The influence of mantle flow on intracontinental basins: Three examples from Australia

Young, Alexander; Flament, Nicolas; Hall, Laurence S.; Merdith, Andrew

doi:10.1111/bre.12520

Cited by 8 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 96 publications

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“…Secondly, the geological record in the ocean basins extends to only ∼ 200 Ma before subduction destroys it, whereas continental features such as cratonic basins can survive for billions of years and, therefore, potentially store signals associated with dynamic topography for much longer temporal durations (e.g. Crosby et al, 2010;Young et al, 2021). Thus, existing observational estimates for changes in dynamic topography are generally focused on continental interiors and their surrounding margins.…”

Section: Observational Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations and models of dynamic topography: Current status and future directions.

Davies¹,

Ghelichkhan²,

Hoggard³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The slow creeping motion of Earth’s mantle drives transient changes in surface topography across a variety of spatial and temporal scales. Recent decades have seen substantial progress in understanding this so-called `dynamic topography’, with a growing number of studies highlighting its fundamental role in shaping the surface of our planet. In this review, we outline the current frontiers of geodynamical research into dynamic topography. It begins with a summary of ongoing observational, theoretical and computational efforts that aim to quantify the present-day expression of dynamic topography, including its geographical distribution and sensitivity to different components of the mantle's flow regime. Next, observational constraints that shed light on how dynamic topography has changed over time are summarised, and compared with predictions from a range of geodynamical modelling studies, to highlight our current understanding of its evolution through the geological past. Although many model predictions can be reconciled with the available observational constraints, these comparisons demonstrate that there remain inconsistencies, particularly at shorter spatial and temporal scales. These discrepancies allow us to isolate the shortcomings of existing modelling approaches and identify pathways towards improving future reconstructions of dynamic topography through space and time. Such reconstructions are vital if we are to robustly connect the evolution of Earth's surface environments to the processes that are occurring deep within its interior.

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Section: Observational Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Observations and models of dynamic topography: Current status and future directions.

Davies¹,

Ghelichkhan²,

Hoggard³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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“…Little correlation has been found between the magnitude of the anomalous subsidence and the degree of stretching during the rifting process (Figure S2 in Supporting Information S1). Some hypotheses have been proposed to interpret the origin of the anomalous post‐rift subsidence: (a) renewed phase of rifting (Hellinger et al., 1985; He & Wang, 2003); (b) reactivation on major boundary faults (Gong et al., 2011); (c) the decaying or moving away of the deep thermal source (Dupré et al., 2007; X. W. Guo et al., 2007); (d) a ﬂexural response due to loading or intraplate stresses (Brunet et al., 2003; Cloetingh & Kooi, 1992); (e) lower crustal flow resulting in thinning of the lower crust (Clift et al., 2015; Dong et al., 2020); (f) dynamic topography driven by mantle convection (Wheeler & White, 2000; Young et al., 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The differential character of extra subsidence in the depocenters occurring simultaneously with uplift from flanking basin highs around the North Atlantic may originate from an intraplate compressional stress field (Cloetingh & Kooi, 1992). Basin‐scale anomalous subsidence is often attributed to topography arising from ﬂow within the mantle, that is, dynamic topography (Flament et al., 2013; Wheeler & White, 2000; Young et al., 2021). The timing, distribution, and history of the anomalous post‐rift subsidence may become important avenues for exploring the dynamic mechanisms of basin evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Anomalous Post‐Rift Subsidence in the Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China: Contributions From Mantle Process and Fault Activity

Liu

et al. 2022

Tectonics

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The Bohai Bay Basin is the largest Cenozoic rift basin in eastern China, which exhibits a high rate of post‐rift subsidence deviating from the theoretical exponentially decay trend of thermal subsidence. The driving force for this phenomenon remains an outstanding question. Here we quantify the spatial and temporal distribution of the anomalous post‐rift subsidence by removing the thermal subsidence related to earlier stretching events from the observed tectonic subsidence. A multi‐episodic finite extension model is employed to estimate the stretching factors during rifting for nine profiles and 48 wells covering the basin. Our results show that the anomalous subsidence commenced at 12 Ma and the average anomalous subsidence rate accelerated from ∼19 m/Myr during the late Miocene to ∼75 m/Myr during the Quaternary, reaching ∼400 m at present. The anomalous subsidence is compared with published changes in dynamic topography arising from mantle flow. The temporal evolution of the dynamic topography generally fits the evolution of the anomalous subsidence, whereas variation in dynamic topography exhibits smaller amplitude and larger wavelength than our results. Small‐scale convection in the shallow mantle might play a role in generating short‐wavelength topography disturbances in the past tens of million years. Besides, the spatial distribution of the Quaternary anomalous subsidence generally coincides with fault movements in the past ∼2 Myr. We suggest mantle processes as well as fault activities might be possible mechanisms accounting for additional accommodation in the basin.

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“…The stratigraphic architecture reflects an interplay between the creation of subsidence-controlled accommodation, fluctuations in sediment supply rates and changing sediment provenances (Lang et al 2001;Cotton et al 2006). These allocyclic depositional controls were linked to changes in intra-plate stress fields, eustatic sea-level fluctuations and dynamic (mantledriven) topography during the breakup of Gondwana (Harrington et al 2019;Young et al 2021). The stratigraphic architecture of the western Eromanga Basin was initially influenced by regional uplift in the order of 500-800 m over the western Australian continent throughout the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous, which provided a continual influx of fluvial sandstones during deposition of the Algebuckina Sandstone (Struckmeyer and Totterdell 1990;Norvick 2003;Harrington et al 2019).…”

Section: Tectonostratigraphic Evolution Of the Eromanga Basinmentioning

confidence: 99%

A regional chronostratigraphic framework for play-based resource assessments in the Eromanga Basin

et al. 2022

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Geoscience Australia is undertaking a series of basin-scale assessments to identify the ‘yet-to-find’ resource potential for hydrocarbons, as well as for groundwater resources and carbon capture and storage (CCS) opportunities in central Australia under the Exploring for the Future (EFTF) Program. A play-based exploration approach is being used to systematically evaluate the key risk elements for each resource type through the analysis of drilling results and spatial data to map ‘sweet spots’ for exploration. These assessments aim to reduce the risks and uncertainties for explorers by providing spatially enabled assessments of energy resources and CCS potential. The work will also improve the understanding of existing groundwater resources which may be impacted by future energy resource developments or provide feedstock for future green hydrogen projects. A key requirement for undertaking such play-based resource assessments is to apply a common regional chronostratigraphic framework across all the resource types that link different geological unit nomenclatures through defining the assessed reservoir and seal intervals and their associated sequence stratigraphic surfaces (sequence boundaries, transgressive surfaces and maximum flooding surfaces). A Mesozoic chronostratigraphic framework has been developed for the Eromanga Basin, which defines nine regional play intervals that host the known hydrocarbon and groundwater resources, or represent potential CCS targets. The Mesozoic play framework is now being applied to undertake play-based low-carbon energy resource assessments in the western Eromanga Basin, with initial work focussing on the interpretation and correlation of the nine play intervals in wells for post-drill analysis.

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The influence of mantle flow on intracontinental basins: Three examples from Australia

Cited by 8 publications

References 96 publications

Observations and models of dynamic topography: Current status and future directions.

Observations and models of dynamic topography: Current status and future directions.

Anomalous Post‐Rift Subsidence in the Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China: Contributions From Mantle Process and Fault Activity

A regional chronostratigraphic framework for play-based resource assessments in the Eromanga Basin

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