Coupled
Structural/Stratigraphic Forward Modeling of the Central Albanides
Barrier, Laurie1,
Emily Albouy2, Sazan
Guri3, Jean-Luc Rudkiewicz2, Spiro
Bonjakes3, Kristaq Muska3, Remi
Eschard2 (1) Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Paris, France (2) Institut Français du Pétrole, Rueil Malmaison
Cedex, France (3) Institut NationalAlbanais des
Hydrocarbures, Fieri, Albania
In compressive systems, the relationship between deformation and
sedimentation can be a powerful key to understanding the structure and
evolution of foreland petroleum provinces. Joint structural and stratigraphic studies can therefore provide very
interesting results. In this perspective, we have coupled structural and stratigraphic forward modelling softwares, in order to better constrain the structural, erosional and depositional events in compressive domains
and their effect on associated petroleum systems.
After the Central Apennines, the Central Albanides were chosen to test our approach.
This area shows a typical fold-and-thrust belt involving pre- and syn-compressional sediments where high potential source
rocks and a number of oil and gas fields are known. First, two regional seismic
sections were interpreted, balanced and unfolded to provide a structural
picture of the studied zone at different times during compression. A synthetic chronostratigraphic chart of Albanian syn-tectonic
deposits was also drawn from field, well and seismic data. Based on the
previous geological model, a structural forward modelling
of the Central Albanides
was carried out with Thrustpack while sediments were
eroded and redistributed at each step of deformation according to the
numerical transport laws of Dionisos.
This coupled modelling allowed us to iteratively correct and refine the
structural and stratigraphic geometry and history of
the Central Albanides
interpreted from the seismic data. The modelling also
leads us to define the sedimentary mass balance of the region that may have an
influence on its burial history. This new approach has thus a great potential
for petroleum exploration in peri-orogenic basins.