Seismic Modelling of Basin Margin Clinoforms: Norwegian North Sea and Other Examples

Canner, Kathryn L.¹, Emma Finch², Steve M. Corfield³, Rob L. Gawthorpe², Steen Petersen⁴ (1) The University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom (2) University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom (3) Corfield Geosciences, Stafford, United Kingdom (4) Norsk Hydro Research Centre, Bergen, Norway

The opportunity to study and model large-scale clinoform processes at outcrop are rare. Consequently the use of 3D seismic data allows us to study such extensive geological systems in detail. Large-scale Upper Cenozoic clinoforms (>500m in height, >40km down dip, > 75 km along strike) from the Norwegian North Sea have been interpreted. These are the product of the domal Scandinavian uplift resulting in the influx of sediment supplied to the margin and its subsequent progradation.

The integrated use of seismic attributes and 3D voxel visualisation techniques has been used to constrain the 3D geometry of the clinoforms. The resulting seismic geobodies have geometries consistent with basin floor fans and mid slope fans, whilst erosional slope channels have been mapped incising the upper slope/shelf. Due to the lack of well penetrations, it is difficult to determine the lithological variations within the observed geobodies. In an attempt to constrain this variability, 2D synthetic seismograms of the clinoforms have been produced using seismic modelling software developed in the Norsk Hydro Research Centre in Bergen. The results of the 2D synthetic modelling has validated the lithologies and geometries interpreted from the 3D seismic data.

To validate the interpretation 2D synthetic seismograms have been realised of other clinoform systems. The creation of a synthetic from an outcrop study of a 15 km cliff section in the Eocene Basin, Spitsbergen has proven the applicability of the Spitsbergen succession as an analogue for the Norwegian Margin clinoforms.