Stratigraphic development and controls on the architecture of Eocene depositional systems in the Faroe-Shetland Basin

Robinson, Andrew Mark 2004. Stratigraphic development and controls on the architecture of Eocene depositional systems in the Faroe-Shetland Basin. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.

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Abstract

A detailed investigation of the Eocene stratigraphy in the Faroe-Shetland Basin was undertaken with a view to developing a basin-wide seismic-stratigraphic framework in order to describe the palaeogeographic evolution and depositional architecture of the basin. This study has tested the applicability of sequence stratigraphy on a regional and local scale and outlines the major depositional controls on the succession. Integration of seismic, well and biostratigraphic data has allowed for the identification of four regionally correlatable seismic-stratigraphic units which document the basin fill history. Depositional systems are controlled by the interaction of fluctuating relative sea-level and local tectonic controls. Early Eocene uplift on compressional fold structures, inherited Mesozoic palaeobathymetry, dynamic uplift from mantle plume activity and prograding lava deltas all control the distribution, thickness and facies of the Eocene succession. Case studies from a basin margin and intra-basinal setting have provided detailed evidence of the localised sedimentary response to changing basin conditions. The use of high resolution 3-D seismic data has enabled depositional sequences and the complex seismic geomorphology of palaeo-drainage systems to be recognised. A cyclicity of sedimentary response is observed in a deltaic environment which documents the evolution of relative sea-level on the southern margin of the basin. Classical sequence-stratigraphic techniques have, in places, provided a useful guide to stratigraphic interpretation and analysis. However, attempts to test the widely used sequence stratigraphic model of sequences as regionally correlatable stratigraphic surfaces have failed largely because of the impracticability of correlating seismic reflections on a regional scale. The conclusion from this is that sequence stratigraphy is a powerful analytical tool that can be applied locally, but is likely to encounter significant difficulties on a basinal length scale. This larger scale correlatability is a corollary of the link between sequence development and eustatic sea level changes. In this thesis, this link cannot be substantiated, and local factors predominate.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Earth and Environmental Sciences
Subjects:	Q Science > QE Geology
ISBN:	9781303219290
Funders:	NERC
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	30 March 2016
Last Modified:	04 Dec 2023 15:13
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/55054

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