Spatial and dimensional relationships of submarine slope architectural elements: A seismicscale analysis from the Espírito Santo Basin (SE Brazil)

Gamboa, Davide ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3323-4172 and Alves, Tiago Marcos ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2765-3760 2015. Spatial and dimensional relationships of submarine slope architectural elements: A seismicscale analysis from the Espírito Santo Basin (SE Brazil). Marine and Petroleum Geology 64 , pp. 43-57. 10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2015.02.035

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Abstract

High-quality 3D seismic data are used to interpret the styles and scale-relationships of architectural elements on the continental slope of Espírito Santo (SE Brazil). Sand-prone architectural elements identified in this work include: a) axial canyons incising a salt-withdrawal basin (Unit 1), b) turbidite lobes intercalated with heterogeneous mass-transport deposits (Unit 2), and c) channel complexes confined by salt-controlled topography (Unit 3). Analyses of width/height (W/H) ratios reveal two distinct dimensional groups: Mass-transport deposits and turbidite lobes with W/H ratios ≥ 100, and channels and blocks with W/H ratios between 1 and 30. Importantly, all buried submarine canyons and channels systems show average W/H ratios of 12-13 for different stratigraphic units. Length-width (L/W) ratios of structural and stratigraphic compartments vary between 1 and 10. A significant result of this work is the confirmation that distributions and dimensions of architectural elements can be controlled by salt-related faults and topography, with higher dimensional variability and lower continuity of sand-prone elements occurring in the vicinity of salt ridges. Our data also shows a marked tendency for clustering, and scale overlaps, between distinct architectural elements. The approach in this paper is relevant for hydrocarbon exploration as it uses quantitative data to predict slope compartmentalisation as a function of basin geometry.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QE Geology
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Continental margins; SE Brazil; salt diapirs; submarine channels; mass-transport deposits; faults; compartmentalisation
Publisher:	Elsevier
ISSN:	0264-8172
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Date of Acceptance:	18 February 2015
Last Modified:	02 Dec 2024 20:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/71345

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