1887

Abstract

Summary

For decades, the Triassic interval of the North Sea remained inadequately understood and, therefore poorly explored. This was due to the combination of structural, burial depth, overpressure, and sedimentological variability related primarily to the depositional environment, halokinesis, post-depositional erosion and diagenesis. In both UK and Norwegian sectors of the Central North Sea, the Triassic interval comprises the mainly Early Triassic Smith Bank Formation, represented by fluvio-lacustrine and aeolian rocks, and the Middle-Late Triassic Skagerrak Formation, consisting of sandstone and mudstone rocks deposited as part of a series of distributive fluvial systems. This study focuses on a portion of the Norwegian North Sea and integrated seismic, well and core data. It revealed the presence of two stable main sediment input points in the area throughout the Triassic time and demonstrated that sedimentation in this time occurred without interference from the local topography. This implies that the Triassic movements of the late Permian Zechstein salt did not affect the topography, thus channels were free to migrate. This part of the study represents a groundbreaking result as it extends the area of subsurface exploration above the salt structures since the sandstones of the channel deposits display the best reservoir properties.

© EAGE Publications BV
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202534007
2025-02-26
2025-11-14

  • From This Site

    /content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202534007
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Archer, S.G., McKie, T., Andrews, S.D., Wilkins, A.D., Hutchison, M., Young-Ziolkowski, N., Osunde, C., Matheson, J., Thackrey, S., Lang, M. and Sola, B. [2022]. Triassic mudstones of the Central North Sea: cross-border characterization, correlation and their palaeoclimatic significance. Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 494, 333–378. https://doi.org/10.1144/SP494-2019-61
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Banham, S.G., Mountney, N.P. [2014]. Climatic versus halokinetic control on sedimentation in a dryland fluvial succession: Triassic Moenkopi Formation, Utah, USA. Sedimentology, 61, 570–608. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12064
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Burgess, R., Jolley, D., and Hartley, A. [2021]. Stratigraphical palynology of the Middle-Late Triassic successions of the Central North Sea. Petroleum Geoscience. https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2019-128
     [Google Scholar]
  4. DiLauro, L., Hartley, A.J., Duncan, J., Rosseland Knutsen, E., Howell J. and Jolley, D., [in review]. The Influence of Salt Tectonics on the Distribution of the Triassic Skagerrak Formation in the Ula Field, Norwegian North Sea. Petroleum Geoscience, 30. https://doi.org/10.1144/petgeo2022-025
     [Google Scholar]
  5. Goldsmith, P. J., Hudson, G. and Van Veen, P. [2003]. Triassic. In: Evans, D., Graham, C., Armour, A. and Bathurst, P. (eds) The Millenium Atlas: Petroleum Geology of the Central and Northern North Sea. Geological Society, London, 105–127.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Grant, N. T., Middleton, A. J. and Archer, S. [2014]. Porosity trends in the Skagerrak Formation, Central Graben, UKCS:the role of compaction and pore pressure history. AAPG Bulletin, 98, 1111–1143. DOI: 10.1306/10211313002
     https://doi.org/10.1306/10211313002 [Google Scholar]
  7. McKie, T. [2014]. Climatic and tectonic controls on Triassic dryland terminal fluvial system architecture, Central North Sea. In: A. W. Martinius, R. Ravnås, J. A. Howell, R. J. Steel, & J. P. Wonham (Eds.), From depositional systems to sedimentary successions on the Norwegian Continental Shelf 46, 19–58. Oxford: Blackwell [IAS Special Publication]. 10.1144/0060651.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Wilkins, A.D., Hurst, A., Wilson, M.J. and Archer, S., [2018]. Palaeo-environment in an ancient low-latitude, arid lacustrine basin with loessite: the Smith Bank Formation (Early Triassic) in the Central North Sea, UK continental shelf. Sedimentology, 65, 335–359. https://doi.org/10.1111/sed.12382
     [Google Scholar]
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202534007
Loading
New Palaeogeography Reconstruction of the Triassic Stratigraphic Interval in the Norwegian Central North Sea
Conference Proceedings 2025, 1 (2025); https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.202534007
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202534007
/content/papers/10.3997/2214-4609.202534007
Loading

Data & Media loading...

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