Sediment transfer from shelf to deep water : revisiting the delivery system

224 Pages·2012·46.798 MB·English

by  Slatt, Roger M., Zavala, Carlos

Sediment Transfer from Shelf to
Deep Water—Revisiting the
Delivery System
AAPG Studies in Geology 61
Edited By
R. M. Slatt and C. Zavala
Co-published by
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists and SEPM
Copyright © 2011
By the American Association of Petroleum Geologists
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COVER: Lower Miocene channel and channel–margin deepwater hyperpycnites at Cabo San Pablo, Tierra del
Fuego, Argentina. These deposits are composed of massive medium to coarse grained sandstones laterally
grading into laminated sand-silt couplets with plant debris, the last related to lofting processes at flow
margin. Photo by C. Zavala, 2006.
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Stephen E. Laubach, Austin, Texas
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James B. Blankenship, Tulsa, Oklahoma
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iii
About the Editors
Roger M. Slattis currently the Gungoll Chair Professor of Petroleum Geology and
Geophysics, and Director of the Institute of Reservoir Characterization in the
College of Earth and Energy at the University of Oklahoma. Dr. Slatt had a 14-year
career in the oil and gas industry with Cities Service Co. and ARCO/ARCO
International, focused on various aspects of exploration and reservoir characteriza-
tion globally. He also has had a 17-year career in academia, including Head of the
School of Geology and Geological Engineering at Colorado School of Mines
(1992–2000), Director of the School of Geology and Geophysics at University of
Oklahoma (2000–2005), and Director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Petroleum
Technology Transfer Council (1995–2000).
He received his undergraduate degree in geology at San Jose State (California)
University, and his M.S. (1967) and Ph.D. (1970) degrees in geology from the
University of Alaska. He has published more than 100 papers and abstracts, and has
made numerous presentations on the subjects of petroleum geology, reservoir geol-
ogy, seismic and sequence stratigraphy, fluvial, shallow marine and turbidite depo-
sitional systems, geology of shale, glacial and Pleistocene–Quaternary geology, and
geochemical exploration. He sits on various professional society committees, has
organized technical conferences for American Association of Petroleum Geologists
(AAPG), and teaches short courses for industry organizations on the “Introduction to the petroleum geology of deep-water
(turbidite) depositional systems,” “Principles of geologic reservoir characterization,” Applied Sequence Stratigraphy, and Geology
of Unconventional Resource Shales.He has authored books on the first two course topics. His courses have been presented
in many places in the U.S., as well as in many countries, including Colombia, Mexico, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru,
Australia, Angola, India, New Zealand, Scotland, and England. He also offers a global, web-based course on “Introduction
to geologic reservoir characterization.”In 1996 he received the AAPG Distinguished Service Award. In 1999 he was the Esso
Australia Distinguished Lecturer in Petroleum Geology. In 2001–2003 he was both an AAPG and SPE Distinguished
Lecturer. In 2003 he received Honorary Membership in the American Association of Petroleum Geologists. In 2006 he
received the AAPG Grover Murray Distinguished Educator Award. In 2007 he received the Society of Exploration
Geophysicists (SEG) Special Commendation Award.
Carlos Zavala is currently the president of GCS Argentina S.H. (international
consulting services). He has been teaching geology at the Universidad Nacional
del Sur, Bahia Blanca Argentina since 1989. He is currently working as a con-
sultant on the petroleum industry for different companies in Venezuela, Mexico,
Trinidad, Colombia, and Argentina. After receiving his Ph.D. in 1993 from the
Universidad Nacional del Sur, he spent two years (1995–1996) in Italy at the
Università degli Studi di Parma, performing a postdoctoral fellowship on tur-
bidites under the guidance of Prof. Emiliano Mutti. He was Member of Research
Career of the CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y
Técnicas) of Argentina (1996–2009) and guided several Ph.D. Thesis and
research studies focused on sedimentology and stratigraphy.
During the last 20 years, he has published more than 130 papers and abstracts
in domestic and international journals, concerning different aspects of the sedi-
mentology, stratigraphy, and sequence stratigraphy of aeolian, lacustrine, flu-
vial, shallow marine, shelfal, and deep-water clastic deposits. He has taught
numerous conferences, field seminars, and short courses including “Predictive
Sedimentology” and “Hyperpycnal Systems” in Argentina (2000–2010), Mexico
(2004), Venezuela (2005–2010), and Trinidad (2006–2009). In 2008 he organized
the AAPG Hedberg Research Conference “Sediment Transfer from Shelf to Deepwater – Revisiting the Delivery
Mechanisms” in Ushuaia, Argentina. His research interest has moved along the last 12 years to the understanding
and petroleum significance of hyperpycnal flows and their deposits, hyperpycnites.
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Preface
This collection of chapters is an outgrowth of the 2008 AAPG Hedberg Conference titled, “Sediment Transfer From Shelf
to Deepwater: Revisiting the Delivery Mechanisms.” The conference was held in Argentina in part so that participants
could visit well-exposed outcrops and in part because many of the presentations dealt with South American sedimentary
basins. Emphasis at the conference was placed upon the role of riverine processes in transporting sediments into marine
shelf and basinal environments through relatively long-lived quasisteady hyperpycnal and related flows.
The topic of hyperpycnal flows and their deposits, hyperpycnites, has recently emerged as the latest in a long list of hotly
debated topics on deep-water sedimentary processes, environments, and deposits. Perhaps the propensity for debate on
deep-water topics is because of the relative rarity in which submarine processes can be directly observed and docu-
mented. A partial historical list of such debates includes
- The origin of graded beds (Kuenan and Migliorini, 1950);
- Early identification of hydrocarbon-productive Tertiary sands in California basins as turbidites (Natland and Kuenen, 1951);
- Distal versus proximal deepwater mudstones (Walker, 1967; Nilson, 1980)
- Mopping-up the turbidite mess (Walker, 1973)
- Sandy debrites versus turbidites (Shanmugam, 1997, and related articles in the 1997 AAPG Bulletin, v. 81;
Pratson et al., 2006)
- Paradigm shift away from basinward decrease in slope gradient, current velocity, grain size, and bed thickness
(Kneller, 1995; Kneller and Buckee, 2000)
- Migration of sinuous submarine channels (Peakall et al., 2000; Posamentier and Kolla, 2003).
All of these, and other debates have led to stimulation of additional research and, ultimately, to advancement in our knowl-
edge of the deep-water sedimentary realm. Such is the the intent of this volume, designed specifically to explore the grow-
inginterestinhyperpycnalandassociatedflowsandhyperpycnitesassignificantcontributorstothedeep-watersedimentary
record. Although first suggested by (Bates, 1953) and noted by Walker (1978), it was really the seminal article by Mulder and
Syvitski (1995; followed by several more recent publications, listed in Mulder and Chapron, and Zavala et al., this volume)
that elevated interest in hyperpycnal and related processes to the forefront. Numerous modern studies and ancient exam-
plesofrealandpotentialhyperpycnitesarereferencedintheindividualchapterscomprisingthisvolume,soarenotrepeated
here. Hyperpycnites now stand ready for full and open dialog and debate, which hopefully is prompted by this volume. It
places into one document (1) recent advances in understanding modern sediment delivery processes, (2) classifications of
sedimentary and stratigraphic features that might (or might not) be diagnostic of hyperpycnal and other types of submarine
flows, and (3) examples of both hyperpycnite and nonhyperpycnite deposits and how to distinguish them.
The lead chapter (Mulder and Chapron) focuses on the processes of hyperpycnal floods and their deposits using modern
environments,outcrop,core,andseismicreflectionprofileexamples.Thiskeychapter,whichsetsuptheremainingchapters
on ancient rocks in outcrop and the subsurface, is followed by the proposed genetic facies tract classification for hyperpyc-
nites by Zavala et al.; not only are the genetic facies groups described in detail, but possible hyperpycnal processes are
presented to account for these deposits. A companion chapter by Zavala et al. applies this classification to determine proxi-
mality and lateral facies relationships within an oil province, with suggestions on possible extension of reservoir sands. Ponce
and Carmona apply a similar facies association classification to some Tertiary channel-levee complexes. Next, Paim et al.
document the down-dip changes from fluvial incised channel facies through shelf and slope channel deposits and deeper
lobe/fringe facies in continuous outcrop exposures, then discuss their origins within the context of short (surgelike)- versus
long (sustained)-lived sediment gravity flows. Campos et al. provide a well-documented example of gravelly and sandy sed-
iments and also discuss whether they are the product of surgelike or sustained flows. Henriksen et al. use three studies to
documenttheeffectofhigh-sedimentsupplysystemsonsequencestackingpatternsandtheroleofhyperpycnalflowswithin
these sequences; in particular, they stress the importance of along-strike variability and sediment supply in sequence-
stratigraphicinterpretation.Twokeychaptersprovidepaleoecologicinputintothesedimentologicmix—onepaperthat
providesichnologic characterization of a Cretaceous deltaic system dominated by hyperpycnal processes (Buatois et al.), and
the other that documents ichnologic trends from proximal to middle deep-marine hyperpycnites (Carmona and Ponce).
Both of these chapters relate trace-fossil assemblages to sedimentologic processes and provide a framework for future ichno-
logic identification and classification of hyperpycnal systems. The final chapter, by Gamero et al., reinterprets a gas field area
as shelf/slope hyperpycnal deposits, which substantially modifies sand trends and geometries for additional exploration and
field development.
v
Taken together, this collection of chapters offers important new insights into the sediment delivery system to deep-
marine waters. There are some recurrent themes that thread through the volume, including (1) direct and/or secondary
linkages of river-derived sediment into deep-water systems, (2) criteria for identifying hyperpycnal processes and
deposits in the stratigraphic record, (3) origin(s) of very coarse-grained deep-water facies, and (4) applications to hydro-
carbon exploration and development. All of the authors, as well as the editors, hope that this collection of chapters
provides the stimulus for more research into the delivery system(s) by which river-derived sediments ultimately reach
the deep ocean.
Roger M. Slatt
Bates, C. C., 1953. Rational theory of delta formation: AAPG Bulletin, v. 37, p. 2119–2162.
Kneller, B., 1995. Beyond the turbidite paradigm: Physical models for deposition of turbidites and their implications for
reservoir prediction, in A. J. Hartley, and D.J. Prosser, eds., Characterization of deep-marine clastic systems: Geological
Society (London) Special Publication 94, p. 31–49.
Kneller B. and C. Buckee, 2000. The structure and fluid mechanics of turbidity currents: A review of some recent studies
and their geological implications: Sedimentology, v. 47, p. 62–94.
Mulder, T. and Syvitski, J. P. M., 1995. Turbidity currents generated at river mouths during exceptional discharges to the
world oceans. Journal of Geology, v. 103, 285–299.
Natland, M. L., and P. H. Kuenen, 1951. Sedimentary history of the Ventura Basin, California, and the action of turbidity
currents: SEPM Special Publication 2, p. 76–107.
Nilsen, T. H., 1980. Modern and ancient submarine fans: Discussion of papers by R. G. Walker and W. R. Normark: AAPG
Bulletin, v. 64, p. 1094–1101.
Peakall, J., W. D. McCaffrey, B. C. Kneller, C. E. Stelting, T. R. McHargue, and W. J. Schweller, 2000, A process model for
the evolution of submarine fan channels: Implications for sedimentary architecture, in A. H. Bouma and C. G. Stone,
eds., Fine-grained turbidite systems: AAPG Memoir 72; SEPM Special Publication 68, p. 73–88.
Pratson, L. F., J. Imran, G. Parker, J. P. M. Syvitski, and E. Hutton, 2000. Debris flows vs. turbidity currents: A modeling
comparison of their dynamics and deposits, inA. H. Bouma, and C. G. Stone, eds., Fine-grained turbidite systems: AAPG
Memoir 72; SEPM Special Publication 68, p. 57–71.
Posamentier, H. W., and V. Kolla, 2003. Seismic geomorphology and stratigraphy of depositional elements in deepwater
settings: Journal of Sedimentary Research, v. 73, p. 367–388.
Shanmugam, G., 1997. The Bouma sequence and the turbidite mind set: Earth-Science Reviews, v. 42, p. 201–229.
Walker, R. G., 1967. Turbidite sedimentary structures and their relationship to proximal and distal depositional
environments: Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, v. 37, p. 25–43.
Walker, R. G., 1973. Mopping-up the turbidite mess, in R. N. Ginsburg, ed., Evolving concepts in sedimentology,
Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, Maryland, p. 1–37.
Walker, R. G., 1978. Deep water sandstone facies and ancient submarine fans: Models for exploration for stratigraphic
traps: AAPG Bulletin v. 62, p. 932–966.
vi
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Flood Deposits in Continental and Marine Environments: Character and Significance
Thierry Mulder and Emmanuel Chapron
Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
A Genetic Facies Tract for the Analysis of Sustained Hyperpycnal Flow Deposits
Carlos Zavala, Mariano Arcuri, Mariano Di Meglio, Helena Gamero Diaz, and Carmen Contreras
Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Genetic Indices in Hyperpycnal Systems: A Case Study in the Late Oligocene–Early Miocene
Merecure Formation, Maturin Subbasin, Venezuela
Carlos Zavala, Jose Marcano, Jair Carvajal, and Manuel Delgado
Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Miocene Deep-marine Hyperpycnal Channel Levee Complexes, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina:
Facies Associations and Architectural Elements
Juan José Ponce and Noelia B. Carmona
Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Fluvial-derived Turbidites in the Los Molles Formation (Jurassic of the Neuquén Basin):
Initiation, Transport, and Deposition
Paulo Sergio Gomes Paim, Ernesto Luiz Correa Lavina, Ubiratan Ferrucio Faccini,
Ariane Santos da Silveira, Héctor Leanza, and Roberto Salvador Francisco d’Avila
Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Gravelly and Sandy Facies of Rio Guache Formation, Venezuelan Andes: Evidence for
Transformation of Gravity Flows in Deep-marine Water
Corina Campos, Oswaldo Guzmán, Andrés Pilloud, Redescal Uzcátegui, Ana Cabrera,
and Manuel Toro
Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
The Importance of Sediment Supply and Sequence-stacking Pattern in Creating
Hyperpycnal Flows
Sverre Henriksen, Anna Pontén, Nils Janbu, and Britta Paasch
Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Ichnologic Signatures of Hyperpycnal Flow Deposits in Cretaceous River-dominated Deltas,
Austral Basin, Southern Argentina
Luis Alberto Buatois, Luis Lucas Saccavino, and Carlos Zavala
Chapter 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
Ichnology and Sedimentology of Miocene Hyperpycnites of the Austral Foreland Basin
(Tierra del Fuego, Argentina): Trace Fossil Distribution and Paleoecological Implications
Noelia B. Carmona and Juan José Ponce
Chapter 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
Evidence of Shelfal Hyperpycnal Deposition of Pliocene Sandstones in the Oilbird Field,
Southeast Coast, Trinidad: Impact on Reservoir Distribution
Helena Gamero Diaz, Carmen Contreras, Neil Lewis, Robert Welsh, and Carlos Zavala
vii

1 Mulder,T.,andE.Chapron,2011,Flooddepositsincontinentalandmarine
environments:Characterandsignificance,inR.M.SlattandC.Zavala,
eds.,Sedimenttransferfromshelftodeepwater—Revisitingthedelivery
system:AAPGStudiesinGeology61,p.1–30.
Flood Deposits in Continental and
Marine Environments: Character
and Significance
Thierry Mulder
Universite´Bordeaux1,Unite´MixtedeRecherches(UMR),EnvironnementsetPale´oenvironnements
Oce´aniques(EPOC),Talence,France
Emmanuel Chapron
Institut des Sciences de la Terre d’Orle´ans (ISTO), Universite´ d’Orle´ans, Institut National
des Sciencesdel’Univers(INSU)-CentreNationaldelaRechercheScientifique(CNRS),
Orle´ans,France
ABSTRACT
T
his chapterfocusesontheprocesses,character,andsignificanceofhyper-
pycnal floods and their deposits (hyperpycnites) in the geologic record
basedonselectedexamplesfrommodernenvironments,outcrops,sedi-
ment cores, and seismic reflection profiles.
For bed-load- or suspended-load-dominated hyperpycnites, the rating curve
of a flood event can be predicted and is represented by a power-law relation-
ship betweendischargeandload.Becauseofreconcentrationprocessesinmarine
waters, rivers other than those considered dirty (high sediment concentration)
may form hyperpycnal flows over long distances on the sea floor. Hyperpycnal
floods generally have a meteorologic origin, but catastrophic hyperpycnal floods
canalsooccurbecauseofdamoutburstinthecatchmentareaofariver.Insome
cases, catastrophic floods are associated with earthquakes or volcanic activity.
Both in marine and lacustrine environments, frequent and powerful hyperpyc-
nalflowsdevelopmeanderingchannelleveesystemsandmoredistalbasinalfan
lobes.
Hyperpycnites are characterized by a coarsening-upward basal sequence
formed during the rising limb of the flood (waxing flow) and a fining-upward
uppersequenceformedduringthefallinglimboftheflood(waningflow).The
lower sequence is not always preserved, sohyperpycnites maybe difficult to dis-
tinguish from classical turbidites. The common occurrence of organic debris of
continentaloriginatthebaseofdepositsisanindicatorofhyperpycnites.
Copyrightn2011byTheAmericanAssociationofPetroleumGeologists.
DOI:10.1306/13271348St613436
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