Integrating stratigraphic modelling, inversion analysis, and shelf‐margin records to guide provenance analysis: An example from the Cretaceous Colville Basin, Arctic Alaska

Abstract

AbstractDelineating sediment source areas is critical for source‐to‐sink analysis and energy exploration because it can reveal sediment pathways and their associated reservoir rocks. We developed a methodology that integrates stratigraphic forward modelling and inversion analysis to provide a first‐order provenance estimate. By employing a large number of modelling runs, and then applying a neighbourhood algorithm we are able to efficiently identify the best source‐to‐sink reconstruction(s). This methodology only requires shelf‐margin records to calibrate the modelling results, therefore, it can be applied in frontier basins with relatively poor data coverage. We test this methodology on a synthetic example with predetermined parameters, and then apply it to deposits of the Colville Basin of northern Alaska, which is known for its remote location and high cost of data collection. The best‐fit reconstructions from our modelling show that Cretaceous Colville Basin sediments deposited from 120 to 97 My were mainly sourced from the Herald Arch, Chukchi Platform, and western Brooks Range Orogenic Belt, consistent with the interpretations of previous provenance studies. The proposed method provides quantitative constraints for analysing deposits of large, remote, or ultra‐deep basins, particularly those with sparse datasets or where sandstone detrital modes are largely unknown.