Rift–shear architecture and tectonic development of the Ghana margin deduced from multichannel seismic reflection and potential field data

Antobreh, A.A.; Faleide, Jan Inge; Tsikalas, Filippos; Planke, Sverre

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2008.04.005

Cited by 94 publications

(74 citation statements)

References 66 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Bartholomew et al, 1993;Erratt et al, 1999;Whipp et al, 2014) and passive margin rift systems are dissected by cross cutting faults, in a similar geometry observed in Malawi (Paton et al, 2008, Tsikalas et al, 2008Antobreh et al, 2009;Heine et al, 2013). Often these structures are not well defined as a consequence of poor quality data, wide spacing of available 2D lines, or a sub-salt setting.…”

Section: Implications For Petroleum Systemsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Implications of structural inheritance in oblique rift zones for basin compartmentalization: Nkhata Basin, Malawi Rift (EARS)

Mortimer

Paton

Scholz

et al. 2016

Marine and Petroleum Geology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Cenozoic East African Rift System (EARS) is an exceptional example of active continental extension, providing opportunities for furthering our understanding of hydrocarbon plays within rifts. It is divided into structurally distinct western and eastern branches. The western branch comprises deep rift basins separated by transfer zones, commonly localised onto pre-existing structures, offering good regional scale hydrocarbon traps. At a basin-scale, local discrete inherited structures might also play an important role on fault localisation and hydrocarbon distribution. Here, we consider the evolution of the Central basin of the Malawi Rift, in particular the influence of pre-existing structural fabrics.Integrating basin-scale multichannel 2D, and high resolution seismic datasets we constrain the border, Mlowe-Nkhata, fault system (MNF) to the west of the basin and smaller Mbamba fault (MF) to the east and document their evolution. Intra basin structures define a series of horsts, which initiated as convergent transfers, along the basin axis. The horsts are offset along a NE-SW striking transfer fault parallel to and along strike of the onshore Karoo 2 (Permo-Triassic) Ruhuhu graben. Discrete pre-existing structures probably determined its location and, oriented obliquely to the extension orientation it accommodated predominantly strike-slip deformation, with more slowly accrued dip-slip.To the north of this transfer fault, the overall basin architecture is asymmetric, thickening to the west throughout; while to the south, an initially symmetric graben architecture became increasingly asymmetric in sediment distribution as strain localised onto the western MNF. The presence of the axial horst increasingly focussed sediment supply to the west. As the transfer fault increased its displacement, so this axial supply was interrupted, effectively starving the south-east while ponding sediments between the western horst margin and the transfer fault. This asymmetric bathymetry and partitioned sedimentation continues to the present-day, overprinting the early basin symmetry and configuration. Sediments deposited earlier become increasingly dissected and fault juxtapositions changed at a small (10-100 m) scale. The observed influence of basin-scale transfer faults on sediment dispersal and fault compartmentalisation due to pre-existing structures oblique to the extension orientation is relevant to analogous exploration settings.

show abstract

Section: Implications For Petroleum Systemsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Implications of structural inheritance in oblique rift zones for basin compartmentalization: Nkhata Basin, Malawi Rift (EARS)

Mortimer

Paton

Scholz

et al. 2016

Marine and Petroleum Geology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Another mechanism responsible for uplift at transform margins is the progressive change of the initial strike-slip regime to transpression, which was documented along the Romanche transform margin (e.g. Mascle & Blarez 1987;Antobreh et al 2009;Nemčok et al 2012b). …”

Section: Transform Marginsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For example, individual structural elements of the Romanche margin include marginal ridge, platform areas, pull-apart regions, dominating transform segments and subordinate rift margin and oblique rift margin segments (Mascle & Blarez 1987;Mascle et al 1988;Basile et al 1993Basile et al , 1998Peirce et al 1996;Edwards et al 1997;Benkhelil et al 1998;Sage et al 2000;Antobreh et al 2009). The width of the entire fault pattern associated with the Romanche transform fault zone varies between 40 and 70 km depending on area Benkhelil et al 1998;Nemčok et al 2012b).…”

Section: Structural Architecturementioning

confidence: 99%

“…It may provide planar weaknesses of orientation that can be reactivated by transform fault zone-controlling stress field. The smaller-scale examples come from the studies of Caby et al (2008), Antobreh et al (2009), Davison et al (2015 and Nemčok et al (2016) documenting how the propagating Romanche transform fault system cross-cut or reactivated individual elements of the pre-existing structural grain developed by older tectonic events, such as the PanAfrican orogeny.…”

Section: Transform Marginsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Transform margins: development, controls and petroleum systems – an introduction

Němčok

Rybár

Sinha

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper provides an overview of the existing knowledge of transform margins including their dynamic development, kinematic development, structural architecture and thermal regime, together with the factors controlling these. This systematic knowledge is used for describing predictive models of various petroleum system concept elements such as source rock, seal rock and reservoir rock distribution, expulsion timing, trapping style and timing, and migration patterns. The paper then introduces individual contributions to this volume and their focus.

show abstract

“…Hitherto, such extension indicators were not reported in the northern and central segments of the Dahomeyide Belt [12,13]. The development of such extensional markers in the southern segment suggests that they were resulted from a Paleozoic faulting tectonics which led to the Devonian deposits in Ghana (Accra, Sekondi, and Takoradi Basins) and at the base of the sedimentary sequence of the Keta and Togo coastal Basins [1,9,12,[49][50][51][52]. Therefore, this extension might be considered as a precursor event of the Jurassic rifting …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pan-African Paleostresses and Reactivation of the Eburnean Basement Complex in Southeast Ghana (West Africa)

Tairou

Affaton

Anum

et al. 2012

Journal of Geological Research

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This faulting tectonics analysis concerns the southernmost segment of the Dahomeyide Orogen and the West-African craton eastern margin in southeast Ghana. The analysis of strike-slip faults in the frontal units of the Dahomeyide Belt indicates that four distinct compressive events (NE-SW, ENE-WSW to E-W, ESE-WNW to SE-NW and SE-NW to SSE-NNW) originated the juxtaposition of the Pan-African Mobile Zone and the West-African craton. These paleostress systems define a clockwise rotation of the compressional axis during the structuring of the Dahomeyide Orogen (650-550 Ma). The SE-NW and SSE-NNW to N-S compressional axes in the cratonic domain and its cover (Volta Basin) suggest that the reactivation of the eastern edge of the West African craton is coeval with the last stages of the Pan-African tectogenesis in southeast Ghana. An extensional episode expressed as late normal faulting is also recorded in this study. This E-W to SE-NW extension, which is particular to the southernmost part of the Dahomeyide Belt, appears to be post-Pan-African. This extension probably contributed to the formation of a major Jurassic rifting zone that originated the Central Atlantic and the Benue Trough.

show abstract

Rift–shear architecture and tectonic development of the Ghana margin deduced from multichannel seismic reflection and potential field data

Cited by 94 publications

References 66 publications

Implications of structural inheritance in oblique rift zones for basin compartmentalization: Nkhata Basin, Malawi Rift (EARS)

Implications of structural inheritance in oblique rift zones for basin compartmentalization: Nkhata Basin, Malawi Rift (EARS)

Transform margins: development, controls and petroleum systems – an introduction

Pan-African Paleostresses and Reactivation of the Eburnean Basement Complex in Southeast Ghana (West Africa)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About