Sedimentary Basins Of Continental Margins And Cratons

Developments in Geotectonics, 12: Sedimentary Basins of Continental Margins and Cratons focuses on the formation, movements, characteristics, and evolution of sedimentary basins of continental margins and cratons. The selection first offers information on mechanisms of basin subsidence and rheology of the lithosphere. Discussions focus on hypotheses of basin subsidence mechanism, testing the hypotheses, elastic properties and flexural rigidity of the lithosphere, and rheology of young continental margins. The text then elaborates on flexure of the lithosphere and continental margin basins and thermal and mechanical evolution of the Michigan basin. The book ponders on the formation of sedimentary basins of graben type by extension of the continental crust and major synchronous events in continental shelves. Topics include inception of shelf development, mid-cretaceous change, taphrogenic subsidence, and energy budget of wedge subsidence mechanism. The manuscript also examines development of graben associated with the initial ruptures of the Atlantic Ocean and observations on the processes of sedimentary basin formation at the margins of Southern Africa. The selection is a dependable reference for readers interested in the study of continental margins.

Continental margins and their fossilized analogues are important repositories of natural resources. With better processing techniques and increased availability of high-resolution seismic and potential field data, imaging of present-day continental margins and their embedded sedimentary basins has reached unprecedented levels of refinement and definition, as illustrated by examples described in this volume. This, in turn, has led to greatly improved geological, geodynamic and numerical models for the crustal and mantle processes involved in continental margin formation from the initial stages of rifting through continental rupture and break-up to development of a new ocean basin. Further informing these models, and contributing to a better understanding of the features imaged in the seismic and potential field data, are observations made on fossilized fragments of exhumed subcontinental mantle lithosphere and ocean–continent transition zones preserved in ophiolites and orogenic belts of both Palaeozoic and Mesozoic age from several different continents, including Europe, South Asia and Australasia.

The Sedimentary Basins of the United States and Canada, Second Edition, focuses on the large, regional, sedimentary accumulations in Canada and the United States. Each chapter provides a succinct summary of the tectonic setting and structural and paleogeographic evolution of the basin it covers, with details on structure and stratigraphy. The book features four new chapters that cover the sedimentary basins of Alaska and the Canadian Arctic. In addition to sedimentary geologists, this updated reference is relevant for basin analysis, regional geology, stratigraphy, and for those working in the hydrocarbon exploration industry. Features updates to existing chapters, along with new chapters on sedimentary basins in Alaska and Arctic Canada Includes nearly 300 detailed, full-color paleogeographic maps Written for general geological audiences and individuals working in the resources sector, particularly those in the fossil fuel industry

A microcomputer-based expert system with computer models for classifying world sedimentary basins as an aid to assessing petroleum resources.

Expert petroleum geologists David Roberts and Albert Bally bring you Regional Geology and Tectonics: Phanerozoic Passive Margins, Cratonic Basins and Global Tectonic Maps, volume three in a three-volume series covering Phanerozoic regional geology and tectonics. Its key focus is on both volcanic and non-volcanic passive margins, and the importance of salt and shale driven by sedimentary tectonics to their evolution. Recent innovative research on such critical locations as Iberia, Newfoundland, China, and the North Sea are incorporated to provide practical real-world case studies in regional geology and tectonics. The vast amount of volcanic data now available to form accurate hydrocarbon assessments and analysis at passive margin locations is also included into this thorough yet accessible reference. Named a 2013 Outstanding Academic Title by the American Library Association's Choice publication A "how-to" practical reference that discusses the impact of the development of passive margins and cratonic basins on the structural evolution of the Earth in regional geology and tectonic applications. Incorporates the increased availability of industry data to present regional seismic lines and cross-sections, leading to more accurate analysis and assessment of targeted hydrocarbon systems Analyses of passive margins and cratonic basins in East Africa, China, Siberia, the Gulf of Suez, and the Laptev Sea in the Russian Arctic provide immediately implementable petroleum exploration applications Summaries of analogue and theoretical models are provided as an essential backdrop to the structure and stratigraphy of various geological settings.

This book is intended as a practical handbook for those engaged in the task of analyzing the paleogeographic evolution of ancient sedimentary basins. The science of stratigraphy and sedimentology is central to such endeavors, but although several excellent textbooks on sedimentology have appeared in recent years little has been written about modern stratigraphic methods. Sedimentology textbooks tend to take a theoretical approach, building from physical and chemical theory and studies of mod ern environments. It is commonly difficult to apply this information to practical problems in ancient rocks, and very little guidance is given on methods of observation, mapping and interpretation. In this book theory is downplayed and the emphasis is on what a geologist can actually see in outcrops, well records, and cores, and what can be ob tained using geophysical techniques. A new approach is taken to stratigraphy, which attempts to explain the genesis of lithostratigraphic units and to de-emphasize the importance of formal description and nam ing. There are also sections explaining principles of facies analysis, basin mapping methods, depositional systems, and the study of basin thermal history, so important to the genesis of fuels and minerals. Lastly, an at tempt is made to tie everything together by considering basins in the con text of plate tectonics and eustatic sea level changes.