Chapter 11. North Sea Basin Jurassic lithostratigraphy

Copestake, Philip; Partington, Mark A.

doi:10.1144/m59-2022-65

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 140 publications

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“…2B). The studied subsurface successions include the Late Oxfordian -Late Kimmeridgian, Fulmar Formation and younger Aptian-Albian Cromer Knoll Group deposits, studied in the West Margin of the Central North Sea Graben, which mainly overly Permian, Triassic and Middle Jurassic rocks of the Zechstein, Skagerrak and volcaniclastic Pentland formations, respectively (Donovan et al, 1993;Price et al, 1993;Patruno et al, 2022;Copestake and Partington, 2023), along with younger Hauterivian basalts in its southern margin, on the Auk Ridge (Trewin et al, 2003).…”

Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea.

Puig Lopez,

Howell

2024

Preprint

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Rocky shorelines form where basement highs are eroded and flooded during marine transgressive events. Despite the Mesozoic North Sea rift generated numerous platform margins and rotated fault blocks which acted as basement highs, rocky shoreline deposits have not been previously reported. In the rock record rocky shoreline deposits are usually represented by thin conglomerates overlying major unconformities, and are typically characterised by their ichnological aspects, rather than their depositional facies. This study uses the sedimentological aspects of modern and Miocene rocky shoreline conglomerates from Spain and Austria, to create facies models which are then applied to the recognition of rocky shorelines in the Mesozoic of the Central North Sea. Our results demonstrate that structureless, clast-supported, poorly-to-moderately sorted conglomerate deposits are associated with competent basement lithologies, which produce hard, resistant coastal cliffs in areas associated with volcanic centres which were previously overlooked in the subsurface. The basement lithologies in most of the Central North Sea favoured the formation of smaller coastal cliffs, with less resistant lithologies that did not generate or preserve gravel size particles, precluding the preservation of Mesozoic rocky shores in much of the North Sea’s stratigraphic record.

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Section: Geological Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea.

Puig Lopez,

Howell

2024

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea

Puig López,

Howell

2024

JGS

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Rocky shorelines form where basement highs are eroded and flooded during marine transgressive events. Despite the Mesozoic North Sea rift generated numerous platform margins and rotated fault blocks which acted as basement highs, rocky shoreline deposits have not been previously reported. In the rock record rocky shoreline deposits are usually represented by thin conglomerates overlying major unconformities, and are typically characterised by their ichnological aspects, rather than their depositional facies. This study uses the sedimentological aspects of modern and Miocene rocky shorelines from Spain and Austria, to create facies models which are then applied to the recognition of rocky shorelines in the Mesozoic of the Central North Sea. Our results demonstrate that structureless, clast-supported, poorly-to-moderately sorted conglomerate-breccia deposits are associated with competent basement lithologies, which produce hard, resistant coastal cliffs around previously overlooked volcanic centres in the subsurface of the North Sea. The basement lithologies in most of the Central North Sea favoured the formation of softer coastal cliffs, with less resistant lithologies that did not generate or preserve gravel size particles, being mostly characterised by low-angle, unconformity-bounded sandstone and fine-grained deposits and precluding the preservation and recognition of Mesozoic rocky shores in much of the North Sea's stratigraphic record.

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Footwall uplift and erosion during Jurassic rifting: Scott and Telford fields, Outer Moray Firth, UK Central North Sea

Platt,

MacLellan,

Morgan

et al. 2024

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As producing fields enter late life, successful mitigation of subsurface risk is critical in order to justify continued infill well drilling. Despite penetrations from >100 wells and the availability of modern 3D seismic across the Scott and Telford fields (Outer Moray Firth, UK Central North Sea), reservoir absence has led to repeated development well failures. A new model now attributes reservoir attenuation to Late Jurassic footwall uplift and erosion. The 2015 Scott J40 well encountered a reduced Upper Jurassic reservoir section of Lower Scott sands, with Upper Scott and Piper sands absent. Reinterpretation ascribed reservoir truncation to the effect of Late Jurassic footwall uplift and erosion rather than fault cut-out as previously interpreted. The failed 2016 Telford F6 well was shown to have drilled a thick Kimmeridge Clay hangingwall section north of the Telford Fault, rather than the southern footwall section targeted. Planning for the Scott J43 and four subsequent wells implemented lessons learned from these failures and mitigated reservoir risk while optimising reserves. Scott and Piper sand distributions likely reflect early growth folding before the main Mid-Kimmeridgian to Early Tithonian phase of NE-SW extensional faulting and footwall uplift, which saw Piper and Scott reservoirs eroded at footwall crests and locally reworked as deep water Claymore sands. Later Mid-Tithonian to Early Berriasian E-W faulting during opening of the Witch Ground Graben saw major crestal synsedimentary erosion at Telford and continued erosion at the western crest of Scott Block 1b while the footwall to the east was partially downfaulted.

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Chapter 11. North Sea Basin Jurassic lithostratigraphy

Cited by 3 publications

References 140 publications

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea.

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea.

Facies models for rocky shorelines and their application to transgressed basement highs in the North Sea

Footwall uplift and erosion during Jurassic rifting: Scott and Telford fields, Outer Moray Firth, UK Central North Sea

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