Basinward migration of rift-border faults: Implications for facies distributions and preservation potential

Abstract

Basinward migration of half-graben footwall margins occurs throughout the active Aegean extensional province and has significant implications for facies distributions and preservation potential in synrift fills worldwide. Recognition of this phenomenon is particularly important for predicting the preservation and distribution of hydrocarbon reservoirs in rift basins. Using an example from the Gediz graben of western Turkey, it is shown that basinward migration of footwall margins exhumes proximal facies of lateral sedimentary systems, severely limiting their preservation potential and providing a ready source of easily erodible material. This in turn leads to the generation of extensive footwall-derived depositional systems, which frequently displace axial drainage systems toward the hanging-wall dip slope.