1887
  1. Home
  2. A-Z Publications
  3. Basin Research
  4. Volume 17, Issue 1
  5. Article
Volume 17, Issue 1
  • E-ISSN: 1365-2117

Abstract

Abstract

The sediments of the Upper Cretaceous to lower Palaeogene Chalk Group were deposited through a wide range of depositional processes. Chalk was originally formed by settlement of coccolithophorid skeletal remains from suspension in the water column, with bottom currents redistributing the sediment shortly after deposition. Locally, tilting of the sea‐floor resulted in mass‐movement of chalk at scales varying from decimetre‐thick turbidites to slumps and slide sheets that were up to hundreds of metres thick. Syn‐depositional tectonic activity, therefore, constituted an important control on chalk facies. To study this relation in more detail, a three‐dimensional (3D)‐seismic stratigraphical analysis was carried out, comparing two study areas that experienced contrasting syn‐depositional tectonic evolutions. The Vlieland offshore area, which underwent gradual subsidence and westward tilting during deposition of the Chalk Group, is characterised by parallel and continuous reflections thought to represent pelagic chalk deposits. In the Dutch Central Graben, which was tectonically inverted during the Late Cretaceous to early Palaeogene, discontinuous and irregular seismic reflections that indicate large‐scale reworking of sediment are found. The improved image quality of 3D‐ vs. 2D‐seismic data allowed us to study the detailed geometry of allochthonous chalk bodies and aided the identification and tracing of the often subtle intra‐Chalk Group unconformities, resulting in a subdivision of the Chalk Group into seven seismic sequences.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2005.00261.x
2005-02-28
2024-04-24

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2005.00261.x
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Andersen, C., Clausen, C.K., Møller, C., Nygård, E. & Stouge, S. (1990) Intra‐Chalk group study, EFP‐87: a multidisciplinary breakdown, Geological Survey of Denmark, Internal Report 49.
  2. Bradford Macurda, D., Jr. (1997) Carbonate seismic facies analysis. In: Carbonate Seismology. Geophysical Developments, no. 6 (Ed. by I.Palaz & K.J.Marfurt ), pp. 95–119. Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Tulsa.
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Bramwell, N.P., Caillet, G., Meciani, L., Judge, N., Green, A. & Adam, P. (1999) Chalk exploration, the search for a subtle trap. In: Petroleum Geology of Northwest Europe: Proceedings of the 5th Conference (Ed. by A.J.Fleet & S.A.R.Boldy ), pp. 911–937. The Geological Society, London.
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Britze, P., Nielsen, E.B., Dahl, N. & Haug, S. (2000) North Sea chalk porosity resolved by integration of seismic reflectivity and well‐log data. Petrophysics Meet Geophysics, 6–8 November 2000, Paris, France, abstract B‐30.
  5. Brown, A.R. (1991) Interpretation of Three‐Dimensional Seismic Data. AAPG Memoir 42. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa.
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Campbell, S.J.D. & Gravdal, N. (1995) The prediction of high porosity chalks in the East Hod Field. Petrol. Geosci., 1, 57–69.
    [Google Scholar]
  7. De Jager, J. (2003) Inverted basins of the Netherlands, similarities and differences. Neth. J. Geosci., 82 (4), 355–366.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Ditchfield, P. & Marshall, J.D. (1989) Isotopic variation in rhythmically bedded chalks: paleotemperature variation in the Upper Cretaceous. Geology, 17, 842–845.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Dronkers, A.J. & Mrozek, F.J. (1991) Inverted basins of the Netherlands. First Break, 9, 409–425.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Evans, D.J., Hopson, P.M., Kirby, G.A. & Bristow, C.R. (2003) The development and seismic expression of synsedimentary features within the Chalk of southern England. J. Geol. Soc. Lond., 160, 797–813.
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Eyles, N. (1993) Earth's glacial record and its tectonic setting. Earth Sci. Rev., 35, 1–248.
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Fontaine, J.M., Cussey, R., Lacaze, J., Lanaud, R. & Yapaudjian, L. (1987) Seismic interpretation of carbonate depositional environments. AAPG Bull., 71, 281–297.
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Gras, R. & Geluk, M. (1999) Late Cretaceous–Early Tertiary sedimentation and tectonic inversion in the southern Netherlands. Geol. Mijnbouw, 78, 1–19.
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Hancock, J.M. (1975) The petrology of the chalk. Proc. Geol. Assoc., 86, 499–535.
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Hatton, I.R. (1986) Geometry of allochthonous Chalk Group members, Central Through, North Sea. Mar. Petrol. Geol., 3, 79–98.
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Herngreen, G.F.W., Eillebrecht, A.J., Gortemaker, R.E., Remmelts, G., Schuurman, H.A.H.M. & Verbeek, J.W. (1996) Upper Cretaceous Chalk Group stratigraphy near the isle of Texel, the Netherlands (a multidisciplinary approach). Medelingen Rijks Geologische Dienst, no. 56, Haarlem.
  17. Herngreen, G.F.W., Smit, R. & Wong, T.E. (1991) Stratigraphy and tectonics of the Vlieland basin, the Netherlands. Petrol. Geoscientists, 1, 175–192.
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Herrington, P.M., Pederstad, K. & Dickson, J.A.D. (1991) Sedimentology and diagenesis of resedimented and rhythmically bedded chalks from the Eldfisk Field, North Sea Central Graben. AAPG Bull., 75, 1661–1674.
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Hofmann, A.P., Price, A., Kaffenberger, G., Godderij, R. & Simpson, M. (2002) Hanze chalk oil field–the chalk pearl in the Dutch North Sea. 64th EAGE Conference and Exhibition, Extended Abstracts, European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers, Houten.
  20. Johnson, H. (1987) Seismic expression of major chalk reworking events in the Palaeocene of the central North Sea. In: Petroleum Geology of North West Europe (Ed. by J.Brooks & K.Glennie ), pp. 591–598. Graham & Trotman, London.
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Kennedy, W.J. (1987) Late Cretaceous and Early Paleocene Chalk Group sedimentation in the Greater Ekofisk Area, North Sea Central Graben. Bull. Centres Rech. Explor.-Prod. Elf-Aquitaine, 11, 91–126.
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Lykke‐Andersen, H. & Surlyk, F. (2004) The Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary at Stevns Klint, Denmark: inversion tectonics or sea-floor topography? J. Geol. Soc. Lond, 161, 343–352.
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Megson, J. & Hardman, R. (2001) Exploration for and development of hydrocarbons in the Chalk of the North Sea: a low permeability system. Petrol. Geosci., 7, 3–12.
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Mitchum, R.M., Jr., Vail, P.R. & Sangree, J.B. (1977a) Seismic stratigraphy and global changes of sea level, part six: stratigraphic interpretation of seismic reflection patterns in depositional sequences. In: Seismic Stratigraphy – Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration. AAPG Memoir 26 (Ed. by C.E.Payton ), pp. 117–135. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa.
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Mitchum, R.M., Jr., Vail, P.R. & ThompsonIII, S. (1977b) Seismic stratigraphy and global changes of sea level, part two: the depositional sequence as a basic unit for stratigraphic analysis. In: Seismic Stratigraphy – Applications to Hydrocarbon Exploration. AAPG Memoir 26 (Ed. by C.E.Payton ), pp. 53–62. American Association of Petroleum Geologists, Tulsa.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Nygaard, E., Andersen, C., Möller, C., Clausen, C.K. & Stouge, S. (1989) Integrated multidisciplinary stratigraphy of the Chalk Group: an example from the Danish Central Trough. Chalk: Proceedings of the International Chalk Symposium, Brighton, pp. 195–201.
  27. Oakman, C.D. & Partington, M.A. (1998) Ch. 9. Cretaceous. In: Petroleum Geology of the North Sea (Ed. by K.W.Glennie ), pp. 294–349. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Rider, M.H. (1996) The Geological Interpretation of Well Logs. Whittles Publishing, London.
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Schatzinger, R.A., Feazel, C.T. & Henry, W.E. (1985) Evidence of resedimentation in Chalk from the Central Graben, North Sea. SEPM Core Workshop No. 6, Society for Sedimentary Geology, Tulsa.
  30. Skirius, C., Nissen, S., Haskell, N., Marfurt, K., Hadley, S., Ternes, D., Michel, K., Reglar, I., D'Amico, D., Deliencourt, F., Romero, T., D'Angelo, R. & Brown, B. (1999) 3‐D seismic attributes applied to carbonates. Leading Edge, 3, 384–393.
     [Google Scholar]
  31. Surlyk, F. (1997) A cool‐water carbonate ramp with bryozoan mounds: late Cretaceous–Danian of the Danish Basin. In: Cool‐Water Carbonates. SEPM Special Publication No. 56 (Ed. by N.P.James & J.D.A.Clarke ), pp. 213–233. Society for Sedimentary Geology, Tulsa.
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Surlyk, F., Dons, T., Clausen, C.K. & Highham, J. (2003) Upper cretaceous. In: The Millenium Atlas, Petroleum Geology of the Central and Northern North Sea (Ed. by D.Evans , C.Graham , A.Armour & P.Bathurst ), pp. 213–233. The Geological Society, London.
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Van Adrichem Boogaert, H.A. & Kouwe, W.F.P. (1994) Stratigraphic nomenclature of the Netherlands, revision and update by RGD and NOGEPA. Mededelingen Rijks Geologische Dienst, no. 50, Haarlem.
  34. Van Wijhe, D.H. (1987) Structural evolution of inverted basins in the Dutch offshore. Tectonophysics, 137, 171–219.
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Watts, N.L., Lapré, J.F., Van Schijndel‐Goester, F.S. & Ford, A. (1980) Upper Cretaceous and Lower Tertiary chalks of the Albuskjell area, North Sea: deposition in a base-of-slope environment. Geology, 8, 217–221.
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Yilmaz, O. (1987) Seismic Data Processing. SEG Investigations in Geophysics No. 2.Society of Exploration Geophysicists, Tulsa, OK.
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Ziegler, P.A. (1990) Geological Atlas of Western and Central Europe. Shell Internationale Petroleum Maatschappij B.V., Den Haag.
    [Google Scholar]
http://instance.metastore.ingenta.com/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2005.00261.x
Loading
The influence of tectonic regime on chalk deposition: examples of the sedimentary development and 3D‐seismic stratigraphy of the Chalk Group in the Netherlands offshore area
Basin Research 17, 63 (2005); https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2005.00261.x
/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2005.00261.x
/content/journals/10.1111/j.1365-2117.2005.00261.x
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article

Most Cited This Month Most Cited RSS feed

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error