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Svensen, Henrik Hovland; Callegaro, Sara; Kjøll, Hans Jørgen; Midtkandal, Ivar; Whattam, Jack William & Dalslåen, Bjørgunn Heggem
[Show all 10 contributors for this article]
(2024).
Rhomb porphyry lavas from the Oslo Rift revisited: New insights from construction-related boreholes and cores.
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Whattam, Jack; Svensen, Henrik Hovland; Midtkandal, Ivar; Jerram, Dougal Alexander & Callegaro, Sara
(2024).
Mafic volcaniclastic deposits in the Oslo Rift.
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Wong, Po Wan; Midtkandal, Ivar & Faleide, Jan Inge
(2024).
Early Paleogene rift-to-drift transition at the NE Atlantic – new insights from rift propagation and paired extension-compression.
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Skurtveit, Elin; Midtkandal, Ivar & Braathen, Alvar
(2023).
A naturally occurring CO2 laboratory in Utah.
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Skurtveit, Elin; Petrie, Elizabeth S.; Smith, Scott Adam; Faleide, Thea Sveva; Sundal, Anja & Choi, Jung Chan
[Show all 10 contributors for this article]
(2023).
Core analysis from Little Grand Wash fault, Utah, and application for fault risk assessment for co2 storage in the Norwegian North Sea.
Show summary
Fault zones contain a mixture of lithologies, various fault structures, and evidence for fluid-rock interaction events, representing a record of multiple deformation events during the faulting history. The resulting complex and highly variable mixture of properties makes faults challenging structures to model, and specifically assessing the fault zone permeability and probability of reactivation is difficult. The ability of fault zones to transport fluids has received renewed attention during the last 10 years of developing subsurface, geological storage reservoirs for CO2. The North Sea sedimentary basin offshore Norway has an enormous potential for storing CO2. However, to qualify fault traps in saline aquifers for storage, improved workflows for fault risk assessment focusing on fault zone flow properties and mechanical stability is needed.
An improved approach for fault modelling is under development: we quantify the uncertainties in fault rock properties to address the probability of failure and subsequent changes in permeability. To support our understanding of subsurface faults in the North Sea, we utilize knowledge from the Little Grand Wash (LGW) fault, located in Emery County, Utah. The LGW fault zone provides a natural laboratory to study fault zone development in geological analogues, failure mechanisms, and fluid migration. As a supplement to already published well data and core descriptions from this area, three new cores were retrieved from the fault in 2019. In total 16.5 meters of core, covering both the hanging wall (Jurassic Brushy Basin Member of the Morrison Formation) and footwall (Jurassic Summerville Formation) damage zone, have been logged and sampled for petrophysical analysis and mechanical testing. The current work presents new data on variation of permeability, porosity, strength, and sonic velocity inside the fault damage zone, including measurements on different lithologies, various types of cementation and selected deformation bands, fractures, and veins. Petrophysical and chemical analysis combined with visual identification of oil stains and bleaching provide the possibility for a holistic understanding of the system and we derive valuable knowledge for improving fault risk workflows applicable for CO2 storage projects in the Norwegian North Sea.
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Whattam, Jack; Svensen, Henrik Hovland; Midtkandal, Ivar; Callegaro, Sara & Jerram, Dougal Alexander
(2023).
Intermittent cessation and renewal of volcanism in the Oslo Rift revealed through detailed mapping and stratigraphy.
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2023).
Changes in basin fill instigated by tectonic scenarios .
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Braathen, Alvar & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2023).
Plans for a Suprabasins-II proposal .
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2023).
COTEC-prosjektet - økt kunnskap om CO2-inneslutninger og overvåkningsteknikker.
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Anell, Ingrid; Braathen, Alvar; Midtkandal, Ivar; Grimsrud Olsen, Stine; Haugen, Maria & Wallace, Malcolm W
(2022).
Geometric controls on clinoforms, the building blocks of sedimentary basins – from ripple to shelf-edge.
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Depositional signatures of tectonic keel basin – Ibra Basin.
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Braathen, Alvar & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Suprabasins – where do we go? .
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Würtzen, Camilla Louise; Midtkandal, Ivar; Mulrooney, Mark Joseph & Braathen, Alvar
(2022).
Fault-influence in alluvial deposits of the Qahlah Formation - provenance, depocenter development, drainage patterns, and facies assemblage of Upper Cretaceous Fanja Basin, northeastern Oman.
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Machado Garcia, Aurora; Bellwald, Benjamin; Midtkandal, Ivar; Planke, Sverre; Sternai, Pietro & Anell, Ingrid
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2022).
Stratigraphy of a complete glacial-interglacial cycle: The sedimentary record of the last glaciation at the North Sea Fan.
Show summary
Trough mouth fans are major submarine depocentres that form in front of ice streams that advance onto the continental shelf. They provide extensive records of past glaciations and ice sheet dynamics, and understanding their deposits and sedimentary processes is key when interpreting glaciated margins. In this study, we use high-quality 3D reflection seismic data with a vertical resolution of 2 m and a bin size of 6.25 x 18.75 m extending over 14000 km2 at the uppermost North Sea Fan. The aim is to document the seismic stratigraphy, sedimentary processes and glacio-marine landforms shaped during different paleo-geographical configurations prevailing since Marine Isotope Stage 6 (last 130 ka). Using facies analyses and seismic geomorphology the sequence is subdivided into eight seismic units (U1-8), separated by high-amplitude continuous reflections. The uppermost stratigraphy of the fan is characterized by >400 m of prograding strata, spanning from the top of the Tampen Slide at its deepest to the seabed on the more shallow shelf, accounting to 7160 km3 of sediments. The lowermost two units, U1 and U2, are characterized by continuous reflections with increasing amplitude contrasts near the Tampen Slide headwall. U1 is a tabular body and covers the entire study area, while U2 is lenticular and limited to the northern part, confined by a secondary headwall. Units U3-6 are characterized by a combination of chaotic, transparent, structurally deformed or parallel to sub-parallel seismic facies. They are limited by high-amplitude reflections with erosional features with varying dimensions from
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Machado Garcia, Aurora; Bellwald, Benjamin; Midtkandal, Ivar; Planke, Sverre; Anell, Ingrid & Sternai, Pietro
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2022).
Mixed sedimentation of the North Sea Fan - insights on volumes of contourites, plumites and downslope deposits during a full glacial- interglacial cycle.
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts.
doi:
10.5194/egusphere-egu22-10658.
Show summary
Trough mouth fans are important depocenters for glacial sedimentation in high latitude margins,recording sedimentological processes and their relationship with paleoclimatic fluctuations onshort timescales - from decades to millennia. The volume of sediments accumulated in these fansvaries significantly depending on the phase of the glacial cycle, with higher values typically reachedduring early retreats. The input of large volumes during short time intervals can potentially triggersubmarine landslides and overpressure build-up, making the understanding of processes andproportions related to sedimentation in glaciated margins crucial, especially during periods ofglobal warming. In this study we use high-quality 3D seismic cubes (vertical resolution of 2 m andbin size of 6.25 x 18.75 m) to delimitate different types of deposits on an area over 14000 km2 onthe North Sea Trough Mouth Fan during a full glacial-interglacial cycle of the last glaciation(Weichselian). After mapping the corresponding top and base surfaces of each type of deposittheir volumes were calculated using the mean thickness of the beds multiplied by their extent. Thebase of the studied package comprises a contourite body deposited on top of the Tampen Slide,whose failure is estimated to have happened around 130 ka ago. Next we have a thick (> 400 m)mixed package of debris flows and meltwater turbidites, with its rapid deposition happeningduring approximately 4 ka (~23 to 19 ka). The package is then completed with plume settlingrelated to the full retreat of the ice stream. Although not completely interpreted due to limitationsof the dataset extent and remobilization of a part of the fan by the Storegga Slide in the northernpart, the last glacial cycle comprises a total of 7160 km3 of sediments, with more than half of it(4850 km3) originated from the downslope processes. The plumites and contourites comprisevolumes of 1105 km3 and 1205 km3. This accounts to a significant variability of the magnitude ofsediment volume coming into the sink per year, with the downslope deposits having over 100times more sediment input and the plumites 5 times more when compared to thecontourites. These results highlight the range of sediment volume that can be delivered in aglaciated margin depending on changes in processes and climatic fluctuations, which may also entail changes in the potential geohazards.
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Bellwald, Benjamin; Machado Garcia, Aurora; Batchelor, Christine L; Barrett, Rachel; Maharjan, Dwarika & Planke, Sverre
[Show all 8 contributors for this article]
(2022).
Trough mouth fans as high-resolution source-to-sink archives.
EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts.
doi:
10.5194/egusphere-egu22-9630.
Show summary
Trough mouth fans comprise the largest sediment deposits along glaciated margins, and record Pleistocene climate changes on a multi-decadal time scale. Sedimentation related to climate warming in polar regions and new challenges associated with the energy transition highlight the urge for better knowledge of these depocenters. Here, we present sedimentation models for the two largest of these depocenters-the Bear Island Fan on the western Barents Sea margin and the North Sea Fan on the northern North Sea margin-which are analogues for large glacial fans along the Antarctic and Greenland margins. We use extensive high-quality 3D reflection seismic cubes (37,200 km 2) as well as conventional 2D reflection seismic lines, and combine these datasets with lithological and geophysical borehole logs. The stratigraphy of trough mouth fans is dominated by contourites, glacigenic debris flows, meltwater turbidites, and megaslides, which together result in a thickness exceeding 2 km. Neogene to early Quaternary-age contourites are characterized by continuous and high-amplitude reflections in the seismic data. The contourites of the late Quaternary, in contrast, have a more transparent seismic facies, and onlap the escarpments shaped by the megaslides. The lithology of the contourites varies from fine clays to coarse sands. Meltwater turbidites are identified as high-amplitude reflections characterized by 4-100 m deep channels and sourced from multiple regions along the paleo-shelf break. The well-connected turbidite channels are 90-2100 m wide, and can be traced for distances of >100 km. These channels are both deeper and wider in the North Sea Fan compared to the Bear Island Fan. The lithology of these deposits has yet to be cored. Glacigenic debris flows are transparent packages of sediments, with a lens-shaped expression in the seismic profiles and lobe-shaped geomorphology in planar view. The grain size of glacigenic debris flows is typically more mud-dominated than for contourites, but glacigenic debris flows do include sandy beds at selected intervals. Glacigenic debris flows are more dominant in the high-latitude Bear Island Fan compared to the mid-latitude North Sea Fan. Megaslides consist of high-amplitude, deformed sediment that is constrained by steep headwalls and sidewalls. The megaslides within these two trough mouth fans have mainly occurred since the Late Pleistocene and fail along contouritic basal layers.
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Augland, Lars Eivind; Jones, Morgan Thomas; Sleveland, Arve R.N.; Twitchett, Richard & Tovar, Francisco J Rodríguez
[Show all 13 contributors for this article]
(2022).
The Permian-Triassic boundary across the Barents Shelf: an intricate record of climate change, mass extinction, recovery, and basin reorganisation.
EGU General Assembly.
doi:
10.5194/egusphere-egu22-2379.
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Clinothemes next to a fault-tip monocline in the Ibra Basin, Oman.
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Braathen, Alvar & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Suprabasins – where do we go? .
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Braathen, Alvar; Midtkandal, Ivar & Osmundsen, Per Terje
(2022).
Geomorphology of continental rift landscapes - analyses inspired by North Sea observations.
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Würtzen, Camilla Louise; More, M.P; Midtkandal, Ivar & Braathen, Alvar
(2022).
The impact of faulting in depocentre development, facies assemblages, drainage patterns, and provenance in continental half‐graben basins: an example from the Fanja Basin of Oman. Basin Research.
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van Yperen, Anna; Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos More, Miquel & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Improving predictability of changes in tide-influenced channel morphology – can we take previously established concepts one step further?
Show summary
An increasing number of studies links down-dip changes in riverine morphodynamics on delta plains to backwater effects, i.e. flow deceleration as a river approaches a standing water body and subsequent deposition. A potential predictability exists on backwater-mediated trends in changing river channel width, depth, sinuosity, and grain size, which in turn controls resulting sedimentary architecture and distribution of heterogeneities. However, backwater concepts originated and are predominantly tested on fluvial-dominated modern rivers. A recent study on large tide-dominated modern river deltas (n=5) shows a consistent area of change in upstream to downstream trends in channel morphology, of which some are different than expected backwater-mediated changes. Preliminary results of our study on a larger data set with tide-influenced deltas, show that the expected upstream-to-downstream changes in large tide-dominated deltas cannot be directly applied to smaller and/or tide-influenced deltas.
This presentation will discuss the potential and shortcomings of combining previously established concepts to improve predictability of changes in tide-influenced channel morphology. Caution is needed when inferring knowledge from large and/or river-dominated delta plains, as the response scale to changes in controlling factors will be different depending on delta plain size and dominant controlling factors.
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van Yperen, Anna; Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos More, Miquel & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Assessing predictability in tide-influenced river channel morphology – can we take previous concepts one step further?
Show summary
An increasing number of studies link down-dip changes in channel morphodynamics on rivers and their delta plains to backwater effects, i.e. non-uniform flows causing flow deceleration and subsequent net deposition during low water discharge, or flow acceleration leading to net erosion during high water discharge (e.g. Chatanantavet et al., 2012; Lamb et al., 2012; Nittrouer et al., 2012; Fernandes et al., 2016; Martin et al., 2018; Trower et al., 2018; Ganti et al., 2019; Smith et al., 2020). A potential predictability exists on backwater-mediated trends in changing channel width, depth, sinuosity, and grain size, which in turn controls resulting sedimentary architecture and distribution of heterogeneities. However, backwater concepts originated and are predominantly tested on fluvial-dominated modern river systems. A recent study on large tide-dominated modern river deltas (n=5) shows a consistent area of change in upstream to downstream trends in channel morphology, of which some changes in channel morphodynamics are different from expected backwater-mediated changes (Gugliotta and Saito, 2019).
In this study we use satellite data analysis to examine down-dip changes in channel width and sinuosity from 15 modern tide-influenced deltas along their fluvial to marine transition zone. Distances are normalized for comparison across different delta plain sizes. Previously published backwater lengths are sensitive to different acquisition methods which weakens their comparability. We aim to minimize ambiguity by combining digital elevation profiles with channel depth from bathymetric surveys or empirically derived from width-thickness relationships, to detect where the riverbed equals sea level and subsequent backwater length. The results show no significant distance relationship between the backwater length and area of morphological change (i.e. zone recording a change in channel width and sinuosity). Eight out of fifteen deltas show a clear area of morphological change. The other delta plains lack clear areas of morphological change, or changes in channel morphology (i.e. sinuosity or width) occur at different areas along the river system. By comparing the area of morphological change with the apex-to-shoreline distance, the regression line shows a near-one-to-one relationship although the five largest delta plains plot outside the 95% confidence interval. This suggests that factors controlling the area of morphological change and apex location may be different on the largest delta plains than on smaller tide-influenced systems.
This presentation will discuss the potential and shortcomings of combining previously established concepts to improve predictability of changes in tide-influenced channel morphology. Preliminary results show that the expected upstream-to-downstream changes (i.e. an increase in channel width and a decrease in channel depth and sinuosity) in large tide-dominated deltas cannot be directly applied to smaller and/or tide-influenced deltas. This cautions against inferring knowledge from large and/or river-dominated delta plains to directly apply to systems with any size and/or process regime system, as the response scale to changes in controlling factors will be different depending on delta plain size and dominant controlling factors. Additionally, it suggests uncertainty in applying these concepts to ancient fluvio-deltaic systems, as the influence of additional variables such as differences in global sea-level conditions is currently not investigated.
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Vicedo, v; Robles-Salcedo, R; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Braathen, Alvar & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2022).
Evolution of a Paleogene shallow-marine platform in the northern sector of the Ibra Basin (NE Oman).
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Isostatic rollback of faults and perched basins – some observations .
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Fan complexes in rifts – can we forecast their tectonic setting? .
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Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos More, Miquel & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Sheet-like delta-front sandstone deposits in a river-dominated low-accommodation setting (Dakota Group, USA).
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Machado Garcia, Aurora; Bellwald, Benjamin; Midtkandal, Ivar; Anell, Ingrid; Planke, Sverre & Sternai, Pietro
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2021).
Sedimentary Processes and Deposits of the Last Glaciation at the North Sea Fan, Offshore Norway.
Show summary
Understanding the sedimentary processes and resulting deposits along glaciated margins, that can be recorded in trough mouth fans (TMF), is crucial to increase knowledge about ice sheet dynamics. Their behavior influences Earth’s climate system and sea level variations, from regional to global scale, during relatively rapid timescales (up to millennia). This study uses high-quality 3D seismic reflection data of the uppermost North Sea Trough Mouth Fan to document the seismic stratigraphy, sedimentary processes and glacio-marine landforms shaped during the last glacial highstand (23-19 ka). The stratigraphy of the fan is characterized by thick (~400m) prograding sequences. Facies analyses and seismic geomorphology show three main depositional processes (contour-currents, gravity-driven flows and setting of plumes), mappable as seven seismic sub-units in the studied interval. Contour currents are responsible for the deposition of the lowermost two sub-units (U1 and U2), characterized by continuous reflections with increasing amplitude contrasts near the Tampen Slide escarpment. U1 is dominated by positive amplitudes with mostly tabular geometry. U2, identified in the northern part, is dominated by negative amplitudes with lenticular geometry and is synchronous with the glaciation onset. These sub-units are followed by a succession of relatively homogeneous facies interrupted by continuous high-frequency horizons that subdivide the succession into four sub-units (U3-6). These sub-units are characterized by channels, presumably generated by meltwater-fed turbidity flows, varying in width, varying in depth from 10 to 60m and with suggesting high-energy episodes that creates channels deeper than 100m. They are pervasive throughout the sequences and across the fan and are commonly isolated with low sinuosity. The uppermost sequence (U7) is dominated by deposition of the suspended load and ice-raft debris, characterized by parallel and slightly undulated continuous inner reflections, thinning out downslope. Along the shelf, multiple cross-cutting of iceberg scours and pits are observed. The succession with channels evidence that meltwater can play a major role in TMF sedimentation. These new insights about the smaller-scale processes within seismic resolution demonstrate the variability of active processes during a fast sedimentation period of the Weichselian Glaciation at the North Sea Trough Mouth Fan.
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Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos More, Miquel; Ahokas, Juha & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Improving predictability of changes in tide-influenced channel morphology – implications for exploration and reservoir analogue studies.
Show summary
An increasing number of studies links down-dip changes in riverine morphodynamics on delta plains to backwater effects, i.e. flow deceleration as a river approaches a standing water body and subsequent deposition. Because of the enhanced deposition, this particular transitional zone of changing river and coastal controls is of interest for exploration studies targeting coastal plain depositional systems. A potential predictability should exist on backwater-mediated trends in changing river channel width, depth, sinuosity, and grain size, which in turn controls resulting sedimentary architecture and distribution of heterogeneities in tide-influenced channel-fill bodies. However, backwater concepts originated and are predominantly tested on fluvially-dominated modern rivers and supported by numerical models assuming simplified input parameters. Consequently, the downdip changes of morphological configuration of channels on tide-influenced delta plains, and the role that backwater effect plays on this are yet to be tested.
These backwater effects hold potential to better understand and predict changes in fluvio-depositional style in the subsurface as well. Ancient delta plains of the Triassic Boreal Ocean are among the largest in Earth’s history and characterized by a low-gradient depositional setting, which is considered one of the key factors for the development of such large delta plains. Here, differences in channel types are documented but controlling factors on their distribution and sediment partitioning are not fully understood. Large modern rivers building vast delta plains show similar characteristic, typically having high sediment loads, deep channels and low-gradient slopes. The latter two characteristics imply that there backwater lengths will be longer compared to smaller river systems. Are there differences is channel behavior because of these scaling differences, or is the response scale invariant?
In order to investigate potential scaling relationships between the backwater length and morphological trends on tide-influenced coastal plains, the minimum information required is river channel depth, width, sinuosity and backwater length, the latter depending on river slope and river depth. Other potential forcing factors on river patterns are the catchment area, total river length, prevailing climate, discharge, and coastal plain gradient. Shelf width, tidal range, tidal prism and wave height constitute factors linked to the ocean basin. For most of these components, publicly available global datasets exists. However, access to one of the key parameters to perform this study, i.e. river depth, is rather problematic as bathymetric surveys are unavailable for most of the planet. The use of remote sensing techniques is limited due to the high suspended sediment concentrations typical of coastal plain rivers which hampers penetration of radar or laser beams. Indirect estimates of river depth by using statistical river width-depth relations are considered inapplicable as tidal dynamics can modify these relationships, and is among the targets for this study.
This presentation discusses the ideal dataset for performing such a study and highlights the main challenges obtaining some of the key parameters. We will show preliminary results and discuss their potential to establish predictable scaling relationships between backwater length and changes in tide-influenced channel morphology. Additionally, results will provide insights into controls on channel patterns on tide-influenced delta plains, which can be used to select modern analogues for subsurface case studies and improve reservoir characterization.
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van Yperen, Anna; Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Ahokas, Juha & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Improving predictability of changes in tide-influenced channel morphology – implications for exploration and reservoir analogue studies.
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van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth; Midtkandal, Ivar; Poyatos More, Miquel & Holbrook, John M.
(2021).
Diachronous key stratigraphic surfaces in low-accommodation settings fluvio-deltaic settings.
Show summary
The adequate documentation and interpretation of regional-scale stratigraphic surfaces is paramount to establish correlations between continental and shallow marine strata. In active depositional systems however, these surfaces are often composite and hence diachronous, which contradicts their original appreciation. This is particularly true in low-accommodation settings due to their amalgamated nature. This study utilizes the ~400 km transect of the Cenomanian Mesa Rica Sandstone (Dakota Group, USA); an example of an exhumed depositional profile across a river-to-delta system. The near-continuous outcrop exposure allows mapping of down-dip changes in facies, thickness distribution, fluvial architecture and spatial extent of stratigraphic surfaces. The two sandstone units of the Mesa Rica Sandstone represent contemporaneous fluvio-deltaic deposition in the Tucumcari sub-basin (Western Interior Basin) during two regressive phases. Multivalley deposits pass down-dip into single-story channel sandstones and eventually into distributary channel deposits and delta-front strata. Additionally, multi-storey channel deposits bound by erosional composite scours incise into underlying deltaic deposits. These represent incised-valley fill deposits. The erosional composite surface below fluvial strata in the continental realm represents a sequence boundary/regional composite scour (RCS) and can be mapped for >300 km. Basal distributary composite scours, composite surfaces bounding incised valleys, and basal surfaces below dispersed trunk channels incising into deltaic deposits occur at sub-regional scale. The RCS’ diachronous nature demonstrates that its down-dip equivalent disperses into several surfaces in the marine part of the depositional system, which challenges the idea of a single, correlatable surface. Formation of a regional composite scour in the fluvial realm throughout a relative sea-level cycle highlights that erosion and deposition occur virtually contemporaneously at any point along the depositional profile. This contradicts stratigraphic models that interpret low-accommodation settings to dominantly promote bypass, especially during forced regressions. Source-to-sink analyses should account for this in order to adequately resolve timing and volume of sediment storage in the system throughout a complete relative sea-level cycle.
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Serck, Christopher Sæbø; Braathen, Alvar; Faleide, Jan Inge; Hassaan, Muhammad; Riber, Lars & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
The Utsira High: Fault kinematics, structural restoration and the importance of unconformities.
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Serck, Christopher Sæbø; Braathen, Alvar; Faleide, Jan Inge; Hassaan, Muhammad; Riber, Lars & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Pre-Jurassic structural configuration of the Utsira High - Restoring the Viking Graben Boundary Fault.
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Serck, Christopher Sæbø; Riber, Lars; Braathen, Alvar; Faleide, Jan Inge & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Structural development of the Utsira High - ideas and challenges.
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Midtkandal, Ivar; Poyatos More, Miquel; Da Costa, Sigrid; Brooks, Hannah Louise & Halvorsen, Kristine
[Show all 9 contributors for this article]
(2021).
Mind The Gap: Composite and diachronous stratigraphic surfaces in low-gradient, transitional settings: The J-3 “unconformity” and the Curtis Formation, east-central Utah, U.S.A.
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Serck, Christopher Sæbø; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Midtkandal, Ivar; Braathen, Alvar; Olaussen, Snorre & Osmundsen, Per Terje
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2021).
Tectonic basins around basement domes, Oman II.
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van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth; Poyatos More, Miquel; Holbrook, John M. & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Internal mouth-bar variability and differential preservation of coastal-process indicators in low-accommodation deltaic settings .
Show summary
Mouth bars are fundamental architectural elements of deltaic successions. Understanding their internal architecture and complex interaction with coastal processes (fluvial-, tide- and wave-dominated) is therefore paramount to the interpretation of ancient deltaic successions. This is particularly challenging in low-accommodation systems because they are commonly characterized by a thin, condensed and top-truncated expression. In this study we analyze the exhumed Cenomanian Mesa Rica Sandstone (Dakota Group, Western Interior Seaway, USA), which encompasses a fluvio-deltaic system along a ~450 km depositional dip-parallel profile. The study targets the proximal deltaic expression of the system, using 22 sedimentary logs (total of 390 m) spatially correlated within a ~25 km2 study area at the Tucumcari Basin margin. Analysis of facies distribution, depositional architecture and stratigraphic surfaces mapping reveals a 6–10-m-thick, sharp-based and sand-prone deltaic package, comprising several laterally-extensive (>1.4 km width) mouth bars. Within those, we distinguish four different along-strike sub-environments based on differences in grain size, sedimentary structures, bed thicknesses, and bioturbation indices; these are mouth bar axis, off-axis, lateral fringe to distal lateral fringe deposits, and overall reflect waning depositional energy with increasing distality from the distributary channel mouth. The interpreted mouth-bar components also show internal variability in dominant process regime, with overall river dominance but local preservation of tide influence in the lateral fringe and distal fringe environments. However, mouth-bar deposits amalgamate to form an extensive sand-rich sheet body throughout the study area, in which interflood mudstone to very-fine grained sandstone beds are nearly absent. This indicates a low accommodation/supply (A/S) setting, which promoted recurrent channel avulsion/bifurcation and thus reworking of mouth-bar fringe and distal-fringe sediments, where background coastal processes tend to be better recorded.
Trends in along-strike changes in sedimentary characteristics from axial to lateral environments are also recognized in other wave- and river-dominated deltaic settings as well, where axial components consist of higher energy facies associations resulting from high-density currents, whereas heterolithics become dominant towards the fringes, where there is an alternation of low- and high-density deposits combined with an increased recording of finer-grained facies associations. Complemented with our study, this suggests that internal hierarchy of mouth bars is evident and observed regardless of dominant coastal processes. Consequently, subdivision of mouth bars into different components can reduce complexity of models deriving from a myriad of facies subdivisions, and guide prediction of facies changes and sand distribution in future studies of proximal deltaic settings. Finally, results of this study evidence internal process-regime variability within mouth-bar components. This cautions against relying solely on the preserved deposits at one given location in a system to infer dominant and subordinate coastal processes (e.g. tidal indicators), with a consequent risk of underestimating the true mixed-influence nature of low-accommodation deltaic settings.
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van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth; Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos More, Miquel & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Diachronous key stratigraphic surfaces in low-accommodation fluvio-deltaic settings: from the Dakota Group (USA) to the Cretaceous on Svalbard/Barents Sea .
Show summary
The adequate documentation and interpretation of regional-scale stratigraphic surfaces is paramount to establish correlations between continental and shallow marine strata. In active depositional systems however, these surfaces are often composite and hence diachronous, which contradicts their original appreciation. This is particularly true in low-accommodation settings due to their amalgamated nature. This study utilizes the ~400 km transect of the Cenomanian Mesa Rica Sandstone (Dakota Group, USA), which offers an outstanding example of an exhumed full-transect depositional profile across a river-to-delta system. The near-continuous outcrop exposure allows mapping of down-dip changes in facies, thickness distribution, fluvial architecture and spatial extent of stratigraphic surfaces. The two sandstone units of the Mesa Rica Sandstone represent contemporaneous fluvio-deltaic deposition in the Tucumcari sub-basin (Western Interior Basin) during two regressive phases. Multivalley deposits pass down-dip into single-story channel sandstones and eventually into contemporaneous distributary channel deposits and delta-front strata. Additionally, multi-storey channel deposits bound by erosional composite scours incise into underlying deltaic deposits. These represent incised-valley fill deposits, based on their regional occurrence, estimated channel tops below the surrounding topographic surface and coeval downstepping delta-front geometries. The erosional composite surface below fluvial strata in the continental realm represents a sequence boundary/regional composite scour (RCS) and can be mapped for >300 km. Basal distributary composite scours, composite surfaces bounding incised valleys, and basal surfaces below dispersed trunk channels incising into deltaic deposits occur at sub-regional scale. The RCS’ diachronous nature demonstrates that its down-dip equivalent disperses into several surfaces in the marine part of the depositional system, which challenges the idea of a single, correlatable surface.
This work is important to understand other low-accommodation systems elsewhere, such as Lower Cretaceous strata on Svalbard and in the Barents Sea. Here, correlation between onshore and offshore depositional systems has been hampered due to – amongst others – the lack of preserved Lower Cretaceous strata in parts of the northern Barents Sea. Acknowledgment of the diachronous nature of key stratigraphic surfaces holds potential to improve the understanding of fluvio-marine correlations and sandstone distribution.
In general, formation of a regional composite scour in the fluvial realm throughout a relative sea-level cycle highlights that erosion and deposition occur virtually contemporaneously at any point along the depositional profile. This contradicts stratigraphic models that interpret low-accommodation settings to dominantly promote bypass, especially during forced regressions. Source-to-sink analyses should account for this in order to adequately resolve timing and volume of sediment storage in the system throughout a complete relative sea-level cycle.
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Poyatos More, Miquel; Schwarz, Ernesto; Boya, Salvador; Gomis-Cartesio, Luz Elena & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Multi-scale influence of topography on shallow-marine successions associated with long-term transgressions.
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Machado Garcia, Aurora; Midtkandal, Ivar; Bellwald, Benjamin & Anell, Ingrid Margareta
(2021).
A Source to Sink Approach to the North Sea Fan Pleistocene Glacial Sediments.
Show summary
Trough mouth fans are large depocentres forming the ultimate sinks in glacial source-to-sink systems. Their architecture, sedimentological aspects (origin and processes) and their role as paleoclimatic archives are essential components in improving our understanding of Pleistocene and ongoing climate changes. For many years, these depocentres were thought to be dominated by debris flows accumulated in front of ice streams located at the shelf break. However, recent studies have shown that meltwater plays a major role in bringing sediment to the most distal parts of these fans, especially in lower latitudes. The North Sea Trough Mouth Fan encompasses ~110,000 km2 with water depths of up to 3500 m. It has received sediments throughout the Quaternary, with increased sedimentation rates in the last 1.1 Ma when the Norwegian Channel Ice Stream was active. Recent insight of the fan shows that meltwater turbidites play a major role in sediment delivery to the continental slope and deep-sea basin. The results could entail distinct morphologies for mid-latitude and high-latitude fans. As a result of glacial erosion and the absence of clear imprints of ice sheets on the paleo-shelves, studying trough mouth fan deposits becomes paramount in understanding glacial-interglacial cycles. This project will assess the source-to-sink parameters of the last glaciation (Weichselian) at the North Sea Fan, elucidating the dominant marine and terrestrial processes that led to the studied sedimentary sequences. High-resolution 2D and 3D seismic data, core, volumetric and numerical modeling data will be assimilated to establish a source-to-sink model for the target interval. These results will contribute to the knowledge of how glaciations affect surface mass redistribution, directly affecting the landscape dynamics and sediment routing from Fennoscandia via the North Sea to the slopes and deep basin. Sediment production will be evaluated, assessing whether it increases during the glaciation or if observed higher sedimentation rates are a result of enhanced sediment transport. This project is a part of the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks “S2S – Future: Signal propagation in source to sink for the future of the Earth resources and energy” and will further advance how trough mouth flans are highly dynamic areas where sediment transport, dispersal, remobilization and deposition take place, and serve as excellent proxies to the dynamics of glacial pulses in the hinterland.
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Midtkandal, Ivar; Zuchuat, Valentin; Petrie, Elizabeth & Liberty, Lee
(2021).
COTEC.
Show summary
The multi-disciplinary, multi-institution approach to monitoring CO2-flow in the subsurface is presented, and represented by examples from sedimentology, structural geology, and seismic monitoring.
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Würtzen, Camilla Louise; Osmond, Johnathon L.; Faleide, Jan Inge; Nystuen, Johan Petter; Anell, Ingrid Margareta & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2021).
Syn- to post rift alluvial basin fill: seismic stratigraphic analysis of Permian-Triassic deposition in the Horda Platform.
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Faleide, Thea Sveva; Braathen, Alvar; Lecomte, Isabelle; Mulrooney, Mark Joseph; Midtkandal, Ivar & Bugge, A.J
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2021).
Exploring extensional fault interpretations from seismic reflection data of various resolution substantiated by seismic modelling.
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Osmundsen, Per Terje; Braathen, Alvar; Gresseth, Julie Linnea; Midtkandal, Ivar; More, M.P & Peron-Pinvidic, Gwenn
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2021).
Detachment faulting, successive incision and supradetachment basin evolution in large-magnitude extensional systems.
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Serck, C.S; Braathen, Alvar; Faleide, J.I.; Midtkandal, Ivar & Kjølhamar, Bent
(2021).
Multi-stage rifting, fault reactivation styles and growth basin architecture; evolution of the Terningen Fault Complex, southwestern Barents Sea.
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Liberty, Lee; Petrie, Elizabeth; Hafner, Alison; Arvesen, Brock & Alterskjær, Camilla
[Show all 10 contributors for this article]
(2021).
On CO2 monitoring techniques and the importance of collaborating during times of crisis.
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Faleide, Thea Sveva; Braathen, Alvar; Lecomte, Isabelle; Mulrooney, Mark Joseph; Anell, Ingrid Margareta & Midtkandal, Ivar
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2020).
Testing seismic interpretation of faults by modelling; viable geometries versus seismic resolution in the subsurface.
EAGE extended abstracts.
2020.
doi:
10.3997/2214-4609.202011930.
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van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth; Holbrook, John M.; Poyatos More, Miquel & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2020).
From river to delta; diachronous key stratigraphic surfaces in low-accommodation settings (Dakota Group, USA).
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Serck, Christopher Sæbø & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2020).
Tectonic basins around basement domes, Oman .
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Serck, Christopher Sæbø & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2020).
Tectonic basins around basement domes, Oman.
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Midtkandal, Ivar; Poyatos More, Miquel; Da Costa, Sigrid; Brooks, Hannah L & Halvorsen, Kristine
[Show all 9 contributors for this article]
(2020).
Brexit, Megxit, and the J-3 Unconformitexit: how they all lost it.
Show summary
Unconformities, by definition, correspond to non-depositional or erosive surfaces, separating older strata below, from younger rocks above, and encapsulating significant time gaps. However, recent studies have emphasized the composite nature of some unconformities, as well as their heterochronous and diachronous character, which restricts the use of such a definition to a near one-dimensional setting.
This study analyses the nature of the J-3 Unconformity, which separates the Middle Jurassic Entrada Sandstone from the Late Jurassic Curtis Formation (and laterally equivalent units) in east-central Utah (USA). Our detailed mapping and characterization indicates the J-3 “Unconformity” is in fact a composite surface generated by either erosion-related processes such as eolian deflation, and water-induced erosion, or by deformational processes. These multiple mechanisms interacted and overlapped in time and space, which demonstrates the composite and diachronous and non-unique nature of such boundaries. This contact has been historically interpreted as an unconformity, but our results show that this key stratigraphic surface is a time-transgressive flooding-ravinement surface that formed shortly before and during a series of transgressions that flooded the area during the Late Jurassic. Consequently, the regionally extensive, composite, heterochronous, and diachronous J-3 Unconformity does not fit the classic unconformity definition, after which an unconformity universally separates older from younger strata basin-wide.
The J3 “Unconformity” case study highlights the fact that one process can be represented by varying expressions in the stratigraphic record, and conversely many processes may result in the same stratigraphic expression. Consequently a revised definition of unconformity is discussed, focusing on processes and associated environmental changes, while abandoning its time-barrier aspect. This investigation also exemplifies some of the implications on subsurface analyses that the inaccurate characterization of the subseismic complex characters of such major stratigraphic bounding surfaces can have. These inaccuracies may lead to imprecise timing and sediment budget predictions, and ultimately have strong implications for basin evolution and reservoir models.
Key words: Unconformity, transitional basin, composite surface, ravinement, time-transgressive
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Sleveland, Arve; Sprinkel, Douglas; Pettigrew, Ross P.; Dodd, Thomas J.H. & Clarke, Stuart M.
[Show all 8 contributors for this article]
(2020).
When Utah was a blue state: the sedimentology of the tidally-influenced Upper Jurassic Curtis Formation.
Show summary
The sedimentary record of east-central Utah during the Middle/Late Jurassic shows that arid conditions prevailed, punctuated by episodic incursions of the Sundance Sea from the north. It is some of these incursions that terminated the Entrada aeolian system, and deposited the overlying shallow-marine Curtis Formation in a tide-dominated, semi-enclosed basin. The shallow-marine system was neighboured by a coastal aeolian system belonging to the Moab Member of the Curtis Formation, and a fluvially-starved, sporadically-flooded, paralic belt of the Summerville Formation. These paralic deposits progressively blanketed the shallow-marine strata of the Curtis Formation as the sea regressed northward. This study deconstructs and analyses the continental to shallow-marine deposition during one transgressive-regressive cycle.
Our analysis sub-divides the Curtis Formation into three informal units: the lower, middle and upper Curtis. Allocyclically-driven, short-lived relative sea-level variations, along with episodes of uplift and deformation, dominated over autocyclic processes of the Curtis Sea as the lower Curtis was deposited. The system entered into tidal resonance following the onset of the major transgression that defines the base of the middle Curtis, as the flooded basin reached an optimal length that corresponded to an odd multiple of one quarter tidal wavelength. This high-energy resonant system overprinted the effects of allocyclic forcing within the middle Curtis. By contrast, the neighbouring coastal systems continued to record allocyclic signals preserved as five stacked aeolian sequences of the Moab Member of the Curtis Formation, and a cyclical pattern recognised within the supratidal Summerville Formation.
By documenting a resonant stage in a tide-influenced basin that overprints the otherwise dominant allocyclic processes, this study highlights the importance of assessing coeval depositional systems in order to build complete stratigraphic basin histories.
Keywords: allocyclic, autocyclic, Curtis Formation, stratigraphic surfaces, tidal resonance, aeolian sequences, Utah.
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Hafner, Alison; Osmond, Johnathon L.; Liberty, Lee; Petrie, Elizabeth & Arvesen, Brock
[Show all 11 contributors for this article]
(2020).
CO2 containment and monitoring techniques along Little Grand Wash Fault, east-central Utah, USA.
Show summary
Our current understanding of sub-surface CO2 storage feasibility derives mainly from valuable small-scale projects, which have mostly been working at injection or human time scales. These projects, however, have not been operational long enough to fully assess flow and/or seepage at longer time scales relevant for subsurface CO2 sequestration (e.g. > 10 kY). Many examples of fluid escape have been documented in the offshore subsurface environment (e.g. seismic chimneys), and active or relict natural seeps on land offer informative analogues to subsurface fluid migration.
Of note are the natural seeps located in east-central Utah, USA that are easily accessible and represent suitable onshore counterparts to the offshore fluid escape features. These seeps can be studied to improve our understanding of geological and geomechanical factors controlling subsurface CO2 containment and the expression of fluid escape in geophysical images. A critical concern in CCS is how to account for features that are detrimental to subsurface storage containment and are at scales below seismic resolution. This multidisciplinary project aims to address the challenge by collecting surface and subsurface datasets at mesoscopic scales that, through upscaling, will be implemented in seismic investigations and reservoir-seal models. The project builds upon previous studies detailing the complex development of the Jurassic sedimentary basin in question (Zuchuat et al. 2018; 2019a; 2019b) but is also relevant for analogous settings such as the Norwegian Continental Shelf (e.g. Horda Platform region). Overall, this next research phase specifically focuses on the detailed, post-depositional history of the targeted interval in Utah, addressing one fundamental question: what are the thresholds for detecting CO2 seeps in the subsurface? This encompasses more targeted questions:
• What does the fault core and the fault damage zone of the leaking Little Grand Wash Fault consist of?
• What is the detailed geological footprint of CO2 flow along strata, faults, and fractures?
• How did the CO2 flow migrate through a heterogeneous and transitional, faulted reservoir-seal complex?
• Can seepage from the storage compartments and fluid saturation be identified by seismic imaging?
Zuchuat, V., Sleveland, A. R., Sprinkel, D. A., Rimkus, A., Braathen, A., & Midtkandal, I. (2018). New Insights on the Impact of Tidal Currents on a Low-gradient, Semi-enclosed, Epicontinental Basin—the Curtis Formation, East-central Utah, USA. Geology of the Intermountain West, 5, 131-165.
Zuchuat, V., Sleveland, A.R.N., Pettigrew, R.P, Dodd, T.J.H., Clarke, S.M., Braathen, A., & Midtkandal, I. (2019a). Overprinted Allocyclic Processes by Tidal Resonance in an Epicontinental Basin: the Upper Jurassic Curtis Formation, East-Central Utah, USA. The Depositional Record, 5(2), 272-305.
Zuchuat, V., Midtkandal, I., Poyatos-Moré, M., Da Costa, S., Brooks, H.L., Halvorsen, K., Cote, N., Sundal, A., & Braathen, A. (2019b). Composite and Diachronous Stratigraphic Surfaces in Low-Gradient, Transitional Settings: the J-3 “Unconformity” and the Curtis Formation, East-Central Utah, U.S.A. Accepted in The Journal of Sedimentary Research.
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Würtzen, Camilla Louise; Nystuen, Johan Petter; Müller, Reidar; Faleide, J. I. & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2020).
Basin Fill Dynamics of the Triassic Alluvial Succession on the Horda Platform, Northern North Sea.
Show summary
The Triassic continental succession west of the Øygarden Fault Complex in the northern North Sea is studied using 2D and 3D seismic lines integrated with well pattern analysis to discern the basin fill history and structural development of the area. The Øygarden Fault Complex is located within the N-S trending Horda Platform east of the deeply faulted Viking Graben. A series of large west-dipping faults bounding east-dipping half grabens characterize the Horda Platform area. The focus area is within a rotated fault block between the basement-bounding Øygarden Fault in the east and the Vette Fault in the west.
The Triassic fill forms a 1300 m eastward thickening unit, commonly regarded as part of the Late Triassic post-rift stage. A wedging of some intervals is however indicative of active faulting during deposition. Previous studies have subdivided the strata in the Tampen Spur area into a late Permian-early Scythian syn-rift basin fill and three post-rift phases; 1: Late Scythian to Ladinian, 2: Carnian to Norian, 3: Norian to Rhaetian, defined by bounding unconformities and depositional patterns. This study subdivides the Øygarden area succession into seismic facies where reflection patterns indicate depositional characteristics. Reflection pattern analyses reveal depositional features such as channels, hangingwall fans, and footwall fans. A shift in facies trend between mud and sand rich intervals indicates variance in subsidence rate and sedimentation supply related to tectonic displacement rate and climate. The climate changed from arid to semi-humid in the Latest Triassic according to studies from Tampen Spur: (1) a shift in palaeosol types, (2) increase in carbonate material, (3) seasonality indicated by isotope analysis, (4) absence of anhydrite, (5) an increase in abundance and thickness of the mud-dominated intervals related to an increase in pluvial lacustrine conditions, (6) a change in palaeolatitude, and (7) increased fluvial channel stability indicating increasing sinuosity. Humid climate results in denser vegetation, which strengthens levees and their channels. During increased runoff, the sediment yield increased, with correspondingly coarser grained material delivered to the basin. Models for sedimentation fill and stratal package geometries in rift systems can be applied to the Øygarden area. The analysis suggests a depositional system with N-S trending highs bounding narrow elongated basins. Alluvial fans prograded from the ranges into the basins. Changing subsidence rate and climatic variations controlled the magnitude and style of axial draining channels along with the dispersal and preservation of surrounding finer grained alluvial plain style deposits.
Keywords. Triassic, Øygarden Fault Complex, northern north Sea, basin fill history, seismic facies, alluvial
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Braathen, Alvar; Osmundsen, Per Terje; Midtkandal, Ivar & Serck, Christopher Sæbø
(2020).
Devonian extensional tectonics in Svalbard; Raudfjorden’s synclinal basin above the Keiserhjelmen detachment.
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Midtkandal, Ivar; Holbrook, John; Faleide, Jan Inge; Myers, Cody; van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth & Shephard, Grace
[Show all 7 contributors for this article]
(2020).
Testing arctic tectonic plate models with Cretaceous sediment source to sink budgets.
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Faleide, Thea Sveva; Braathen, Alvar; Lecomte, Isabelle; Anell, Ingrid Margareta; Midtkandal, Ivar & Planke, Sverre
(2020).
Seismic modelling of faults; viable geometries vs seismic resolution in the subsurface.
Show summary
Resolution and illumination issues in seismic data curtails identification of fault geometries and fault-initiated rock damage when mapping subsurface faults. Seismic modelling can be utilized to bridge the gap in identifying what can be imaged with certainty in seismic data, with respect to the original geology, especially when also comparing to outcrop data. In this study, we explore how seismic modelling can distinguish between real structures versus seismic artefacts. 2(3)D Point-Spread-Function based convolution modelling is used in a sensitivity study. One input is detailed fault interpretations of high-resolution P-Cable data and comparable conventional 3D seismic data from the Hoop area in the Barents Sea. Another dataset comes from detailed fault geometries observed in outcrops, which were used to build geological models as input to the seismic modelling. In addition to the host-rock lithofacies, parameters of importance for the geological model building include overall fault geometry and the distribution of architectural elements (fault facies) within the fault zone. By varying fault input, lithofacies, a wide range of frequencies, and illumination, we analyse a variety of synthetic seismic images. Finally we compare our modelled outcomes with seismic data from the Hoop area. The scope of the workflow is to increase confidence in seismic interpretations and to identify limitations in the analysis of steep, normal faults in seismic data.
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Midtkandal, Ivar
(2019).
Sedimentary systems in rifts - the Suprabasins approach.
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Osmundsen, Per Terje; Braathen, Alvar; Midtkandal, Ivar; Poyatos More, Miquel & Andersen, T.B.
(2019).
On fault growth and bulk constriction in transtensional supradetachment basins. Lecture, Tectonic Studies Group.
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Shephard, Grace; Jackson, Ruth; Gaina, Carmen; Piepjohn, Karsten; Oakey, Gordon & Qingmou, Li
[Show all 9 contributors for this article]
(2019).
Updated tectonic reconstructions of the Cretaceous Arctic: Digital plate model and applications.
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Osmundsen, Per Terje; Braathen, Alvar; Svendby, Anne Kathrine; Midtkandal, Ivar; Peyotas More, Miquel & Andersen, Torgeir Bjørge
(2019).
On fault growth and bulk constriction in transtensional supradetachment basins.
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Faleide, Thea Sveva; Midtkandal, Ivar; Planke, Sverre; Corseri, Romain; Faleide, Jan Inge & Nystuen, Johan Petter
[Show all 8 contributors for this article]
(2019).
High-resolution seismic imaging and modelling of structural and stratigraphical features in the SW Barents Sea.
Show summary
Poster at the AAPG 2019 conference, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Holbrook, John M. & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2019).
Internal mouth-bar variability and preservation potential of tide-influence in a low-accommodation setting (Dakota Group, USA). .
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van Yperen, Anna Elisabeth; Poyatos-Moré, Miquel; Holbrook, John M. & Midtkandal, Ivar
(2019).
From river to delta: down-dip changes in amalgamated sheet sandstones along an exhumed transect .
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Osmond, Johnathon L.; Sundal, Anja; Midtkandal, Ivar; Skurtveit, Elin & Petrie, Elizabeth
[Show all 9 contributors for this article]
(2019).
CO2 containment and monitoring techniques along Little Grand Wash Fault, east-central Utah, USA.
Show summary
Our current understanding of sub-surface CO2 sequestration feasibility derives mainly from valuable small-scale projects, which have mostly been working at injection or human time scales. These projects, however, have not been operational long enough to fully assess flow and/or seepage at longer time scales relevant for subsurface CO2 storage (e.g. > 10 kY). Many examples of fluid escape have been documented in the offshore subsurface environment (e.g. seismic chimneys), and natural seeps found on land, both active and relict, offer informative analogues to subsurface fluid migration. Of note are the natural seeps located in east-central Utah, USA that are easily accessible and represent suitable onshore counterparts to the offshore fluid escape features. These seeps can improve our understanding of geological and geomechanical factors controlling subsurface CO2 containment and the expression of fluid escape in geophysical images. A critical concern is how to account for features that are detrimental to subsurface storage containment and are at scales below seismic resolution. This multidisciplinary project aims to address the challenge by collecting surface and subsurface datasets at mesoscopic scales that, through viable upscaling, will be implemented in seismic investigations and reservoir-seal models. Moreover, the project builds upon previous studies detailing the complex development of the Jurassic sedimentary basin in question (Zuchuat et al. 2018; 2019; in press) but is also relevant for the Horda Platform region (Aurora and Smeaheia) or other prospective North Sea CO2 storage sites. Overall, this next research phase specifically focuses on the detailed, post-depositional history of the targeted interval in Utah, addressing one fundamental question: what are the thresholds for detecting CO2 seeps in the subsurface? This encompasses more targeted questions:
• What is the detailed geological footprint of CO2 flow along strata, faults, and fractures?
• How did the CO2 flow migrate through a heterogeneous and transitional, faulted reservoir-seal complex?
• Can seepage from the storage compartment be identified by seismic imaging?
• Can detailed geological datasets and related geophysical models verify the existence of – and facilitate quantification of CO2 volumes (saturation) required to create offshore geophysical chimneys, and thereby improve integrity assessment of prospective North Sea CO2 reservoirs?
Zuchuat, V., Sleveland, A. R., Sprinkel, D. A., Rimkus, A., Braathen, A., & Midtkandal, I. (2018). New Insights on the Impact of Tidal Currents on a Low-gradient, Semi-enclosed, Epicontinental Basin—the Curtis Formation, East-central Utah, USA. Geology of the Intermountain West, 5, 131-165.
Zuchuat, V., Sleveland, A.R.N., Pettigrew, R.P, Dodd, T.J.H., Clarke, S.M., Braathen, A., & Midtkandal, I. (2019). Overprinted Allocyclic Processes by Tidal Resonance in an Epicontinental Basin: the Upper Jurassic Curtis Formation, East-Central Utah, USA. The Depositional Record, 5(2), 272-305.
Zuchuat, V., Midtkandal, I., Poyatos-Moré, M., Da Costa, S., Brooks, H.L., Halvorsen, K., Cote, N., Sundal, A., & Braathen, A. (in press.). Composite and Diachronous Stratigraphic Surfaces in Low-Gradient, Transitional Settings: the J-3 “Unconformity” and the Curtis Formation, East-Central Utah, U.S.A. Accepted in The Journal of Sedimentary Research.
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Shephard, Grace; Jackson, Ruth; Gaina, Carmen; Piepjohn, Karsten; Oakey, Gordon & Li, Qingmou
[Show all 9 contributors for this article]
(2019).
Updated tectonic reconstructions of the Cretaceous Arctic: Digital plate model and applications.
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Sleveland, Arve; Midtkandal, Ivar; Galland, Olivier & Leanza, Hector Armando
(2019).
Sedimentary architecture of mixed-process mouth bar deposits in the Mulichinco
Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina.
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Sleveland, Arve; Midtkandal, Ivar; Galland, Olivier & Leanza, Hector Armando
(2019).
Compensational stacking and architecture of mouth-bar deposits in a mixed-process deltaic environment; Mulichinco Formation, Neuquén Basin, Argentina.
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Planke, Sverre; Corseri, Romain; Polteau, Stephane; Faleide, Jan Inge; Midtkandal, Ivar & Faleide, Thea Sveva
[Show all 9 contributors for this article]
(2019).
HALIP Implications for Early Cretaceous Sedimentation in the Barents Sea.
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Nipen, Helge; Midtkandal, Ivar; Faleide, Jan Inge & Braathen, Alvar
(2020).
Permo-Triassic basin development on the Horda Platform and Stord Basin - Prerift architecture and rift phase 1 evolution.
7Letras.
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Zuchuat, Valentin; Midtkandal, Ivar & Braathen, Alvar
(2019).
Continental to Shallow Marine Transition in a Tide-Dominated, Low Accommodation Basin - Controlling Factors and Depositional Architecture.
Universitetet i Oslo.
Show summary
Modern tide-dominated, regressive shorelines featuring deltas estuaries and lagoons are well characterised and distinctive from wave or fluvial dominated systems. However, some ancient tidedominated basins and their associated sedimentary successions do not relate well to any of the above-mentioned, present-day systems. The Utah-Idaho Trough a semi-enclosed, narrow, and shallow foreland basin flooded during the Upper Jurassic by the Curtis Sea is one of these exceptions. The main target of this doctoral thesis is the Upper Jurassic, tide-dominated Curtis Formation, which outcrops in east-Central Utah, where it overlies the Middle Jurassic, aeolian deposits of the Entrada Sandstone. The Curtis Formation is defined at its base by the J-3 Unconformity and is conformably overlain by supratidal sabkha deposits of the Summerville Formation. The Entrada-Curtis-Summerville is subdivided into eight facies associations (FA 1-8), with six subfacies associations (FA 1a, 1b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b). Based on the specific three-dimensional arrangement of these facies associations, it is proposed to separate the Curtis Formation into three informal subunits: The lower, middle and upper Curtis. The lower Curtis, which consists of upper shoreface to beach deposits (FA 2), mud- (FA 3a) and sand-dominated heterolithic subtidal flat sediments (FA 3b),