Numerous extensional faults offset the passive margin strata of the northern Bonaparte Basin. Thi... more Numerous extensional faults offset the passive margin strata of the northern Bonaparte Basin. This extensional deformation has been attributed to lithospheric flexure of the descending Australian Plate, in an overall convergence setting. Here we use an extensive 2D and 3D seismic dataset calibrated with well biostratigraphy and strontium (Sr) isotope age data to constrain the timing of deformation along the northern Australian margin during the Neogene. Analysis of fault throw and differential thickness variations give new insights on the propagation and slip history of the faults. Along-dip throw profiles exhibit 'D' shape distributions, skewed towards the top. Positive throw gradients above the throw maxima, coinciding with intervals of growth strata, indicate multiphase fault activity. Results indicate that post-rift extensional deformation initiated during the latest Miocene (ca. 6 Ma). The development of the modern Timor Trough (as a foreland basin) and Cartier Trough also commenced during this period. A second episode of increased tectonic activity occurred around the Pliocene–Quaternary boundary (ca. 3 Ma), and the deformation continued intermittently to the present-day. These new results are in agreement with the timing of initiation of collision between the Australian Plate and the Banda Arc and uplift of the Timor Island, recently derived from stratigraphic analysis in Timor. These regional tectonic events have profoundly affected the paleogeography of the Timor Sea and may explain major changes in oceanic circulation and climate during the Neogene.
In the northwestern Bonaparte Basin (North West Shelf of Australia) Neogene to Recent flexure-ind... more In the northwestern Bonaparte Basin (North West Shelf of Australia) Neogene to Recent flexure-induced extension superimposed obliquely over the Mesozoic rift structures. Thus, the area offers a good opportunity to investigate the dynamics and architecture of oblique extension fault systems. Analysis of basin-scale 2D and 3D seismic data along the Vulcan sub-basin shows that Neogene deformation produced a new set of extensional, en echelon faults, at places accompanied by the reactivation of the Mesozoic faults. The pre-existing Mesozoic structures strongly control the distribution of the Neogene-Recent deformation, both at regional and local scales. Main controls on the Neogene-Recent fault style, density and segmentation/linkage include: (1) the orientation of the underlying Mesozoic structures, (2) the obliqueness of the younger extension relative to the rift-inherited faults, and (3) the proximity to the Timor Trough. Three types of vertical relationships have been observed between Mesozoic and Neogene-Recent faults. Hard linkages seems to develop when both fault systems trend parallel, therefore increasing risks for trap integrity. It is suggested that the orientation of maximum horizontal stress (S Hmax) relative to the Mesozoic faults, forming hydrocarbon traps, is critical for their potential seal/leak behaviour. Stratigraphic growth across the faults indicates that main fault activity occurred during the Plio-Pleistocene, which corresponds to the timing of tectonic loading on Timor Island and the development of lithospheric flexure. Synchronism of normal faulting with flexural bending suggests that extensional deformation on the descending Australian margin accompanied the formation of the Timor Trough.
Isolated carbonate build-ups (ICBs) represent attractive hydrocarbon exploration targets. They ar... more Isolated carbonate build-ups (ICBs) represent attractive hydrocarbon exploration targets. They are often seen as long-term transgressive features, but their distribution within basins and growth history can be difficult to predict as they respond to the interplay between various tectonic, eustatic and oceanographic parameters. Here we use a 3D seismic megasurvey (18,000 km 2) combined with well data to understand the timing and mechanisms of formation of tropical Quaternary ICBs in NW Australia. At present the ICBs are typically 1e30 km wide and form clusters of ~150 build-ups, developing 2e85 km from the edge of a 650 km-wide continental shelf. Our results demonstrate that the structural evolution of the margin had a major impact on the distribution of the ICBs. Main period of fault activity commenced during the latest MioceneeEarly Pliocene, corresponding to the initial collision of the Australian Plate with Banda Arc. Fault activity increased from Late Pliocene and peaked during the Early Pleistocene. It was associated with flexural reactivation of structural highs (uplift) and lows (subsidence) along the shelf-margin. Seismic evidence of moat channel and drift deposits suggest that contour current activity intensified during the late Early Pleistocene (ca. 1 Ma BP). Despite potentially good conditions for carbonate production (basement highs and warm water ocean currents), ICBs did not form until the Mid Pleistocene (ca. 0.582e0.8 Ma BP). This age corresponds to the onset of major sea level fluctuations associated with repeated, high-amplitude (þ120 m) rapid deglacial rises and slow falls. Thus, we infer that the NW Australia ICBs formed due to: (1) structural shaping of the margin; (2) oceanographic changes, and; most importantly, (3) onset of repeated high-amplitude transgressions reactivating the carbonate production along isolated highs following 4the5th order lowstand exposures and allowing catching-up carbonate morphologies to develop.
Keywords: Indus Fan turbidite system Quaternary stratigraphy sea-level pull-apart basin megaturbi... more Keywords: Indus Fan turbidite system Quaternary stratigraphy sea-level pull-apart basin megaturbidite The Indus sedimentary basin forms one of the largest " source-to-sink " systems of the Quaternary and extends over 10 6 km 2 offshore. It is characterized by a complex tectonic setting marked by the Himalayan active orogenic belt in the source area, and the active strike-slip India-Arabia plate boundary (Owen Fracture Zone; OFZ) in its distal reaches. This paper focuses on a Late Quaternary channel–levee system from the Indus Fan captured by the recent opening of the 20°N pull-apart basin, located at 850 km off the present-day Indus Delta, along the OFZ. In this area the channel-mouth deposits consist of a set of up to 23 m thick megaturbidites trapped in the basin. These deposits form " ponded " lobe deposits in a tectonically-active confined basin. Age determination from radiocarbon dating and extrapolation of local deformation rates show that the older deposits observed on the seismic profiles are up to 358 ka BP old (MIS 10). The origin of these Late Quaternary deposits are investigated in the context of the Indus " source-to-sink " system and their significance is placed in a sequence strati-graphic framework. Integration of the stratigraphic architecture of the 20°N Basin megaturbidites with previous work in the area suggests that the Indus Fan evolved from a delta-fed turbidite system with several active canyons and channel–levee during the forced regressive conditions of the last falling stage of sea-level (122– 25 ka BP), to a point source turbidite system during the sea-level lowstand (Last Glacial Maximum) and early transgressive stages (25–12 ka BP). This work sheds new light on the recent evolution of the Indus sedimentary system and illustrates the importance of the delta/river evolution during the fall of sea-level (e.g., incised valley formation) on the timing of sedimentary transfer and sediment distribution at the basin-scale.
This study focuses on the exceptionally high occurrence of Orbulina suturalis and morphotypes ver... more This study focuses on the exceptionally high occurrence of Orbulina suturalis and morphotypes very close to Praeorbulina in Late Glacial sediments from the Northern Arabian Sea. The genus Praeorbulina has been described by Blow (1956) as an ancestor of Orbulina universa. Our study is based on the analysis of three sediment cores retrieved in the Gulf of Oman (KS01, MD04-2849,
The Bonaparte Basin (NW Australia) forms a rare, recent example where Neogene deformation shaped ... more The Bonaparte Basin (NW Australia) forms a rare, recent example where Neogene deformation shaped a very wide platform (630 km wide) in which a mixed carbonate-silliciclastic sedimentary sequence developed. This study combines structural and stratigraphic analysis and provides new insights as to the role of tectonics in controlling platform shape and sediment distribution in wide shallow water settings. Detailed analysis of the structure and stratigraphy of the northern part of the Bonaparte Basin allowed identification of the main regimes and phases of deformation and their control on sedimentation during the Neogene. The results reveal that the distribution of Neogene sediments across the northern Bonaparte Basin is mainly controlled by flexure-induced deformation mechanisms associated locally with extensional faults and low-strain, left-lateral strike-slip. These processes ultimately shaped the geometry and sedimentary architecture of the wide continental shelf. They led to the development of two different types of tectonically induced shelf depocentres that controlled the gross distribution of Quaternary sediments. In particular, deformation processes enhanced the formation of the carbonate-dominated, ∼200 m-deep Malita intra-shelf basin. The Bonaparte Basin is a prime natural laboratory to describe the links between tectonics and sedimentation along a very large, mixed carbonate/clastic platform and could be used as a modern analogue to similar settings in the past Earth's history.
This study investigates the morphology and Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Makran tu... more This study investigates the morphology and Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Makran turbidite system (Makran subduction zone, north-west Indian Ocean) from a nearly complete subsurface mapping of the Oman basin, two-dimensional seismic and a large set of coring data in order to characterize turbidite system architecture across an active (fold and thrust belt) margin. The Makran turbidite system is composed of a dense network of canyons, which cut into high relief accreted ridges and intra-slope piggyback basins, forming at some locations connected and variably tortuous paths down complex slopes. Turbidite activity and trench filling rates are high even during the Holocene sea-level highstand conditions. In particular, basin-wide, sheet-like thick mud turbidites, probably related to major mass wasting events of low recurrence time, drape the flat and unchannellized Oman abyssal plain. Longitudinal depth profiles show that the Makran canyons are highly disrupted by numerous thrust-related large-scale knickpoints (with gradients up to 20° and walls up to 500 m high). At the deformation front, the strong break of slope can lead to the formation of canyon-mouth ‘plunge pools’ of variable shapes and sizes. The plunge pools observed in the western Makran are considerably larger than those previously described in sub-surface successions; the first insights into their internal architecture and sedimentary processes are presented here. Large plunge pools in the western Makran are associated with large scoured areas at the slope break and enhanced sediment deposition downstream: high-amplitude reflectors are observed inside the plunge pools, while their flanks are composed of thin-bedded, fine-grained turbidites deposited by the uppermost part of the turbidity flows. Thus, these architectural elements are associated with strong sediment segregation leading to specific trench-fill mechanisms, as only the finer-grained component of the flows is transferred to the abyssal plain. However, the Makran accretionary prism is characterized by strong along-strike variability in tectonics and fluvial input distribution that might directly influence the turbidite system architecture (i.e. canyon entrenchment, plunge pool formation or channel development at canyon mouths), the sedimentary dynamics and the resulting sediment distribution. Channel formation in the abyssal plain and trench-fill characteristics depend on the theoretical ‘equilibrium’ conditions of the feeder system, which is related closely to the balance between erosion rates and tectonic regime. Thus, the Makran turbidite system constitutes an excellent modern analogue for deep-water sedimentary systems with structurally complex depocentres, in convergent margin settings.
Numerous extensional faults offset the passive margin strata of the northern Bonaparte Basin. Thi... more Numerous extensional faults offset the passive margin strata of the northern Bonaparte Basin. This extensional deformation has been attributed to lithospheric flexure of the descending Australian Plate, in an overall convergence setting. Here we use an extensive 2D and 3D seismic dataset calibrated with well biostratigraphy and strontium (Sr) isotope age data to constrain the timing of deformation along the northern Australian margin during the Neogene. Analysis of fault throw and differential thickness variations give new insights on the propagation and slip history of the faults. Along-dip throw profiles exhibit 'D' shape distributions, skewed towards the top. Positive throw gradients above the throw maxima, coinciding with intervals of growth strata, indicate multiphase fault activity. Results indicate that post-rift extensional deformation initiated during the latest Miocene (ca. 6 Ma). The development of the modern Timor Trough (as a foreland basin) and Cartier Trough also commenced during this period. A second episode of increased tectonic activity occurred around the Pliocene–Quaternary boundary (ca. 3 Ma), and the deformation continued intermittently to the present-day. These new results are in agreement with the timing of initiation of collision between the Australian Plate and the Banda Arc and uplift of the Timor Island, recently derived from stratigraphic analysis in Timor. These regional tectonic events have profoundly affected the paleogeography of the Timor Sea and may explain major changes in oceanic circulation and climate during the Neogene.
In the northwestern Bonaparte Basin (North West Shelf of Australia) Neogene to Recent flexure-ind... more In the northwestern Bonaparte Basin (North West Shelf of Australia) Neogene to Recent flexure-induced extension superimposed obliquely over the Mesozoic rift structures. Thus, the area offers a good opportunity to investigate the dynamics and architecture of oblique extension fault systems. Analysis of basin-scale 2D and 3D seismic data along the Vulcan sub-basin shows that Neogene deformation produced a new set of extensional, en echelon faults, at places accompanied by the reactivation of the Mesozoic faults. The pre-existing Mesozoic structures strongly control the distribution of the Neogene-Recent deformation, both at regional and local scales. Main controls on the Neogene-Recent fault style, density and segmentation/linkage include: (1) the orientation of the underlying Mesozoic structures, (2) the obliqueness of the younger extension relative to the rift-inherited faults, and (3) the proximity to the Timor Trough. Three types of vertical relationships have been observed between Mesozoic and Neogene-Recent faults. Hard linkages seems to develop when both fault systems trend parallel, therefore increasing risks for trap integrity. It is suggested that the orientation of maximum horizontal stress (S Hmax) relative to the Mesozoic faults, forming hydrocarbon traps, is critical for their potential seal/leak behaviour. Stratigraphic growth across the faults indicates that main fault activity occurred during the Plio-Pleistocene, which corresponds to the timing of tectonic loading on Timor Island and the development of lithospheric flexure. Synchronism of normal faulting with flexural bending suggests that extensional deformation on the descending Australian margin accompanied the formation of the Timor Trough.
Isolated carbonate build-ups (ICBs) represent attractive hydrocarbon exploration targets. They ar... more Isolated carbonate build-ups (ICBs) represent attractive hydrocarbon exploration targets. They are often seen as long-term transgressive features, but their distribution within basins and growth history can be difficult to predict as they respond to the interplay between various tectonic, eustatic and oceanographic parameters. Here we use a 3D seismic megasurvey (18,000 km 2) combined with well data to understand the timing and mechanisms of formation of tropical Quaternary ICBs in NW Australia. At present the ICBs are typically 1e30 km wide and form clusters of ~150 build-ups, developing 2e85 km from the edge of a 650 km-wide continental shelf. Our results demonstrate that the structural evolution of the margin had a major impact on the distribution of the ICBs. Main period of fault activity commenced during the latest MioceneeEarly Pliocene, corresponding to the initial collision of the Australian Plate with Banda Arc. Fault activity increased from Late Pliocene and peaked during the Early Pleistocene. It was associated with flexural reactivation of structural highs (uplift) and lows (subsidence) along the shelf-margin. Seismic evidence of moat channel and drift deposits suggest that contour current activity intensified during the late Early Pleistocene (ca. 1 Ma BP). Despite potentially good conditions for carbonate production (basement highs and warm water ocean currents), ICBs did not form until the Mid Pleistocene (ca. 0.582e0.8 Ma BP). This age corresponds to the onset of major sea level fluctuations associated with repeated, high-amplitude (þ120 m) rapid deglacial rises and slow falls. Thus, we infer that the NW Australia ICBs formed due to: (1) structural shaping of the margin; (2) oceanographic changes, and; most importantly, (3) onset of repeated high-amplitude transgressions reactivating the carbonate production along isolated highs following 4the5th order lowstand exposures and allowing catching-up carbonate morphologies to develop.
Keywords: Indus Fan turbidite system Quaternary stratigraphy sea-level pull-apart basin megaturbi... more Keywords: Indus Fan turbidite system Quaternary stratigraphy sea-level pull-apart basin megaturbidite The Indus sedimentary basin forms one of the largest " source-to-sink " systems of the Quaternary and extends over 10 6 km 2 offshore. It is characterized by a complex tectonic setting marked by the Himalayan active orogenic belt in the source area, and the active strike-slip India-Arabia plate boundary (Owen Fracture Zone; OFZ) in its distal reaches. This paper focuses on a Late Quaternary channel–levee system from the Indus Fan captured by the recent opening of the 20°N pull-apart basin, located at 850 km off the present-day Indus Delta, along the OFZ. In this area the channel-mouth deposits consist of a set of up to 23 m thick megaturbidites trapped in the basin. These deposits form " ponded " lobe deposits in a tectonically-active confined basin. Age determination from radiocarbon dating and extrapolation of local deformation rates show that the older deposits observed on the seismic profiles are up to 358 ka BP old (MIS 10). The origin of these Late Quaternary deposits are investigated in the context of the Indus " source-to-sink " system and their significance is placed in a sequence strati-graphic framework. Integration of the stratigraphic architecture of the 20°N Basin megaturbidites with previous work in the area suggests that the Indus Fan evolved from a delta-fed turbidite system with several active canyons and channel–levee during the forced regressive conditions of the last falling stage of sea-level (122– 25 ka BP), to a point source turbidite system during the sea-level lowstand (Last Glacial Maximum) and early transgressive stages (25–12 ka BP). This work sheds new light on the recent evolution of the Indus sedimentary system and illustrates the importance of the delta/river evolution during the fall of sea-level (e.g., incised valley formation) on the timing of sedimentary transfer and sediment distribution at the basin-scale.
This study focuses on the exceptionally high occurrence of Orbulina suturalis and morphotypes ver... more This study focuses on the exceptionally high occurrence of Orbulina suturalis and morphotypes very close to Praeorbulina in Late Glacial sediments from the Northern Arabian Sea. The genus Praeorbulina has been described by Blow (1956) as an ancestor of Orbulina universa. Our study is based on the analysis of three sediment cores retrieved in the Gulf of Oman (KS01, MD04-2849,
The Bonaparte Basin (NW Australia) forms a rare, recent example where Neogene deformation shaped ... more The Bonaparte Basin (NW Australia) forms a rare, recent example where Neogene deformation shaped a very wide platform (630 km wide) in which a mixed carbonate-silliciclastic sedimentary sequence developed. This study combines structural and stratigraphic analysis and provides new insights as to the role of tectonics in controlling platform shape and sediment distribution in wide shallow water settings. Detailed analysis of the structure and stratigraphy of the northern part of the Bonaparte Basin allowed identification of the main regimes and phases of deformation and their control on sedimentation during the Neogene. The results reveal that the distribution of Neogene sediments across the northern Bonaparte Basin is mainly controlled by flexure-induced deformation mechanisms associated locally with extensional faults and low-strain, left-lateral strike-slip. These processes ultimately shaped the geometry and sedimentary architecture of the wide continental shelf. They led to the development of two different types of tectonically induced shelf depocentres that controlled the gross distribution of Quaternary sediments. In particular, deformation processes enhanced the formation of the carbonate-dominated, ∼200 m-deep Malita intra-shelf basin. The Bonaparte Basin is a prime natural laboratory to describe the links between tectonics and sedimentation along a very large, mixed carbonate/clastic platform and could be used as a modern analogue to similar settings in the past Earth's history.
This study investigates the morphology and Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Makran tu... more This study investigates the morphology and Late Quaternary sediment distribution of the Makran turbidite system (Makran subduction zone, north-west Indian Ocean) from a nearly complete subsurface mapping of the Oman basin, two-dimensional seismic and a large set of coring data in order to characterize turbidite system architecture across an active (fold and thrust belt) margin. The Makran turbidite system is composed of a dense network of canyons, which cut into high relief accreted ridges and intra-slope piggyback basins, forming at some locations connected and variably tortuous paths down complex slopes. Turbidite activity and trench filling rates are high even during the Holocene sea-level highstand conditions. In particular, basin-wide, sheet-like thick mud turbidites, probably related to major mass wasting events of low recurrence time, drape the flat and unchannellized Oman abyssal plain. Longitudinal depth profiles show that the Makran canyons are highly disrupted by numerous thrust-related large-scale knickpoints (with gradients up to 20° and walls up to 500 m high). At the deformation front, the strong break of slope can lead to the formation of canyon-mouth ‘plunge pools’ of variable shapes and sizes. The plunge pools observed in the western Makran are considerably larger than those previously described in sub-surface successions; the first insights into their internal architecture and sedimentary processes are presented here. Large plunge pools in the western Makran are associated with large scoured areas at the slope break and enhanced sediment deposition downstream: high-amplitude reflectors are observed inside the plunge pools, while their flanks are composed of thin-bedded, fine-grained turbidites deposited by the uppermost part of the turbidity flows. Thus, these architectural elements are associated with strong sediment segregation leading to specific trench-fill mechanisms, as only the finer-grained component of the flows is transferred to the abyssal plain. However, the Makran accretionary prism is characterized by strong along-strike variability in tectonics and fluvial input distribution that might directly influence the turbidite system architecture (i.e. canyon entrenchment, plunge pool formation or channel development at canyon mouths), the sedimentary dynamics and the resulting sediment distribution. Channel formation in the abyssal plain and trench-fill characteristics depend on the theoretical ‘equilibrium’ conditions of the feeder system, which is related closely to the balance between erosion rates and tectonic regime. Thus, the Makran turbidite system constitutes an excellent modern analogue for deep-water sedimentary systems with structurally complex depocentres, in convergent margin settings.
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