Politecnico di Torino

Sedimentary Basins
Formation and evolution of sedimentary basins
& their geo-energy potential

Evolution of sedimentary basins

Hanneke VERWEIJ
Email: jmverweij@gmail.com
7-11 January 2013

Sedimentary Basins
Formation and evolution of sedimentary basins
& their geo-energy potential

Formation of sedimentary basins

Mechanisms of basin formation
Classification of sedimentary basins
Characterization sedimentary basins

Evolution of sedimentary basins

Evolution plate tectonic setting

Fluids, porosity, permeability
Compaction
Burial history
Temperature and heat flow

Geo-energy potential of sedimentary basins

Introduction
Geothermal energy potential
Introduction to petroleum systems

Evolution of petroleum systems

Mechanisms of Basin formation

Sedimentary basins are related to prolonged subsidence
Mechanisms for subsidence are related to processes in lithosphere
Lithosphere is composed of plates that are in relative motion to each
other

Basin formation is related to plate tectonics

Multiple basin development related to changes in
plate tectonic setting

Plate tectonic evolution

(Paleogeography from www.scotese.com )

Pangea, the supercontinent, begins to evolve

Paleozoic oceans between Euramerica and Gondwana began to close, forming

the Appalachian and Variscan mountains. An ice cap grew at the South Pole;
peat/ swamps near the Equator.
= location of Spain

Peat swamps along the equator

The continents that make up modern North America and Europe had collided
with the southern continents of Gondwana to form the western half of
Pangea. Ice covered much of the southern hemisphere; vast peat swamps
formed along the equator.
= location of Spain

Deserts in western Pangea

Vast deserts covered western Pangea during the Permian; 99% of all life
perished during the extinction event that marked the end of the Paleozoic Era.

Pangea

= location of Spain

Pangea

= location of Spain

By the Early Jurassic, south-central Asia had assembled. A wide Tethys ocean
separated the northern continents from Gondwana. Andes mountains start to
form. Though Pangea was intact, the first rumblings of continental break up could
be heard.

Pangea begins to break apart

Pangea began to break apart in the Middle Jurassic. In the Late Jurassic the
Central Atlantic Ocean was a narrow ocean separating Africa from eastern North
= location of Spain

America. Eastern Gondwana had begun to separate from Western Gondwana.

New oceans open

South Atlantic Ocean opened. India separated from Madagascar and moved
northward to Eurasia. Note that Australia was still joined to Antarctica.
= location of Spain

Oceans widen

The Chicxulub impact of a 10 mile wide comet caused global climate changes
that killed the dinosaurs and many other forms of life. By the Late Cretaceous
the oceans had widened, and India approached the southern margin of Asia.
= location of Spain

Early Cenozoic: India begins to collide with Asia

50 - 55 million years ago India began to collide with Asia forming the Tibetan
plateau and Himalayas. Australia, which was attached to Antarctica, began to
move rapidly northward.
= location of Spain

Recent rifting events

(opening Red Sea, Gulf of Japan, and California)

= location of Spain

The world has taken on a "modern" look, note that Florida and parts of Asia were
flooded by the sea; Antarctica covered with ice

The earth in Ice House Climate for the last 30 My

The last expansion of the polar ice sheets took place about 18,000 years ago.
= location of Spain

The present-day world

= location of Spain

Modern world: main tectonic plates

Modern world
Age sea floor

Summary (1)
Examples of relation between plate movements and major basin
forming events at different geological times:
Carboniferous: Pangea (the supercontinent begins to
evolve);collision between Gondwana and Eurasia: formation
Appalachian and Variscan Mountains (and creation foreland basins)
Jurassic: breaking apart Pangea rifting creations rift basins
Cenozoic: continental collisions and creation foreland basins: e.g
collision India and Asia: formation Himalayas; also formation of
Pyrenees, Alps, Zagros Mountains;youngest collision of Australia
with Indonesia; Continued rifting: Arabia away from Africa opening
the Red Sea, creation of the East African Rift System,

Change in surface temperature

through time (Torino)

Evolution of surface temperature based on paleoclimate and the paleogeographic position of Torino

Summary (2)
Changes in plate tectonic setting, accompanied by, e.g.:
Changes in stress (magnitude and direction)
Changes in sources and sinks (environments of deposition) (landsea)
Changes in (surface and subsurface) temperature

Wilson Cycle
The alternating ocean
opening and closing,
continental break-up
and continental collision

Wilson Cycle
Stages of rifting, seafloor spreading, ocean closure and
collision

(Bradley 2008)

Multiple basin development

(Bradley 2008)

Multiple basin development

Modern and ancient passive margins

World maps showing modern and ancient passive margins. Passive margins have existed since 2740 Ma. They were
abundant at 1900-1890, 610-520, and 150-0 Ma, absent before c. 3000 Ma (Bradley 2008)

Multiple basin development

Netherlands

Oil & gas fields

c. 250 km

Multiple basin development: Netherlands

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Compression & Inversion of Mesozoic rift basins

Main phase of formation rift basins

Foredeep of Variscan fault- and thrust belt

Tectonic phases and their relation to plate tectonic events

Multiple basin development: Dutch North Sea

Inverted Broad Fourteens Basin

Adjacent platform

Multiple basin development:

Dutch North Sea

Summary (3)
Present-day plate tectonic setting often not
the same as tectonic settings in the past
(Wilson cycle)