--> Black Sea Crustal Structure and Crustal Type from Integrated Quantitative Analysis of Deep Seismic and Gravity Anomaly Data
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Black Sea Crustal Structure and Crustal Type from Integrated Quantitative Analysis of Deep Previous HitSeismicNext Hit and Gravity Anomaly Previous HitDataNext Hit

Nick Kusznir1

1University of Liverpool

May 18, 2015 Monday 3:10 P.M. European Regional Conference and Exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract

The composition and thickness of crustal basement are critical to frontier hydrocarbon exploration in deep-water rifted continental margin settings. For the Black Sea, we need to know the distribution of continental and oceanic crust, ocean-continent transition structure, continent-ocean boundary location and magmatic type (whether magma poor, normal or magma rich).

We apply a set a quantitative analytical techniques based on ION's deep long-offset Previous HitseismicNext Hit reflection Previous HitdataNext Hit. These quantitative analytical techniques consist of:

  • (i) Gravity inversion, incorporating a lithosphere thermal gravity anomaly, to give Moho depth, crustal basement thickness & continental lithosphere thinning.
  • (ii) RDA (residual depth anomaly) analysis to give departures from oceanic bathymetry.
  • (iii) Subsidence analysis using 3D flexural backstripping to give lithosphere thinning.
  • (iv) Joint inversion of deep Previous HitseismicNext Hit reflection and gravity Previous HitdataNext Hit to give lateral variations in basement density and Previous HitseismicNext Hit velocity.
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    The combined Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit of these independent quantitative measurements are used together to determine OCT structure, COB location, the distribution of oceanic crust and hyper-extended lithosphere.

    Superposition of the 3D Moho surface determined from gravity inversion onto PSDM and PSTM Previous HitseismicNext Hit sections provides assistance to, and validation of, deep Previous HitseismicNext Hit reflection Previous HitinterpretationNext Hit. Integrated quantitative analysis maximises the use of the ION deep Previous HitseismicNext Hit Previous HitdataTop.

    Radiogenic heat-productivity within continental basement contributes significantly to hydrocarbon maturation; in contrast oceanic crust or exhumed mantle contributes very little. Continental lithosphere thinning and residual thicknesses of continental crust determined from gravity inversion have been used to predict the preservation of continental crustal radiogenic heat productivity and the transient lithosphere heat-flow contribution within thermally equilibrating lithosphere. These are used are used to produce regional grids and maps of top-basement heat-flow history. Outputs from our 3D quantitative analysis of the Black Sea include grids of lithosphere thinning, ß factor and heat flow history for input to petroleum systems modelling.

    AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90226 © 2015 European Regional Conference and Exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal, May 18-19, 2015