed by a general purpose digital computer this map displays the height above sea level of a region approximately 11 km by 10 km in size sampled on an 11 m pixel grid uncertainties in the estimated height result from imprecise knowledge of the observational geometry radar bandwidth limitations and finite signal to noise ratios for our system each factor contributed approximately 3 4 m to a relative rms error of about 6 m additional global errors of the order of 10 m can result from inaccurate monitoring of aircraft attitude the statistical variation of the height measurements from the ocean portion of the map which we can presume to be quite flat is 2 10 m rms which is consistent with the theoretical estimate comparison of our results with u s geological survey contour maps indicates a high degree of correlation between the two sets of altitude data

studies of multibaseline spaceborne interferometric synthetic aperture radars the authors have utilized a set of seasat synthetic aperture radar sar data that were obtained in nearly repeat ground track orbits to demonstrate the performance of spaceborne interferometric sar insar systems an assessment of the topography measurement capability is presented a phase measurement error model is described and compared with the data obtained at various baseline separations and signal to noise ratios finally the implications of these results on future spaceborne insar design are discussed

palaeoseismology historical and prehistorical records of earthquake ground effects for seismic hazard assessment given the tremendous toll in human lives and attendant economic losses it is appropriate that scientists are working hard to understand better earthquakes with the aim of forecasting and ultimately predicting them in the last decades increasing attention has been paid to the coseismic effects on the natural environment creating a solid base of empirical data for the estimation of source parameters of strong earthquakes based on geological observations the recently introduced inqua scale environmental seismic intensity esi 2007 scale of macroseismic intensity clearly shows how the systematic study of earthquake surface faulting coseismic liquefaction tsunami deposits and other primary and secondary ground effects can be integrated with traditional seismological and tectonic information to provide a better understanding of the seismicity level of an area and the associated hazards at the moment this is the only scientific means of equating the seismic records to the seismic cycle time spans extending the seismic catalogues even to tens of thousands of years improving future seismic hazard analyses this special publication covers some of the latest multidisciplinary work undertaken to achieve that aim eighteen papers from research groups from all continents address a wide range of topics related both to palaeoseismological studies and assessment of macroseismic intensity based only on the natural phenomena associated with an earthquake

seismic modeling in the analysis of deep water sandstone termination styles innovative seismic forward modeling is used to illustrate the sensitivity within seismic data and its application in the interpretation of onlap and pinch out of terminating deep water sandstones two critical components in deep water exploration and production sandstone quality net to gross estimates volume calculations vertical connectivity and stratigraphic trapping are all dependent on the sandstone extent and their seismic characteristics in these settings however seismic resolution is commonly insufficient to resolve the critical reservoir parameters seismic modeling of termination styles based on integrated outcrop and subsurface properties allows for depth and resolution focused predictive models to be built for improved subsurface analysis this technique is currently underused as a method to better understand the sensitivity of seismic data to the target lithologies and their geometries the gres d annot formation is a well studied sand prone deep water system of paleogene age deposited in a bathymetrically complex setting six end member termination styles are discussed including three sand prone styles simple onlap o s draping onlap o d and bed thickening o t and three heterolithic styles advancing pinch out p a convergent pinch out p c and convergent thickening and pinch out p ct local thickening close to the system margins is common in both sand prone and heterolithic terminating strata and plays an important function in the appropriate distribution of sandstone the outcrops are interpreted as potential process analogs for the complex sandstone distribution and termination patterns observed in plays like the paleogene of the gulf of mexico and the jurassic of the northern north sea

palaeogeographic mapping to understand the hydrocarbon and co2 storage potential of the post rift warnbro group offshore vlaming sub basin southern perth basin australia abstract the lower cretaceous gage sandstone and south perth shale are a prospective reservoir seal pair in the warnbro group offshore vlaming sub basin western australia plays include post breakup pinch outs and 4 way dip closures a sequence stratigraphic analysis incorporating seismic interpretation well log analysis and new biostratigraphic data characterised the reservoir seal pair palaeogeographic mapping reveals multiple regressive transgressive cycles which infilled the central palaeodepression on the valanginian unconformity within the deltaic south perth supersequence the gage lowstand fan lithostratigraphically referred to as the gage sandstone is a sand rich submarine fan system and ranges from canyon confined inner fan to basin plain middle fan deposits major sediment contributions were from north south trending canyons adjacent to the mandurah terrace detailed seismic facies mapping and well log analysis of the gage lowstand fan show that distal middle fan sand sheets and stacked channelised sands in the inner fan may provide an extensive reservoir of good to excellent quality seal quality varies greatly and may explain the lack of exploration success at some structural closures a re evaluation of the regional seal determined the extent of deepwater shale facies that provides an effective seal for the underlying submarine fans 3d geological modelling confirms that the reservoir is suitable for hydrocarbon entrapment and co 2 storage migration path analysis identified the presence of multiple structural and stratigraphic closures at the top of the reservoir previous petroleum systems modelling concluded that some source rock maturation probably post dates deposition of the effective seal thereby allowing structural closures to be charged with hydrocarbons uncertainties potentially comprising hydrocarbon preservation and co 2 storage include reactivation of large syn rift faults that may breach top seal the potential absence of base seal effective seal thickness and reservoir thickness and quality

the missing complexity in seismically imaged normal faults what are the implications for geometry and production response the impact of geometric uncertainty on across fault flow behaviour at the scale of individual intra reservoir faults is investigated in this study a high resolution digital elevation model dem of a faulted outcrop is used to construct an outcrop scale geocellular grid capturing high resolution fault geometries 5 m scale seismic forward modelling of this grid allows generation of a 3d synthetic seismic cube which reveals the corresponding seismically resolvable fault geometries 12 5 m scale construction of a second geocellular model based upon the seismically resolvable fault geometries allows comparison with the original outcrop geometries running fluid flow simulations across both models enables us to assess quantitatively the impact of outcrop resolution versus seismic resolution fault geometries upon across fault flow the results suggest that seismically resolvable fault geometries significantly underestimate the area of across fault juxtaposition relative to realistic fault geometries in turn this leads to overestimates in the sealing ability of faults and inaccurate calculation of fault plane properties such as transmissibility multipliers tms

irregular plate boundary controls on foreland basin sedimentation miocene kahramanmaras foreland basin se turkey abstract the northern movement of the arabian plate led to the development of a compressional regime in the south eastern part of turkey after the late cretaceous the collision of the arabian plate with the anatolide taurides platform and subsequent development of the kahramanmaras foreland basin at the beginning of the miocene evolved as a result of this movement an irregular plate geometry or promontory of the arabian plate caused partitioning of the plate margin precollision collision postcollision this irregular plate boundary was delimited by western and northern boundary faults and an interior basin fault the nw oriented small wedge top basins on the overlying anatolide taurides platform obliquely cut through the foredeep basin the region across the wedge top basin on the irregular promontory of the underlying arabian plate contains different sedimentation depocentres small fining upward submarine fan deposits including pebbly channel deposits and coarsening upward lobe sequences are located at the centre of the irregular part of the plate in the tanir region and overlie planktic foraminifera bearing claystones these submarine fan sediments pass outboard into distal interbedded turbidite claystones and siltstones in a downdip direction s se the boundary fault intersection of the promontory led to the development of a submarine slope environment with irregular sea floor topography in the firniz area 4 5 km south east of the tanir region the slump deposits sandy debrites and fine grained thin bedded turbidites filled this region structural alignments and seismicity associated with the plate margin were the main controlling factors on the geometry of the depocentre sediment quantity sediment input sedimentary facies local sea level changes and post sedimentary deformation in the kahramanmaras foreland basin

on the potential of ground penetrating radar to help rock fall hazard assessment a case study of a limestone slab gorges de la bourne french alps the stability of a potentially unstable rock mass is highly sensitive to the continuity of the joints cutting it the rock fall hazard assessment generally based on surface geological observations and on a simple geomechanical model suffers from the lack of information on the 3d geometry and the properties of the joints this case study investigates the potential of ground penetrating radar gpr measurements regarding hazard assessment in hard rock gpr was used to detect and characterize joints that could cause the failure of an overhanging rock mass located above a road in the gorges de la bourne france gpr data were acquired using high frequency shielded antennae 500 and 800 mhz to assess the extension of these joints and to detect other possible fractures combined with a velocity profile deduced from a common mid point cmp analysis these measurements provided detailed images of the fracture network which were locally consistent with turn rate velocity measurements performed within two horizontal boreholes the rock bridge percentage in the critical joints was estimated from gpr data to be too low to ensure the stability of the overhanging rock mass consequently mining of the rock mass was decided on afterwards a comparison between gpr images and the real joints observed after mining also confirmed the gpr interpretation for the location and the extension of the joints

liquefaction limit during earthquakes and underground explosions implications on ground motion attenuation liquefaction of saturated soils and sediments documented during earthquakes shows an empirical relation log r max 2 05 0 10 0 45 m where r max is the liquefaction limit in meters i e the maximum distance from liquefaction site to the hypocenter and m is the earthquake magnitude combining this with an empirical relation between m and the seismic energy of an earthquake we obtain a relation between the liquefaction limit and the seismic energy e a r max the prefactor corresponds to a threshold energy for liquefaction ranging from 0 004 to 0 1 j m3 the exponent ranging from 3 2 to 3 3 implies that the energy density of ground motion attenuates with distance according to 1 r 3 2 3 3 where r is the distance from the hypocenter the value of the threshold energy suggests a preliquefaction degradation of the shear modulus of soils by more than 3 orders of magnitude liquefaction documented during underground explosions is characterized by a threshold energy several orders of magnitude greater than that for liquefaction during earthquakes but shows a similar functional relation between e and r max as that for liquefaction during earthquakes and implies a similar attenuation relation between ground motion energy density and distance

liquefaction susceptibility criteria for silts and clays new liquefaction susceptibility criteria for saturated silts and clays are presented that are based on the mechanics of their stress strain behavior and which provide improved guidance for selecting engineering procedures for estimating potential strains and strength loss during seismic loading monotonic and cyclic undrained loading test data for silts and clays show that they transition over a fairly narrow range of plasticity indices pi from soils that behave more fundamentally like sands sand like behavior to soils that behave more fundamentally like clays clay like behavior with the distinction having a direct correspondence to the type of engineering procedures that are best suited to evaluating their seismic behavior it is recommended that the term liquefaction be reserved for describing the development of significant strains or strength loss in fine grained soils exhibiting sand like behavior whereas the term cyclic softening failure be used to describe similar phenomena in fine grained soils exhibiting clay like behavior for practical purposes clay like behavior can be expected for fine grained soils that have pi 7 although a slightly lower transition point for soils with a cl ml classification perhaps pi 5 or 6 would be equally consistent with the available data issues related to the practical application of these criteria are discussed