How is stratigraphic modeling of frontier basins dependent on data: A case study of the Shelburne sub-basin, offshore SE Canada

Abstract

Frontier basins are difficult to model with forward stratigraphic modeling software, due to the limited amount of geological information available from sparse wells and limited seismic coverage. Five different simulations with varying amounts of geological information are compared to a geologically constrained reference case model using all available data for the Shelburne sub-basin, in order to understand the relative importance of various geologically constrained parameters to modeling frontier basins. The modeling has been performed with DionisosFlow™, a 4D multilithology diffusion-based deterministic forward stratigraphic modeling software. All five less constrained models resemble the major features of the reference case model, with a similar distribution of sand on the shelf and localized progradation of sand across a delta into deep-water. In detail, there are significant deviations in sedimentation patterns. Not all geologically constrained parameters are equally important to modeling; the most influential parameters are paleobathymetry and sediment thickness defined by seismic surfaces. In this case study, the model could not be calibrated unless three sediment input points were chosen, as demonstrated independently from detrital petrology studies. Predefining certain modeling parameters generally reduces computational time. Unconstrained models offer a first overview of the probable architecture of the basin, and are a useful tool which can reduce the overall computation time of the modeling process and give insight into sedimentation patterns.