Structural and Stratigraphic Evolution of the North Marine Area, Gulf of Paria, Trinidad, Since the Pliocene

Abstract

Abstract

The North Marine area is located in the east central part of the Gulf of Paria. Today the major structural elements are from north to south, the Warm Springs Fault, the North Marine syncline, the North Marine Master Fault, the Brighton / NM-5 High, the Jubilee Syncline and the Los Bajos Fault. These features are the result of the approach, arrival and continued interaction between the Caribbean and South American Plates. A tectonic event in the mid-Miocene created significant topography and lows that have influenced fault evolution and sediments deposited since then. The Warm Springs Fault represents the plate boundary between the Caribbean and South American plates and is believed to have about 60km of right lateral motion. The Los Bajos fault has traditionally been interpreted as a right lateral strike slip fault with 10.4 km displacement. The motion of these two faults has created an area of stretching between them, that results in the propagation from west to east of NW - SE trending normal faults with displacement down to the east. These faults merge at their southern ends to form a single fault, the North Marine Master Fault. Deposition of the Pliocene Manzanilla and Springvale and Pleistocene aged Talparo Formations was influenced by the availability of accommodation space created by the mid-Miocene tectonics and subsequent extensional faulting. As the lows were filled, the Manzanilla and Springvale sediments onlapped these highs. The Springvale and Durham is fairly uniform in thickness through most of the area. The subsidiary faults associated with the North Marine Master generally show no change in sediment thickness on either the up thrown or down thrown sides indicating that the faulting post dates sedimentation. There are however 2 faults that show increase in thickness on the down thrown side in Springvale and Durham interval. The interaction of these mid-Miocene structures, Pliocene faults and sediments has influenced the generation, accumulation and distribution of hydrocarbons.

AAPG Datapages/Search and Discovery Article #90260 © 2016 AAPG/SEG International Conference & Exhibition, Cancun, Mexico, September 6-9, 2016