Syn-rift Sequence Research Articles

Geology and hydrocarbon prospectivity of the northern Houtman Sub-basin

New 2D seismic data acquired by Geoscience Australia in the northern Houtman Sub-basin of the Perth Basin provides important information on the prospectivity of this frontier area. To date, lack of quality seismic data and limited geological understanding have led to the perception that the hydrocarbon potential of the area is very low. However, interpretation of newly collected data suggests that the northern Houtman depocentre contains up to 15 km of pre-breakup sediments comprised of Permian, Triassic and Jurassic successions, which potentially contain multiple source rock, reservoir and seal intervals. The Permian syn-rift succession is confined to a series of large half-graben that are controlled by basement-involved faults separating the Houtman depocentre from the Bernier Platform. This succession is up to 10 km thick and is mapped throughout the inboard part of the new seismic grid. A prominent unconformity at the top of the Permian syn-rift sequence is overlain by a thick (up to 1800 m) and regionally extensive seismic sequence interpreted as the Lower Triassic Kockatea Shale. The thickness of the overlying Triassic succession ranges from approximately 1 km in the inboard part of the basin to up to 5 km further outboard. The Jurassic succession is thickest (up to 4 km) in the outboard part of the basin and is interpreted to contain sequences corresponding to the Cattamarra, Cadda and Yarragadee formations. Our study integrates new results from regional mapping, geophysical modelling and petroleum systems analysis, which enables a more accurate prospectivity assessment of this frontier basin.

Occurrence and development of folding related to normal faulting within a mechanically heterogeneous sedimentary sequence: a case study from Inner Moray Firth, UK

Abstract Folds associated with normal faults are potential hydrocarbon traps and may impact the connectivity of faulted reservoirs. Well-calibrated seismic reflection data that image a normal fault system from the Inner Moray Firth basin, offshore Scotland, show that folding was preferentially localized within the mechanically incompetent Lower–Middle Jurassic pre-rift interval, comprising interbedded shales and sandstones, and within Upper Jurassic syn-rift shales. Upward propagation of fault tips was initially inhibited by these weak lithologies, generating fault propagation folds with amplitudes of c. 50 m. Folds were also generated, or amplified, by translation of the hanging wall over curved, convex-upward fault planes. These fault bends resulted from vertical fault segmentation and linkage within mechanically incompetent layers. The relative contributions of fault propagation and fault-bend folding to the final fold amplitude may vary significantly along the strike of a single fault array. In areas where opposite-dipping, conjugate normal faults intersect, the displacement maxima are skewed upwards towards the base of the syn-rift sequence (i.e. the free surface at the time of fault initiation) and significant fault propagation folding did not occur. These observations can be explained by high compressive stresses generated in the vicinity of conjugate fault intersections, which result in asymmetric displacement distributions, skewed towards the upper tip, with high throw gradients enhancing upward fault propagation. Our observations suggest that mechanical interaction between faults, in addition to mechanical stratigraphy, is a key influence on the occurrence of normal fault-related folding, and controls kinematic parameters such as fault propagation/slip ratios and displacement rates.

Análise de palinofácies na avaliação do potencial gerador da Formação Pojuca, Bacia do Recôncavo

This paper deals with the study of source rock potential and its depositional environment. These strata belong to Pojuca Formation and occur in syn-rift sequence of the Early Cretaceous age (Hauterivian-Barremian) in the region of Aramari, a little-explored area of the northwestern Reconcavo Basin. The potential generator of these sediments was evaluated based on studies of palynofacies, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis and RockEval pyrolysis. For the evaluation of the maturation thermal of organic matter of the sediments was used the Spore Coloration Index (SCI); and the palynological study was used to identify the paleoenvironment of these strata. By integration of data from “Rock-Eval” pyrolysis and palynofacies it was possible to identify the prevalence of type II and III kerogen, with varying degrees of quality, allowing for individualization of three palynofacies. The material has predominance of amorphous organic matter of lacustrine origin, with TOC data ranging from 0.95% to 4.71%. The organic matter is a great potential hydrocarbon generator, indicated by S2 values that reach 26.33 mgHC/g rock. SCI values between 4.5-5.0 corresponding to 0.5 reflective of vitrinite (% Ro) demonstrated that the studied section is entering the maturation window. With the data acquired through palynofacies analysis and palynological associations, it can be inferred that a continental deposition environment (deltaiclake) characterizes the sedimentation of the Pojuca Formation with the presence of higrophytic and xerophytic elements, indicating that the vegetation developed in an arid and dry paleoclimate with wet niches locally and latitude next to the present. The data show that the studied area is placed in anoxic conditions containing good quality kerogen and suitable for the generation of hydrocarbons.

Stratigraphy and evolution of the Galve sub-basin (Spain) in the middle Tithonian–early Barremian: Implications for the setting and age of some dinosaur fossil sites

A review of the stratigraphy of the Galve sub-basin (western Maestrazgo Basin, eastern Spain) around the Jurassic–Cretaceous transition is presented here, based on new data acquired after extensive geological mapping and logging complemented with facies analysis, new biostratigraphic data and a revision of the published information available. The results obtained are relevant for a more detailed understanding of the tecto-sedimentary evolution of the studied basin during the transition between two stages of rift evolution (i.e., syn-rift sequences 1 and 2). In addition, new information on the age and setting of numerous dinosaur fossil- and track-sites found across the Galve sub-basin and in the northern part of the nearby Penyagolosa sub-basin is provided here. Two new lithostratigraphic units are defined and characterized, the Aguilar del Alfambra and the Galve formations. The previous stratigraphic framework considered only two lithostratigraphic units (the Villar del Arzobispo and El Castellar formations) bounded by a single regional unconformity, and this resulted in significant misinterpretations. The whitish limestones, red lutites and cross-bedded sandstones of the Aguilar del Alfambra Formation were deposited in transitional environments, ranging from coastal lutitic plains to restricted lagoons. Of particular interest are the laminated micritic-peloidal limestones with abundant fenestral porosity (supratidal ponds to intertidal flats), which preserve common dinosaur footprints. This unit is bounded by widespread unconformities and is of very variable thickness (0–450 m), controlled by extensional tectonics operating at the climax of syn-rift sequence 1 during the latest Tithonian–middle Berriasian. The overlying Galve Formation is of variable thickness (from 0 to 100 m) and is also bounded by regional unconformities described in detail here. It consists of red lutites with cross-bedded and tabular-burrowed sandstones representing channel and overflow deposits in an alluvial floodplain. The sauropod dinosaur Aragosaurus ischiaticus found in this unit has a controversial age assignment. The age of the Galve Formation is poorly constrained from late Berriasian to Hauterivian, but new biostratigraphic data presented here, combined with the correlation with the nearby Penyagolosa and Salzedella sub-basins, suggest a possible equivalence to the upper Berriasian–lower Valanginian sequence deposited during the initial stage of syn-rift sequence 2.

Geodinámica de los márgenes conjugados del Atlántico Sur central: implicaciones para el potencial de hidrocarburos

Using a new margin restoration model for the central South Atlantic we highlight margin-opposed rift basin subsidence characteristics, reconcile important facies relationships and consider the associated processes responsible for contrasting basinward transitions to oceanic crust. We interpret these parameters as diagnostic of strain evolution during rifting. Pre-salt subsidence patterns and sequence isopachs of late syn-rift and early post-rift sequences are symptomatic of these complex extension behaviours. Inherited basement fault trends partition extensional strain during stretching with resultant rift-related structural styles recording the heterogeneity of the pre-rift crust. Correspondingly the seismic and gravity expression of the transition from continental crust to oceanic crust differs systematically along the length of the ‘conjugate’ basins. The presence of a conspicuous coast parallel positive linear gravity anomaly, referred to as the ‘terminal horst’, defines the basinward extent of attenuated continental crust in the more symmetrical Campos Basin and its interpreted conjugate. In the ‘asymmetrical’ Santos and Benguela Basins the ocean–continent transition at the present-day OCB (ocean–continent boundary) becomes equivocal with little gravity expression. Consequently the relationship of primary salt basin edges to the basinward extent of crustal extension appears more complex. Pre-existing crustal and lithospheric mantle scale heterogeneities are considered to impart a first-order control on whole crust deformation and ultimately ‘sag’ basin development. These structurally defined heterogeneities are believed to partition crustal strain and juxtapose endmember mechanisms of pure-shear and simple shear deformation styles as recorded by the complex distribution of syn-rift subsidence patterns within the pre-salt basins of the central South Atlantic. These conclusions challenge the necessity for invoking dominantly depth-dependent processes as a mechanism to explain apparent pre-salt, syn-rift subsidence anomalies. The complex interplay of structure and stratigraphy with an overlay of palaeoclimatic models provides important insights into hydrocarbon play fairways along the margin. In particular the impact on reservoir and source rock distribution and heat flow are discussed.

Early evolution of the southern margin of the Neuquén Basin, Argentina: Tectono-stratigraphic implications for rift evolution and exploration of hydrocarbon plays

Long-lived rift basins are characterized by a complex structural and tectonic evolution. They present significant lateral and vertical stratigraphic variations that determine diverse basin-patterns at different timing, scale and location. These issues cause difficulties to establish facies models, correlations and stratal stacking patterns of the fault-related stratigraphy, specially when exploration of hydrocarbon plays proceeds on the subsurface of a basin. The present case study corresponds to the rift-successions of the Neuquén Basin. This basin formed in response to continental extension that took place at the western margin of Gondwana during the Late Triassic–Early Jurassic. A tectono-stratigraphic analysis of the initial successions of the southern part of the Neuquén Basin was carried out. Three syn-rift sequences were determined. These syn-rift sequences were located in different extensional depocentres during the rifting phases. The specific periods of rifting show distinctly different structural and stratigraphic styles: from non-volcanic to volcanic successions and/or from continental to marine sedimentation. The results were compared with surface and subsurface interpretations performed for other depocentres of the basin, devising an integrated rifting scheme for the whole basin. The more accepted tectono-stratigraphic scheme that assumes the deposits of the first marine transgression (Cuyo Cycle) as indicative of the onset of a post-rift phase is reconsidered. In the southern part of the basin, the marine deposits (lower Cuyo Cycle) were integrated into the syn-rift phase, implying the existence of different tectonic signatures for Cuyo Cycle along the basin. The rift climax becomes younger from north to south along the basin. The post-rift initiation followed the diachronic ending of the main syn-rift phase throughout the Neuquén Basin. Thus, initiation of the post-rift stage started in the north and proceeded towards the south, constituting a diachronous post–rift event. This arrangement implies that the lower part of Cuyo Cycle, traditionally related to regional thermal subsidence, may be deposited during either mechanical subsidence or thermal subsidence according to its position within the basin.

Basin architecture and evolution in the Mount Isa mineral province, northern Australia: Constraints from deep seismic reflection profiling and implications for ore genesis

Deep seismic reflection profiling confirms that the Paleo- to Mesoproterozoic Mount Isa mineral province comprises three vertically stacked and partially inverted sedimentary basins preserving a record of intracontinental rifting followed by passive margin formation. Passive margin conditions were established no later than 1655Ma before being interrupted by plate convergence, crustal shortening and basin-wide inversion at 1640Ma in both the 1730–1640Ma Calvert and 1790–1740Ma Leichhardt superbasins. Crustal extension and thinning resumed after 1640 Ma with formation of the 1635–1575Ma Isa Superbasin and continued up to ca. 1615Ma when extensional faulting ceased and a further episode of basin inversion commenced. The 1575Ma Century Pb–Zn ore-body is hosted by syn-inversion sediments deposited during the initial stages of the Isan Orogeny with basin inversion accommodated on east- or northeast-dipping reactivated intrabasinal extensional faults and footwall shortcut thrusts. These structures extend to considerable depths and served as fluid conduits during basin inversion, tapping thick syn-rift sequences of immature siliciclastic sediments floored by bimodal volcanic sequences from which the bulk of metals and mineralising fluids are thought to have been sourced. Basin inversion and fluid expulsion at this stage were entirely submarine consistent with a syn-sedimentary to early diagenetic origin for Pb–Zn mineralisation at, or close to, the seafloor. Farther east, a change from platform carbonates to deeper water continental slope deposits (Kuridala and Soldiers Cap groups) marks the position of the original shelf break along which the north–south-striking Selwyn-Mount Dore structural corridor developed. This corridor served as a locus for strain partitioning, fluid flow and iron oxide–copper–gold mineralisation during and subsequent to the onset of basin inversion and peak metamorphism in the Isan Orogeny at 1585Ma. An episode of post-orogenic strike-slip faulting and hydrothermal alteration associated with the subvertical Cloncurry Fault Zone overprints west- to southwest-dipping shear zones that extend beneath the Cannington Pb–Zn deposit and are antithetic to inverted extensional faults farther west in the same sub-basin. Successive episodes of basin inversion and mineralisation were driven by changes in the external stress field and related plate tectonic environment as evidenced by a corresponding match to bends in the polar wander path for northern Australia. An analogous passive margin setting has been described for Pb–Zn mineralisation in the Paleozoic Selwyn Basin of western Canada.

Review of the chronostratigraphic charts in the Sinú-San Jacinto basin based on new seismic stratigraphic interpretations

Disperse and punctual studies; absence of integration of data ranging from local to regional focus; interpretations based only on lithostratigraphic features; and interpretation of data premised on an allochthonous origin of the Caribbean plate, are some of factors that increase the confusion and uncertainty in understanding the Sinú-San Jacinto Basin. The sedimentary record of Upper Cretaceous to Eocene has been traditionally interpreted as the record of deep-water settings. However, recently these sediments have been related to shallow marine and deltaic settings. Second problematic point is about the deposition environment of the Oligocene to Late Miocene succession. Some studies suggest canyons, turbidites and sediments deposited in deep-water settings. However, recent studies propose deltaic and shallow marine settings. The last stratigraphic problem is related to the controversial fluvial vs. shallow marine interpretations of the Pliocene sediments. Based upon seismic stratigraphic analysis in recent and reprocessed 2D seismic data, integrated with well data, we propose chronostratigraphic charts for the northern, central and southern zones of the Sinú-San Jacinto Basin. Twenty seismic facies based on amplitude, continuity, frequency and geometry of seismic reflectors and twelve seismic sequences were recognized. The seismic stratigraphic analysis in this study suggests that the sediments of Upper Cretaceous to Paleocene/Eocene were associated to continental to shallow marine settings. Lagoons, coastal plain and carbonate platform dominated during this period. The Oligocene to Middle Miocene record was characterized by deep-water deposition, whereas the Late Miocene to recent sedimentation was characterized by falling base level, characterized by deltaic and fluvial deposits. Five syn-rift sequences with wedge-shaped geometry were identified in this study. Three Triassic to Jurassic syn-rift sequences were characterized by seismic facies typical of fluvial to lacustrine and flood plain sedimentation. Two Cretaceous to Paleocene syn-rift sequences were characterized by seismic facies related to lagoons to coastal plain settings. Normal high-angle faults with a northeast-southwest direction related to rifting processes controlled the development of these sequences. The sheet-drape post-rift section was characterized by passive margin settings in the northern part of the Sinú-San Jacinto Basin and by diachronic tectonic inversion of older normal faults during Cenozoic, predominantly in the central and southern zones. The stratigraphic record related to the Mesozoic to Early Cenozoic rifting; the shallow marine sedimentation during Eocene and the tectono-stratigraphic continuity across the northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela is coherent and well explained by the in situ origin of the Caribbean plate and is not explained by the “allochthonous” model.

Tectonic and climatic controls on the deposition of the Permo-Carboniferous Grant Group and Reeves Formation in the Fitzroy Trough, Canning Basin, Western Australia

Interpretation of seismic and well data from the Fitzroy Trough, Barbwire Terrace and Lennard Shelf provides constraint for the tectonic and climatic control on the deposition and architecture of the Permo-Carboniferous Reeves Formation and Grant Group in the Fitzroy Trough.An angular unconformity is recognised at the base of the Reeves Formation, recording the middle Carboniferous Meda Transpressional Movement. This separates two major extensional phases that affected the basin: the Devonian–Early Carboniferous Pillara Extension and the Late Carboniferous Point Moody Extension. The Reeves Formation is interpreted to have been deposited during the Late Carboniferous Point Moody Extension phase, and as such is a syn-rift sequence. Its distribution is restricted to the Fitzroy Trough, with a thickness in-excess of 1875 m deposited in the half-graben, clearly observed to thicken toward the actively moving Fenton Fault. Compressional anticlines underlying the Reeves Formation, and located at left-lateral bends in the Fenton Fault, indicate associated dextral strike-slip movement.Extensional faulting ceased prior to deposition of the overlying Grant Group. Thickening of the Grant Group into the Fitzroy Trough is interpreted to be the result of thermal sag following the main extensional event, and associated compaction of the underlying thick syn-rift sequence and minor displacement along the Fenton Fault.The well-established subdivision of the Grant Group into the Betty, Winifred and Carolyn formations is interpreted to correlate directly with the subdivision of the group proposed by Redfern (1990) on the Barbwire Terrace into Hoya, Calytrix and Clianthus formations. Evidence for climatic control on the depositional style and architecture includes the prominent glacially eroded Base Grant Group unconformity and prominent erosional surfaces associated with facies (diamictites, varved mudrocks) that all suggest a glacial depositional environment. Deglaciation and relative rise in base level gave rise the mudstone dominated middle unit. The absence of glacial signature within the uppermost Clianthus Formation on the Barbwire Terrace (laterally equivalent to the Carolyn Formation on the Lennard Shelf) is attributed to restriction of the remnant ice sheet or glaciers to the margins of the basin, at the final stage of glaciation of the basin.

The Pindiro Group (Triassic to Early Jurassic Mandawa Basin, southern coastal Tanzania): Definition, palaeoenvironment, and stratigraphy

This paper defines the Pindiro Group of the Mandawa Basin, southern coastal Tanzania based on studies conducted between 2006 and 2009 with the objective of understanding the evolution of this basin. This work draws upon field data, hydrocarbon exploration data, unconventional literature, and the scant published materials available. The paper focuses on the evolution, depositional environments, and definition of the lowermost sedimentary package, which overlies unconformably the metamorphic basement of Precambrian age. The package is described here as the Pindiro Group and it forms the basal group of the Mandawa Basin stratigraphy.The Pindiro Group sediments form part of the synrift sequences deposited during the initial stages of the rifting of Madagascar from East Africa. The Group comprises three formations, defined here in stratigraphic order from older to younger: the Mbuo, Nondwa and Mihambia Formations. Litho- and biofacies analyses from exploration wells suggest that Mbuo sediments were deposited in alluvial, fluvial, and lacustrine environments. The Nondwa Formation, which is principally an evaporitic formation, formed under a restricted marine environment. Palynological species recovered from the Nondwa Formation suggest Late Triassic to Early Jurassic age. The Mihambia Formation comprises sediments that indicate deposition in a shallow and marginal marine environment.The litho-biofacies of the Pindiro Group suggest various depositional environments, from lacustrine, alluvial, fluvial, deltaic, and restricted marine to shallow marine.

Tectono-stratigraphy of Lower Cretaceous Tanan sub-basin, Tamtsag Basin, Mongolia: Sequence architecture, depositional systems and controls on sediment infill

Tanan sub-basin is an active-fault bounded basin. The spatial distribution and temporal evolution of depositional systems were significantly influenced by tectonics. Fault movement and stages of basin development controlled the subsidence rates and the potential for erosion and the rate of sediment supply. Distinct stages of rift evolution during the early Cretaceous can be recognized, namely the early syn-rift, rift climax and late syn-rift stages. Three types of lacustrine sequence, consisting of distinctive depositional systems, are distinguished: (1) the early syn-rift sequences (SQ1 + SQ2), which are composed mainly of fan delta and shallow lacustrine depositional systems; (2) the rift climax sequences (SQ3) which developed in response to rapid and differential tectonic subsidence rates, and consist of fan delta, deep lacustrine and sublacustrine fan depositional systems; and (3) the late syn-rift sequences (SQ4) which are comprised of braided-delta and shallow lacustrine depositional systems. Each of the three lacustrine sequence architectures stands for a particular stage of basin fill and reflects variable rates of basin subsidence. Within each sequence, depositional systems and their stacking patterns are interpreted to have been a function of the interaction between tectonics and sediment supply. Differential subsidence across the basin, related to rotation of fault blocks, resulted in the formation of distinct paleomorphologies in different structural settings. These settings were fault-scarp zones controlling the development of fan-deltas, fault-terrace zones controlling the development of fan-delta and sublacustrine fans, half-graben dip-slope zones controlling the development of braided river and braided deltas, and intra-basinal fault-break zones controlling the development of sublacustrine fans. During the late syn-rift stage, active tectonism, displacement on the boundary faults had ceased. At this stage the depositional systems and their stacking patterns were dominantly related to the sediment supply rates, and not to tectonic activity.

Impact of lithospheric heterogeneities on continental rifting evolution: Constraints from analogue modelling on South Atlantic margins

Abstract Lithospheric-scale experiments integrated with restored crustal transects are used to study the evolution of the Central Segment (confined between the Rio Grande Fracture Zone to the south and the Chain Fracture Zone to the north) of the South Atlantic margin. The presence of crustal inhomogeneities, located within the Brazilian Santos and Campos basins, have been analysed and modelled in order to better understand their effects on the rift evolution and resulting structural architecture of the conjugate rifted margins. The results show that heterogeneities located within the lower crust can have a remarkable impact on the along-margin segmentation promoting articulated basins with horsts and grabens in response to a relative “strong” rheology, and focused and deeper basins related to a relatively “weak” rheology on the equivalent parts of the conjugate pairs. In particular, at the early-stage rift evolution the deformation is concentrated at the inner margin where, in the presence of a weak lower crust rheology, a main deep listric half-graben fault and associated thick and wedge-shaped syn-rift basin sequences are developed. A strong lower crust rheology, instead, gives rise to more planar, rotated, domino-type faulted basins with thinner sequences directly controlled by the individual fault-blocks. At the late-stage rift evolution, once the effects of the initial crustal rheology inhomogeneities are reduced due to the lithosperic thinning process, the outer margin records a late syn-rift sequence which shows comparable thicknesses for both cases of lower crust rheologies. This tectono-stratigraphic evolution of the rifting process gives rise to along-margin alterations in symmetry versus asymmetry of the width and structural architecture. The performed analogue modelling experiments also indicate that during the rifting evolution pieces of brittle mantle are preserved and could be elevated beneath the developed upper crustal structures, giving rise to complicated predictions for the along-margin heat-flow.

Seismic geomorphological analysis and hydrocarbon potential of the Lower Cretaceous Cromer Knoll Group, Heidrun field, Norway

The Heidrun field, located on the Halten Terrace of the mid-Norwegian continental shelf, was one of the first giant oil fields found in the Norwegian Sea. Traditional reservoir intervals in the Heidrun field lie within the Jurassic synrift sequence. Most Norwegian continental shelf fields have been producing from these Jurassic reservoirs for the past 30 yr. Production has since declined in these mature fields, but recently, exploration for new reservoirs has resurged in this region. The Jurassic rifted fault blocks form a narrow continental shelf in Norway, thereby greatly reducing the areal extent for exploration and development within existing fields. As the rift axis is approached farther offshore, these Jurassic reservoirs become very deep, too risky to drill, and uneconomical. This risk has prompted exploration in more recent years of the shallower Cretaceous, postrift stratigraphic succession. Cretaceous turbidites have been found in the Norwegian and North Seas, and the discovery of the Agat field in the Norwegian North Sea confirms the existence of a working petroleum system capable of charging Cretaceous reservoirs. These Cretaceous reservoirs were deposited as slope- and basin-floor fans within a series of underfilled rifted deeps along the Norwegian continental shelf and are thought to be sourced from the localized erosion of Jurassic rifted highs. We use three-dimensional seismic and well data to document the geomorphology of a deep-water, Lower Cretaceous wedge (Cromer Knoll Group) within the hanging wall of a rift-related half graben formed on the Halten Terrace offshore mid-Norway. Seismic attribute extractions taken within this Lower Cretaceous wedge reveal the presence of several lobate to elongated bodies that seem to cascade over fault-bounded terraces associated with rifted structures. These high-amplitude, elongated bodies are interpreted as deep-water sedimentary conduits that are time equivalent to the Cretaceous basin-floor fans in more distal parts of the basin to the west. These half-graben fills have the potential to contain high-quality Cretaceous sandstones that might represent a potential new reservoir interval within the Heidrun field.

Caldera events in a rift depocentre: an example from the Jurassic Neuquén basin, Argentina

We analyse the volcanic stratigraphy of the Lower Jurassic synrift sequence of the Sañicó depocentre, which is a sub-basin of one of the most important hydrocarbon basins in South America, the Neuquén rift basin. The Sañicó depocentre comprises a complex multicyclic volcano-sedimentary succession. The oldest part of the succession preserves a volcano-sedimentary sequence interpreted as the record of a stratovolcano. The middle part of the succession is characterized by the emplacement of two thick ignimbrites that completely filled the depocentre. Finally, the uppermost part of the succession records subordinate volcanism characterized by andesitic lavas associated with epiclastic sediments. The Sañicó depocentre shows a complex subsidence history that involves an interplay between tectonics and volcanism. During the early and late synrift phases, subsidence was relatively slow and permitted the accumulation of thick sequences of volcanic and sedimentary deposits throughout a long period of time. During the middle synrift phase, subsidence was very rapid and allowed the accumulation of a thick ignimbrite sequence in a very short time interval. In this study, this middle episode is interpreted as corresponding to a caldera-like event in which rapid subsidence occurred along the same normal faults that controlled tectonic subsidence during the previous and subsequent episodes.

The first record of Eocene tuff in a Paleogene rift basin near Nantou, Western Foothills, central Taiwan

Microfossils and a U–Pb age dating on zircon grains in the tuff beds exposed in the axial part of the Tsukeng anticline along the Pinglin River in the Western Foothills near Nantou, central Taiwan, show an occurrence of the Eocene volcanics unconformably beneath the uppermost part of the Latest Oligocene Wuchihshan Formation. This is the first discovery of the Eocene tuff exposed in the Western Foothills.The proposed Miocene “Tsukeng Formation” and “Takeng Formation” of Ho et al. (1956) named for sequences exposed in the Nantou area, Western Foothills, have to be abandoned and the standard Oligocene–Miocene lithostratigraphy used commonly in the Western Foothills of northern Taiwan is properly applicable in central Taiwan. The thick pink–brown–green colored volcanics unconformably beneath the uppermost Wuchihshan Formation is named for the first time as the Pinglin Tuff which contains Late Middle Eocene calcareous nannofossils (Zone NP16) consistent with a U–Pb age dating (38.8±1Ma) on zircon grains in the tuff. The Pinglin Tuff is overlying the Middle Eocene Chungliao Formation which contains indigenous larger foraminifera Discocyclina dispansa ex. interc. sella-dispansa and calcareous nannofossils of Zones NP14–15. The Middle Eocene Pinglin Tuff and Chungliao Formation represent the Paleogene syn-rift sequence unconformably overlain by the Latest Oligocene–Miocene post-rift sequence. This is the first document with conclusive paleontological data and age dating showing an occurrence of Paleogene marine rift basin exposed in the Western Foothills. This study also confirms similar Tertiary basin architecture between the Taiwan Strait–Pearl River Mouth Basin in the NE South China Sea and the Western Foothills onland central Taiwan.

Significance of indigenous Eocene larger foraminifera Discocyclina dispansa in Western Foothills, Central Taiwan: A Paleogene marine rift basin in Chinese continental margin

The Western Foothills of Taiwan was known to be composed of Late Oligocene to Pleistocene shallow marine strata continuously deposited on the stable passive Chinese continental margin without significant stratigraphic break. Here we present multiple micropaleontological evidences, including occurrence of larger foraminifera Discocyclina dispansa ex. interc. sella-dispansa and calcareous nannoplanktons, to show that there are Middle Eocene marine strata (first named as the Chungliao Formation) exposed in the Tsukeng anticline of the Western Foothills, central Taiwan. Occurrences of intact tests with thin delicate outer rims and well-preserved embryonic chambers suggest that the Discocyclina dispansa ex. interc. sella-dispansa (Lutetian to Bartonian in the Tethys region) are buried indigenously on shallow inner shelf during an episodic transgression in the Early Middle Eocene. The conclusion is consistent with a biostratigraphy study of calcareous nannoplanktons (Zones NP14–15) in the shale/sandstone alternations overlying the Discocyclina-bearing bed of the Chungliao Formation and calcareous nannofossils of Zone NP16 integrated with an age dating of 38.8±1Ma (Late Middle Eocene) on zircon grains of the overlying Pinglin Tuff. The Middle Eocene syn-rift sequences (Chungliao Formation and Pinglin Tuff) exposed along the Tsukeng anticline are unconformably covered by the latest Oligocene–Miocene post-rift sequence, a scenario similar to what have been drilled in the East China Sea-Taiwan Strait-South China Sea. This rift basin (named as the Nantou Basin) is sitting on the Peikang Basement High margin which further extends southwestward to the Central Uplift of the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the northern slope of the South China Sea. The present work documents a hitherto unknown occurrence of the exposed early Tertiary marine rift basin sequence in the Western Foothills of Taiwan. The study extends our knowledge of the Western Foothills geohistory from the Late Oligocene downward to the Early Middle Eocene. The occurrence of the Paleogene Nantou rift basin in the Western Foothills may also suggest that there could have similar Paleogene rift sequences exposed in other parts of the Taiwan mountain belt like the Hsüehshan Range and the Central Range east of the Western Foothills.

Transition from extensional to compressional magnetic fabrics in the Cretaceous Cabuérniga basin (North Spain)

The transition between extensional and compressional-driven magnetic fabrics in sedimentary rocks is explored in this paper through the study of an example of the Basque–Cantabrian basin. In the area where extensional structures prevail and no superimposed deformation is observed, except for gentle large-scale folds, the magnetic fabric is interpreted as extensional, in consistency with mesostructural (tension gashes) and macrostructural (large-scale faults) data. Compressional tectonic fabrics are unequivocally interpreted in the area with cleavage development related to the buttressing of the syn-rift sequence against faults located near the northern basin margin. In this area, kmax is oriented according either to the intersection lineation or the dip direction of cleavage planes. In the area located in-between, where no macroscopic evidence of either compression or extension exist, there is a transitional fabric between compressional (resulting from the modification during inversion of a previous sedimentary or extensional fabric) and extensional (inherited from the extensional stage) magnetic fabrics that correlate with subtle evidences at the microscopic scale (pressure shadows, deformation and re-orientation of nodules). Therefore, the magnetic fabric is revealed as an exceptionally sensitive marker of deformation in sedimentary rocks. This transition in the magnetic fabric occurs within a length of 6.25 km along the cross-section that correlates with a thickness of 200 m of the stratigraphic pile. These results indicate that even in the absence of clear structural markers of compressional deformation, extensional magnetic fabrics can be only interpreted when there is a minimum separation (in the vertical or the horizontal) to the cleavage front.

Syn-rift volcanism of the Neuquen Basin, Argentina: relationships with the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic evolution of the Andean margin.

The Neuquen Basin constitutes one of the most conspicuous features of the Andean margin of Gondwana during Mesozoic times. The initial syn-rift infill (Late Triassic-Early Jurassic) of this ensialic extensional basin involved a profuse magmatic activity (Precuyano Cycle). Outcrops of the southern depocentres of the basin (Chachil, Catan Lil, Chacaico, Sanico y Piedra del aguila) were studied in order to analyze the characteristics of this magmatic cycle. Shallow intrusive, lava flow and pyroclastic accumulation units of the syn-rift sequence conform up to 70% of the total infill. The syn-rift sequence shows a particular spatial-temporal evolution from mainly intermediate volcanic rocks at the base to mainly acidic pyroclastic rocks to the top. Volcanic feeding-systems were characterized by shallow and multiple-injection magmatic chambers. Eight main alteration facies related to syn- and post-volcanic stages were determined. Trace element data show that the lava and pyroclastic products share a co-magmatic trend, dominated by intermediate to acid products. Rocks belong to the sub-alkaline series, mostly calc-alkaline and transitional, and in a lesser extent tholeiitic, with orogenic signature. Nevertheless, the stratigraphical and compositional features (>50% of acid volcanic products) suggest some differences with typical arc-series. Recent models to explain the magmatic systems in complex convergent margins were discussed (i.e., intra-crustal and extra-crustal models), being chosen an extra-crustal model to justify the compositional and stratigraphical features of the Precuyano Cycle. According to this model the partial melting of an underplating ‘silicic cold plume’ (metasediment-oceanic crust melanges derived from subducted slab) would explain the wide distribution transversal to the margin of the Precuyano volcanism, whereas the degree of partial melting of the ‘plume’ would explain the prevailing composition of the cycle: andesitic and daciticrhyodacitic compositions. The onset of extension made possible the rising of the initial andesitic volcanism, whereas during either the rifting climax or along the sites with major crustal extension, the high viscosity acid magmas would have been preferentially risen. Finally, an Andean segmentation at 40°S would explain the development of an extensional segment towards the north, where the Neuquen basin was developed, and the magmatic arc towards the south, represented by the Subcordilleran Batholith.

Tectonostratigraphic analysis of the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic syn-rift sequence of the Neuquen Basin in the Sanico depocentre, Neuquen Province, Argentina

The initial syn-rift infill (Upper Triassic-Lower Jurassic) of the Neuquen Basin involved a complex stacking of lava, pyroclastic and sedimentary units, in which volcanic rocks compose up to 72% of the infill. The high-quality outcrops of the southern Sanico depocentre, which was uplifted and exposed during the Andean orogeny, were studied in order to determine the lithofacies arrangements, the tectonostratigraphic framework and the main controls over the syn-rift succession. The tectonostratigraphic study made it possible to determine three sections characterized by the predominance of effusive, pyroclastic or sedimentary deposits. These sections indicate three different evolutionary stages of the volcanic rifting. The onset of this rift stage was dominated by effusive rocks with minor ignimbrite and alluvial volcaniclastic units, which indicates the occurrence of composite volcanoes at the boundaries of the depocentre. The mid-rift stage was characterized by the development of fault-controlled, large ignimbrite deposits intebedded with volcaniclastic alluvial deposits and lava units, which suggests a volcanotectonic depression related to asymmetrical and incremental subsidence. The end of the volcanic rifting event was marked by a decrease in the volume of the volcanic rocks and the occurrence of low-relief effusive aggradational volcanic edifices and lava fields in close relation with alluvial, deltaic and lacustrine units. The analysis of the synrift sequence in the Sanico depocentre showed the complex relationships between tectonic and volcanic controls which occurred in different magnitudes and times during the rifting evolution.

New information about the stratigraphic position and age of the sauropodAragosaurus ischiaticusfrom the Early Cretaceous of the Iberian Peninsula

AbstractThe sauropodAragosaurus ischiaticusSanz, Buscalioni, Casanovas & Santafé, 1987 was the first dinosaur to be described in Spain. The holotype was recovered from the site of Las Zabacheras (Galve, Teruel province). This site has traditionally been situated in the El Castellar Formation (in the lower part of the Wealden facies). Recently, it has been proposed that the remains ofAragosaurusstem from the Villar del Arzobispo Formation (late Tithonian–upper part of the early Berriasian), which would mean that the sauropod was almost 15 million years older than previously thought. Detailed field work has been carried out, making it possible to pinpoint the position of the low-angle unconformity between the Villar del Arzobispo Formation and the El Castellar Formation. This unconformity originated as a result of block tilting that occurred during the early stages of the Early Cretaceous rifting episode. The upper levels of the Jurassic sequence (i.e. the Villar del Arzobispo Formation) were exposed to erosion and karstification, leading to the formation of a discontinuous conglomeratic level. This level has been locally preserved at the bottom of the Wealden syn-rift sequence (i.e. the El Castellar Formation). The results of our detailed mapping demonstrate that theAragosaurusholotype was found in the lower part of the El Castellar Formation. Moreover, our revision of the existing datings suggests that the El Castellar Formation as a whole is Valanginian?–early Barremian in age. Given thatAragosauruswas located in its lower part, it is probably Valanginian?–Hauterivian in age.