Cenozoic deformation in the Otway Basin, southern Australian margin: implications for the origin and nature of post‐breakup compression at rifted margins

Holford, Simon; Tuitt, Adrian; Hillis, Richard R.; Green, Paul F.; Stoker, Martyn S.; Duddy, Ian R.; Sandiford, Mike; Tassone, David R.

doi:10.1111/bre.12035

Cited by 58 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 106 publications

(274 reference statements)

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“…Loading of the offshore Orange Basin during the synrift and postrift phases, causing flexure of the lithosphere, would have enhanced coast-perpendicular extensional stresses at this time [Kusznir et al, 1991;Wernicke and Axen, 1988;Redfield et al, 2005;Salomon et al, 2014;Redfield and Osmundsen, 2013]. However, the style and location of fault reactivation will be dependent on the orientation of faults to the regional stress field and may have involved local compression within an overall extension regime [e.g., Holford et al, 2014].…”

Section: Drivers Of Postrift Tectonic Activity: Regional and Local Mementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Due to a lack of postrift geological markers and poor age constraints on the timing of deformation on major structures, the tectonic history of the southwest African continental margin is incomplete. Recent investigations have alluded to the potential importance of postrift structural reactivation and neotectonic activity to the development of the South African margin [Viola et al, 2005[Viola et al, , 2012Brandt et al, 2003Brandt et al, , 2005Andreoli et al, 1996Andreoli et al, , 2009de Beer, 2012;Kounov et al, 2009;Wildman et al, 2015], and postrift reactivation has been advocated by investigations of other so-called "passive" continental margins Cogné et al, 2011;Holford et al, 2014;Franco-Magalhaes et al, 2014;Ksienzyk et al, 2014;Leprêtre et al, 2015]. Constraining the surface response to postrift deformation over different length scales will have major implications for conceptual geomorphic models of high-elevation continental margins that envisage regional patterns of denudation triggered by regional base level fall and augmented by long-wavelength epeirogenic/flexural uplift.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The chronology and tectonic style of landscape evolution along the elevated Atlantic continental margin of South Africa resolved by joint apatite fission track and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He thermochronology

et al. 2016

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Atlantic-type continental margins have long been considered "passive" tectonic settings throughout the entire postrift phase. Recent studies question the long-term stability of these margins and have shown that postrift uplift and reactivation of preexisting structures may be a common feature of a continental margin's evolution. The Namaqualand sector of the western continental margin of South Africa is characterized by a ubiquitously faulted basement but lacks preservation of younger geological strata to constrain postrift tectonic fault activity. Here we present the first systematic study using joint apatite fission track and apatite (U-Th-Sm)/He thermochronology to achieve a better understanding on the chronology and tectonic style of landscape evolution across this region. Apatite fission track ages range from 58.3 ± 2.6 to 132.2 ± 3.6 Ma, with mean track lengths between 10.9 ± 0.19 and 14.35 ± 0.22 μm, and mean (U-Th-Sm)/He sample ages range from 55.8 ± 31.3 to 120.6 ± 31.4 Ma. Joint inverse modeling of these data reveals two distinct episodes of cooling at approximately 150-130 Ma and 110-90 Ma with limited cooling during the Cenozoic. Estimates of denudation based on these thermal histories predict approximately 1-3 km of denudation coinciding with two major tectonic events. The first event, during the Early Cretaceous, was driven by continental rifting and the development and removal of synrift topography. The second event, during the Late Cretaceous, includes localized reactivation of basement structures as well as regional mantle-driven uplift. Relative tectonic stability prevailed during the Cenozoic, and regional denudation over this time is constrained to be less than 1 km.

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Section: Drivers Of Postrift Tectonic Activity: Regional and Local Mementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The chronology and tectonic style of landscape evolution along the elevated Atlantic continental margin of South Africa resolved by joint apatite fission track and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He thermochronology

et al. 2016

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“…The Otway Basin is a late Jurassic to Cenozoic sedimentary basin located on the south‐eastern margin of Australia (Figure ). The basin formed following Tithonian rifting and continental breakup of Australia and Antarctica (Norvick & Smith, ), and has since experienced a complex tectonic history with multiple phases of extension and compression (Debenham, King, & Holford, ; Holford et al, ; Krassay, Cathro, & Ryan, ; Perincek, Simons, & Pettifer, ; Schneider, Hill, & Hoffman, ; Tassone, Holford, Hillis, & Tuitt, ; Tassone, Holford, King, Tingay, & Hillis, ). In the eastern Otway Basin, a series of NE–SW striking faults intersect the coastline (Figure ).…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fault plane steeply dips to the northwest (Debenham et al, ). The fault was initiated as a normal fault in the late Cretaceous and reactivated as a reverse fault during the late Miocene to Pliocene (Debenham et al, ; Duddy, ; Edwards, Leonard, Pettifer, & Mcdonald, ; Holford et al, ). Fault throw is estimated to be between 250 and 1,000 m of vertical displacement (Debenham et al, ).…”

Section: Geological Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial distribution of micrometre‐scale porosity and permeability across the damage zone of a reverse‐reactivated normal fault in a tight sandstone: Insights from the Otway Basin, SE Australia

et al. 2019

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Knowledge of the permeability structure of fault‐bearing reservoir rocks is fundamental for developing robust hydrocarbon exploration and fluid monitoring strategies. Studies often describe the permeability structure of low porosity host rocks that have experienced simple tectonic histories, while investigations of the influence of faults with multiple‐slip histories on the permeability structure of porous clastic rocks are limited. We present results from an integrated petrophysical, microstructural, and mineralogical investigation of the Eumeralla Formation (a tight volcanogenic sandstone) within the hanging wall of the Castle Cove Fault which strikes 30 km NE–SW in the Otway Basin, southeast Australia. This late Jurassic to Cenozoic‐age basin has experienced multiple phases of extension and compression. Core plugs and thin sections oriented relative to the fault plane were sampled from the hanging wall at distances of up to 225 m from the Castle Cove Fault plane. As the fault plane is approached, connected porosities increase by ca. 10% (17% at 225 m to 24% at 0.5 m) and permeabilities increase by two orders of magnitude (from 0.04 mD at 225 m to 1.26 mD at 0.5 m). Backscattered Scanning Electron Microscope analysis shows that microstructural changes due to faulting have enhanced the micrometre‐scale permeability structure of the Eumeralla Formation. These microstructural changes have been attributed to the formation of microfractures and destruction of original pore‐lining chlorite morphology as a result of fault deformation. Complex deformation, that is, formation of macrofractures, variably oriented microfractures, and a hanging wall anticline, associated with normal faulting and subsequent reverse faulting, has significantly influenced the off‐fault fluid flow properties of the protolith. However, despite enhancement of the host rock permeability structure, the Eumeralla Formation at Castle Cove is still considered a tight sandstone. Our study shows that high‐resolution integrated analyses of the host rock are critical for describing the micrometre‐scale permeability structure of reservoir rocks with high porosities, low permeabilities, and abundant clays that have experienced complex deformation.

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“…We aim to temporally and spatially constrain the growth of a gravity-driven normal fault assemblage, imaged by 3D seismic data and located within Upper Cretaceous sedimentary rock at the present-day shelfedge break of the Otway Basin Australia (Figure 1). The Otway Basin is a Late Jurassic to Cenozoic age, rift-to-passive margin basin, which has undergone two stages of crustal extension during the Tithonian-Barremian and Turonian-Maastrichtian, after which it developed into a passive margin basin following the breakup of Australia and Antarctica (Moore et al 2000;Krassay et al 2004;Stacey et al 2013;Holford et al 2014). The Otway Basin extends from SE South Australia to NW offshore Tasmanian and contains a latest Jurassic to Maastrichtian siliciclastic sedimentary succession, followed by Cenozoic mixed carbonate and siliciclastic rocks (Moore et al 2000;Krassay et al 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of gravity-driven normal faults using a 3D seismic reflection dataset from the present-day shelf-edge break of the Otway Basin, Australia

Robson

King

Holford

2016

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SUMMARYThe growth, interaction and controls of gravity-driven normal faults is somewhat understudied. Using three-dimensional (3D) and two-dimensional (2D) seismic reflection data, located at the present-day shelf-edge break and into the deepwater province of the Otway Basin, southern Australia, we aim to temporally and spatially constrain the development of a normal fault system and determine the controls on growth. The Otway Basin is a Late Jurassic to Cenozoic age, rift-to-passive margin basin. The seismic reflection data images a gravity-driven fault array, consisting of ten fault segments, striking NW-SE (128-308), located within Upper Cretaceous clastic sedimentary rock. We analyse the growth of a gravity-driven hard-linked fault assemblage interacting with basement normal faults. Our analysis shows that the fault assemblage is linked to major basement faults and displays TuronianSantonian nucleation, continued growth until the latest-Maastrichtian and a maximum throw of 1.74 km. High variability of throw along-strike and down-dip of the fault assemblage indicates growth via lateral and vertical segment linkage. We interpret that the spatial and temporal evolution of the fault assemblage is the result of rifting basement fault control during Upper Cretaceous resumed crustal extension in the Otway Basin. The control of the rifting basement faults on these gravity-driven normal faults has implications towards the growth and petroleum prospectivity of gravity-driven normal faults on passive margins such as the Niger Delta and Gulf of Mexico, but also towards gravity-driven normal faults developed in supra-salt sedimentary rock in rift basins, such as the North Sea and Suez Rift.

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Cenozoic deformation in the Otway Basin, southern Australian margin: implications for the origin and nature of post‐breakup compression at rifted margins

Abstract: 13There is growing recognition that pulses of compressive tectonic structuring punctuate the

Cited by 58 publications

References 106 publications

The chronology and tectonic style of landscape evolution along the elevated Atlantic continental margin of South Africa resolved by joint apatite fission track and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He thermochronology

The chronology and tectonic style of landscape evolution along the elevated Atlantic continental margin of South Africa resolved by joint apatite fission track and (U‐Th‐Sm)/He thermochronology

Spatial distribution of micrometre‐scale porosity and permeability across the damage zone of a reverse‐reactivated normal fault in a tight sandstone: Insights from the Otway Basin, SE Australia

Analysis of gravity-driven normal faults using a 3D seismic reflection dataset from the present-day shelf-edge break of the Otway Basin, Australia

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