A general model for growth trajectories of linear carbonate platforms

2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1139-1155
Author(s):  
Nicolas Goudemand ◽  
Pulkit Singh ◽  
Jonathan L. Payne
Keyword(s):  
Growth Trajectories ◽  
Carbonate Platforms ◽  
Seawater Chemistry ◽  
Forward Models ◽  
Sedimentary Deposits ◽  
Sediment Production ◽  
Carbonate Sedimentation ◽  
Platform Margin ◽  
Simple Equations ◽  
Analytical Expressions

ABSTRACT A key challenge regarding development of carbonate platforms is predicting the temporal pattern of platform-margin progradation, aggradation, retrogradation, and drowning. Numerical forward models of carbonate sedimentation have been widely applied to this problem, shedding substantial light on the roles of sediment production, transport, tectonic subsidence, and eustasy on the evolution of carbonate platforms. However, forward models are typically complex and computationally expensive, preventing comprehensive exploration of parameter space. In addition, the interactions among parameters are often nonlinear, preventing the development of simple expressions relating the position of the platform margin to the governing parameters of the model. To complement the considerable insights derived from numerical forward models, this study presents analytical expressions for the temporal evolution of the position of platform margins using the simplest possible assumptions regarding sediment production and transport. These expressions provide useful null models, deviations from which can be used to identify the particular effects of biology or seawater chemistry on carbonate factories in influencing the development of these important sedimentary deposits. Application of the model to synthetic and outcrop examples demonstrates that these simple equations are useful for parameter estimation that can then be used to guide more detailed, process-based numerical forward models.

Impact of basin architecture on diagenesis and dolomitization in a fault-bounded carbonate platform: outcrop analogue of a pre-salt carbonate reservoir, Red Sea rift, NW Saudi Arabia

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Khalid Al-Ramadan ◽  
Ardiansyah Koeshidayatullah ◽  
Dave Cantrell ◽  
Peter K. Swart
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Elevated Temperatures ◽  
Carbonate Platform ◽  
Isotope Analysis ◽  
Carbonate Reservoir ◽  
Carbonate Platforms ◽  
Hydrocarbon Reservoir ◽  
Red Sea Rift ◽  
Platform Margin ◽  
Clumped Isotope

The early Miocene Wadi Waqb carbonate in the Midyan Peninsula, NE Red Sea is of great interest not only because of its importance as an archive of one of the few pre-salt synrift carbonate platforms in the world, but also as a major hydrocarbon reservoir. Despite this importance, little is known about the diagenesis and heterogeneity of this succession. This study uses petrographical, elemental chemistry, stable isotope (δ13C and δ18O) and clumped isotope (Δ47) analyses to decipher the controlling processes behind the formation of various diagenetic products, especially dolomite, from two locations (Wadi Waqb and Ad-Dubaybah) that have experienced different diagenetic histories. Petrographically, the dolomites in both locations are similar, and characterized by euhedral to subhedral crystals (50–200 µm) and fabric-preserving dolomite textures. Clumped isotope analysis suggests that slightly elevated temperatures were recorded in the Ad-Dubaybah location (up to 49°C), whereas the Wadi Waqb location shows a sea-surface temperature of c. 30°C. These temperature differences, coupled with distinct δ18OVPDB values, can be used to infer the chemistry of the fluids involved in the dolomitization processes, with fluids at the Wadi Waqb location displaying much higher δ18OSMOW values (up to +4‰) compared to those at the Ad Dubaybah location (up to −3‰). Two different dolomitization models are proposed for the two sites: a seepage reflux, evaporative seawater mechanism at the Wadi Waqb location; and a fault-controlled, modified seawater mechanism at the Ad-Dubaybah location. At Ad-Dubaybah, seawater was modified through interaction with the immature basal sandstone aquifer, the Al-Wajh Formation. The spatial distribution of the dolostone bodies formed at these two locations also supports the models proposed here: with the Wadi Waqb location exhibiting massive dolostone bodies, while the dolostone bodies in the Ad-Dubaybah location are mostly clustered along the slope and platform margin. Porosity is highest in the slope sediments due to the interplay between higher precursor porosity, the grain size of the original limestone and dolomitization. Ultimately, this study provides insights into the prediction of carbonate diagenesis in an active tectonic basin and the resultant porosity distribution of a pre-salt carbonate reservoir system.

scholarly journals Development and dolomitization of Anisian isolated carbonate platforms in the Transdanubian Range, Hungary

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Carbonate Platforms ◽  
Southwestern Part ◽  
Volcanic Tuff ◽  
Subaerial Exposure ◽  
Extensional Tectonic ◽  
Platform Margin ◽  
Transdanubian Range ◽  
The Comparative Study ◽  
Tectonic Movements

Abstract In the Middle Anisian, extensional tectonic movements led to the development of isolated carbonate platforms in the area of the southwestern part of the Transdanubian Range. The platforms are made up of meter-scale peritidal–lagoonal cycles bounded by subaerial exposure surfaces. One of the platform successions (Tagyon Platform) consists predominantly of limestone that contains partially and completely dolomitized intervals, whereas the other one (Kádárta Platform) is completely dolomitized. Drowning of the platforms took place in the latest Pelsonian to the early Illyrian interval when submarine highs came into existence and then condensed pelagic carbonate successions with volcanic tuff interbeds were deposited on the top of the drowned platforms from the late Illyrian up to the late Ladinian. The comparative study of dolomitization of the coeval platforms, affected by different diagenetic histories, is discussed in the current paper. Traces of probably microbially-mediated early dolomitization were preserved in the slightly dolomitized successions of the Tagyon Platform. This might also have been present in the successions of the Kádárta Platform, but was overprinted by geothermal dolomitization along the basinward platform margin and by pervasive reflux dolomitization in the internal parts of the platform. The Carnian evolution of the two submarine highs was different, and this may have significantly influenced the grade of the shallow to deeper burial dolomitization.

scholarly journals Application of Spectral Decomposition Technique to Delineate the Evolution of Karst on Carbonate Platforms of Central Luconia, Offshore Sarawak, Malaysia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (24) ◽  
pp. 11627
Author(s):  
Siti Sarah Ab Rahman ◽  
Maman Hermana Husen ◽  
Grisel Jimenez Soto ◽  
Saw Bing Bing ◽  
Nur Huda M Jamin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spectral Decomposition ◽  
Quantitative Description ◽  
Seismic Interpretation ◽  
Drilling Process ◽  
3D Seismic ◽  
Carbonate Platforms ◽  
Thin Sections ◽  
Time Frequency ◽  
Platform Margin ◽  
Central Luconia

Karstification in carbonate platforms of the Miocene age in Central Luconia province, offshore Sarawak, Malaysia, has been discussed since the onset of exploration and initial discoveries in the region, with over 200 mapped platforms to date. An extensive drilling program over the last decade confirmed the existence of karst during the drilling process where issues such as total loss circulation and bit drops were common. Karst in Central Luconia has been proposed by several authors; however, detailed quantitative description of the observed features have not yet been conducted. This study involves systematic mapping of loss circulation depths, chalkified/rubble/vuggy zones described from cores, and vugs of >2 mm in size and moldic porosity observed on thin sections of the Jintan platform. These data supplement the interpretation of karst from multiple 3D seismic attributes. Seismic interpretation of the Jintan and M1 platforms revealed an extensive dendritic pattern which is on average 70–100 m deep and 3–5 km long, and circular geobodies of 1 km in width that exist on the upper part of the platform. Spectral decomposition, also known as time-frequency analysis, was used to enhance the interpretation of karst features on seismics within a specific wavelength. In this study, a comparison of three spectral decomposition methods applied on the 3D seismic cube of the Jintan and M1 platforms was undertaken to determine the method which allowed for better delineation of the karst features. The results show that the short-time Fourier transform (STFT) method using frequencies of 46, 54, and 60 Hz delineated most of the karst features compared to the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) Morlet and CWT Ricker wavelet methods. This paper aims to discuss the dimensions, evolution and geometry of the karst features quantitatively on three selected karst horizons named “K1”, “K2”, “K3”. Interpretation revealed that the dendritic karst features were found to be most prominent on the K2 horizon which lies below a conspicuous change of the external geomorphology of the platform. Backstepping of the platform margin by 12 km is observed in both platforms. Quantitative seismic interpretation shows that the karst observed in M1 platform is approximately 70–100 m deep, and the dendritic features are around 1–2 km in length and approximately 500 m wide; whereas, in the Jintan platform the dendritic features observed are up to 5 km in length with several 1 km wide circular/sinkhole features. More than 20 dendritic features orientated SE and NS were mapped mainly in the transitional area as well as the center of both platforms. The nature of the karst morphology in Central Luconia remains controversial; however, it is proposed to be of mixing zone karst origin.

scholarly journals Controls on dolomitization in extensional basins: An example from the Derbyshire Platform, U.K.

2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1156-1174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Breislin ◽  
Stephen Crowley ◽  
Vanessa J. Banks ◽  
Jim D. Marshall ◽  
Ian L. Millar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Volcanic Complex ◽  
Carbonate Platforms ◽  
Rift Basins ◽  
Southern Margin ◽  
North Wales ◽  
Platform Drowning ◽  
Platform Margin ◽  
Platform Carbonates ◽  
Planar Fabric

ABSTRACT Fault-controlled dolomitization has been documented in Lower Carboniferous (Viséan) platform carbonates at various localities in the Pennine Basin and North Wales. The largest of these dolomite bodies (approx. 60 km2) occurs on the Derbyshire Platform, on the southern margin of the Pennine Basin. This study tests the hypothesis that dolomitization occurred at this locality during deposition, platform drowning, and the earliest stages of burial, coincident with the transition from a late syn-rift to post-rift regime. It also assesses the importance of syn-rift volcanism on dolomitization. Planar, fabric-retentive dolomite with single-phase (i.e., low temperature) fluid inclusions occurs along NW–SE and E–W oriented faults, and in platform margin facies and in proximity to the Masson Hill Volcanic Complex. Oxygen isotope data are consistent with dolomitization from seawater, but slightly depleted δ13C values reflect mixing with magmatic fluids. Volcanic activity is likely to have produced a thermal drive for fluid circulation on the platform margin, and post-depositional alteration of basalts by CO2-rich fluids could have led to alteration of olivine and release of magnesium to convecting seawater. Consequently, the large volume of dolostone on the southern margin of the Derbyshire Platform is attributed to the increased geothermal gradient and a localized increase in the Mg/Ca ratio of dolomitizing fluids at this locality, compared to elsewhere in the Pennine Basin. The results suggest that syn-rift carbonate platforms in volcanically active areas of rift basins have a greater potential for dolomitization from seawater than non-volcanic platforms in the same basin.

scholarly journals Late Pennsylvanian carbonate platform facies and coral reef: new insights from southern China (Guizhou Province)

Facies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marine Maillet ◽  
Wen-Tao Huang ◽  
Xiao Li ◽  
Zhen-Yuan Yang ◽  
Chang-Qing Guan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coral Reef ◽  
Carbonate Platform ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Guizhou Province ◽  
Algal Community ◽  
Seawater Chemistry ◽  
Green Algal ◽  
Platform Margin ◽  
Large Coral ◽  
Shelf Margin

Abstract The Pennsylvanian is characterized by intense paleoenvironmental changes related to glacio-eustatic sea-level fluctuations and major tectonic events, which affected the evolution of biocommunities. Most known Pennsylvanian tropical reefs and mounds are predominantly composed of calcareous algae (e.g. phylloid algae, Archaeolithophyllum), calcareous sponges, fenestrate bryozoans, Tubiphytes, and microbialites. However, in Houchang (southern China), the Late Pennsylvanian carbonate platform records a large coral reef lacking any analogs in age (Gzhelian), size (80–100 m thick) and composition (high biodiversity). The large coral reef developed at the border of the Luodian intraplatform basin. The intraplatform basin is characterized by the deposition of green algal grainstone, coated grain grainstone and bioclastic packstone, grainstone, floatstone and rudstone in shallow-waters. In the deep-water shelf, lithofacies are composed of burrowed bioclastic wackestone, microbioclastic peloidal packstone, grainstone, and fine-grained burrowed wackestone and packstone. In this context, the coral reef developed on a deep-shelf margin, in a moderate to low energy depositional environment, below the FWWB. The scarcity of Pennsylvanian coral reefs suggests global unfavorable conditions, which can be attributed to a complex pattern of several environmental factors, including seawater chemistry (aragonite seas), paleoclimatic cooling related to continental glaciation, and the biological competition with the more opportunistic and adaptive phylloid algal community that occupied similar platform margin paleoenvironments. The existence of the large Bianping coral reef in southern China, as well as a few additional examples of Pennsylvanian coralliferous bioconstructions, provides evidence that coral communities were able to endure the Late Paleozoic fluctuating paleoenvironmental conditions in specific settings. One of such settings appears to have been the deep shelf margin, where low light levels decreased competition with the phylloid algal community.

FACIES MODELS IN EXPLORATION — THE CARBONATE PLATFORMS OF NORTH-EAST AUSTRALIA

1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Davies ◽  
Philip A. Symonds ◽  
David A. Feary ◽  
Christopher J. Pi gram
Keyword(s):  
Great Barrier Reef ◽  
Middle Miocene ◽  
Foreland Basin ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Low Energy ◽  
Barrier Reef ◽  
Carbonate Platforms ◽  
North East ◽  
Facies Associations ◽  
Platform Margin

The carbonate platforms of north-east Australia encapsulate a record of tectonic, eustatic, climatic and oceanographic dynamism that has controlled their formation. Collectively, the Great Barrier Reef and the Queensland and Marion Plateaus, together with the rift basins that separate them, define a new model for carbonate platform evolution with important exploration consequences. Cretaceous rifting, Paleocene breakup, Cainozoic northward drift with concomitant climatic changes, Neogene subsidence pulses, and sea-level perturbations have combined to produce tropical carbonate platforms overlying temperate, mixed carbonate/siliciclastic facies. The Great Barrier Reef tropical shelf platform thins to the south; reefs first developed in the north in the Early to Middle Miocene along the west- to east-trending distal margin of a foreland basin. The reefs of the Queensland and Marion Plateaus developed in the Middle Miocene and are the precursors of the carbonate platforms of the central and southern Great Barrier Reef. The Miocene Marion Plateau barrier and platform reefs backstepped to become the Plio-Pleistocene Great Barrier Reef. Three energy- and climate-related carbonate facies associations define new prospecting scenarios: the tropical, high energy reef model; the tropical, low energy, Halimeda bioherm model; and the subtropical, low energy, deep water, red algal/ foram/bryozoan bioherm model. These facies occur within four distinct structural/sedimentological associations: the progradative platform margin, the backstepped platform margin, the foreland basin, and the fault block association. The models can be readily applied to the Gulf of Papua/Torres Shelf and the Canning Basin and may produce exciting new insights into carbonate plays in these areas.

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