Paul Weimer Martin H.

Link
Ed itors
Seismic Facies and
Sedimentary Processes
of Submarine Fans
and Turbidite Systems
WilhJ37 l1luslral ion s in 525 ParIS. wilh I" in Full Color
\
Springer-Verlag
New York Berln Heidelberg London Pars
Tokyo Hong Kong Barcelona Budapesl
_IMIIS_
__
_00_
111-
Conlents
Series Prcface
Acknowledgmenls
ConlribUlors
Par11 Inlroduction
l Seismic Facies and SedimCnlary Processcs orSubmarine Fans
andTurbidilC Syslcms: An Overoie,,"
H. Li"k<lfU/Pw/ '''mer
Global Pelroleum (kcurrencc>in Submarine Fansand TurbiJilc Syslems
PoIII "tima mili Mar/in H. Link
I"olrl 11 TKhniquesa nd Topics inTurbidile Rf'Sun: h
J 71
.. An Inlegraled Approach lO lheSlUdy 01" TurbiJiteSy,tems 75
Emilill/w Mlllli amI Willi",n R, /Vormmt
5 PhOlOSlratigraph)'ofAn,"icnl TurbiJile SystClllS 107
MllriIlSgm't'lIi
Mudels ror Sublllarine-Fan Deposition ",ilhina
Sequence-Slratigr..phic Framcv,;ork.. 127
H.W. Posamemif'T. R.o. Enhne. md R.M. Mi/chum. ir.
7 ConslrainlS00 Dcpositional M,xkliog: E..:.mplcs ni
10legrationofBioslraligraptly and Seismic Slrat igraphy.
Pliol:ene Pleislocene.GulfofMcxico
Jo}n M. Armemrou(
8 Mooern SundRich and Mud Rich Sihciclaslic Aprons: Ahcrnaliw
Ba,eOfSlopeTurbidi lcSyslemStoSubmari ne Fans 171
e Hans oVe/sOI1. Amlrl'S Mu/dOl1ado. John H. &"ber. Jr.. mld /kli'n Altmm
P.!rt 111 Sc,ismic t"aciesandS<!dimenhlry orAndentSubl1larine Fans
and Turbidite
l'au/ I/Jrd Mlmin H. Unk
10 Seismie Expression and Recogni t ionCriteria ofAneient Submarinc Fans 197
H.w. Pos<unemierandR.D. Erskine
11 Scismic FaciesofSlope BasinThrbiditc Rcscrmirs. Easl Brcaks
160- 161 Ficld: Pliocene Pleislocene. NorlhweslcrnGulfofMcxieo, . 223
Jolm M. Armm/rou/. SU!''t'n 1. MII/C("('*. Philip
I",J Clwrles R. &rman
12 SequenceStrat igr,lphyofthcOligo.:cneTurbiditeCoOlp!ex
oflheCampos Basin. Of(shore BrJzil: An Overview
Murio Curmimuri anJ Julio Ceror !kar/QlI
13 Seismicand Deposilional FaciesofPaleocencEoceneWilcox
Group Submarioe Canyon Fill s. NonhweslGulfCoost. U,S.A 247
W. E. Gallo...a,l'. W. F Dingus. cmd R, E. Puige
14 SeismicFaciesofShcJf.Slope.andSubmarine FanEovironmcnlS
ufIhe Lewis Shale. Upper Cretaceous. Wyoming 273
/(('""e/h M, MeMilltn and IWbUI D. Wiml. Jr.
15 Seismic Straligraphy ofLower Crclaceous Forcland Basin
Submarine Fans in IheNonhSlope. AJaska.. 289
Ke""elhM. McMil/l'''
16 Expression and SJimemulogic ofa Permian
l Wolfcampian) CarbonateSubmarine Fan. Midland Basin, WestTexas . JOJ
[)(,'d A. Ll'ar)'cIIIJMetry H. Feell'y
Sc,ismi( Fa(ies andSedimentar)' Proce,;sesofModern Subtnarine Fans
andTurbidileS)'slems
17 (ntloouclion
Jolm E. DI/ml/lh l/mi William N. Nomuuk
'"
18 Seismic Facies.Characleristics.and Var ialiolls inChannel
Ewlulion..\1ississippi Fan (Plio Plei sloceneJ, GulfofMcxico J2J
It,ullli'irnt"
1
19 lkpusilional f"aucrn, ,,flh,, FanSurfacc; Evidenn'
from GLORIA [J ami High-Rcr.olulion SelSmic Profiles
f)", c. Ti ,jchrll. Nei/If. K"'WJ/l. [msal' .H. Pr.'FSOJI.
111,,1 Boml;'! A.
10 E,ololionufa FanCh,mnclonlheSurfacc"flhcOUlcr Mis,issippi Fan
Evidcnl'c fmm Sonar
O'COImd/, Willillm B,F. RWI'I .lInd Willimll R. ,Vo,,,,,,rJ;
11 FacicsandG''lugic E>olulionoflheCcnlral P\)rlion
oflhelndusFan
L. Dro:anlIG. &/I"idlt'
12 Scismic Facies. Proccs>cs. and E,'olulion uf Miocene [nnrr F,w Channds
[ndusSubmarinc Fan
TimOlln'R, McHa' gur
23 Scismic Facie,arul laleQua!anaryGrow!h ofAmazon Submarine Fan
Roger [). F/OOlI, Pr.u,ia L. Mlm/C)". Rena/O o. Aim'smalln. Ciro 1. Appi,
allJ Car!Qs Pirme:
AbSlrae!.'
1 Descriplion ofCove,and P-JrI Opening Figures
,
f
Introduction
Marlim Fie!d. CamposB;.sin. Brazil
P.:rcs aoo Arso. 1986
CHAPTER 1
Seismic FaciesandSedimentary Processes
ofSubmarineFansandThrbiditeSystems: An Overview
Martin H. Link and Paul Wcimcr
Imroductiun
TbegetJlogiccommunily'sundcrSlandingofsubmarincfansJml
turbidi t" syslems has grOVl' n considcrably du.ing lhe P"'llwO
dc'ades. ThcgoologiclitcraturehasprolifcrJtcdwithconlribu-
t ionsaddrcssingprimarilythcsedimentologyandstr;uigrJphyof
anejen! in oulcrops. anJ ofmodcrn subma-
e fans. as magcd wth high-resolution. shallo" ..-penC1r.uion
smic. and side-Iooking imagingsyst<,msanJ pistoncores. A
di._p;r ity hasemerg<!d fansystems
e\'ol"ebeeaus.cofthcdifferingperspcrtivcsafford<!dbydiffcrent
data bases. Imerpretations baSt..'<.I on large-scale stratal
uiesddnedby s.c;smic-relle<:tiondatasomctimcsconllict with
intcrpretationsbasedonfllle-s.:a!coUlcropfcaturcssuchasbed-
ding gcometries an<l scdimentary structures (80uma et al..
1985b). Multifoldseismic-relle<:tiondataprovideanimportant
link in comp;l ring Ihe and modero submarine
(eatures. Thcs.ctypeofdataarcbestusedinaregional

Iheyha'cbecngcnemUyunderrcpres.cnt<!dandundcrutilizedin
thedevclopmentofsubmar ine fan mo.lcl,. pr imarilybo:cause
muchoftheal'aibble dala is
This"olumcpresentschaptersthatdescribethescismicfacics
andsedimemaryproccsscsofsubmarin.'(ansandturbiditcsys-
tcms. Cas.c hislOrics ami cxamples f",m aU o"er the world are
highlightcdin thi s,'olumc.
necdfortheintcgrationofseisl11ic-reflecti,)ndatalmultifoldand
high resolution) aerial photogr..phic
interpretation. wirdinc logs. synlhclic- and timc-baS\." logs.
cores. threc-dimens;onal ()-D) seismic liata. and biostrJtigra-
phy, lhcpurposcoflllis Onrl' iewchapter isto introduccthc
book and 10 addrcss some of tlle concerns and problems
prcsented in this 'ulumc by variousauthorsandbyOlhcrswho
maprelscismkrdk...tiOIl ,ubsurfatcJata. Manyuflhese
problcmsare 10 lhe grea! "olumeofdat:t and differenl
approachcsuscd bydifferentgroupswhoSludysubmilrincfans
Jndturbidilcsystcms.

This I'Olumc consists of 23 chapters_ ",-hich ,ubdivldcd
intofoor s.cl'tions(1) huroduct ion.(11) Topin
in Turbidil f Restarch_(11 1) Seismic and Sedimfn
lar y PI'OC""SCS nr Andenl fans nd Turbidile
and (IV)Seismic fac ies andSedimentar)' Procrsses
of Modern Subma rine Fans and Tur bidilf S,slfnls. Each
of the s.:ctions with an O'wvicw or lntroou.:tion thm
bricJlysummarizcsthchistory.current\hooghts.andapprooches
used in Ihe field. foU",,'ed by topical pape", rcviewi ng spe-
cificcase-historye:<.lmplcs. Manyofthesechaptcrswerepre-
",nted orally at a SEPM Midycar Meeting hcld in Austin.
lcx.ls in AuguSt 1987. Nine al Ihal
ing Ihat arc not induded in thisvolumcaspapersarc listed in
1
lhe Int roduction scction contains two chapters: '''nO"er-
vicw" a paper cntitled Ourrcnccs in
Subl11arinc Fansand lurbiditcSystcnls:'lhc"O'-crview'-chap-
tcrofllle volumcdcscribesproblcms and l<'<:'hniqucs inunder-
standingturbiditesandoullinespotential area.ot"rcsearchin
sublllarine fans and turhidile inmlving scismic
lhe '"Global Pelrolcum Occurrences" chapter reviews
petroleumoccurrences in lurbiditc res.cfluirsand lisIs o"cr80
s<"di mcntarybasinsthalpro.lucefromturbiditerescrvoirs.Seis-
l11icfaciesandrcs.crvoircxamplesfromhighlyproduclivcturbi-
dile hasinsarcintludc"<.l
e19<it N<..,York. tnc.
&"",,,N.'i,, s.-di....."""" I'n...,,,,, "S.lm.m,,,.fu", Tu,m,li" S,.." ..,
Thc TK hniqut'S and Tnpk! in Turbidite Rt'St'arch s<."tion
.. "hap!el1<.eachaddn:ss-
ing:citheratechniqueoranahernateapproachtodescrib.:sub-
mari nefansandturbiditesystcms, This;,:,clionsetslhe,lagefor
Ihe volume by il1usI'J!ing some oflhe scales. mapping lech
niques. ca libral ion melhod!. and model! used in in lerpreling
sei!mic-rdleClion and f'eld dala fo r lhe main lurbidilC clemems
ofmodcrn andancieolsy!lems.
The ;,:,clion enlitktJ Sdsmic Facies and 1'",_

lai ns eighl chaplers: an inlrOOuction . a general s",,,,mary of
sequence Sl ra!igraphy uf fans_ and specific eas.e hislories
The case-hislory slUdiesdiscuss lhe ,<,ismie facies. emnomic
significance. lcctonicrelalions.andagcsofmanydiffercntlurbi
di le syslems, (o..-ering an range from Pliu-Plcisux'cne to
P\:nnsy lvanianandslruelurals.ellingsfronlriftlopassivemargin
10 fo relandbasin
Thc Sfismic Facies and Sedimcntary Proces."<'S uf Modern
Submarine Fans and Turbidite SJstems comains ,;e.'en
cont rioo!ions:aninlroduclion.lhrcesludiesoftheMississippi
Fan. 1""0 oflbe Indus Fan. and one or!he Amazon Fan. Thc
introdu<;tion chaptcrgivesahisloricalpcrspecl i"c oflhe studyof
modernfanandplacesthcselhreefansintoarcgionalconlcxt
AJllhr fans are large. passi\'e margin fans !bat are rnud-rich
andmntainlargechanndflcveesyslems.
RccenlTechnical ...tingsonSubmarineFans

rine ancienllurbidile syslems, groups of
specialislshavemellhreclime sduringthepasllOyearstoshare
'-stale-of-Ihe-art"" knowledge and lO discuss ne", direct iuns uf
sludy. Tbe CO,\[ millee on FANs (COMFAN) "'as
and COMFAN [ mel in Septemher 1982. in I\>nn-
sy lvanianearPinsburllh.1t"'ashosledbyGu lfOiICorporalion
by Arnold Bouma. In AugusI 1987. a symposium
enli llet.1 "Seismic Facies of Modero and Aneicnl Submartllc
Fans" "'aS held at Ihe SEI'M "-l idyear Meet ing in Aus!in. Tcxa.'
ami waS con\'cncd by PO.ml Weimcr and Man in Link. COMFAN
11 hcld in Septemher 1988. in I':lrma.ltaly : il wJs'pon>orcd
by lhe Universilyof l'-Jrma. andcomencd by Emiliano Mutti.
Wi ll iam Normark. and .\lariaSga\el1i.
The CO MFAN [ mCl!ling focus...'d on l'asc-hi,wry studies uf
nl<)dernsubmarinefansandancicnlfansexposcdinoulcrops. The
resullsoflhe meel ing "'erc publishcd in a spo..-.:ial issuc 01 Gm-
M(lTilll'uul'fs(8ooma.198)1!Wandlalerinc\JXInd..'dformina
Springer-Verlag ,olumc cmitl<'<l SumUlrilU' lim.f "11<1 R,'I"t"d 7i1f-
biditl' Sy.itl'llU (8ooma el aL. 1985a). lhe lirsl volume in Iheir
Frontiersin SedimenlarfGcolog.\'series, Sincelhen.interestin
submarine fans and lheir seismie-S1MigrJphic cxpression has
expandedgreally.especiallywilhinthepelroleum industry. Thb
interesthasbe<>nsparkcdbysignificanlnewp.:lrolcumdisc()\er-
'es 10 turb,dite resc"''-J\''. suchas tho,;..' in !hc 'IIT,I\llTcGulfo/
"-kxi<.'oand lhc Campos Basin,otTshore BrJ1.iL
TheSEPM.\ l idyearsymposiun'addrcs,;cdlheseismicfactes
o/submarinefansandspcah'rspresenlcdinduslry-qualitymul -
tif"ld,;ci,rn'crctk-.:!iondataforancicnlandmodernsubmarinc
fansyslems. AbutJl6()<1,uflhepresenlalionsallhissympusium
are induded as chapler, in thi s )"ol ume: !he remaining -W% of!he
prcscnta!ion s arc 1, Man yoflhe
po.:ople "ho prcsentcd papers during this meeting "ere also
in,'i!ed to COMFAN 11. "hich for !he firsl lime a
scismk-slratigraphk /ramework in looking al submarinc fans.
Thc COMFAN 11 meeting had a flexible formal and eo\'cred a
widemixufdis...iplinesandinlcrests. Themainrescarchareasu/
Ihistllcelingwercins.eismic str:tligrJphy.outc ropgcology_and
in\'cstigations uf modcrn fans. A bricfsummary o/Ihis mceting
waspresenlcd by I'iper el al. (989). Problemsurscalc.fanter-
millology. scalcwlandte<;loniceffeclsonfans. conlOuriles.and
lempural relalionshipsoffancomponen1.1 "'c .... thcmain lOpics
among thi s di"crsc group. The rcsults Oflhis meeting. which
incorpurJled dala al COMFAN [ and lhe SEPM
"'ere nOI published. 001 a sunltllaryartide is
eurrenl lyb.:ingwrittencmphasizinglhcneedforcarefuldcftnt -
lion and use oftcrminulogy by the differcnl working roup'
(Muni ct al. , inprep.). Se.-eralofthechaplers inthis,'olumc
were pr.:s...nlcd al COMFAN JI
Problems in Turbidite Rcscarch
Sonleor theproblemsi"hereminsludyingsubmarinefansanJ
lurb,dite syslcrns arise fmm ", idely \'arying anJ
!;lrealdiversilyof lcchniquesuscdinsludying t hcsesyslems. The
Ihree gruups Iha! .tudy deepwaler wJay ar,'

tifold scismic.rclle(l ion and inlerpreters. Each 01'
lhesegroups hasdevclopo:d ils",,'n lerminology /ordescribing
andi01crpreting submarinefansandturbiditcsystems.ascach
l,!roup "'orks wilh ditTercnl !Cales f kalures and dala
ThcscdiITerencesin lerminologyand le<h niqucsar.:magni fi cd
"he" integration or comJXIrison uf dala lyP<'s is
Thesc problems common lO inlerdi sc iplin:lr y ,ludie> and
resol"e lhcnl.eI\'eS "ilh l imcand dc\'clopmcnl
l i\',' <'ommuni<'al ionb..I"ccn groups. P ...
FAN 1 and JI mectings started 10 help resoh'e ""mc of Ihe
problcm, in lCTlnin'llogy (Barnes and Noronark. 19115: Mutti,'1
al..IOprcp)
Thetcrminologyofd"posilionalcn" ironme01sanduniIS wilhin
submarinefanandturbidilesyslemshasb<:enprobablythc si n-
glemosldebalcdlopiewhendiscussingdeep-""alersyslcms(for
I
Nclson el al.. 1977: Nil'ln. 1980: Normark. 1980
\lialker. 1911O:MuuiandNormark.1987).Duringllle 1960sand
lcrms su<:h as uppo!r. middlc. luwcr
' ...cr. middle. uulcr fan;"'dislal "S.
lurbidilc" were hOl ly dcbalcd: mOSl uflhc:;c differenccs In
lcrminologyarcno....
inlolll rcccalcgorics: (I)'po!cilkfcalure'.lhrposiliunsand
relalion, wilh v);.
f:.mlobc; (2ldcposi l ional pro<:csscs. suchas v);.
cunlOuri ldbouonHeworkcd proccsS<'s; and (JI appmpr ialC
m"dclsorconcepls.sucllasbasintlourfansvs. lYpo! llurbidile
syslem( Muui.1985: Pt"amcmierclal..lhisvolume)
Dcpusi l iunalmoddconccpls.scismicfacieslerminology. and
lhe inlernal hierarchy for bulh moocrn fans and lurbidilc
lcm,...illb.-undoublcdlymajoreoneernsforlhene.\ldade, In

IHJlogy andscalcs.andlousclhemconsislemlylhroughoullhei r
p.:Ipo!rs. The seicnlili<: <:r<...t ibilily Uflhis lcnninology ....,i ll need
IhclCsluflimclosce....'hi<:hoflhcsclermswiUsur..elOb.-used
by ofsubmarine and lurbidilc syslcms
SCllll!/ilClOr511",IS,'smc RejII!t"IOIIDma
Thc prublcms uf sealc and rcsolutiun tlf diffcrem SY'leIllS in
slUdyinganUtolllparinglurbidilesyslcmshaveb.-cndiscus.s..-din
delail by severJI aUlhors(Normark el al.. 1979; Boumaet al..
1985b: MUlli and Nonnark. 1987. lhis volume). Thc cfftsof
ering "cMical e!\aggeralion (Y. E.)and rcsolulionamongdif
._.cnlscismi<:rclk'etiondala:;ClSareaISl,impoMant fal't<>rSthal
areumkrcmphasizro.bul llluslb.-wnsideredwheninlerprcling
processes and ""hen making b.-t.....ccn
modcm alld fans (also se.:: I\)samcnlier and
Erskinc. this volum<'). Furc.\amplc.oolCropgculugiSlSobscrve
...g.;c".tionsofO.5:1 1() 1:1. bct'ausc
oulcmpse<;tiunsha,ccxpo!ricncedsomcdewaleringalldrompa,;.
lioR. MOSloUlcrop---scalc tobe imag<!'don
mul l ifoldsei,micand arealso b.-I"", scismic rCsolUlion, Aneiem
submarincfans Slooi<-d frommuhifold:;cismic relkctiondalaare
V.E.......hichpro<.lulCS amoderJIC
amount {)f ""Mical dislOMion bul allows for cnhanccmcnl uf
d<'pusilional fCJlUres. In comrdst. moocrn submar;nc I:'ns are
lypieally ima;;edusing highresoIUliun. shallu....'pcnclr.uiun..:is
miedalalhat arcdisplayc-d al 10:1 10 V,E, orevenhigher
ThI.'hi;h f"l,solutiondalaarecwcllcntli>r rcSIllvingshallo...... nl.ar
surfaec fealurcsuploa fcwrnelcrslhickandgcncrJl1yareuSl-d
in c"alua!ing only !hc upper len, 10 hu!ldr<...tsof mctcrsuflhi.
sedimcnlary culumn. Highresolulion seismicrellliun daw
hJvca larc VE.. ",hich highlydis10rtSandamplificsmuslgco-

n"ldiSl."erniblc ",'hen viewcdal 3:1 or 1:1 V.E
Toemphasizelhe impurtan,cofvcrlicalc.\aggeralion in seis
mi<:SlrJtigraphieinlerprclal ionandinc"Omp.:lringdiffercntdma
seiS. Figure 1.1,ho....., ",hemate uf!.....o lurbidilc
clcmentsdisplayi.-.J aldifkrcnl vCMical cuuerJlions: (1) subilla
rinecan)"nf,n.and 12) a\.hanncllcvee Thesecrosss.:,,-
tions are similar 10 ,lrik.e.oricnl,...t views on scismierellcclion
prolib. Thc width1O dcplh (WDl ralio nf eal'h fcalore is dis
playedaIIO:I. JO:I.and50: I. r--orcochwidlhlo--deplhe...mplc.
lhe fcalure is displaycd Jt 1:1. 3:1. and 10:1 Y.E. 10 illustrJle
problcms inherenl ineomparingdalaseiS aldilTercm scak-s. The
grcJlerlhcwrticalc"'lgger.u;onofca<.:hfeaturC. lhernorcdiSlor
liun of lhe :;cismie rctlcclion paucrns occurs. Likewisc. by
increasinglhewidthto--dcplhrJtio.thesubmarinceanyonl;lIand
charme[.lew.:fcalurcsSl"t.'mlob.-wmellallerandformalabular
"heclirrcspccliwoflheiruriginalgeomClrieshape.
Arcas uf Fulurc Rcsc:orch inSubmarine Fans
and TurbiditcSyslems
The conlribulions oflhis book Jnd lhc re,uhsofthe COMFAN
11 meeting indicalC!he fol1owingarcareasfor fUlure research in
lhe imaging and sludy 01' lUrbiditc syslcms using scismie
relle,,!iondala. Eachoflhescpotemiaj lopieshasgri.'al
,,,-,onomic signifICan<:e in lhe oil induslry for fUlure offsllore
eXplOrJlion. in predicling re:;crv"ir trends. and in
dc"clOflmcnl
1, Further de"clopmen! uf S\."Quence SlrJligraphie IS
nc<-.Jed.esp<,,-,iallyinthei r applical i')Illosubnoarinefans
and fan modcl s. Thrcc main Jreasoiaddilional rcscarch for
fansandscqueneC,lrJligrJphyarc(a)s<!'dimemaryproces,es
rclalcd to sequcnee-slraligraphic fr..rncwork. (b) or igin of
Ihe mounded seismic facies. and (cl oi fans in
diffcrenllcclonicsenings.ManycasesllIdiesarealsoneedcd
10 illu,lrJle lhe p..'lrokum occurrences of fans in diff.:rcnl
basinscuings
1. AnOlhcr imporlan! a-'p..xl in bridging lhe gap b.-l.....e.:n
mooernandancienl submarincfansisplacing modern sub
...."Ork. The
discossionsal 11 indicaled lhJllhe focos
ing On modCrIl submarine fans ha,'c th.:
fa,'ic, associaliuns and ..:qucnee framework. describcd by
PosamcnlierandErskinc(thiswlume).[np.:lrt.thi,i,duet"
thediffer':llldala,ctsand ... ..lionoflheseisl1li..
pro(,les. Large passivcmarin l1lodern submarine fans are
Ihccasicstu'...ompareandplate....,i!hinth.:sC<jueni.'CSlmli
graphie syslcmslr..i.ls. WorknccdslOb.-donerclalinglhe
d,:".:I"pm':lll.. fac!i,emargin fans lOa sc<juencc frame....ork.
J . Thc swdy oflar;;e :;cismiesealc outcrops. Ihe use ufanial
pholOgmphy.andscisl1Ii<-,lrali;raphi<modclingufwrbiditc
oUlcropsareimporlanlapproachcslobridgcwrbiditesys!ems
,tudies with seismic Slratigraphy. Tho: ,lrJlal pal1erns uf
andeni submarinc fans ob:;crved on sci,noic'rclk'eli"n pro
r,lesha,'cfundanocmallychallcngcdlhefacicsconccptsfor
/
A. Submarine Canyon Fills
Width-lo-OeplhAat<o
B. Channel-Levee Systems
Widthto-DeplhAatlO
fansthat w"r<,dc,-clopo.'<lfromouteropSIUdiesinthel960sand
1970s. The stratigraphic featuresobservedon multifold seis-
micdata.suchaserosionalsequ"n,eboundaries.theintcrnal
hierarchyoffans. andcondcnseds..'Ctions. n<'t:d bettcr
documentationinoutcrop. Thcuseofaerialpholographswith
licldstudies .... illhelpderinethcsefeaturesandtheirrclation
ships. Also. the modcling uflar;c-sealc
outcrops ....ill provi(le synth"tic seismic proril". that be
modek'<lat\'ariousdcpths inthe,ubsurfaceusingdifTeringfrc-
qu<'ocyofdata. ByintegratingcompactionefTectsandimpo.'<l-
ane.: contraslS. OU1CropS can oc modekd and compared .... ith
subsurfaceseisnticprofilcs .... herethereislessstrJtigrJphi<;
andg<'Ometriccontrol . Thcse slrJtal reblionshipsundkno .... l-
edgeofthcirgeon>etries andlithulogicsignirtcance",,'i llhelp
dc,-elopoct1crg,-uphysicaland,;eismicmodclsand .... illbctter
link,;equencestraligraphytoturbiditesystems
-l. The dewlopment and intcgration uf 3-D >eismi,, rdk,' on
data in production and geology during the pasl 15
yearshasgrcatlyaidedthe understandingandmappingof
turbiditc S;mdslOne OOdies. The 3-D .'iCi,micdata arecspe-
;iallyeffccti\'einmappingandr,""unSlru<:tingturbiditcrcscr-
'-oirsandillustrat ingtheirdistributionindetail . Todale. fe,,",
publi shcdstudicsillustratetheuseuf3-D set smiclcehniques
ror mapping ,po.x-ific ,trata l g<-om<,tri"s in turhidites. Thcl'
dutaar<'particular lyimponamindc'-clopingdclO'!itionaland
reservoirmodelsinexpluralionarcasthalha"enoanalugous
cxposcd in uotcrops. sueh as lhe Plio-Pleislucenc

Nigeria. and the Palcogenc uf the Nunh (Armcntroul.
Ar111entroot et al .. and Posamcnliaand Erskine.this "01
umcl . \lorCSludicsne,'<ltubcpubl is hcdut<li7.ingthcsedata
to defincturbiditerescrvoir gcumctrics.
5. O.,.-cloping a bcl1cr undcrstanding uf ,;edintcntary
and rclaling these processes to ,ci sm;" is impor
tant in A majur rec\Jminalion urthe magnitude
and importan,c OrbollOntCUrrentson lurb;dit<' systems is
needed in hu.... thcse processescan rcwork fan systcms and
influcnce Thesedimemary fe;l
I
a's'... wUh bo.Uhlllt nOI "diumkr<lood
"nly a fe", an,'i"n! ..)rkcd
bo...:n as cOI!lOOrileSor bouomcurrenl d"pmib
o...scdon , edirncmary , rueturcs andfa,:ic'as"",,, iatiuns
6. Th, o.:ean Drill ing Projcc'lIODP)hasnUl schedulcdIhedr ill -
,ngufanymo,,krnsubmarincfans. althoughthe for ,ueh
a,lUdyis welldrfined, ontheresul!sufDSDPLeg
96. which Ihe l11ud' dominalcd Io. l ississippi Fan. an
activcmargin eoar"' graincdfanneedstobedrilk..Jto<"Olket
more information about litholog;esand facies ass<xialions.
andwbctlerunili:rstandthemany (ac!ors a(kc!ing lh"mn
.,tru,!ion ofthcfan. Wilhncw industryqualily eurioglcdt_
noques. good high qualil y (Orcs wi t h r",'ery
shouldbc possiblefrom modcro fans withpenelTal ionofup
lO
7. One arca of research t<" analogs to deep-ntarine 'yslems
deals with sublaeustrine fans. fan deltas, and slope aprun,
(S<.'<: Nc!son et al " this ,"olume). These turbidile syslentS
are major rese"'o;rs in ntany basi ns wQ, ldwidc and ha,"e
good pl11cntial for (uturc nploralion (Weimer and Link.
Ihis volumc). Pltysical.,;hemical.andscdimenlaryprocesscs
inlakes andmarinecmbaymentscanbcdifferenllhanlhosc
in o!,<'n marine syslems. Tectonics. wate, --density comrJsts.
cli male. and ele"al;on diffcrences are import an! factor; in
delerminingthetypeo(cl oscd oropen cin: ulationsYStrmlhat
forms .Sludyinglhcdi stribut ion.de,elopmcnt.andsedirnen-
tary pr<x'esscsof turbidilesys tel11s,,'ilhin lakes Itas polential
for
Sumrnary
Thi s ,'olume rellects tite need for bcner understandi ng o(the
scismkfaciesufsubnmrincfansandt urbiditc Thecase
studies indudedhcrcprcscntthecomple.,ilesand var iabilitie.,
in deep-water deposi t ional rc"cale..! fmm multi fold
seismie-retlection dala. scalloor imaging sy.lcms. subsurfacc
gcology. outcrop. andaerialphotQgraphs. Wchopethis volume
wi Jl serve as a catalysl for more and bcll cr docum,ntcd
studiesofthe.cismic str:tti;rJphyofdccp-"'atcrsystcms.and
fo, bener ideas leadi ng to exploro"ion succes",s in
inalldeposilional syslems.
Wc thankall ofour wlleJ!Ucs fromlhe 1987 Midycar
and Ihe 1988 COMFAN 11 meetin t,)r Ihe';r input Jnd
the s<: smc fu; ies01" submarine fan s
and turbidtc syslems. An carlicr version of thi s manus.. riJll
bcnef,I,"ll from th" uf A.H . Bouma. V 1("lIa. L.A
Lamar. w'R. NormJTk. H.w. Posamentier. R.K . Such,-.:ki. M,S.
Waer. and l B. Wagncr. The op;nions cxprcss..'(1 in lh' s anid e
arcthoscoftlteJUlhorsanddoootnc-.:essarilyrctlC(tlheopinions
Oflhis ,""Iume
RcfercnersCnc-.J
8;",,,-,.NE .<><INo,mark.WR.. 198S.0'''I',,,,,''cl''r.m<l<f>f..,.-c"Ompo''''I!
""->ol<,n,unm.,. ,n<f,n,'nd.,...,<n,' uroiJ ".'pm"''''''11 IIoun,.WR
No,""'k ,.<><INE B"""" .J ,.. Su"",."n. l.n,.<><I r< I""' urb,o" . ,
<Cm,. ..>.:<"" York.p. U_IJ . ,nO ..H
lIo. "'m..... H.". G.:o .\I."n<L,.. , 3. oo, !_J . p. Sl-!!J
!Ioo.om..... H .Norn...fk.WR ,.<><I II>""-,>.NE..oJ.,.198S"Submm",,f,n,
N<c.l,.<><I
,n"" I,., I" .f.", H 1Joo."". WR Nom\a rk. r.J N E,B.rroc-..<oI>,; Subrna
rr""I"",.r.Jr<I.''''urb,di' c>p<on''' . Sp''ngo,.\'<rlal. N<w'lbr\ .p.7_11
M"t".E,.198S,T.,l>Id". ...I""lu<neo,.
mO.G. 7..IT .d.Pf"..<n. r .....,I.r<""<>. Il<,""I , .>.:h<rI. <><I ,.p,6S-93
Mu", . E .<><1 .>': o""," , k. WR,. C<>ml"" "'<"'",pk>,J'modcm.r.J
...""cn"u, blJ it<>l<m.:P,oIIl<m>. fkl ronc<"".,nIK
"uif.,'\1>__ ,1.,,",U"""",,,'[), Conc.p'> 'OO <.,. a...
I.o<>.kon. p. 1- 37
.\' . ' ''.E,.);orm.,k. WR.,'nol'l".m<n''....H...... .' nF''ep. T. ,b'""<>)>I<""
SIlI<o>fthe,,,,,OO""phc,,,,,,,, f'''. 'plor..,,,n.'''m A,,""". 1'0,,01. 8"ll
. C H . Mu'''. E.r.J R,ml",'<hL F. 19n l' w<' C""K<OO'
f<>CJim<n' oJ .-on;lom<"'1< .tWho:<t.:, C""f.. r n .. 0.:""'1"",".<><1
fi.1d J s.:.J !'<frut .,. J7. p.
N,I "' .TIt . 1980Mookr<><I,ncn,, ub"...",.... f.", D,,,u,,,""',(po,,,,,,
WR .>':,...ma,'- "'m. ",,,,,,-, Grul. 8uU .v. t>.I. p
WR. o,,,,,,,-"o',ubr".,,"" "'n,
!'<,rutGrolIluIl ,. v.;,.I.p. lI08_11 1!
>':",mor fk, WR.. P,I"-"" O.JW ,.<><I He" . G.R.. 19N O"",,,",,,)
",OOI"I"-" ... ..n
v P
P' I"-"f. OJ W>':d"ln. C H .<><I .\I T. l<}iN
,<><1 ," rh,J,"',.a..",,,,,,,. v. p. 1<)_11
11 .0.. "''-''' n' ,"Io<n,,,"" .. ,>.",,,-,
B"U . , t>.I . p. 0..,. llOl_1I08
CHAPTER2
Global Petroleum Occurrences in Submarine Fans
andThrbiditeSystems
P:lUl Wcimerand Marlin H. Link
Absmtcl
Submarinefam.ano.! lurbio.!ilesySlcmsaremajQrpelrolcumreser
mirs in many scdimcnlary basins ";orlo.!wi<le. More han 80
scdimentary
rin<,fandeposits,andthes.eres.ervoirsprooucefroma\'arietyuf
strucl ural . stratigmphic. ano.! combineo.! tmps, To CharJClerizc
these reservoiroccurrences.lables....-ereconst ructeo.!foreach
contincntand basinshowingreser\"Oirage. formationname(s).
te<;t onicseni ng.and a ifappropriale_ In ao.!<lition.
Bmajorturbio.!it<'l'<'servoirsfromeighlbasinsareo.!iscusseo.!w
illumale the \'ariability in these Turbidite
res<:rvoirsoccurprimaril yassubmarinefano.!cposits.",'i lh sumc
oceurrcncesindcbrisaprons.eanyonrelaledfeatures.andcar.
bona!cdeposi!SofmasstrJnsportorigin
Submarine fans ano.! turbio.!ite occur in any tec
IOnic S<'lI ing. Rift and passive margin sell ings eont ain both

trine !urbio.!itc I'<'scrvoirsoccur in Tcrtiary basins in China ano.!

Afr ica_Syn-rif!marincturbio.!it<,reservoirsarcbesldC\clupeo.!in
the Uppcr Jumssic- Lo""cr Crctaceous of lhe North Sea, The
Paleogenepos!rifl s.ag basi nsOflhc NunhSeaalso
(:ontain major turbidite that are mainly slratigraphic
trJpsandco"'p"ctionalfeaturcsowrolo.!crslTuClurcs.
P. ...ssive margins contain turbidite reservoirs in a . 'arict y of
structurJlstylcs. Salto.!iapiricano.!growthfaultinflucnccdbasins
ineludelheNcogeneoftheU.S. GulfCoaslandtheUppcrCrc1a
ceous ano.! Tcniary ofBmzil. Rcscr\'oirs aSSIXi alCo.! with shale

GulfCoastofTcxas. and Nigcriaeontincntallllargin
Convcrgcnlano.! lmnsformmarginscontainforeare. forcland.
ano.! wr<:nch faultrelaleo.!b<lsins, Turbidi!<, reser\Uirs in furrare
basinsproourc fromlhe UpperCrCIJ<' eous- EIll'Clle Slralao(hc
Ihsin (California)and from lhe T"niary basins of

IcndlotJegas-pronebecauseoflowlhcrmalm3lUrilyandlackof
goodoilsourccrocks.Forclandhasi nlurbiditcsarcprodul'livc
in Ihe Neogenc Italian Apenoinc Mountains. Tcniary Alpinc
basins. Crctaccous InlcriorScJ"'ayofthc Uni lcd Slales. P,'nn-
sylvanian Arkoma Basin. and Devonian mata oflhe Appala-
chiao Mounl ains. Th.: wrcneh-bul! and successor basins
associalcd "'lh lhe Nrogcne lransform mal1ins ufCalifornia
indude Ihegiantoil fidds ofth" Miocene San Jooquin. Mio-
Pliocene Los Angeles. and PlioccneVemurabasins
Submarinecan)1lnsform inallufthc:II: lectonicseningsan<l
ha..e t....u kin<ls ofrcser\"Oirs: canyon 1111 truncale<l strata
lhe ,;anyon ....-alls. r<,scryoirs (rom
indu<le the Miocene ano.! &>cene S1rala of Bmzil.
Eoc<,n<, strata 01' Paleogcnc Slrata 01' and Paleo
SImIa oflhe S;cramento Ehsin (California) ano.!
Gippslan<lBasin(Au_ltmlia). Carbonate lurbio.!ite rclateo.! reser
\'oirs occurasslopeaprons.basinalo.!cbrisapmns.subnmr io<,
t:'ns.ano.!rcsedimcmeo.!l'halh,Carbonatcr<"a\'oirsindu<lethe
MioccncofthePhilippines.Paleocene- UppcrCrcla,cou,oflhc
,cntral NorthSea. Palco'nc. Crctaccous. andJurJ, sk of
ico. Permian of....-est Te1as. and [)e.'onian ofwcst.' rn Canada
Sublllarincfansandturbidil<'s}stcmscunSlitutemajorp"lml
eumrcservoirSlhmughOUllh,,"-orlo.!(Tablc2 .II .Oflhe2Slarg
cstoilaOllgas(lelo.!sinlhc UnitedStates. six,)Ccurinturbio.! iIC
reser\"Oirs (Tabl<'2 .2), Submarincfansandturb,ditc rcsc"-oi,,
are respon,ibk for 22%ofpe1rolcul11 produt:lion in the North
<': t99t Sp"ow.. Se" In<
5.-,/1"",,,",.-., ,Ij S"b"'''''''t filO, ""'/ T"rb. ./", S"",,'"
l
"
"
"'
'"
'"

'"
151
CA
US.S,R
'"
The purpw.;cs ufItus thapla 10 (1) Iisl Ihe bas;ns ;n Ihe
....",Id pctrolcum prodUClion from submarme fans anJ
Lt.... turbidite (2)Jocumentthetcctoni,scnings inwhich tur
ere'""....., 15. 11 bidilerescf'oirs producewilhseismicrcfkClionprofilesanJg<..'O.
logi<' eross s.:clion5. (3)dcscrioc the \'3ricty oreservoir rharJc,


leristics from scleck'll basi ns with product ion fro m
lurbidite reservoirs. and (-1 ) discuss future arcas and plays for
ero'",coo,
1970
'"W
1,00
pclrolcum uflurbidite sySlem,. Thc chapler
1985 1.8J sizcslhesignifieanceofsubmarinc fansandlurbidite'ystemsas

major reservoirs in many s..-dimentary ba,ins io the world. Thc
1.7;

UJ
PI,o-Pie,,,,,,,<"<
iment is help exploralionis\:; who are prosIX-':ling for turbiJili-'
".
using mullifoldscismic rellcctiondata. also lO assisl
l1un"">,,on!:le>ch CA Mio Pli""o"" 11J
p,le,,,,,,,,, produclion in mapping<k: ...p-water resef"oirs, AlI dala
F,,"
M'o PI"""",,
1.12 presemoohcrcareooopropriclaryandarefrompublicsourecs.or
Crel,P,"""","" '00
rcprintcd wilh Ihe pcrmission oindividuals
CA
1979
'00
"""-,
1887
19J 8...0Vi","
""
hu",'

Global Dislrlbution of!>.:trokum Occllrrenccs
"" 1919 in Fansand Turbi<JileSy'lems
0,76
,-

0.73 FurIhisdlapter. IUrbidile srS1t1l1 is defoncd asabo<.ly of
1m
J2H 11,lit...,"
call y rdate<.l mass now an<J turbi<.lily curren! faciesan<.l facie s
HO G..t.."
",,,,,,ialjonsthalwereformedinvinual>lmtigraphiccontinuily

Se,
TrcnJ TX Perm<on
t936 er."Eo<.",,


W"rkJ

"B80E.b,thonharrd,....Iju".lo n, ""'0,--.,>1>1< " 1926 11.9'15
"Fie.ht h",I""h,"or<",,,oor,,,,horlh,urtl.Ji,<,
"
" 19.J1)
1936
.
r .... "o'"
C..nh'ge
",
"N .... r,nlO<! ,n I<I(!..I . 11<1<101 "

"


SI loon
'"'

"
'" "TX
!,()..II
Sea(WalS\ln. 198-1).83%oftheproductionin theCampos Basin 10
'"
I:S
"TX

BI,... o 1.788
proouClion in Los Angeles Basin (layl",. )976). [n
inoffshore Brazil(Bacocc"lIian<J Toffoli . 1981\).an<.l9O% ofthc
11011,'
United SI3ICS. <.luring the paSl <.lecat.lc the kasing ofIhe Oulcr
'"
"
1.6)
ContincmalShelf(QCS)andcontincmalslopcsan<J <Jeep ba,jns
'dTum ,."
'"
Sh,,\
".
hasmoved slralegics drilli ng inlO ....'pcrwater.
'"
V.n,"raA"".'
'" 1,1,.;)
KUf'l'uk
To <J'lIe. mOSImajor"i l<,o mpani es hold leases in the northern
'"
1.131
'"

Gulfof inwaterdepthsof6000 (1829m) Jccpcr. Iq
"
[n addition.:ountrieswi lh m ong slr.ltegic needs for petrokum 10 P,,,",'TIoo,m,,,n IQ7S
11
111 lon$lk",n'
"
:1) K., )
"
1,020


Wh"no,e.n)"" ""
:47 e..llou 1,I.nJ
"
.
lo
-=--""'--'''------'''' , -,,,-c "
form re>ervo;r<' haracteri slicsiscrucial fo. "Turb,J,,< Ro"",,"'''""h.,,,.. 1..,( IO,6!0 .\!IIOE
cffceti,c stralegics
(.\I\1ni and Normark. 1987. lhis volullle). This ddinil,on
;neludes rescrvuirs Ihal aSSlXlaled wilh
dccpwal.::r ,arbonat.::relat.::d dcposils . llopcrelalcd lurbidi c
syslems. prooel1a curbi<lil\:s. and lacuslrinc curbi<lilcd,::pSltS.
Thc fali.::s aSs<lI: ;aions and tcrnHnology prcscm,-d hNC for
rescrvoirdescripl;onare frorn.\lulli e1985) alld MUlli aml Nor-
markn987. thi svol umel
Tables2.1 - 2.8sununarizclhemajorturbiditereservo;roceur.
rencesintheworld.ThbIe2.llistSlhclargcStlUrbiditc
prooucingfieldsintheworldbaso..-doncstimatedre'er\"Csinbil
lioMofbarrelsof oileqoivalcncy (BBOE).OftheJI rankcdlur
bidite fiel<ls in the world. 100ceur in California. 7 are in the
NonhSo:a. and 3 are foond inChina.lnaddilion. 11 olthe 31
turbidile fields IislOO in Table 2.1 also have produ\."tion from
reservQir inlc""b oher than lurbidil'::S. Thc largesl ficld.
Samotlor tU.S.S. R.). has produ,tion primarily from deltaic
rcscrvoirswilhminorprodeltaturbidi teres.er\'oirsat the baseof
he field. The Wilmington. Fonies. Marlim. and Ventura
A\'enuefieldsareth.::!argcslficldslhalproduecsolelyfrornlur-
bidilC rese",)irs. Fourofthegiant lieldsprodu\."efromdeep-
"'Jtercarbonalc-rdalcdrcscr\'oif'iandlhreefieldsproduccfrom
lacustrinelurbidites
Table2.2 lisls t hc25 largcs lfidds inlhe UniledSlat csbascd
on millons uf barreis ofoil equivalency (MBOE). Turbidi c
rescrvoirscompris.e6uflhe25IargcslficldsinthcUnik'<.lSlales
wilh est imalcd rescr\'esofover 10.6 BBOEorabout 16% of
lhcpr()'.enrescf\es of thescgiantfi eldsof theUnitcdStates.AII
sixof lhesegiamficldsareinCaliforniaandeachflddcxceeds
1.0 BBOE
The occurrenees of petrokum-producing submarinc fans and
lurbidi te syslcms for each continent are compikd in Tables
2.3-2.8 and shov.-n in Figures 2.1 - 2.7. The g,'Ologic maps and

( 198-1). Each abJe lisIS the basins. oft urbidilC rCSN\llirs in
Ihe s...'<.iimcntary basin. foml alion nameh) (wherc known). tce-


ages lhal lormcd under markcdly di ffercnl 1,-clOnk r"gi mes
More Ihan 80 bas;ns have becn with Tt..'SCT\'Oi .... mnging
in agc frorn Ordovician 10 Pkistocene. Turbidite res.eT\'Oirsare
primarilyCenozoic inagc. comaining 57%oflhcreprtcdoc-.:ur-
renees. followed by the Mesowic t3O%) and f':Ilcomic 03%)
Themost cilcdturbiditcrcsc,,"'OirsbaSl'donagearci nthcCrcla-
C>Us (25%) and Miocene (2 1%1. whereas the Precambr ian.
Cambrian. and Triassicdid no' ha"cany repon,'{] occurrCnCCs
This may <'hange shortly b..'Causcoftherl'Cent Triassic gas wrbi-
dilcreseT\uirdiscoverics rcprtl'<.lfromtheBarcmsSo:a area (G.
Ulmishckand J. Clarkc. pcrsonalcommunication. 1990)
Theobj,'Ct iveis tobeaseomprchensi\'caspossiblcincompil -
ing Ihese lablcs. bUl sume has;n. may ha,"e becn o\"erlooh'<.l
bccauscof inadequate ornodocumenlal ionforpclrokumoccur-
renccs( c.g. . Africa. s..wiet Union). [n otherhasins. pctrolculll
tc., tin;- ha"e yct producllon Was nl'.,r c"ao-
Ished . Ea\."h table tislsonly lhOSe'areas in whkh production is
llo1proprictaryinr"ormali"n.s.:ver.. lbasinsthathol\"ehaJrl'Cent
Jisco\"eriesbUl in which produclion has notbecneslablishcdarc
nul indud,'<.l. Some oceurren\."", ha\"C tJcen reprt,-d bUl nU!
;ndudedbo:causetheycouldnoltJcconfi rmed. [naJJilion.lhcsc
tabk:sdo nOll." c\"cry fidd h;."in. but inSlcad list the
maJor occurrenccs for eaeh time pcriod and their ages. For
lhe Los Angeles Basin. Campos Basin in offsho' c
Bra/.il. and Viking Graben uf the Nonh Sea havc molny more
pctrotcum fidds lhan indicalcd in the taotes. Also. a h;.,sin
ha'cse'er.. lnamesand/orbepan ofalargerh;.,sin . Fmexamplc.
thl' Basin issubdivided inlo thc Bohai (Gulf)and
Huabeiba,ins (aftcrSt.John.1984).whcreasinth.:othcrarcas.
sevcral small hasins have bccn lumrcd into one larger basin
fe .g . hal}")undcrlhcdassifi,"lionusedbySt. John (1984)
Glossary uf Produc,ion from Fans
andTurbidite Systems
I\:lrolcumprodu",ion frornlUrlJidite s}"slcmsoceursi na var icty
oftcctonic sellings wilhdiffercnl slruclural stylesaffcc' ing Ihe
lrapand IherescT\l.li r g"omet ries. Thisse<:lionisaseismicatlas
OfproJucli'estylcsfromsubmarinefansandlurbi.Jitc syslC111S.
FicldsarcehamelcriledbylhcirlecIOnic sc1t;ng. andlhendivided
inlosubtopicsforaddi lional clariflcat ion. A rcprescnlali,cscis-
rni\."profilcanossseelion across thclcldand/oro;.hematicdia-
gmm are shown for each tcclonic sctting. [n addition. 1"'0 other
kindsofturbidi'es)'Slcm rcservoirsthatoccur in most t,'ClOflic
scllings are also dcscribed - submar inc canyon and d..-..:p-waler
carbonateresc,,oi rs. Moslof the turbidi teoccurrences pres.e ntcd
filwellimolhcs"<ucnceslr:nigraphic frarnc,,"ork forsubmarinc
fansprese nlcd by fusamentieretal.llhi s\1)lumeJ.althoughlhere
i,<"Onsidcrablcvariabilily inlhe rcnectionoonfigoralionswi lhin
turbidilesYStemsreprescntingthe,,,riationsindepositionalpro-

ren"I[icS<'I/illl/
t,"-'lonie classiflcallon lor sediment ary hasins used her.: is
adaplcd from DiinsnI197' )and BallyandSncl son (1980).
Mostbasins"anbo:relatcdtoplateinteract ions:heir ' eclonic
framc,",,,rk<anbeascrib..'<llolhrceg,.'neralplalclcclonicsel-
lings: divergcnt . con,crgent. andtransform. Tcl"tunismisoncof
Ihernajur comrolsofsubmarineandturbidi ' esystemdeposit ioll.
cspcciat lyint hct "'-t'micallya<li\ephascofbasi ndc'eloprncnt .
A.:li.-c tC{'lOnisrn l"TCa leS and maintains 5<Jurce arcas of high
relicf(mountains 10 diapir ridgcs) adja"elll tO relali""I)"
(c.n 2j
.>;_mh Ame""," ...-d lmcn,.,y t..<,,", ", ",,"ole"m p'",Jw\o,'< t..<,,", ,",b,d,,<
InfiU p;o"crn'.(b,,,,,'ro!<umpruJ""""."'''n'''''dh,,,, .. ,nd "f ""n""","'u"'pruJ"",,,'.
t..<"",da''<JI;n<>. s.,< m.p.fre, s. . Jo>hn19s,).

Camp."""
GolfC.,."

& ..,,,n,,IPoI<.,,,<,,,,
''''' nn,)I,'>n,.n
\\";1<0.11... \>0;'1
Upp<,Cr<I;O<rou,

"'o.,.bl.... Fon! Po..",.
PiCQ Rop<IIO \\' , <""h
""nn')I,......n
'Reforma (OI
- 101
S-oge lI,u,h101
'GI
""ll><InoolG1
T"mplc,n,H,II,Gf
T,bk
GanJ<nS.nh72IOGI
E."S,.,k< 160IOG1
H,ghJ.la.... A H7(X>1
(0\
Ingk"oooJlOI
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1"",,,",SCTl
'1'.1<..,:,,,

w..<tC..,""....,
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' I,'XI Cl.mlilu' rom pagt' 11)
t'>asins. local narrow shdves. and oflen stccp
,Iopes- the laun (wo fa'urabk for s.odi mcm byjXI's
!Olhedeeperbasin. Turbiditescommonl yinfiH thetopographic
JndSlrUClUr.ll lowsinlhesebasins
DilWl;e'IIJ/a rgim
Divergentmarginsareacti'etectonical1yboth in thcir initial rift
in Iheir laterdrin stage{Fig.l. 8). Indi vidual rin basins
mainly by e.'tension. They are elongate lIalf gr.lbens. small
tomodl'r.lteinsize{tensl0hundreds ofkilomelers).andcancon-
lai nll1ick (5- 1Qkm) stratigraphi c'iCCtions.Boundingbultsand
clastic wedges define the edges of lile basin. Manyal
lheriflbasinsofl lleworldfollow reacti vlucd older slrucluresand
precxisling basins. Rif! deposils are gener.llly subdi vided inlo
lhrce sedimentary sequenccs: (1 ) prt'rift ...-edt."1 Ihe ritting
(2) is controlkd by Ihe rifling. and (3) pos/rift is a
broodersag thatpostdatesfauhingandgr.lben fillinga ndis
rdal<'d 10 IlIennal subsidcnce (Fig. 2.8). FoIlowing rifling and
plaleseparation.adriflpha>coccurs and a{J<!SSioell"'rgin e"-Jl ves
"hose deposilS ()\Ie rlie tllerifHclated str.ua
S,.,,-Riji,cusuint>
Sub marine fans and turbidite in gener-
al1yoccureitlleradjacenttomajor faultscarpsboundinghalf-
graben basins or in association with progrJding dehaic clino-
forms near Ihe ce nter uf asymme lrlcal basin . lhe bounding
fau llsoflhebasin,ontrol tllcdistributionoftllemaindeposi
tional sys tem s. Rif! basin. have an dip. and lUrbidil y cur
rcms now longitudi nall y dO"-n the lenglh oftlle t'>asin. Ikposi
lionoflurbidilesystemsin lacusl rine systemswasrcviewed by
Fouchand Dean (1982)a nd Howell and Normark (1982). Lacus-
trine fans are ideal pclroleum targets and slratigraphi' lraps
J<:causelheycommonlyimerfingerwithorganic-richshales that
St'''c as bolll $Ource TOd<s and lhere are considcrJbk
ialionsinlacustr ines}stems:notalllakesare deepandlor con-
tain si liciclaslic lurbidiles. Clima tc. adjacenl ekvallon. and
dCPl1I of the lake delermine whether Ihe lake system will be
sl liciclast ic. carbonate. c'aporate. or playa Generally.
pclroleum accumulal iuns occur in deep-water. siliciclaSli e
dominalt.""d lakes tllat comain abundant lUrbidiles. l ile mOSI
fa,urablelacustr inc .>euingsfor sourceandreSt'rvoi r sediments
are indecp . tratifi edanoxic lakes in tropical regionsor inarea s
ofhigllbiologicprodu ..t ivily.
lh<'onshorct'>asinsoftlle Peoples RepublicofChinahavc lhc
largeslpct roleumaccum ul alionsforlacuSlri ncturbiditerelated
reservoi rs( Tat'>le 2.7: Fig. 2.6: Wagncretal .. 1988). Bolh Crcla -
ccous- PakoceneandOligocencrifl ingeventscreatedaseriesof
nonntarine . basins. Reservoirs occur in nuvial.
dcltaic.anddeep-Iacuslr ineturbiditc seuings. Tlle,ariationsin
slru("lural stylcs and str.l tigr.lphy of lacustrine reservoirs are
illustraledin Figures2.9- 2.IL Tlle lh inessofl hcfansiscon-
trolk""dbylakedepth. "hich. inlUrn. iscont rolled by lheamounl
ofth",w ontllemai n boundingfaullsforlhe basin. LlCUSlrinc
soorcerod sgcncraleprolificquamities ofoilinlhesebasins
(Difanetal .. 1988: Gua nmingctal . 1988: Jianyiet aL. 1988).

lhe .. of the turbidite bl.ldics
.. fan ..... as
deposiled. Dcbris aprons aeeumulale along major fault scarps
where basinal subsidence is cquallo or grealcr tllan rdlCS of
sedimenlalion IFigs. 2,9. 2. 10). Fans are also associaled IO.'ilh
prograding deltai .. dinofonns in Ihe ccnter Of along sle .. p mar
gins of Ihe basin (Fig. 2.11), Geometries of Ih..se bodies vary
considcrably. from point soure .. fo, deltaic IUrbidiles


inlenglh.andO.5- I.Omile (0,8- 1.6km)inthid;:ncss{Figs.2.9.
2. 10: Zhang. in p'cssI. Crc!ac<!Ousand I'"Jleogene lacuslrine IUT-
bidiles of tlle Subei and Bohai basins. rCSpi."Cliwly. are proouc -
livefromrescrvoiTsIO.'hereluTbidilesonlaplhcdcllaicclino
fo rms(Fig.2. 11)
LlCUSlrinc fans alon)! bolh margins 01' Ihe south
cm Allantil' Ocean are assoc;alcd wilh Ihe Lalc
Cretacrous ri fling uf Soulh Ameriea and Africa. Pe!roleum
prooucl;on occurs in se\'eral differ"nl basins on Allam;c
margins. ineludng Ihe Sergipe-Alagoas. RL"Concavo, and POli -
9 1'ruI",lcs.,,,,,,, I"',roI.um-p',>oJo<,nK 1..;""""" <Iobr"
,pron, . lklf.n"n,)...,n ..",ng_Ii... ....
ofCh,n . ,.... ) "'''m'cp...,r;Io ...... 'B) ",hom,"c."", o;c'..,,""
N"," ,h. '.".,n,1 of ,1>< l:ocu""n< o.kbf"
"",,>n, .......... "' 'o ,he m.]Ot boulkli,,! r.ul' ...... ,he dinofom"
, ... (,:,.",,,,, ,n,o,,,1. r"",<> .....",,<IN
(.,. , ,he f. ul' .... rp,.Ikl ' h.y .h."'.>brupoly ,n,,,..n.Ie>,n,n.
tt"" . SFiurc" . I, ...I'.6f",I"""'OIlOl' b;o,,".
Zh.n,UIlp"'"
gua' basins 'n Sral.il. and Ihe Gabon. Carneroon. and Cuanza
basins in ..... eSI Afrka (Tables 2.5: Figs. 2.3_ Fig
uciredo 11981. 1986) documcnl<.'"d the style of Neo,:omian
laeuSlrine d .. posuion for Ihe Sergipe - AJagoas Basin
(Tablc 2A: Figs. 2. 3. 2.12). Dcllaic syslems progradcd acrO'iS
a shall,-,,",' carbonale shelf. and IUrbidilcS derh'ed
fTom Ihe deltas "-"eTC dcpositcd in Ihe dccpo:r bkc S,rd-
ligraphic IrJpS formed "-"here Ihe IUrbidiles pinchcltll updip
againsllhe slope, SublaruSlrineCJn)'onsupl0 1300 feet (3% m)
in dcplh we'e CUI inlo Ihe ctJe"al carbonalc shclf. and aCled
aS ronduils for lhe lurbidily eurrcnts Ihal trJnsported sand
inlo deep waler. Dccp-Iacuslrine shales l"Omain l - J',O; TOe
and are goodSOUfl'C r<xks forall ofthe S'al.ilian ,>.t1ant;" mJrgin
basins
Bruhn el al, (1985) dcscr ibt.-d Ihe oceurrcnees uf NCOl."om-
;an petrokutn-producing lurbidiles in Ihe Rcconca'.., Basin.
onshore Brazil (Fig. 2.13). lhe reservoir is cncased in lacus-
Irme shales Ihal as bolh a source and a seal for Ihe reser
\'oir. Thc lacuslrinc intcr\'al is o\'erlain by
alluvial fan or bfa;d dehas. Faults ",ilhin the turbidile inlcf"al
I

I

",,,.,nJLo..'crCrelaceQusslralaoflheMorayFinhandVikln!
r"!>..'n of Ihe Norlh These IUrbidile deposils refle<:1 Ihe
uf Ihe basin during rifling and represenl a conl inuum

lAuial rifl phase in evolving lo,"s
he In':lpienlfaulting.Wilhconlinucdrifting. faul t ingcreales
blocks in which Ihe Slrala are preserved, Examples
.'1 are Ihe Claymor and Magnus fidds (Fig, 2. 14:
\Ll herJnd Harkcr. 1987)
rhe lopofsomcoflhe rOlalw fauhblocks wcrccrodedand
r"" sedimenls forlhe sC<.ond sl)'le of lurbidi,IC deposirs
'i uhlllarinefansandIUrbldllesyslemsformlhickbaslnwardlhlll-
",-dges neJr fauh searps. The Srae Field conlains coorse
delrilus derived from Ihe nan king Shelland Plmform
was dq.osiled direelly in deep waler immcdialely adjaeenl
l" Ihe faull s.;arp (Table 2.6: Figs. 2.15: SIOW el al" 1982:
SI,m. 1985: Sowman el al.. in press). Thedeposils Imerrlnser
"nh. amI are o"erlain by, Ihe Kimmeridgc shales. which are
(5-10% TOe) and aCled as bolh sotITCe and seal for
re"crwirs, The Srae deposils are wedge shaped in seismic
1)f"liles and are 9 miles (14.5 km) widc and 12 miles (19 km)
',-
I .. nl! Jlong Ihe fauh scarp. The re:;ervoir reaches J
ofO.6 miles (1 km). bUllxcomes Ihinner abrup!l y
from Ihe faull scarp. Anolher e.\Jmplc of producing syn-
rll11urbidiles in Ihe Nonh Sea is from Ihe L()\O.'cr Crclaceous
ro nunhan ponion uf Ihe Claymore Field.....here medium- lO
.. sandslones ""ere deposited on Ihe flanks oflhe
l ip Claymore faull blos (Fig. 2,14: Boole and
m) and Harkcr. 1981).
,d ",lhird,ly1coflurbidilere:;ervo; rwilhinsyn-riflsellings ls
..'csI
"" f" 'rllOnOflhebasinandonlaplhedebrisapronsorrolalcdfaull

JC
;in hlud ,. For cumple_ Ihe Miller Ficld consislS of medium-
lurbidiles Ihal were in Ihe ba,inal and axial
p''' l!lon in soulhern Viking Gralxn (Fig. 2. 15: Bowman el
in, Inpress), Theselurbidilcdeposilsonbpand interfinger",'ilh
Ih,' Rraedcposils101hc ... esl. andshalcoulandonlapatilled-
I.lull blo,:k lO Ihe casI. An01her eJlJmple is Ihe &aJ><l Field,
"h"' h occurs asan updip pinchou1 againsllhe main Claymore
block (Fig, 2.14).
I
/
I'vsmjillllm""w",,,,,s,,x&"""s
Th,' uf Ihe Nonh Sea are Ihe "'OSI prolifK
anJ Ixsl -documenled e.xamples of produ..'1ion froll! lurbldile
sys!ems depoSlled In postrifr sag busins lTable
2.6: Figs. 1.5. 1, 16. 1.17l. Thcbasi nsformedfoIlO\O.'ingCrcla-
.."('tJus Ihcnnal Ihe Lale JurJssk riflin)!: e'-enl
were sh ..'<J from Ihe adjacent high-
lands ofSL'orland and Ihe Shelland Plalf"nn and weredq""'-
lIed in lhe deep-waler basins. ProduClion from Teniary lurbi -
dile restrvuirs is r,'"ri,'led 10 Ihe Viking Grab..n
and Ihe nOrlhnn Ccnlral Gralxn oflhe presence of
gooJ lalcr..1 and wnica! seals asso<:i alcd ",'ilh Ihe resen'oir
sandslOnes, To dale. produel ion occurs in 30
ficlds, <ome of "hieh are documcnled in Table 1.6. Some
oflhebellcr-known ticldsproducing fron! fans arc Ihe Fonies.
Frigg_ AII>;J. Skipner. Andrew.;, and Balder ticlds. The .oorcc
rocksforlheoilandgasareinrerpreledloha'-ebc.:nlheUpper
Jur..ssic Kimmcrid;c ,hales. with petroleum Illigralion oceur-
ring \'enically up faulls, The regional ...:quenee Slraligraphic
frJl11ewurk for hese fans is sunllnarizcd by (1981)
Thesc fans are mounded fealures on :;eisnllc renee-
lion profiles. with internal duY.nlapping. hum-
mocky, and renections (Figs. 2.16. 2. 17;
el al.. 1979: .\1eGovney and Radovich. 1985: Posamenlier
and Erskine. thi s volul11e) . Petroleum lraps oceur as drare or
compaclion amiclinesover older. reaclivaled SITuClures. such
as blocks, Olher cJlJmples of producing
I':Ilcogene lurbidile rescrvoirs oflhe Nonh are inuslTaled
by PosamCnlicrand
The Pcnns>' I\'anianand Pcrmianstralaoflhe .\1idlandand Pcr-
mian basins of weSI and New ....ere dcposilC<J in
imracralonic basins Ihal formed afler foreland ddormation.
These slTalaCOnlainlargepelTo1eumaccolllulalionsinlurbidilC
res.cnoirs. allhough Ihe is generany poor (Table
2.3: Fig. 2,2: Gallowayel al" 1983), ThcSprabcrryand D<:an
;andSloncsoflhe Midland Basinarclhelargcslproducerswilhin
Ihese reservoirs (Gallo ....ay el al., 1983: Gue\'ara. 1988: Tyler
and Gholslon. 1988). Produclion occurs in traps
associaled ""ilh ver), tinc-grained channcl fin and
unchannelized lobe,. The deposils are sheel-like 10 slighlly
moundcd <ln SClSmic rc1k"'lion proliles. These rescr\'oirs are
brietlyrcvi e .. edbelou.'
Pt,ni,'t' M"'y in &w"s
lIIargin hasins arL' by vari-
abilil y in Ihe deposilion ofsubmarine fansand turbidi1e s>'s-
ICIllS. Pclrolcumproduclionoccursi nseverJldiffcrenlstruclUral
and senings, ..... ilh inlrabasin allee10nicsoflhecon-
fining basin generally affccling Ihe diSlribulion. and
(
I
Fi,u,e! . II_ Pro/iI<>"""",.I""u"".< f, ,n ,y""n N"n. _.;II;o"n. r..",i<, ! I.nd 6ro< k,.",,,,,, ,.r'h. """" M,., li'''$ 11988) po,",,,.
R.:publ' cofeh,n.: IA,"">m"pruf,Ie.nd'81"'h.m."c,-""">:'''''' ' L:..-u. .."nof ,h. A .... ',c.n "-,."." .. ,,,,,,ofPl:\fQkurnG.:ul"1" "
,,,".r
.. ! 1: '\<:l1om.'" bk>.:k ,"'.. ,h. po",""un' p"""""'. 1,, <k<p I""u"".. ,,,,jf''< "", k, .... nd, ,h.' r.....rn ,h. l
!fi.. r.n. ,1>< e,,,!,,,, ,,,, 5<.:" Fidd Iw-.-<f e"'''''",,,.. I. 'r< .k,,,l rr"m .kl,.., ". ,Iop< .h.nnd. 1'0'. ,h. ,"""..1,".,1>,..,. pi..
8 . .. n. Sr.,, 1. s..hl"""""nel"n,".f<.kI""',,,"',, , h.N,,,or.lop< . ndon,.. 10'01 I.nd! 1 Io,kx."onor, h.ba..
w
10 16

",<ur.:' 13 C"'".,."""'",... I...'u,","< ' "'b,J;' ...,,."'''..... R,''''''-'d.S.m
bdJ, lo".. ..,,II.1,,"_Br.''' I. P........'''''"'n''':c"'''n'",.
I.... U,lfO"" '"n, IC.nJ<:" futma""""n" ,n""'nl!<"nd",..rI"nb) M.pl:..,u,.
"f individual rc:>crvoirs. lhe mOSl comlllon s!ruc!ural
sall pilln,,"s. ,lIalcdiapirs. anJ/o,

r".:ks , Sahdcposiled in
rca,;!i\alcd. thus affccling (he O"crlying passive marg,n
and rclated (aulls may 3rt as path s for
thc P'<'lwleum fromlhcsyn-riflsclling 10Iheo'erlyingpasshc
m;rgindepo,i ls
S.dr- /l/jl"f'lI a dRf" 'noirs. Salt associalcd",i lh JXlssivc mar
waS d.-positcd during rifting e"cnIS. Sall has considerable
in ilsddurmalionalslylcs. ,,hieh rCn.-CtSlnenalurc
.,nd of the passi\"c and Ihe sal!"s rcsponse lO
Slrc sses /hckson and Talbol. 1986). For c.1a",ple. Ihe
o)f sah dcformation and rcsu ll ing turbidilC dcposil ion and
in Ihe Bra1.ilian marg;n are differenl from
In"...: In IheGulf and cenlral and soulhern Norlb Sea.
In Bralian Allant ic margin o lurbid;le deposils ,,,,cur
.,h"'cor adjaec mtosal t piIlOVos. TbcUppcrCrCIJCCouslEocenc
","",h. I.. 'h".,<'h.>"<m:<rud.<><I,,,,Iw..,I><,<><,,,",,, Sc<Fil",<>',1
..1 '198'"R<r><,nt,'<Jb)' r><,n,,, .

Fidd fonned in Ih.' off,hure Campos Ba"n is
",ilh lhe mo"emcnl ora ... 11 pillo'" lA: Figs
2.3.2.18: Ba..,oc,olli elato 1980: Aroo. 1986). Dur-
inglhcLalcCrclaceous. ... 11 pillo"'screaledb;uhymelrichlgbs
andlurbidiles wcredeposiled inlbcadjaccmlowarcas. Subse-
qUCnt ... 11 wilhdra"'al during Ihe Eocenccrcalcd lopogr-Jphic
1000s Ihal "'ere ftllcd with addilionallurbi,jiles. Thc .... ismie
'Iraligraphice.,pre,sion oflhcrescrvoirsarcpar-Jllel.high-
ampliluderclleclions
Th.' Oligoccne lurbid ile rC""Tvoir., ofthe gianl 1>larl im and
Albacora fidds of the Campos "'ere deposiled in deep
.... alN aod are undala in by pillO\\, (Fi g. 2.191 . Sah is
inlcrprelcdlohavehadnllnorinfluen.c onthc origi naldcpo,i-
tl onof lhese turbidi le reScf'uirs. crealinglhemainlopograpbic
low area ",here Ihe grealcsl accumulati')n uf lurbid ites "'aS
deposiled . Laler , ah mowmenl crcaled slruclural Iraps. a,
"'1'11 as migra lion palh, for oil al grcal er deplhs
inthc,}n-riftsourcerock.sIPo:resandArso. \986:Bacoccolli
andTnffoli . 1988: Guardadoclal . \990: Carminalli andScar-
lon.lhisvolumc).
....... _ s-._....''''''_
@ ' ....K ............ ,""......
,....,........... _ ,..,"_.
q "N0.0, . .... ,.".., .....
....__ "", . ... <oo... ' ..oc
(i) , ... .. .... . . . . ..............

. " ...-
@ , .. _.,..- .-... . .. " . " ,,_ .
sw
NE
P"Mil<. .<ru s."I". e l,y"""" .00 ."o"h e l,)"",,,,
,Uppcf ("",,,....<1..,,. W,,," o,""00 G..I>< . SQl1h s.:. 1-\ 1
... .... P"'(h";'''f ' ", b,dil<' '''' '.' on
,h,,< ,",."-,1,, .!n,,'l. ",-".1>1 '"
,hc ",..,I-f."I. bk>cb. ':)", 1.1< ..""d ,.,b,d,, .""nh
el,)Il1O'< "'oo., .1<.. ,-<'<1 (mm oh< """"" <O rO<
'-,,"1, .,oJ,J,,, b "",, r, . "'IlUm' gF.I ,n<d'"rb,J ,, <.,s.:.1"
"",1" ,h< ,,>,,"1 0<",1, .,( ,""
::
Gu"'" 1'187) l""m"'"'n ..... Gc.h,m /le Trotm:o n. l.<"""," . U K
I
iili
,
o , ..~
~
FortlllSFlelCl: SeismicLlne
IZeroPtlned Mlljf.tlonJ
-\n ,lifferenl slyle of IUrbidilc deposilion
\\ ,Ih ",11 in the of Ihe nonhcrn Gulf of
2.3: Fig, 2.2: Wormll am!Snelson. 1989: Armen-
",'UI el al.. this \"olumel. In Ihe Gulfof dcformalional
,[,le, of .",1I inelude pillll"'"S in Ihe onshore and d<,ep Gulf of
\k\lco. diapirs in Ihepre>enl continemal shelf. upper slope.
Jnd Jeep Gulfof and s.:J.1l longueslsh<:els in Ihe m,ddle
,nJ lo\\.:r slope (Manin. 1918: Weimer and Buffkr. 1989b
\\ c'I.1989: WormllandSndson. i989) , Saltlonguesare inter-
p"'lcd 10 ha\"e mo..-ed al leasl 60 miles ( 100 km)JownJip. Turbi-
J ,le r.',,;: r\"IJirs in Ihe Gulf of occur in Terliary Ihal
"",cJepo,iledinbalhymctriclo""sininl raslopcbasinsbctween
'JltJiapirs, L:llcr salt movemenlcreatedbolhslru<'lIlrJllrapS
J nd m'grJlionlXllhsfor oil frorndeepcrsourcebedsloreser\"IJtrs
, \ rm..'nlrouletal .. this volume)
Turbidil,' reservoir ,;ands ""wedcposi led in severJI sellings
,hJnnds. len'c-t.'crbank,and as shC<!1sandsandlorlobeSISan
el al.. 1988: Mitchum CI al.. 1990: Arm("nlrOUI CI al .. Ihis
" ,Iulll e). The 1c"C<!'O\'erhank reservoirs romain Ihin. wide
'p,cad ",nds. and re .."orh'd o\"erbank sands .... ith puor bteral
,j",ominuiIY. Thc scismic stratigmphic chamclcroflhe turbio
JIIC rcsN\"oi ......onsisls ofcxlcrnally mounded 10 sheCI fonns
2.21), The internal renl""lion conliguratlons 01 Ihe
',<,er\"oirs parallel. moundcd, and hummock)'. Th.'sc
"" r, commonly are associaled .....ilh ampliludc anomalies on the
",,nt K prof,les.
\'/"Ie-ilojlm'/Iad Rn.'rtvirs, Some passiw margins lack d<' ep
,,'"1,'<.1 and are char3"lcrilcd by shale diapirism , Iml ially.
in a slyle si l1lilarlosalt ",ilh scdim.'n
l:lryloading.
lO lose ils Ihi .\Olrophk fxhavior and Ihe mass is no longer
dcformcd 1977 , 1978) burkd ,hale commo nly
is reaclvalcdlccIOnicall). Inlroslopcbasins formeilh<'roclwccn
salt and shale >lructor,s. ando similar 10 salt . Ihe l<.Ipl>g:rophic
effectsollhe shalediapif1;ulliI1131c1y<'Onlrollhcdislribuliono
Ihe turbidile reser\'OITS. Fur e.\ample, Ihe Tentary stmta Of lhc
Can:lJian Ik:lufon s..-a comain turbidilC rcser\'oiTS associak'<l
.... ilhshalediapirsITabIc2,J: Fig. 2.21. As theMa..kenzie Delia
pro;r.l(k'<ltolhe nonhduringlhe LaleCrelacc'OusandCen01.Oic
regional ...'<limcnwyloodingcrealcdshalcdcformalion ... ilhin
theslopcformingascricsofbalhymelrl<;highsandlO"-sl\\;lIum-
sen and CIC. 1981), Turbidiws derivcd from Ihe dellas werc
deposilcdin thelo",sonlhcslopc(Fig. 2.22) . Cominuedpro;m
daliOll andasS<X'ialcddcfonnation ... ilhin Ihe ,Iopccauscd shale
10 deformo forming wmbinalion SlrOClural-slraligrJphic traps
(Fig.2.22: Diwn Cl aL. 1985). ThcSlrUl'lumlin"'crsioncrcatcd
migmlionpaths for oi)generalcdfromlhed<'cpcr.buricdsource
rocks. E.\amp1esoffie lds ...- ilh shalc -innucncc'dlurb,d;tc reser
,'Oif1;are Koakookand Kopanoor(Tablel.J)
TheNigcriacom incnlallllarginisfxslknO"-nforils nlcnsi"'e
pctrolcum produclion in shallo\\ m:orinc lo no",na"n.: reser-
\"oirs (E"amy el al.. 1978: DoUSI and Omalsola. 19901
Pelrolcum produclion 31 so occu rs frol11 lurbidites lhal ",u,'
dcposilcd inimmslopebasinsassocialed ",ilhshalcdcform:Olion
(Table 1.5: Damulh and Link. 1987). Shalc masscs form
mClrich'ghsandlhcadjacentlopographicIO"-'areasaclass.'di
mcnl palhways for IUrbidilcS derjo,'cd fron1 dcltaic-rclatcd
sourcesonthe shdr. Thcscimraslopcbasinsare snnilartolho,c
o(lhenorthernGulfof Mcxico
Gro,.,/iI Fau/t frjll .ellceJ R" l'u"'Jirs, Growlh fauhs arC exten
featuresthat fo rm ncar Turbidite sand,
arC deposi ted and stad on the downthrown side of the major
faults wilh apande<l deltaic and sediments ovcrlyi ng
IhemtFig. 2.20)_ Se"cra[ major flelds ha,'c
thick accomu[ations "f tu/bidites 011 the dowmhrown side of
grov.-Ih fau[ts and are common[y with sal t withdra"al
in response to regional scdimcntary loading. Mitchum et al
( [990) dctailthe dcvclopmcnt of sta.-ked {u ....s/<II/<I J\"s/ ,' )JIs ImelS
on the dmo.-nthrov.n side of a gro"th fauh I Fi g. 2.20)
Lowsl:.nd systenls traets Ihrce clements: basin tloor
Basintloorfans con
sisl "fone 10 thrce scismie relle,t ions that overhe <;Imd,nscd
seetions of Ih,' highstand tracl$_ Thc o"c rl yin); Ie'-eed
,hannclofthc slope fan iscummonly in cross se,'
t ion ano is dominaml y shak. Produetion n'urs primarily from
the ba,in !loor fan portions of the kwed'{'hannel
of the ,lupe fan. An cJlmnplc o stackcd turbidit c sands m
g.rowth fa1ll t sys\ems flOm thc Gulf of MCJlico is dncumcnted by
el ([his \Vl ume) . [n Jddition. marg in
and Canadian /kaufllrl Sea have grmo.lh fauhs associate<.l ,,'ilh
shale diapirs that cause thicLening of tu/bidiles on lhe .10""-
Ih","-n o the fauh
C,,",..,rg,''''
Con'CTgcnt margins ar,' chara,lcriled by eomprcSlion and
uplifl. wilh local rosindC"dopmcllt . The major rosins that fo rm
in this ,ening arC treneh. foreare. interare
intraan:. and forclandbasinslFig. 2_23: Dickinson. 197-': Ball y
Sncl son, 1980). Convergent margins and Ih,'ir associ atc<J
rosin,oc'lIr N U plate le, ton;,: ( 1) subdunion
voi<:anic ar{' Pacin, type). and (2) plate colli , iuns (Meditcrca
ncan Thc framework ineludes
abyssal plam. ,ubdlletion lone eomple _. (trcn{'h) .
"mdangc" wcdgc ",ilh imbri,a!e Ihru,1
(slopo:. t>asins). laterally migmting. subsiding shdr
(
bJ"n, (forean: ba,l n,). "okaniclplulonic ar<: region. inlrJan: .
bad.an: . and Ihru." ocll and basins (r<' lroan:. foredeep. andlor
I,-"clandbasins) (Fig. 2.23). lncollisional ler",nes. foredccpSand
I,,,dand basins can ronn on one side or b"lh .i<.les of Ih<' orogenic
as Alps and mountain ochs (Allen el al ..
1'1861. Locally. and wikc-slip basins can form in Ihe
f."c! aod. inlrJ.an:. and badill"" rcgions ofcon\'ergcnI margins.
Turbidile re,;c\,\-oi..,occur indeep basins in con\'crgcnllll.1rgins
JI\d ha.'c be",n found primaril)" in forean: and foreland
ocI .....een lhe volcanic!pluh>mc are sub-
Ju,lion rone comp1ex of convergenl margins (Fig, 2,23), Tllc"",,
b.lsms lO ver)" in siz,' {hunJrcJs of
by lens lO hundrcds uf kilumclers ",ide). are generall)" don-
galcd. andma} c"ntaingrcallhickncsscsol,lr:Ha, Forcarcbasins
are ","1et! llur.l1 subsi<.lencc. ",ilh Ihe resollant [,11
b.,>ing asymmelr ic Ihicr 1O,... suboJucl ion mne culn-
pie . , TurbiJilcs are Ihe ;nilial s;.xJ imcnl ary fill and one oflhe
major deposih of furean: basins (Dickinson "lid Seeley. 1979),
gcncrall)" flllinglhea .isof lhebasin tirsl. Thcscbasinsarctilled
"Ih SC\J;menls dcriwd from Iheir TIIargin,. so Ihe compo,ilkm of
1hcirr,scrvoirs"aricsgrcally.1I.hnyof lhe,;cbasin,are gas-prone
and nmSl ha"e ,'ery 10\\' Ihermal graJicms. L.l1er o\Crpriming of
.,lrike,l ip "nd faults creales ,lru<'lu ml IrJps "nd
increases Ihe 1,J('al geolherlllal (e.g . . Ihe i>Jk(>gcn<'
SlrataofS,ln Jooquin and Ventu",basin,ofCalifornia)
f

.. _...._"'-'"
""_'.M' tS
"--'-'
i - '-
. ... .. so
2 Sc4"''''''c ,' CJI'lIr'plm' m"..kl ,h"... ,Ile" ,,,.,) dc,<lopm<"' '"
;)'"em, ,n.n .'p:ondOO :>1""1""" "'<''''". I." ... h<,. C,..lf 0'- Mo,"",,_
Gcr><r.ll;'h....vg ,.f".,.,""""""",.,."",,, ... 'l.,,,M)ft'o"n.""n,., ..,
The MCSQwk !O early Basin in
California is onc of he ",orld"s major gas-producing foreare
OOsins. wilh 3romposite Ihickness of more han 6O.M feel
(18.300 m) of Upp.:r Jurassic 10 Eocelle mata . The Upp.:r Cret a-

submar ine canyen and erosional tran;. Rc:;er-
"oirsconsistprimarilyofsandsdrpositcdindcpositionallobes,
Ie"<'i'-owrbank,channelmargin-Icvces_andchanncls.andoccur
in both .tructural and S!ratigraphi<: flmpcrato and Nil""n.
1990: Ni!...-n, 1990). Scismic of thes.:
syslcms 10 shecl-likc bodics Ihal onlap
slop<: clinoforms (Fig. 2. 24: Drummond el al.. 1976. 1982
Chaven, 1983)
'''1'0''''''"'' ,11<""n d"gr.lmm,,,<.II). Seo "" r,.. 01<",,,1"'''. ""
'y" .m'r:><I>. s.,., 1.0<12.2 r..... 0.",",,,,,, "',h. """. M,",
",,1 11'190, Rq' "n'rub) 1',,,nll,,,onofRobcn M",-h""'.Jr
ProJUCltOn al';O occurs on the ,,"estern coaSI uf Suuth
Amer;.'a, ",herc the Tabra and An<:<m tidds in Peru and Ecu-
ador. rcspeclively. produce from Tcrtiary-agc turbidiles
JCposik>J in [orear<' (Table Fig. 2.3). Thcsc f,clds
produce mainly gas. gas-prone !!OUrce rods.low Iher-
mal lo", gcolhcrmal gr:tdicnts. and poor oil-soorrc
po[cnlialineachlxlsin.
Forcland dC"dop al Ihe icading edge of Ihrusl belts in
response 10 ncxuml subsidcncc <lrivcn by loading
uf Ihe beh and bas;n tilling (Figs, 2.23. 2.25\. Th ese
! , l[ In,<'p,l ",,,,,''o profik

in .. n ," ",,,k>r< I);o"n. ",,,,h<r" O"lf,,;

'19901. R<r,," ,.-.Jb p<,mo>",," "'Rbcn
,\I",h"",./r

p,."fik. ""n ... lhe T''''>f)' C.";o;J ,." 8<.uf"" $<. , .... , ..."",,,
p .... ,I<. ' "., S'''''hem.'''..,,'''>C<,'''''. P,ooJ"""O" O," u"lm""",b,di,,,,,"
Turb<d,t<,
,nrt ..lI) "."'''''p<''r:Jn''-'''''Ilc.rl'''''II) ....... '.'',L.o..',h.'. ''''f"",,.,,''''
h;; ins are brge (hundreds o kilolllclcrs long. Icns 10
sideo
Ihe m:lJor thrust fronts. lhe hasins are asymmetric and ",edgc
,hap.:d in eros' sect;on. ", ;[n lhe Slrata tnickcning IOward lne
thr ustronls,Figs,2 .23.2 .25 ),Scdimentationinthesebasinsis

H" andaclivemargin portionsofthc hasin. Syndepositional
1,,lnic act;\"; ty induces basin.... ard progradal;nnofsedimems
"""' from[helnruslbclt: thcoldcrsedimenlsarecoml1lonly
In"orporaled ;mo tne ad":lnc;ng [nrus[ sneclS. Forebnd basins
nlJ: consisl ofsc\"cr.l! successor bas;ns. ",ilh sed;menls bc;ng
ro",n!dcr. uplitetioo,in1'illS<'<:lions( Fi g, 2.25), Tur-
1' o rcland

(Allen el al. . 1986). In 1110'1 oftne
-\nJeanand Himalayan foreland hasinsarc mainly nonmarine
\1. .k rnandan;ienlc_"<amp!csofforelantibasinsarediscu',edin
,\ Iknand Home"ood (l9861.
"""" .,,-.1 ""h ,...., <Joro'''''''''' ,''''N b:.1 ,'"",'u",1 Se<
: ,1 .nd : lo, lu.,.. "," uI Ih< bo ..n. A,.r D""" .,.' 1198S1
Rq"rn'r:J b) uf ,n. C"""h.n s",,,.,y ofl'\:lr<>kum
II Ighly producl ive IUrbidite In fordand oo,;n,
asso.:iatcd wi th a ,'arie[ y of slruclUra! slyks, lhe !argesl
IUrbidite-rclatcd fic!ds in 1'ore!and basinsare frorn Ncogcne
basins aS"' lCimeti wi[n lllc Apcnninl" 1I.Ioumains in (labk
2.5.2.25.2.26). Pctro!cumprodm,'ion occursfroma
,cr;cs of slr.lligrapnie Iraps by on lap and pino
,'11001 (Rinini and An!;!clari. 198"1). anti str",;lum! whcrc
turbidiles ha'-cbccndeformedprimari!yby'hruslfaults(Picrri.
!983: Ori 1986: Ricci Lucchi. 19861. lile sels",i, >lrali-
of the turbidite rc"",,"oirs is ,'ariabk: rdkc
lionsl"anbcpa ra!!c!toll1oundcdreflcc1l0nSlhalonlapbalh)'
mClrichi;h,. orbouomsctrctkclions[na[Onlaplhcprograd;ng
slopc tieposilS (clinoo rmsl
Sc,"cra!othcrA!pinc r,'laled furelandbasio> ha"cproJuClion
from lurbid;ICs_ Ibrding and lnminas ( 1989) shuw e>IJllIl'!cs n1'
turbitiltc produclion froll1 Euec nc turbidilcs in the
V<"nna B.asi n as"""i ated with ddormJ[;on nonh of lhe A!ps
(Tablc 2,6: Fi g. Tr.lps "'ere by Miueene strike- sli p
(
; ;. J'.gc.on," ,,,.,.,,,<",""",,,,,,.,.1 '''"'ion t>""n, , ...J ,"o<'uc,1 5 'n' ", rbo"' t>",,",
,\,J.p',..J rrom ."Sn<l",nll<mh
IJuhlng rdalcd folding aS>QCia(ed "i(h later Alpinc

lainsOlig,x:cncandMioccncwrbidi . esdeposi ledinaforeland
setling (Rohinson and Zimmer. 1989). Thcse lurbidilCS fmm
(hin clas(ic. gas-pronc rcservoirs Ihal arc generally bdowthe
rcsolulion of mullifold ..:ismi<: rcncclion dala . Thc -'1iocene
lacuSlr ine basins (P;J.nnoni an) " f Hungary aboconlaon produ<:
(ion in lurbidiles (Table 1.6: Fig. 1.5). Theforclandb.o,inS"Nc
fonned in associ a(ion "i.h (he movemcm of African and As ian
pla(es and lhe obli<u<, . UbdU<:li"n and Horvalh. 1988>
Pmmincn! dcha dino(orms progrJdc down !he axis "f Ih<',,,
b.osins.and(hc!urbidilcswcredepo,ih:dallhcbascofthe slope
in .... 1000 kc! (305 m) .
Minor pelfokum produ<:! ion OCCUfS from lurbidiles in Ihe
Cr<,!acc'Ous fordand b.osin of !he Uni led SI:tl<'S W<"lnn lm<,riur
(Tablc 1.3: Fig 1 .1: Winnelal_. 1987: McM illen and Winn . !hls
\olumcI. dep!hs ,,"ere appro,\ima!dy ICOl- I600
!eCI (305-.. 88 m) allh<'limc "f! urbidi cc deposilion inlhc Le"i,
Forma!ion: dislinc!topscl - forset- bonomsc!gcOIuclri.'s d.'\d-
op..-u in lhe basin are idcmifiable on wirdine log rurrclal ion.
and seismic renccl ion profiks. Depo,i!ional ,Iopes
oflhe clinoforms " -ere 1.0dcgrecor Similard<:positional
associalcd in o!her lmaior b.o,ins
l uggcI!edby (198)land Wilher bcec!al_ ( 19831
Thc Ouachi!a. Arkoma. and Mara!hon bal ins or!he >outh cen-
tral Uniled S!aleS ha,c p<.'lrolcum produc! ion from OrdO"Kian
Mississippianand Pcnnsylvanianlurbidilcrescrvoirs
ITablc Fig. 1,21. The cher(s wcrt'" re .....dimenled bi ogenl c
rules Ihe <:tnds "ere depo,i!cd as basinal lurbidi!cs lhal
onl aplheadjacen(slope, Scismicrctk<:!ionprofilcssho"' lhc
rcscnoirs app<'ar as SUbll<, mounds lo parallel rcnccl i()n,b.."l
their onlap onw Ihe I I0pe clinoforms (Vedros anJ
Fi she'r.19781.
Thc D<:\1Jnlan , trala uf lhe Appalach'an &! sin conlJlnOnc of
lhe fir'l and !urbidi!e' rcs..'"'oi,, IBradford Forrna!'On l
Jiscu"ereJ and prnduced In (he world (Tabks Fig,
1972). Th. rescr\"{,irs "erc di,c,,,,crcd du"ng !hc jalc
1800s in Pennwlvania and Ncw York . Thc !urbidilcS "ere

sk ill dd!aic syS!CIll in aboul600 fee! 11 83 m) walcr dePlh . Traps
occurasanupdips!rJ!igraphicpinchout o(turbidile,;.andsumcs
unlo,lpc,hak',
Transf"rmmarg,ns ha'-econsiderahlcdi'-ersu) inho!hs!ru<:!oral
and sc'"dilllcn(Ologic (Crowell. !97"a.b: Cro.....ell and Link
1982: S)'lwsler. 1988) Thcse margins furm wherc plalel mo\c
localareasoflransprc s
sionandlranS!cnsion!hal rCsuhinhighland sour<'cs ju,\13po,cJ
Jf'ainstrclali\'elydecpbasins_ S1fIkc-slipfauhsh()undmany o!
Ihe_,,-, b.osins and form in ncarly all plalc !ec(Onic
superimposed on prC" iously formcd s!ru<:!ural fca!ures. Thc
l

.,,". C"Io''',"'' lA)"""",, rrofik. ,II<l
,11' "'l' "rm., ,.":H,,n. Tu,b,",,"
".".,,,.,,, ,>n"'p,i><",Iop<.:,,.......uto",S
-,'""',;
, . , D'unml<l<>lle"1. 1197bl. Rop<o-
j""-..l ")po:r",,,,,,,nuflh<P,o;,foc S,,,,n -
A,,,,,,,,,,,," uf 1'1:".>1.:"00 Groio.>-


and seismic of nasins
nI' rin nasins (Ballan.:e and Reading, 1980: Biddle and
Chnsli.: Sl ic\:.. 1985;Sylvestcr. 1988).
n.u !ypcs ofbasi ns form strike-slip sys!ems: (11
and (2) tipP<'d-wcdge nasins. Pull-apart nasins are
!O ..'d basins bounded by fauhs.
Voleanism
.." mmonly occurs along margins o, in d''<'P<'st pans of
Ih,,ebasins( Burchti.:ld and5!ewart. 1966: Cro,,ell. 197-1a.bl.
Tippcd-"edge basin. are narrow. dongaled hall' grab"ns
t-,' undcdonallcas!onesidebya fauh: !hesebasins form ..
Ihere is linlt: anenuation 01' crUSI and ule o r no voi<;anic
Thc sedimcn!s !ha! infll! !he basin cause subsi -
Jen<:e: progressi"eonlapandmigralionoflhedep"<;enterSiX"<:ur

"'C3_. These rosins rangc from very small (Q moocrJle
I"" c'altohundredsofkitome!<'fs)andhaveasymme!ricalhalt"
in proflle wilh irregularo nlapping shinglc-likc inlernal
'I ralal panern . 8o!h Iypesufwrench-faullbasins mayconlain
"'r) Ihi accumulalionsofwrbidilcS Ihal wercdcposilCd in
rclalic'cly ,hon pcri"dsofgc"()l"giClirne. Turb,dilC> are depo"
ik'"dprirnarilyinlhl'a\esoflherosinandmaybo.'lOJXXl- JO.OOO
fcctiJOSO-91SOm)thid:rcsermirinter\'aISlhalarc5000-75<Xl
fcc!(1525 - 2185 m)lhickarccomrnon in manyoflh.'California
baslIls (Tablc 2.3: Fig . 221
Most oflhe large oil flclds in sou !hern and ,'en!rJI Cali-
f"rnia, including Ihe major Ncogenc lurbidile rc..:r\'oirs In
Ihe Lns Angdes. Ventura. and San Juaquin ba.in,. ar.'
cialed wuh lhis !C<.'lOnic sening (hlblcs 2,2. 2.3: Figs, 2.2
2.28). Produl'lion OCl'Ur, mainly from ,t'mtu,,,1 traps, Thr
slrdl igraph} of!hesehighlydcforrncd areaS is no! Intagcd well
on multi ti,ld sc),mi<: dala. Where good seismie reneeli"n
dala C.\i,l lhis malure oil provine<:. such in lhe off,hore
Ls Angel," and Ventur.. and pans uf Ihe San Jooquin
Basin. lhe lurbi!!ile systcms ha\'ec.\Icrnally slightly mounded
10 r"lIlp like selSnllC panerns (Keller, 19811. Other arcas In
!he world !urbidile rcs(,"T\uirs oceur in slrtke-slip rcl"red
baSlns indude Ihose in Vienna B"sin (Ro>d,n. 1985). Ana -
darko Basin (KulllMand 5Ia11. 198-11. and \'ari<)usCalifurnia
nasin,


C</IlIon-Rdm .. d Stflltigmphc Tmps
Submarinccanyons()(', 'ur in scuingsamImay
fmm in $c'-cral diffcrent ways (Shcpard. 1981: "lay el al. .
1983). Thcyarc highl y .....riablc insize. ,hapo:. anddimcn slon.
T........ ma;" 01' pcl[Qkum trapsareassocialcd ",ilncanyons
S<. "<limcmary fill ",ithin Ihe and th<.' ca nyon trun-
l"a tcsoldcr undcrlyingandadjacemstraw
CWlw,,-Fil/
Thcscdimcntary produ<:c pelfoleum
inmanyplaccsinlhc,",,,rld.al thoughrcscr"oirprcdictabilityis
difficul1 IMiIChUIlI. 1985: Posalllclllier and Erskinc. hi,
\'olul1\c) .Canyunfillsaremmpli<:Jtedanuhighlyvariable. Thcy
dcpendprimarilyonth<'lypcofslrJlainlhccan)onwallsandthe
Iype of sc<liment available un Ihe ncarby shelf keding the
canyon fiJl can be good
thesandslOncs <:omplclcly in shale. Canyon
fills aredominantly shalc. cons..'qucl1tl ycanyonsare,onsidercd

and Erskinc. thisvolumc).
TheSacramemol:lasinofCaliforniahascanyon fillrcs,:r\'oirs
In PJlcoccnc through Oligol.'enc stmta (Table 2.3: Figs. 2.2.
2.29: Alrngren. 1978: Boyd. 198-4). InthescareJs.at leastfour
.:anyons are prcsent ami ,'ontain :;.edimcnt fill
The f'elds were disco'ered when prospc<:ting for unrclatl..J
rcscr\"oi rs.
thick. mi les (8-J2 km) ",idc. -tO- lOOmilcs(67- 168lmJ
long: the" .,edimcntary tjll is predominantly shalc (Almgrcn
197M). On,cismi<' r.:1k,tion proJ'lcs. the ocst rcc-
ogni/.<:tlunstrik.: -or ientcdprofilesin two bytheirfill furm
Jnd by trun,'atio n of and adjaccnt rerlcctions
(Mitchum. 1985), Rcscf\oirsarcma inly channcl Jill s and con-
sistofsandstoneandwnglorncral.:intcrbcddl..Jwith.andscakd
by.shale. Locally.thickaccumulationsofcoarscgraincdchan
ne! fillsoccur ncar thcbascuflhccanyonand incanyon rcen
Canyonfillproouccsfrom(liffcrentintcr\"al,inthel'alcogcne
stmtao(thc 1,3;Fig.l,2: al. .
this volul11l'), The PJ]e".:ene-Eocen.: canyons .ontain

ingforOlhcrprospe<'ls.Olherc.\llmplesufproJu<:li\'esubmarine
.:anyon Jill are frum Ihe Oligocenc Field ufCampos
Ba,in 2,-t: Fig. 2,.1: BruhnanJ Moraes. 19R8b). Oligo
'trataofTaiwan (Tablc2,7: Fig, Tung-Yi Lec. personal
,'omrnunicalion. 1990). E''''cne 2.3: Fig
2.2: Bu-;ch and Go\'ela. 1978). and stratao(I,rncl
2,5, Fig. eohen. 1976)
"9
h""" ,l>. In'<'l''''N 'o'''''''''' I""(,k ....", ,1>< ""-'!i'" 1\> 8"m
,,;1\. furb<J ". "><""'" I"'''''''< r,,,m."udin<, ,h...,., "r.J<rI"m b) ,h,""
'""'1' Turb,J.."" "'-<re ,n,,,,II)" <1<1"',,,1 ,n """""' ,,,,, ",.,
c,m.\'OII-TmlI<'UI,'d
Submarine canyonsarale good slraligmphiclr.lpS ..... h,'re
..maposi ngoder""nd-
_!Une rcs.:rvoi rs ne. t 10 shak f, lled canyons. The produring
,ha, ha"e been truncaled \'ary mm ddla.
10 dccp .....aler turbidil':', Thc may ineis.: (up to
10miie: 1.6lm)anJcannib.alizcshclfs.:JimenlSanJunJcrl}

,unJ in sea le\el.
Thc BicuJo and Bonito fielJs in of!shore Campos
Brazil. produce .....eretrun -
by Oligoccne/ 1> l ioc<'nc <'Jnyons ,Tablc lA:
1,3. 1.30). Rcscr\'Oirs are besl defincd on scismic rcnee'
1I,'n profi1cs as lermina,ion ofth<.' s.:ismie rdkcliom apins'
.....all. Regional reconSlrUCli1Jns and
mapping help Jdineatc' ar<.'aS and slr,, (igraphic iOla-
Iha( may be prospeeli,-c agJinSl the cJnyon nn, The rcser
'",rsandstoncsoriginallyhad"idespreadrcgionaldistribution
arc s.:alcd agansl ,he (Jnyoo io stru("(u,ally high arcas
' F'j!wlredo. 1986; Pcrc sand Arso. 19!56).
UpperCrClaeCOUSSlrJlauflhcSaer;lIl1cmoBasio aboeon
foclds thal prodUCt' [mm <:anyon(rUneak'Xl (rJps (Almgr,n.
l<j "S f, Thc Rio Visla Ficld. (he ficlJ inth.: S:KTJlllenIO
R",m, i. associuloo wilh Ihe The ju.\ laposilion 01'
<l<f"moN '" ,h< "",tn ... nJ ,h,"" r:".II>, So" I "no, 5 lo...
"""""").,oc"",,n. Af'c,R"'c,L",,,'h,, 19S6,. R<l"m,.-.Jb) p.""""""" " ,h<
..

ti ll shalcs creatc-, aoJ s<:als for reS<:l"oirs (Fig.
ThcGippsJaoJ Basin inoffshoreAuslr.lliaeonlainss.:'crJII",,er
Tcniary rcs.:f"oirs aSSil<.'iat<'Xl wlh truntalion
uf "arlQuS ages lTable 2,8: Fig, 2.7). [o Ihc Ficld of
Te,us. (he
Ihc Lo'... W,kOll f-ormat,oo/Tablc 2,3: Fig. 2.1: Chubcr. 1986)
T"rb,,!il<' Rt'I,II,"! C"rOOIlW" Rl'urn'rs
CarbooJ(c SIra(J also .:ontain IUrbidi,erc!a(cd res.:r\'O,rs Ihat
proouec in a ,'aric,yoflcnonic
ha\'C J difti.'f,'n( s1yle of sedimental lOn in slope and baSllls
s.:llings. anJ lhe resuhmg dcp.-.sits are n<jt analogous
198J), Carbon,,'c mar-
gins Icnd 10 be dominalcd by !ine sources ors.:JimenlS. aod
ha"c dc'pos,li1Jnal ,0l""s of 10 10 'cnical. Sub
marine faos are 10 be rare m earbonales, Inslead.
dcbri, rdJI,d fcalUres are more pre"alenl and arC associ:n.'Xl
"ilh 0l3';S "f<:arbooale Olargin fa,'ics imodcel""r
wa(cr. Cook (1983) propos.:d mooels fm slope apron. bas..'of
and,ubmarinc'fansfor('arbooaIC
J,po,ili1Joal'}Slellls.SJlg(1988)des<:rrb,:dlherclal"edis-
lr,bUllon or lhes.: differenl dchri s aprons anJ mass
transpon deposils wilhin a sequencc
Figure D.., ..m,h""""t')P"'''' '',,k. ,t,p f,u '",Iu' p,oo"".ba"n, . OO
"I'h'ied.,." ,n ,,,",f,,,n, 1lU'll '" """"S' ,,o,f"u,,ed f.ul""",<. IB,rli,' <!J<"'
.R<l ,,<>".. fau" """<In>. ,C) .n;"''''''''''"l I,u' ... IDI I,"h ,.,mln."",,-, .
,00'[' I.ul". Tu,b,rlil<,ill ,,,,,",,,",lIo>f,h.,,, ba,,", '00"0"
to"ued J.r",m.",," """,m""ly".""''''p>, R'p".' ed
po:,m"",," o( ,he 1"'<In""""' ,>,,,",,,'"',,''" o>fSed,m, "' oo'li',c,
Various slyks of d"posilion of are
10 hJW forrnL'd JI di fferen l limes in rdalion 10 r<,blive
1e"eL Tne InrL'<: main lyP<'S (lf reservoirs as:;oci
aled ,,' iln lurbidite syslerns descriocd ar,' debris aprun,
subrnar inefans.andre:;edimenlcd ellalksdcposilcdalongor ill
Ihcba:;eofasl0P<'
DebrisAfJr<JII
Thesedepositsforrn in Ihcworl d, Thcse reser
mirs ,'onsisl of deposils Ihal conlain
grJins and large bloch Ihal ....-ere transponed en massedo.... n
slopc from Ihe banl:: edge and deposilcd ncar Ihe base of , 101'<-'.
rhe rc:;ervotrs is "ariabkan-ldcpcnd.l,m
-.:veralfaclOr.<. indudmgscl'<mda ry puros y and sileufl lle ini
lial dc",,,,, ICook . 1983). On scisrnic rctkelion profles.

in protilcs. The largesl reservoirs occur in Mcxico In lhe
uf Ihe Camp.:.:hc shdf in (Table
1,3: Fig, Coul . 1(83), Upp.:r Crelaceous Poza Rita
1.3: Figs, 2.1.1.32: Enos. 1977. 1985). and UppcrJur.lS
si c- Lo....cr Cr,'I:l'ouS Reforma of Mnicu ITabk
2.3: Fig, 2.2: ViniegrJ. 19MI: Agua}"oC. el al" 1985), Smaller
OCCllrr,' nccs of reservoir, inelude Ihc
MIl"enc ollhe Phillipmcs (Tabk 1.7: Fig. 2.6: wngman. 1(85)
Pcrmian ofTc",,"s and Nc..... Mcxico(Table 2.3: Figs. 2,2. 2.33:
CrC\ell'-'elaL.1985:Loocksd al .. .. 19891.and
De'unian of 2,3: Fig. 2.2: Cool::. 1983)
Carbo""leSub"wril!<'FrlII S
submar inc Ix'l'n inlcrprcled in a re ..... basins.
priuwily .... es l (Coo\;, 1983: .\Iu llins and Cool::. 1986:
Leary and Fccley. lhi s volume). Thesc fan inlaprclali on-,
deri"cd from -.:di menlary SlrUl"lures. facies associalion s, and
mappcd poinl-sollrcc fo r Ihe J"posils Ihal are more Iypically
associaled ....ilh submarinc fans, Their seis mic stratif!raphic
may oc similar 10 carbonale debri s bUllO
dme, lhcfanoccurrcncesha\clx-eninlerpreledonl)'fromcorcs.
Rt'snlimt'lllnlChalh
Du ring lhc pclrulcum dewloprncm of lhe largc Vppc r Crc la-
ccous-I'Jlcocenc chal l:: reservo; rs in Ihe Cemral Guocn oflhe
Norlh Sea. Ihe mass migin for major purtions oflhe
deposlIs .....a' rccog nized (Table 1.6: Fig . 2.5: D'Hcur
19M-l . 1986: 1985: Hallon. 1(86). Chall:: .... 'as
"riginall y dcposi lcd aS pelagic s.'dimen!: laler. ()f lhcse
deposi l' inlcrprelcd 10 haw as largc
slides. debr is nows,andlurbidilesfromlh"<'TCSI Of risingsah
diapirs and basin Illargins, The poniol1s uf he Ihal
conlain hJlC ","osily and
Thesc Iypcs of gra"i l} dcposit.
Ix' rccognil.coJ frorn cure " irelinc log sludies. 011
sc"mic dala. Ihe dcposi ls appcar IwO 10
retk.:tions .... ilhh'gharnplilu<lcwilhinlhechall::inter"al.
Ik-.:rwir and S}'ll'IllS
TurbidilC rcwrw irs arc somc ,,( he "'OSI p",lilie in "orlJ
:In.! are the main proollc ing inlerval s in Oflhc w"rld',
gi anl fidd, ITablcs 2.1-2 .81. lurbidile reservoi"
t
4
r; A:------ ---- -----------,
" \I"",cncl,s..nl""'l",nRa,,n,C.lhfoon,,
' -'1 "onJ' ,r,,,,, ,\10""0"" p;ol""" ",,oon,
","","1 ,", "nl, .n.l , 8 , ,"l<rpr<l"" ", ,,n,o<
,'''"u' ,n
h, J"","IY",II)' ",,,"nJod
rcl l",,""". Tho"";o<cnlt"l"'ll,"pt>,e""',
.",(,II"" ... " honl'PI', nglurb'd"... S<.

..

, ! "
:::-=8
from <.'ighl busi ns are di scusscd here as of varl -
abilily Ihal ",ilhin dccp -waler res..:r""i rs (Tablc s
Rcscrvoir qualily and performance
de'pend 00 grain si ze. soning. bcd lhickness_ and dis-
lrlbu l ioo. and pcrl11cabilil y arc slrongly controllco.l
gra in scdimeOI sourcc. burial hi story, diag,"ncsis.

Turbidit..: rcscrvoirs occur in variel)" of grain sizes.
frorngravcllOsil1 . ThcbeSlwrbidilcrcscr\"oirs Jrcmcdium-IO
coarsc-grain."<.l. modcralc IOwell suned, wilh minimal c,"me",Ua-
Yeryfioe-graincd malerial(sihlo"cryfine
gralncd sandSlone) and .-oar""" dcbri s (g ravcl s, bould.'r,1
Thebeslrcservoirs arc
IhidflhousandsoffeCI)andarcall y widcspread (ICnsofS'luare
miles) Fur e,amplc, somc Cal iforni a lurbidile reservoir iOler -
\'al s arcbel"-,"cn5()(X)aod 7()(x)feel lhick ( 1525 and 2135 m)
and 30-..\0 square mil es 08- 105 km') in arca . Ncarly
lurbidilcfacie,mcnlion.dhcrc!lobcs.chJnnclizcdlobo.-".:han-
nclfilis. chanocll lcnxs.submar inc.;anyon lilisanJlruncal1On,;.
anddebrhaprons and fans) ,' an be produ((i".'and may ha' e
gootlpol.'ntiulrc"'I\'oirprojll:r1ies. Vollllll("lriolly.lhebo.\<llUr -
b,dilC fac;es are lobes. such aSlhose in lhe
\\'ih"'"gl"". f onie"S, and Marlim f,cld s(Tabk 2,!1
The ficld.'prescnlcd here are from fouroflh..: more proli fic
arl'"S in lhe worlJ lhal ha.... signifi<,an, p"lfoleum produ,'li"n
frOlll lurbidil':S: CJliforo,a basins. Nnh Sea. Il;si n
(oft-"h"re Brali!). and ,\l idland B"si n Trcnd ) Oh"'1
Te>.Js . and
Iiclddn-d"pm';lIl. and isi nadiffercnl slagc ofrescl\oi r de" 'el -
opmcnl, Sume of Jreas are malure and ha.c c\lcl1,i.'<,
,
I
29. Th",n,,,,, 11"100<'''''1. 5<o<,..",.,o\l,,,n. C.lrf,,,n," "'"'""0 1""0
rok. " 'Ir< I, .. ,""'II,,n P'o.Ju,,,,, ,"<I>'>I.,,( .. r.II'u,b,Jn., 'h",,,,,IJ!,
th. "n)"n ,,.11,. B:r.>< ..,(th, ,,n;,," """""n by d.,h<tl Ir"" 'n ....
.... .... ....
P"",b ...'ro" ,h.: B..'.oo r",ld, ,E",.n.,_ C,",I""
!l:r"",lIr.'..I'.... '"""'"'"prof,I<_.ndtB,,,,,.lu ...-I"",,"',"""","'" E,,"," n,:'u,
b,d"<>.d.-I"""<\I"",,,,, ..I"I'<. .. uhrn .
nn< "I-.." .-n "W"' <I;r..h<\l "11<' T"r.. <<<,,<\1 "h< .oId<r
I
l!i3 MicrUe O CanyonFiII O Oligocene Sands
Llmnlones 131 TerUa'yShaln o Eocene Sand$
:JCrelaceousSands
/ ,,''''
.>' Unconlo,mlly
l'
,
r
:;;
:>0,,,'" E"".,p< F.dJ ,Pe,n","", '1""'0: IAI ",,,m,,' p,"'II<..Ir.J , RI ".h....
"O!! ""' " "", ,,,. 8a"n.1 "11,..",,,,,, '" ,,"" ,.,r.J"""O'.Ir.J ,orb.,o" ,,< J<b",_ p,,,,,,,,,,,,,.
.x"u" "".,,1,.<1<>10'"1"'" ,1>< b.",,,,,k>p< s.:< I ,r.J' ,1;", Io.>,-."on ",-,1><
""'"n. Ah.. Salk, <t.1 j l9891 Ikp"n,<J b 1"''"'''''''' '" ,no s.xt<l)' b;"n"nHO l'.Ik"n'''i<Il!' ' '' .lnJ
M,"<"k'i'''''
4
r:::l FIELOS WITH ... .
TURBIOITE
RESERVOIR
M,pofC.,ft>fn'.'....... '''!"'',, ''''''''''',y(m.pb.''n',,''htu,b,.
p",.""""" ..... I1dd, ,"mm."""J ,n T.bb: 9and 2. 10 s..", Fi1"'"'!
:18. :.:9. ..... 231 r",,,,,,",," pmfol. ..... "".h"" !ow:<.....mpl., fn,n, R,,,
TI>c><n,....,. \\',In", Cf'O" . 0...,,;" Kn"",,,,,,. ,11<1
produClion histories. whncas olhcr areas are ocw and
ncwlechniqucs andk'<.'hnologyinf,dddcveloprncnl. AH re,;er-
"or informal ion induded here is currem informal Ion as uf
1988- 1990. anu " ';11 ,;hangc wh furlh<,r proJutlio". Thc
inlcr,'Slcd readcrisrcfcrrcu10 Barwiscl al. (1990). in "h;,"h
lour or detaikd reSerH);' dcs<;ript ion and ,:hara ..-tcriza-
lionoflurbidilc rlddsar"includcd
Th" Slalc ofCaliforniai sby (arlhc 1;lrgCSI p.:1rUIcUlllproollccr
fromlurbidilcsinlhc 1010 12
billionbarrcisof reco"erJbleo,I(Tables2.1. 2,2. 2.9. 2.10).
ofthelar;CSI25fiddsin!hcUnilc-.:lSlalesarcinCal iforniaand
(rom !orbidilcs(Tablc 2.2). AOOOI 80% of'lll JlClrokulll
in Ih.' S1alccomcs rrnmdeCP"'''alerrCscrmirs. 'urbi-
di!csandsloncs.dialollliles.andsiliceousshalcs.Califomiaisa
ma'ure p",","cc wuh pclrolcllm prodoCIIIln bcg,nn'ng dllTlng

(Tables2 .9. 2.10). ThemaJorilyoflhe prOOUCI,onocc,m in 1......,
Jiffcrcn, SlruclUral ><.'lIings: (1) foreal'C basinsand(2)wrench_
fauhrctaledbasins
lhe toreare dcposl1s 'n California are gas prone and o,xur mainly
Fig. 2.H)
In Ihc nonhem Sacramento Basin. Uppcr submarin;.'
ranslrorbcsFormalion)arcmud-richsys!emslhal(;Omainfine-
10IllcdilllllgrJinedar\.:osics.lr.dslOne reservoirs ,,!hporrn.i!iesof
22 - 25%andpo:rmeabililiesrangingfrum IOIOIOOmd , Indi"id
rc><.'r.uirs are 20-50 (6-15 m) Ihi"k ,,'ilh se"eml
u.:curring wilh'n a I(XX)-)(XX) fCt.'1 (305-915 m) prcoJominamly
shale inlaval. lh.. Grimcs and Willows- Btthive Ikm! (,dds Jre
namples of rcse,'uirs Ihal mainly from Ihe Forbes For
rnalion in dongalC chan ndl lc.,ec <'Omplexcs dcposi\c"d nearcemer
oflhe bo,s," fromlheoonh (TabIe2,9: Fig. 2.3-1)
The soulhcrn Sacr,menlo Rasin submarinc fans are more com-
rcser",irs. comaining more sandrich and coarscr-graine<l
,h:m Ihosc r:",s o( lhe San"mcnlo Rasi n (Table
Fig. 2.)-1). RioVislaand Union Islar.darceClamplesoff,clds
Ihal ..ontain arkosic lorbidilC reser\llirs orlhe
Winl.-rs ",'ilh porosi l ics o( and
o( aoo...t 100 md (labio: 29). The 3re se"cr,1
(cel !hi aOO lhe producing facies indude lobes. channdiz<-d
lobes. 1990)
Foor somh",'sHrending Pak'OCcnc !O Eoccnc submar;nc
inlo lhcolderCrelaccoosandlertiar yslr,la
in bOlh!hc nonhcrnandsomhern Sa<'Tauh.'nIOBasin. forming
ool h .. aoyonfllI Jod Iruncalion Iypc slrJl igraphic Iraps (Alm
gren. 1978). lh.. .\1arklcy makes up pan orlhe lrJp in
lhe gianl Ri o Vista Fidd (Tabk' 2,9: Fig. 2.3-1). Numcrous ,mall
f'eldsalsollccur"' ilhinandalonglhePrincelOnGorgeinnonh-
cm Sanam,'nlO Basin (Red....-inc. 198-1). lhe canyon-fil1 rc""r
"oirs are generany medium 10 coarscgraincd wilh
por",ilyandSl.'wraIIOQ,mdpcrrncabilily.lh,sc,.. ,e,,'oirsa,,
up \O 50- 200 tccI (15 - 61 m) Ihick. ",cu' ncar Ihe ba,e
<'an,"",s}'\c!CIlI,andarc,calcdbyo"'rlyingandadj"ccm,halc,
(Figs.2.19.2 .JI)
During i'kogcnc. Ihe Los Angdes. Ventura. and San Joaquir
ba,ins "a,' wrcfl(h fau lt <' onITollcd ,edirncmary ba,ms,
are sorne oflhe mOSI prolificpo:lroleumprodoctiwb.1Sins inlh,
"orld ...omaining 10gianllUrbidilc ticldSlhal ha""produceJ
aoouIIObillionbarrclsofoil(lables2.1.2.2.2.!O:Fig.2,)J)

""",1><,.,(,,, .11,
In, ,,.II1,,..r.'<>
p".Ju",,,nc,p"""}

I><l""


I'IJ1
:",rO'

L"'ce""..,,,,,,,,

l tiO,JO)mH.) 3:'
l!OOIlCF 3:jBCF

119'5f JJ.O!J,bJ7 m.:fd , 1%60 :'1.:02.0 19 m,:!"
.!OJO...1].OOOmdJ :8!Om.:fJ
:600-6900fI -I900_8800fI
CIX;F. I\I8:
major source rod:inIh"sc Msins isIhe )'lonln<,)' Furma-
lIun. JnorgJnic-richsllaleofmiddlewlatc
lheWilmi llglOnandSamaFe Springslrlds. o(lh"LosAngeles
Basm. are (50-70yearsoldl and produce from Ihe Mio-
Pl iocenc Pucme Fonnalion. yel Ihey hm'c diffcrcm
,",<,,,orchar.>etcr istics(Tlble 1.9: Fig.1. 3J). Wihninglon
D''''<J<ef}
(1<'0"""',".'
3-100.>< ' <>
Pl,,,,,<,,,,-Pt.,,,,,,,<,,,,
nOOf,
IlOO <lS'50 m" ,
Wt .'100
10- :5'> '::<;1
1_:Sb.kl' lt)()nhll

pe<> ,,,"\rn.. I<I9O

tx-J:>CI<'


::9Q' m" .SOO,
:797.\100
IU_:811 1::1 )
S_:80mdI17Jm,t
IO_IOOBOPD
:OOO- 7SOOft
"'SO"",!J
.UOO_NOOfI 10..&OOf,
COGE 19S2 COGF. 198:
Field is fiflh ficld inlh<, Umled SlalesfTablc 1.1)
proJuccs fromfine'10nleJium-graincdarkosicsandSl0ne reser
,ni" ,,-ilh 12% porosilyJnd 170 mJ pcrllleabilily. The
lielJ is in lhe pan ofLosAngeles8a$in. The reser
,'oir is 5000 rcct (1525 m)thickanJL'ns istsofunitslhat c:mtK,
corre!Jl00 latCrdJly for lens ofmiles anJ are imerprcloo lO tK,
s...'01'<51"'''I''



.0<1<>


n.,ISOOm..,.' ,M,11()) St., .n"
....o :!HMOO 1".
IO-1511l- 17'i
e"",,,,
:7_W1 0!11
5:0- -1000
,, ,,,,,.,.I. IQ-S
Ro,d. lm, SI<"d
re'" oomm.. !'l\IO
SHETLA NO lstjl

fure .\I.p ,l'h>-oI'!>g d,,,,,bu,.,. <Ji m.,JOr s." graben, ",",
",1"",1 'u,b,dllc .."""'",, >11m",.,,=! In T,bk Stt Figur<' ! . 1"_1.17
io' ",,,mI< pmf,k'M ... ,,<1'11< l"li .,m""' """"'" 11.... '\1111.,. 5<.". .
CI.)....,,,,. F"SII .nd Fonl<,(,cld, . .\I.p,ood,riN ff<JmM""",,'98(.h
lob<:s and lobes deposiloo in lhe axis of Ih" nasin
(Slauclal..1988:BridgeneBerman.personalcommunieal ion.
1989). lheSanla FeSprings Field isonlhe"asl"rnsidcoflh"
basin and has a mooium 10 arkosic reser"oir
dcposilednearamajorsedimenlinpulareaonlheeaslernSldcof
Ihe basin (Fig. 2,34), l h" reservoir has 28- 32% porosilyand
720 md permeabilily. lhe reseT\'oir inlerval is 7000 feel (2135
mllhickandconsiSlsofacoarSClomedium-grainedehaonc
liled lobe syslem overlain by channel/!;:"eesa",l slope fac ies
f Morrisseyelal .. 1988:JohnMcPh"rson.po!rsonal cnmmuni<:a-
lioo.I99(})
Thc Mid""ay-Suosel and Elk Hilb fields are in Ihe Sao Joa(jUIn
Basi n und produce from upper :' Iioccnc (SI"v .. ns equivaleno
arkosic sandslOoes lTabJc 2.10: FiJ!. 2,3-1). lhe reserwirs In
bolh ti"lds are pan of Ihe same inlra,lope d"posiliooal
(Tan subbasin) Ihal comribuloo sedimenl 10 Ihe main San Joa-
(juio dep<:>centcr, Thc Midway- Suoscl Fi"ld is ooe ofl h.' olde'l
prodocingficldsioCalifornia(o"er90years)and iSlhesc\'enlh
turgesl field in lllC Slalcs(Table 2.2). The r."sef\'oir inler-
"alisbelween J()(X)-JOOOfeel(30S-9ISm)lhickandconsiSlsof
eoorsc-grained. jX>Or ly ,'onsolidaled S;Jodslones. ",ilh
a.'eraging 32% and of 1000 md rTable 2.10). Thc
\ 1idway-Sunsel Field is ncar Ihe scdimenl inpuI arca and con-
lains boulder conglomeralC aod coarscgrained 5"od,wne
deposi led in slopegullies. channels. and smallloocs(llall and
Link. 199(}). lhe low gravily oil ( 1-1 ) and sha!low reservoir
deplhs(IOO- 3000 JO- 915m)mukclhisisanideal flcld for
andSleam-dri\'csecoodarydcvelopmenllhal
allO\\s for a high faclOr (eslimaled 10 b.: 60- 70\1;).
This field has d..,cper pOlenlial for ulherlurbidile reSCf'oirlar
gels. and wilh ull sleam-drive dcveloplllcnl. may ultimatcly oc
Ih.., lurgesl lurb,dile produelng ficlds in Ihe Slales and
oflhe largc'l lO lhe world.
Th" Elk Hill s Fidd" Ihe lhirlcenlh large'l field in Ihe Unik-J
und ilsdevclopmem inlhe San Joaquin BaslO
hasbc<'n>lo""inwmparisonlOlheadjac"Olgianlficldsinlhc
arcab.:causc il'Sp;.lnoflheUS. Na\,II Pclrolcum Rescf"e. Ell
Hillsiseasloflhe:'l idway- SunseIFicldaod ilsrcservoirswcre
derivcdfrOlllusoun:eareawlhewcsl. Th"reservoirsconsiSlof
flOc - 10 arkosk >andslones wilh porosi-
lies of 30% and pcrmeabililies of 100 md (Table 2. 101. Th"
res<'"rvoirinler", l isabouI2300fcN (71Om) lhickand conlains
Iarge coorscrollled ium-grdined conflnedlurbidi IC'channcls aod
channdl lc"Cl" Ihal d"po'!iled
b.:lweenaodaroondgro",ingsubscaanlldinesiosyndinallow1>
(Reid.I99(}).
Thc youngesl lurbidile reser\'Oir in California is Ihe I'lio-
Plci slOCCne Repell O and Pi<:o formalions 01' lhe A\'cnuc
FicldinlheVenlura Basin. The Ve nluraAvcnue Field islhc lar-
S<'SI field io lhe Rincon Trelld. ",hieh is a series of paralkl
miles (65 km) aodcoOlainsf"'clargc
f,clds (Tables2 .2. 2. 10: Fig.2,34). lhistrendhasproducedowr
1,3 billions o barreis of 011 fro", finc - !O mcdium-graincd
arko,ic >and.'lOne ""nh porosilies of aod
permcablliliesof IOO-I50ma. RcS<'r"oirlhickn"ss n Ihc Ven-
lora Ficld is up lO 7500 feel (2286 m) and may oc
repealcdbyrncrS<'orlhruslfauhs. RcS<'f\uir'luahlyin!hcRin-
.onlrendimpr",eslOlhewesl inlhellloredi slalpafloflhenar
r\N.' Plio-Plci,IOI:encba,in, Munyof lhcrcsu\'oir inl.'r\'als io
Ihe Rincon lrend c' an tic greal dislanccs 10 Ihe ""CSI
andarc'nlCrprCled!ob.:loocsandchanneli1.cdlobesdcposited
d\N.'nlhcaxisoflhebasin. Somcc"hanncl-filldeposilsalsooccor
111 lhe easlcrn paflOflhc ticldOls. 1977)
"f Ihe pro,'cn pclrokum r"",,,T\e, io lhe
t"orlh s.:u. eSl imaled 10 b.: B billion barrelsooil (BBO)and 50
mlli"o ,' ubi,' rcC! iTCF) 01' gas, o.:cur in ,ubmurine fan deposns
oLalcJurd"i<-. LalcCrClaCeOtls. J>-J1coeenc.
aod Eo..'."oc age (Tabk 2. 1): Fig. 2. 35: Wals.on. )98-1) . Th."
Nonh 5.:a isa malurepelrotcumprm' lnce(morClhun25 years
01.1) . and r.:servoirs Ihal occur n bolhoil andga, flda,
alllllng und io pro"iocc
Th" offshore Norlh Sea arca Ihree separ;lle basins 1 Vik
IMg. und Finh or Wilch Ground IFig
2.35). fourdiff,"ren!
1,"C1oJnc ><:u ngs: (1) lale Jurassic c:lrly basin. al Lale
rJl'": 11, Ik,."""" 01'/'" s.:.,",b,J,,< r<,,"'"""
-- M..nCI.), lira< :>/""hCI.;n\<)f<
1......Ju",,,,,_

M.,,,,,,,,,,,

,.,,'0'''' 163 mi
" ""t><'<Jf',,'<lb 2S
E_ "",;a,.:Jr<"""'"
f,o<!O V yfo no 'or.n< Vet y"""",
19_1.r.t 10-10'<
lOO-:IOOrnJ lQ-IJOOrnd
(jQ- JOOmdl
In",,1 (l.,.., ""., 101780I'D
I!.ooo_
15.000
.\hh.n.lH.,k<r. H.rm><1 .1
s.:"oylem.n.
1981. s,,,,,
1981 ""
p"r" ,,)mm ..
,..,
lur..,,,e-Early Crelaeeoos lalc syn-rifl faull -rclaled sel1ing. (3)
ule Crelaeeous- early Palcocene poSlrifl !-ag ba$in, and (-1)
f'Jlcogeneposuifland/orinlracraloniesagbasins.
submarine fans and debris aprons oceur in Ihe
.\1<.>ray Firlh. Cenl ral. and Vikinggrabensand are inlerbeddcd
"tlhlheorganie-riehKimmeridgianand Volgian(UpperJuras
'Lel ,;uurce beds. ,,"hich gener..U} produce high APl (-36)
gr3'11)" oils. Th<,se fans ,,"ere in 1""0 dislinel syn-rifl
....l1mgs(Figs, 2.14. 2.15): (1)anearly phase relaled
!o r,fl-basin de,elopmcm. and (2) lale phasc' rdale'ello major
fJull,carps. formalionoflillcel blocks. and Illedeposilion of
""edges (Sto,," el al.. 1982: Some anel Gusla". 1987:
\I .. anel Harker. 1987)
Th,' MagnusantiClaymoreficidsaree:Qmplcsofl he inilial
'yn-rifl submarine fans of Jur..s.,ic preserwJ in
blocks(Tabk2.11: Fig.2. 35). TheMagnusField is in

an.d conlains ,,"ell-sonet!. fine-grdineel subquarl7.0SC 5ol nd
'l"n6 "'ilhgQodporosily(20%)anelp"nll<,abilil}'nOO-JOOmel)
,T ..ble 2.11).ThcClaymore Field is in Ihe WilehGroundGraben
JnJ.:omainslhreedifferem wrbidilereservoir$(\1aherandHar
le. \987), The m051 imponanl is lhe UpperJUr.lssic Clayn'lO.e
eret""...., L ...er.'..."",,,
-1'.lcocon.
"
1"10"1,'
13-1. ' """",n
.\IO<.i'um
N _.:<Y> l;a_.!2lf
IOO_J.(IOOrnd
IIH-6$OmJl
OI_IOOOmJ 1_1SO mJ
rooo-
67S.ooom'D
.nclTh"", 1980:C..m.n
1980:1'<.,<1
.nd"'""8.

SanelslOne. "hich of fine 10 very fine-gr.lincd. ,,"ell
sonedsubarkosic The resc"viris o..-er 1600 feel (-188
ml Ihi and has porosities of 18- 21% and permeabililies
ocl"'een 10anel JOOmd. ThcreSC"Vlr faesin oolhr,eleIe.<am-
piesare imcrprclcd 10 be finc graineel channdizcellobcs(DcAlh
aIldSclluyleman.1981: Boole and Guslav. 1987)
ThcUpper andLov.w CretoceousNonhClaymoreand
Smc fields in Ihe Vikingand....'Ich Groundgrabcnsaree.\.lmpks
ol"laleS)n-'lft.faull-conlrolled submarinefanandelebrisaprons
Hable 2, 11: 2.1.1. 2,15). Major riflin)! (X'curred
near lile end ofIhe Jurds.ic. follo.....cd by rolalon of and
graben{"OlIapsc,.\lajor!opograph,crclicfaneluplifldc'\ciopc-d
alongsolneofllle faull blocks. Erosionoflhe lilled-faultblocks
occurr.:d "Ihelcbrisapronsand fans bcinll offofllleli lk'd
faullhlo.:ksinlo,ubsielingbasinalarca. Thelilhologyoflh<"la(e


modcralclysorlcdarkosic
(Nurlh SandSlonc)elcri"eel frolll thecrosioo
oflhc'Cla}lllorcfaull block.Thc NonhClaymorcrescrvoiris250
fc't'l!hi(76m)ncarlhefaullanel!hinsbasinward.hhaspor05i
les of20-2-1%and permeabililiesof20--1000 ",ti (,\Iaherand
D,,,,,,.,)'
Dc'clupaJ
d..'ruu,10 Oh;occnc

FiguRO 1.31>, Map >1'1<'.""1: lhe o( "'....'IN o( ,''''
C"",!,<,>II;o",n. .,ff"""" B"",I. "h,elo.n:;unvn.,,=l in Tabk l . 11 S Fi,u",'
l . 18.1,11l . n..lLlOfor""'''''''''proflk.nd",h,,,,,,"e CfO>.=I.,,,,,,,,,,,,,'h.
1".""-""<lo.M..
Toffolj(I9S8\.
Harkcr. 1987). The Brae reS<'r\'oir i.up 10 l500fe<>1 IhickH57 m)
amI of intcrlx'dded conglomCf""Jtc. breccia_ sandslone.
and shalo!. F\:Irosi ly is generally Icss Ihan 10% wilh P<'rnlcabilily
aboutlOstolOOsmdinthe ronglomerateandbrecciareser\"Oirs.
Turbiditc fxiesin lhcs.esyn-rifl fansyslemsarcrnainlydcbris
apronsorstope fans. conlaining channelsand smallchannclizcd
klbo..-sasilluslralcdIrySurlyk (1978.198.J,1987)
" " " F_,IIn", 'ru =-:f"O' 5811.\100 18JO WIO =70
"'PI
Gr.,""", Fj"" \lrolUm
furo,,,), IS-l7'f g-l5'l
l:OOnMl



1500 m
Sou".,.1

:600 ,n
Sou,,.1
".
11;9:;:;""1"'"
The <.' halk. lurbiditc res.erWlrs in Ihe Nonh
are Lale CrelJCeOUS (/>'laeslrichlian) locarly (Oanian)
in age and were deriyed from Ihe margins in Ihe Cenlral
Morelhan 20chalk licldsoccurwilhin lhis",,'erdll Ircndwilh
original rcserwsofJ.lblllionbarrel sandI6.3 trillioncubicfcCI
ofgas: EkoCtsk is lhe largesl ofthes.e ficlds (Table 2.11: Fig
2,J5: OHeur. 1989). A minimumof 19 di,;crctc major redcposi
lional cvems wnhm lhe chalk have bccn recognizcd .... ilhin
theficldsthatarc imerbcd<.kdwilhlhepclagicdeposiledchalks
(Hanon. 19M6). The redeposiled (halh are inlerprel<'dt be
turblditc. mudnow. dcbris now. slidcs. and slump deposlls
(D Heur. Hanon. 198.6), Rcseryoir porosilY in lhe
FicldavcragesJ2% andlhep.:rmcabililymngeis lt 100md
(Table 1.11). The besl reservoir is in lhe relaliwly day-fre<>
allo(hlhonous(halk.",,'hich pcrmilslhe relenlion ofhigh poros
ily. RcsU!'P<'nsionandlmnsponalionoflhcdlalk impro\'<'dwn-
ing and ..... inno,,"ing oftheoriginal chalk. Thes<' high porosity
oni!Sarc conlinuous and Can bccorrelal<'d on wirdinc
Io;sandscismicprofiles.
ThcPalcocc'ncandEocene submarine fans ""'CfC dcposited in
poSlflfl Of intracratonic sag basins in the Cemral and Viking
TheS<' fans are some of the largest and mOSl producliw
rescryoirs illlhcNonh&a. Thcrcser\'oirsare scalcdby Tcrtiary
shales and conlain oil gcneral<'d from Ihe older. underlying
Jumssic shalcs Ihal along faults and Bolh
gas and oil. >omc of ..... hich is biodegraded and unewnomic.
occurinlhcselurbiditcrcservoirs.Eumplesincl udclhefine- lo
lIIedium;rained Pakoccne rorties Field and lhe m<'dium-

"'"
E:.rl),.ndLalcCr..""""",
, ,.
100.\100 eSO
:S'
.\lrulUm

qo}- 700 moJ
11),))",
c"",",
1\-","""",.,.
<1.1

1' G..,m"""' . I'<"""''''" .
,-
".

",.r,. der;,""J frum !he Sco!land and Norway O1argins (Heri!i<r
,1 JI.. McGvvney .R.Jdovich. 1985: Kulpcn and 'an
G,uO>. 1990). Thc rescr"OIr 10 Ihe r"Or!ies F,cld has 15%
r:-,::

Jmllbduvieh.1985)
C.""I'OJ &/Jin. Offshol"<' Bm:il
("Jnlpus Basi n is one of!he newes! (5- 15 yearsold) and O1os!
pr,'l!fie lurbidi!e basins in !he world wi!n an eS!i01aled
barrclsofOlI (Table 2.11: F,gs. 2.3.1.36). h ,sonc
"fma ny Nsins !ha! for01ed 10 associ ation wi!h !he riftingand
uf Sou!h American and Afri<:a doring the Late
JnJ Early Cretaceuus (Neocu01ianl . developing inlO a passi"e
during Ihe E.Jrly (Ojeda. 19R2:
Gu a-;Uadoet .. 1990). This Nsin has the larges! reservesof!hc
Bralll ianbasinsand high upside potential ror
Turbidi tcreservoirsC"Ompri se8J%uf!heproduet ion within!he
B;tsin. oceurring in ..1J differem fields r.mng in age
(rom Late Cretacl"OtlS tO Mi occne (Bacoccolti and Toffoli.
1\1881 Productionoceursinpresenl "'a!erdep!hsranging fro01
100 tO 1000 fect (3 1 10610nl)(TabIe2.12: Fig. 2.36). Turbidite
le"or'oirs in Campos Basi n oceur in !he early drift s! ageand
bler in th" more mature s!age of pass;.,.e margin evolu!ion
1986: B;coccolli and Toffoli. 1988; Guardado el
al. 1990)
Turbidi les deposilcd during lhe Alo,an (Earl y
,n Ih" earty drifl phasc of the rosin ",<'le widcspread ..
thmallobcs as dc!inL"tlby seis01ie rcrlcr!ionda!aandcorrobo ..
by drilling. During lhe Cenomanian -Turonian (Late Creta
,COUS). saltddormal;onoceurrcd and a seriesofsah pillows
<'fcatcdaherna!ing !opographichighsandlowsin!heNsin. Tur ..
b,d,lC SandSl0nCS ",ere dcposi!ed wi!hin !hesc lo"'s and ",ere
k,,;aliz,oJ and more variable in !hickncss than !he oldcr Cre ..
IJ<'''OUS IUrbid;te rescr,." irs. T",o c:<alllpk, ale
Jlld tidds (Tablcs Fig.1.36). which produce
.. API gra\"i!y oil from reser\"Oirs lhat are medium .. grained
ark",""s. with pumsitics 01" 20- 30% and of
<)1)}-1700md
!urbiditc rCSl',,oirs of !he Eocene passi"e margin stage
,"mai n mainly widespread . lubi:s. The t",,, blg,-
E" ,n,, ticlds. Bi cudo and EnehO\a. are s!rJligrJphie !rJps lha!

shak .. filled submarine <:anyons (Tabks
Figs. 2.30. 2.36: Pcrcs ;md Arso. 1986). Thc E,,<:enc re",l "
""r,arcmLoJiulu"grain,.,Jandawlagc15%porrui! y and.wcxJmd
rcrlllcabili !y.and ..on!ain hea\y oil (18-25 APlgra,ityl
37 h,,'" T....., ..n.,..,"\l 'h. Do:'"m<. M,Jl."" . nd .\t....
,"'"'''''''",.nd' .... d,>I',ou'''''' i.lI"'h<Po::''m. n Spr.ab<lfy-Do:.n '"' I>J<1<I"C">o<,..
,,,,,,,. Rq,,,,,,,nl"'''.Spraba') r<O>o<"",,cll.rao.1<r""<'" ","""""ml ,nTabl<
".13. m<>J ifinl.fI<r T)I<'.nd CI>o::>I""",'1JAA1
Th<.""la rges! rcscrvoirsin thcCampos Basi n are Oligocenc !ur ..
bidileSlha!wercdeposul.oJaswidespreadlUrbiditcfanslllfilling
the lopog raphic lo,, and s.arton . lhis
' olu01e). Deep .. selled sal ll11o...emenl creatL'd ' ery SUbllc large
muctures and m'gration paths fo r oil tha! was
al,xI in .\kSOlOic soun.,o ro<."ks in lhe
nft NSln, (Sou1.a et al.. 1989: Carrninatti and S,anon. lhi s
...olumc: Fig. 1. 191. The giant Albamra 1>larli01 fidds are
e.\amplcs of th ese Oligocene fi ne .. reser",irs lh,u haw

conlain low grJ... i!}' OIls (11I - 17 API gra\"i!y\(Tabk 1.111
'\(i"/",,,/ &.s'" . 11'sITt,.w.,
Th" and . tmla in wc" Tc;>.;], and
Ncw conl ain .."'a!er sihciclJs!ie JHd carbonale T<:ser ..
,oirs (Tablcs 2.3. 1.13: Galloway Cl al. . 1983; L..cary andn-cley
thisvolullle).Scverald ifferenlS!ra!igraphicinlervalsproduee.
incl llding lhe Cherry Can}on. Bdl Canyon. and
..,,
""u","",y("cll,


r."" 'O ,,1,
I'\)""" y
O-IOOrnoJl<1 "NI
1",,,,IIlo>o r.,c, 1000JOOBOPD
P,oo"","onc'P''''''Y
S,3,u,0C(I BO
\."."", prOO""".... ,,.11
tIO MOPD
::::':"'0'
(Table 2.3) The Spr:;oberryl Do:an trend. compr is ing
th<' Sprab<:rry and [)ean form alions.flhc Midland Bason io
"'eSI is lhe must prudUCl ivc olthese deposlls (Table 1, 13;
Fig. 2.37). Cllcclively.lh<, f<'Ids in Ihi s trend areamong the
largesl turbiditeoil fie ldsi othe UnitedStates(Gallo"ayetJI..
1983; Gue"ara, 1988; Tyl<' randGholston. 1988).
and Dean sil iciclastic srrala "'ere io an intraCralonic
Nsin syslem lhal "'as nanked on lhrce by carbonale
,hdf margio during the (Leuoardianl P<'rmian . Th<, lur'
bidil<' rcservoirsoccur io lhc cc ntral basio aod "'ere
deri"edfrom,helfalareaslOthenonh(Fig.2.37)
Inrontr..SIIOlhcOlhermajorpctrolcum-producioglurbidile
systems.theSpraberryand Do:anreservoirs ha'elowreco'.-ery
1 md
and porosilics of 12% (Table 1. 13). Rt-servoir facies inrlude
<'Iongalc l'hannel fill and channclflc"cc dcposits lha! "'ere

18.
'"" ,he ",,,,,1,,,,",0 of,IIo: " ",h,o

"<f) ti"" ... r.meJ ... """""<, .",, "lb'"O'''
v..'ho""<m<I)I""p,,,",,,,b,") F'1,nnN
.. ","."" p",oI...,,,,,o ..,Ib "><""<
::;'::'Ud7..
.00 ,o,""I.' h,""dp.1"<fo; ,H'T)k,
."" 1981 SO< 1 I .00
11 f", ""'.'UIO.)f R<p","",'</d
P<""""""<of,heTe,u,Hufe'd,,(F.<no,,,,,,<
"""",
i"
.
_mr. are very tin.:.grained sandslone and sihslonc
are up (O 850 feel m) thi. Oi! in place is cakulated lO be
IO.6bi llinn barrels ..... ilhanaverageol6%recowryor6(X)mil
1I0nbarrels. Of t lle IObillion barreis left
-' billion barreis are eonsidered as mobile oi llhat can bc
Jndped by rcel","cry lecllniqu<,S (Tyler and Ghol
"un. 1988). This mobi1coil iSlhernain poninoftheJX>lcmial
r,,er\"egrowthinlheseformatiOlls. !kncrrescrHlirqualilyanJ
.... dl eomplclions o.:eur ..... ithin Ihe dip-orienlcd ,:hannel axes.
Whcn Ihe high gr"";ly ol 06AP]) is ... ith walcrllo"J
rcsef"oir fracluring Icrllniques. and average .....ell loday pro-

FUl urc Areasand ExploralionConecpls
f"rSubma r;nc FanandTurbidi leSyslems
Turbiditcrc:;e"'()irs ....'illoca
.... dl inlo Ihe I ....cnlyr.rsl (cmury. and dC"cloprnent
ofmany lurbidile plays .... illlargely bc cumroll.xlby .... rldoll
prkcs. anJ Ihe eommitmcnt from P<'lroleum
rompanies. Someollllese lurbidile syslemsare in presenl-day
J,,<,p"'alCr<kpthsorarcinrernOlCal1'aSlhatrL'quir,'largcri."""'cs
lo juslifylargecapitale\pendilUresforpiP<'lincsanddc"elop -
men'- The foll(>\'o'ing are some cumples of Ihe plays and
senings Ihal hopcfully "ill bc frullful for fUlure
Thcse ba,ins go"J p",cmial in rift. ",,,,,,,,h. forcbnd. and
inl crmontanc (e,g .. China: ,,<,(ral and E'lS(Crn Europe.
IndoneSIa. Korca. 5o>' i"t Union !.
Ola,!! ins 'u,'h as Rr.u:il an<J Ihe tiOlc-c'lui"alcnl basins in "'CS(
Mrieaalsoha\csum'polcnlial(Figs. l .J.l,-'). lmr-.....ratoni(and
;n(crior s;t; ba,i ns have potcntial. as sumc in
SouIIlAm,'r;ea. Manyoflhcsclanjslrine syslcmsa relimiledby
110' :100... _ ANTARCTICA &o.
2.000... AN TA RCTICA .
, .
-",- -;; - (l' ---30' - - . --.w- 1$0' . :w 6"C----=" -----'O-
lh<,originul siz<,anddeplhoflh<,basinsandcorrespondinglake
syslems. so Ihe reserves in S)'Slems muy be rdalivdy small
Lacuslrine conlain Ihe main pclrol<'um source in
China . .,.-esl Afrka. Brazil. Hungary. and Indonesia.
C .. I/o::,OC Dd/" S."5/<''''5
Ccnozok deCr-....'alcr dcposilional syslems Ihc
updipdcl1as)'stemsha'cbn.and ..... illrcmain.anacti\'ed,cp
....31,rpla)' forlurbidilcsys lcms. Prcscnl arCaS forlhis kin.:lof
play are lhe nonhcrn Gulfuf MC.\ico. ,'onlincnlal margin of
Nig<,ria. Jnd Maenlic Dcha/Canadian Ikauforl Sea (Fig
2.39). 01hcr d<.ep .....alcr sysl<,ms Jssocialcd wilh majur
Cenozoicdchaslhal ha.-e Iimili...J 10 m<Xlcralc polcmiul are' lhc
Amazon. Indus. Gang<,s- Brnhrnapulra. Mahakarn. and Mckong.
plus syslcms atong Ihe nOr!hcrn ('oaSl uf lhe So"iel linion
(Lena). Caspia n Sea (Vulga). offshore Gabon. and MOI,lIllbique
(Fig. 39). Man )' OflhcS<'ddlas have p..lrokum produclion m lhe
nonmarine10 shallow"marine facies, Regardlcssof .... hclherlhc
shallo.,.- 10 nonmarine are po.:lrolcum lhere is
polcnlialfordcep ..... alerrcservoirsforlhcseareas...... ilhgood
'>Ourccrockpolcnlialinlhcdcepcr .... alCrrorlionsoflhcs.-areas
Slrucluresindudc'al1an.:l sh:.lc.:liapirsandgro .... lhf:.uhslhal
oolhcrcalclrapsan.:lprovidcnligmionpalhsfromlhcdccpo.:r
>uurceb..'<.l,
Thc 'lKcess uf Ihe nploral ion prt>1ram of Pclrobras in Ihc
Campos Ba.,in ITablcs 1A. 1,12: Fills, 1. 3. 1.36: and
T"ffoli.
hi;h pol<.mial in passi.'c margins. The passive
margin basins in "'C,I Afrita ,imilar (Tablc 1.5
Figs, 2.4. 1 . .()) . Thc of ,1rilling and producing in

Junn.;! lhe 1990s (Fil:. 1 . .10: B.:amish. 1989: Pkrdckamfl'.'r,
1<)1:1<)1. Using sequenc.: conccpls. polenlial
basin rloor fans ha"cocen inkrprclcd anJ will oc
Jnlkd in the Ol her passi...., n1argins with gooJ polcntial
<'r urb,di tc explo ... ti on inelude W<.'Slern eastern
(JnJda. anJ Laplcv Seas (Soviet Union) (Fig. 2 . .10).
Th,"" kinds 01' loldbelts lhe do,,ndip. localized <:Ontra<:
aspcct of growth faull systems on passive margins.
ha\"e b<...:n in basins of the "llrld and

trap' . Manyoft hcantielinalslructuresarelargeanduplo 10
l1!1 b ( 16 km) in width Jnd 50 miles (SO in !cngth . These
h"'e b<.'>!n descriocd in Gulfof (Figs. 2.1. 2.JI:
aooJ Qudfele.:. 1988: Weimcr and Bumer. 1989a).
thc\Jff,hore Nigcria marginlFig. 2.J: uhnerandde Ruiter.
1<- 7) . th<.' Ceduna Terracc of the Great Australian Bight (W,II
.:<J\,tal .. 19l:18).andthePa ... Ma ...
, PJ ul GuimarJes. pcr>nal eommunication. (989). These
' u re' , oxcu r in present "'ater depths of JOOO-8000 feet
, 1::O-2JJOm) and
Thc,,, basins will CQntinue 10 oc major explonllion in
,e'cr"1 arcas oflhe world. The forcland basinal filis
" lIh the Italian Apenninc Mountains and Alps will remain acti"e
"rea,. The forel;lndbasinsofcenlralandcastem Europcall<.lthc
So',el Union ;lIso have hillh polentiul. The and Ter
,l ... taorthe Nort h Slopeof Alaska ha"" S0111C polcntial for
traps t Mlenaar. 1988: McMillen. lhis volume)
" uh tidds with smaller rcwr\"Cs l'an bo: dc,'eloped and casily
4ua,'hed 10 the Trans-Alaskan Pipeli ne. Mature basins su:h a,
th, Crctaccous Interior ofthe Rocky Mouotaim; ha\"C several
basins. Foreare :lnd foreland oosins in lhe
C",ul11 l'"ci fi" ha\"e somc potential. as weH as wreneh-
basins in New Zealand and China.
One majorconaplthalcontinucslohavcapplieation in lnOSl
lurlJ,dl1ebasinsislhatsyndinallows nccdtobecxplor<'d. Syn
,j,po."'l,on allpOgn.phic lowshavcnccl1eotpotcnlial forsand
pr,>ncl urbiditereservoirs.anddrillinglhcl11canbesuncssful.
TurbuJite rewrvo,rs teno.! 10 f,l1 In low arca.'. anJ ,'an tilrlll
,tuckco.l trap' where lh"y onlap the s"jes of the
gr"'ing'tru"turc. Trans\"erse'tru ..turesandt....'tonil imers;on
l11 ayal so,",ealC ideal SlrUClurallraps. nrcomblllullonslruc
lurJl /stratigrJphie traps. 80th lhe North 5.:a and Gulf uf Me. i""
are ,,"-""'pies of basms that have bee n "'plnred
ut itil.ing lhcscloncepts. Syn.:!;nal ureaswith lurbidite fill will
"ontinue lU oc cxplorJtion targets in new f()unds and
IcascS<lks.
/1"/(".,,; .. ,,
Thi s holds remallling ffllnt'er for scdimcntary
basins( F;g, 1,.10), Thc inlernaliunal trcalyof 1988 thal hasyct
lOOCrJlificdaUowsforthejointintcrnat ionalllline ... lnplorJ
l ionufAn1:lrltica. EXlcnsiv.'gcophysicalundmultifold s<ismil
re ncelion surveys ha\"ebeenconductcdbyscver"leoUnlries
along the Amartlil' <'olltlllcntal margino Thc c"olulion Oflhc
Antarctic conlinenlal margins is revlcwcd in SI. John 11986\
Prelilll inaryint"rpretationoflhcseismicrdk'<.[;onprofilesindi

in diffcrcnt Wl1l1lgs f Fig . 2.JO). Ross and Wedddl
basins are largc basins with lhe highest potcnt ial for
petrolcum resen'es(S,- John. 1986) The marginsof
are similar 10 lhccontincnlS from which Anlarcticascpa ... tcd.
and lhereforc ha\'c si milar and
"urls. En>'ironmcntall"Onsid<'rationswillbeamajorconlroliing
faetorinnploringinthisarea,Explor"tioodrillingandprodue-
tion 111 such a is a major dClerrem . Ice
mO\"Clllcntandstrongoceaneurrcntsaremuchgrealerproblcms
Barcnls
thcsc problcms ha\'c occn addrcssed
withsolllesuecess
ProduclilmGmlogy
A major emphasis of pelrolcum geology for the pasl severJI
>carshasocentheneed formrccff",icmreser'oircha",clcri
zalioninficldd<"'clopmcntandutilizationofsccondaryandtcr
tiary reco,"ery techlllqucs. Thcsc lcchniquc,; fcquir" aJ,'tailcd
lnowlcdgcofturbidite rcs.-rwlltgeomctr )'.l"haract,ristics. :lnd
rcscr\'oirpcrformanee. Effortsto'll1pro\'eproduclonbysle31l1
1100d lechniquc, in heavy oil rewTvoirshasallowedforthree
dimensional rcconstruel;on ofdiffcr<.'mlurbidit<.' fa,'Les and a
1x"llaundNstandingof inherentreS<'r\'oirpropertiesandper-
formanee IBar"is et al . . 1990), Thc dos.: spacing 01" welis and
lhe long produdion hi'lory of many mature ficlds allo", for
dn'c!oping l110dcl s and 0l'timizing th,' lo<:alion of
injector "dls. A, more of these moocls are e\'aluJk"d and modi
fied ifnccdcd.lhcknowledgcofturbiditefacicswilloc;rcatly
The uscofthree-dinlcnS,onal s.-ismi<:dalacalibra{,"d
....lIh ,rcs. wireline lop, and U!:'rops '.., ill hclp

;11,' 1< p,..
l. furb idile rescrvoirs occur in more tllan SO scJimemary
inlheworld.ThcmOSl prolificbasin,in Ihe"'o r ld ,,'il h
lurb,dilC res.crvoirs are in California. Nor!h Sea. China.
S,,,,ie! Union, Brazil. and hal y. Someoflhe maJor fieldsin

WilminglOn. Midway-SunS<!1. FI)f!ies. Marlim. Elk Hills.
A,enue. Frigg. Santa Fe Springs. Bradfortl , and
...lbacoralields.andtheSprabcrryTrend. Carbonate-related
turbi di lert's.crvoirs incluJc!hePoz.aRi caandRcforma!rend,
"r and !he resedimented rese"uirs from !ht'
EloliskFieldi n lllecen!ral Nonh Sea.
'. Turbidi!ereservoi rso<:curinavarielyof!eclOnicseningsand
- mdiffcn:n!kindsof!raps. Thc majoroccurrcnct'sare in rin
in poslr ifl ill1flCralOnic
passi"emargins(i ncludingsall and diapiric
grO""lh Fauh. and sal l-inl1uenced traps). foreare
b..si ns. foreland basi ns. and lransform basins. Submarint'
..:a nl'on-rclak'<l reservoirs (canyon-fill and canyon-!runca!ed
and mass transpon deposit, (dcbris

IIllporlan!IUrbidilerese,,'oirs
J.Thewismics!ra!igraphicexprcssionoFI Urbidi! crcservoi rsis
\'anablc. Ihe occurrcnet's in differcnl !e..!onic
dql,.,silionalsenings, Wcdge-shapeddeposi !sForm in rifl-and
",rencll_reiated,;euingsandretlec!claSlicandcarbonalc
J"brisaprons. MosllUrbidilereservoirsoccur inmoundedlO
jXlrallelulernal forms, ,,,' ith\'arying
ngura!ions. including parallel. mounded. and hummocky
,.:,smierel1crl ions
R",,,r\'oi, properlies in !urbidi!e S)'s!ems are variable and
ulumalely controlled by grain siu. soning. diagcncsis.
and areal dis!ribu!ion . The beSI lurbidi l... rcscrvoirs are
mc'<lium- 10 coorsegraind. moderale 10 wdl $"rl cd . ", ith
hule cemcml!ion and diagenc!ic cFcc!s, In addilion.
ur the re,;ervoirs are Ihio:k and ha,'c wide,prcad areal dls
nbUlion
5.
ralionlargcISin!hcfUlure,Specificplaysandbasins!hatha\'c
m,ldcrale lO high polenli,,1 indude
",ilh!heirdcep-" 'atcr s!r<l!J. passi"c
foldbchs of passi\'e margin,. rcmOle
lordand basins. :md Amarclica. Inaddi !ion. benerproduc-

rromsomeoFthcoldcr.giam!urbidilcreservoirs.specincally
'ni",eldsconlainingh"avicrgravi lyo;ls
Acknowledgmcn!s
Our cfforts 10 (.o lllpilc fidds pruducing from in Ihe
"urld rdied "n the input of many peoplc. WC are
tnJcbled 10 !he following p.:ople for lheir hdp and Sl imulus in
compi li ng Tabl cs 2.3- 2.12 and Figures 2 2-2. 7: Wartl Aboou
(OccidenlJl Pctrolcum). Koichi (lapan Pctroleum Explo-
ralion) . John Armcn!rou! (Motul Oil). Br idgeue !krman
(THUMS). David SOQIC (Q.:;cidcntal PctrolcuOH. Michacl Bour-
que (Pec!en). Frank Brown (Consuhant). Carlos Bruhn
(Pclrobras). James Clark (US.G.S. I. . \[ichael Cope (Pc!rofma).
Roocrt Fay(Oklahoma Sur"ey). Franco Fonnesu (Agip
Pelroleun]). Tom Fouch (U,S,G.S,) . William Galtoway (UT
Auslin). MegG..-orge (Unocal Intemal ional ). Ken Glennie (Con
sultanD. I"Julo Guimaraes (Pt:lrobras). Ron Haup! (Mobil om
Roger Ha ...l)r1h (Mobil Oil). Peter Homewood (Elf Aquitane).
DougJortlan (AreoOil and Gas). Tung YiLee(UT. .\us!i n). Xue
Liangqing (UT AuSl in) . Waylon Loomis (Mobi l Oil). Br..d
Macurda (ConsultanD. kIT,\[ ay Oil). Ttm McHar,; uc
(ChenonO\'crseas).John.\kPhcrson(MobilOil). Mili
ing (Sureau ofEconomic Aus!in) . Roben Mitchum. Jr
(Consul!am). An.\lrrisscy (MOOilOi]) , li,.- :-.Iilsen (Consuhanl).
Hans Oesterle (PI:! roConsuhants). Wagner Prcss (1'l:Irobras).
Hcnry Posamcn!ier (Esso Rc'SOUrees). MariS<! Quinones (MoOi l
Oil ). lim Reed (Mobil Oil). Tony Reid (B.:ch!el) . Marcus
Richards (British Pc!rolcum). Amos Salvador (UTAu5tin).
RichartlSchmi u(Occidental Pl:lro!eum) .AnSchultz\ MobilOil).
Charles SlOne (ArbnsasG<XJIogic Commi ssion), S':OI1 Thormon
(Uoocal IllIemational) . Gregory Ulmishek (u'S.G.S.,. Roger
Walker(MeMaslerUni'crsil Y). Robcrt Wcimcr\Color..ooSchool
oF Mines) , Broce \\Iehon()o.[ obilOil). Joonn Wehon (Mobil 0iJ).
l>lartha Wi!hjack (Mobil Oil). JianJun Zcng (S!anford Univer-
sity). lhcn$heng (Bureal' of Geoph)'Sical Prospecting.
People"s Rcpubli cofChinal. aoo \\Ial!crZicgkr(Pclwftna)
We Ihank Pc!robrJs for rdeasi ng reservoir informalion in
Tabk 2.12 . and I'.. ulo ..'s for his a,;sistan(."e
in compiling reservoir in!orma!ion for Brazi!. We !hank Hans
Oesterle ano PclroConsuhams for compuler seareh informa
lion on lurbidi!e resc,,'oirs. Gralitudc ise,\presS<."d !O !he fol
lo",'ing organil.ations and peupk fo r po:rmission tO reproduce
figures appcaring in their publica!ions: American
A,soc,alion of p,trleurn G,'Ologisl>; Burcan 01' Emnornir
G<'Ology. The Uni\'ersi !y ofTC.\as al A",!in: Canadian So,:iely
of Pl:trnleum andTrounan Publi ,hcrs Ud
Gulf COOS! Socicly oF Economic Palconlologis!s Jnd
Mincralogi Sl$ Founda!ion ; Imcrnalional of
ScdimcmologiSls: Paciftc Scction of Amcr(."an Associalion uf
PclrokurnG<'ologisIS: Soci cl yofEconorni,' Pak'OmoloSi' lsand
Mincralogis!s:and Robcn Milchum. Jr
Thi smanuscr iplwasimpro\-'ed significa mly by Ihe rc\' iews01'
fl.ootc. Arnold Bouma. Tom Fouch. Williarn Gallo"ay.
I'Julo Gum"rae, . LJuric L:nnar. Brad Ma,:urtla. Tr Nil scn,
/
Hans Wagner !'eres. Charles Sluan. Wacr.
John Wagncr. Rog.. r Walker. Roben W .. imer. and Waher Zieglcr
Refcrcnces Cited
Abth.hU.,K..no:,I Hlgln' , O.F. .. I%Il:A'....... ... . \\"<>l lndl.. "'1
.x.'.klp....nl . MII>< """on,ol.",.", , s...t1laOO. M. " .... 0"'....
R;,"n. 8;ln..dpor<.l'I:n.I .ndGU).. . F..unhC."I>t><.n<'oi
Conf ..
,o,g...)'<> C.J.E. B.",,,,,, L...\1. A .. 1k11o .\ I..R .. Pimlon'. L.. .\1 ." 5<""
P,. A,. I<lljS: T"""""c ...
IRg 11>< M ..... lOlC., Rcfo, n",-/. Ipa .... , ..... '''''''' M."co.," PO, C",.dlo
.00 P.M . H..",.<-<l>.. Dc<p ..... '<.rt>,'n .."':.<or. "",k""-'!>: So... E",,"
b....,. l nl<'O", A,><x
. 0,0.. 1986: Rlo-d.oo ba"n.: An
Hom<'OQOd.l.. For<l.ndba,.ln'.ln'.,n.,
A""". SI"'<. PIIbl. So. 8. p. 3- 12
Alm,.n.A,A,.1918; Toml"l'''''obm."... ",n)on, . OO m."n)'.- I",ofdepo-
, ,,,On ,n ,'''' """h.,n S""r.m.n,o V,licy.C. lif<>rn, . in OJ, S;.nley.OOG
K.lIin,. l., . .Sedin",nl'''OfI In 'ubma"""e. n)OftS. f.o . '",n.:I><>, o....d.n
lt uhn",," .
K.. 1985: O" gin of'h"bon,,,,,,,,,,,o,, ,,,,,iIn Ak" "",,"".s,
1t.,.., hu .on PUR.>chl .OO P,W. Choqu<" . I".C.rboo.l<p<n""'om,,,,,,,.
m",.: Spt,ngt,.v.rt.g. S.... 'I'b"".p. SI S70
Ao)-'!!.'. K .. '" IoJ;m. A .. 1983, 11<,.. ... 0" <h'f3<I.",,,..... p<.rol<uln
m'I"''''''' ift,I>e .\louc..... lnn.s ...... I'o"""","of . J.",n. h_.
...J R. E. G ..",,,n.l.,.I'<<r""'umll<n<ra,,.,...ndo,:cufT.nc<ln,"" Mioc<n<
...)"Foo-n,."",,.C.hfornla: PO"". Sec1. Soc. F.con. Palcon. Mln.raL. p
B.cocrulli.G, . ndToffoiLL.C . . 1'I83: 11'I<''''''iJ{ 'o,bldi... ,n8r,uII'.ofl.hox<
..pIon'ion_.,.".""Off>lo.>",T<cn.C,,"f, P"",. S39.p, H9 JS8
Ibrocrulli.G... R,G.. . ndC.n'P">.o.A.J. Iq8(l: 11'1< S.m"r.oo 0,1
Fi.ld; B.-,u,l. ,n M H. It. lbou')
ed.. Oi.n'oll.nd, fi<kl>of'l>edccad<: 196I!_1918: Am, A,;soc, I'I:n'"
GeoI. JO. p. J29JJS
11011.",,,. P,F. . OO R"ad,"8. I1 ,G .. I,,, 1980: $<d,n",n' a,",n in ooloq...,I ,p
""",,1< "'"..: 1", . A.",,-'. $<dimenl. SI"'<' Publ p.
A.W __ .oo Sn<l"",. S,. 1980' 1I<.lm.of ' ubo.oJcnc<. lO A D, M"II . l
F.clS . OOpr ,no;lpl.",r " o,klp<""'"om occ"'ff.no.:.:C.n Soc.I'<,rol Orol
.\Icm,6. p.9-1S.
8;1.... . lit .. .\Id'''''""", 1.0 .. '00 J. R/.. l... 19'1Q' SaOO>!.,.,.
p<, rol""m ...",,,,,,... ..II.N,,,'\\xk.S8Jp.
Be.mi.h. G, WJ ,. 1\I!!9: Se"mlC 01 depo"",,,",,1 ,)',ten" " ...." .....
pplic.",,",'<>hjJroc.,bo>n ..plPf".""",n Br<dlI""','P"',,".off,oo,.Sw,h
M"c.,..Am.A>"",.I'I:,rol .GeoI . Bull .. y , lJ.p, JJ: iab." ,
..
Fillh Ano , 11<., Conf .. p.
!I<,m.n. B. ,andCI.,k DO.. 1987. TItUMS 011 opcf'''on. on 0 ,0. CI.,k ,nd
C, P, H ....,"'n. "<l, .. G<oIq!,.fi.ldgulde',,'heLo"!'!I<><h ..... F'ac.Se<1
Am. A,,' J<. Go'o.\oOO<)k . . ":0. SR.p. 99 128
BloMle ,K.T...nJCh, ,,".-Blld." .. l...
fo'm. 1Ion...... .ed,m<n'."on; Soc,E.-on. Palroo' ,.\ Io"""I.Sp<'. Publ No
37. .1861'.
B,,""". R $ .. 1977. Sh.l. d..p" <mpb<.m<n' In """h Tn., ....
Sh."ff u.mplc>. T",n,. SOC... 27. p. :O JI
B"t.op. R.S,. 1978: M""h.n"m fo,.mplac.m.n, ,>fp,.",.",.n, J ,.por" Aon
A"'J<. I'I:tml. GeoI Bull .. y. 61, p.
0Iod,, <"Il<.I.F, .ooQu<rr.I<C.T.A.. 1988 I'<rd,oIof"'dbdL.ne"oIp-...I<,
/"'"".. in ".""n Gulfof M . ..ro:Aln. AWJIC,I'I:,mI . GeoI, lIul\. . n.p
163 (,1".1
110"". D,R O ..... G."... S, 1t E""'YIn@depos"",n. I ,) >!.n" .. "hln
,"""">e"fL II'i',-hG,,,,,OOGr.b<n.S..,.-,hSe . m l , B,ook> .nd K Glennl<
ru".I'I:,rukumt<ol0l'yof"""h..<>tEurop<:O"'h. m.ndT,o'm.n.l....no.k>n
p.819.88J
80"" . IlR O. ,nd K.,l. R.II.. 1989' Dcp''''''onJl '),<1<> "" <'oh"I
pI,l<m"gm. ... li. Am. As>oc . "'n"'. GeoI
Bul \., 73. p, 16-!4J
!I.,wm.n, M B. I.. R,ch,rd, . . \l .T . ...... B .. r.ocloogh. R . In p"'. So..m..
:::'.\1 ' lIer.oo .... kucen. Andre.. ,ohm.""" (.n. Vik,,'I!
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W"rldl'\:,ruI C""S",,>Pm<.. p ISl - 't.9
Rob,n",n_ O,., II<IZ,m",<,. W . 1989
Pu<hl,rch<nF."n,.'"","'uw<,'\",",", GroI . Ruo.! ,.'-. 78.p. J9_1Q
'-,)d<n.L. H .. '98S, Th.Vicnn.Ba"n. '\ ' hon-",.ncdpull-.f'I"t>""n.n KT
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,11<1 ..roin"n"""n. So.,- E...-un P,lron S""" Pub' 37. P

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,ubtk .... " . 1\"'" M"n. l'. p. 197- :0t0
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",...'<.1""<0"'''''' ,n , h.ll fm m rO< C"n'r.ll C"bcn. S,,,,h Se.l_ '" ro.
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-h"I' .",,!,p,!J<:j - l70
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""".,r f"m,.1 bd, o 0...,:"", M""n",n,_ OI.I.l>om,. OI.,.tM,m.
So,"') Sp<c Publ.'lO.I.'%p_
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ilur.,,,,--Ct<I"',,,,,,, boto"""'y. E." G,nl,o.! " G,onl, !'>J, GNI
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fuIJb.:l l, "".r(julf"' .\I","". Gulf C, .." s..,,t. s.", E,oo.I'.I"", .\\,o,r.. 1
T<n,h Annu, Re,. C"",. P
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b.;o,,", Am. A>"".,. f'e,,". G.."1JI , Bull . ' n. r,
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r.clJ. Ea"Mal.)'"'' Qtr, h"",S,F.. A".Conf .A""f'e"".F.'pl,,,.. S.... .
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,l".",.on.C M. ,nJlhll . D,R . IQ!!I Subn""n . I""J<",,,,',,,n, H' ,h. UI'\"-'f
I
III
Seismic Facies and Sedimentary Processes
of Ancient Submarine Fans and Turbidite Systems
Scismk profilc o S\Jbmarinc canyon . offshorc Australia
Posam,'micr. Ersklnc. ar>d Milchum. lhi s vohmu
I
CHAPTER 9
Introduction
P".l uI W.::imerandMartin H. Link
[nrnduct;on
A major gap inour knowk<.lgc ofan,:icnt l urbi<Jil<' S)Slcrns can
bo: solwd wilh lile u,e of muhifold seismi.:: data. OUll'rOps uf
:lncienl submarinefansarclimilcdande.1IX'SConlyportionsof
lur bidil,:,ysl<,ms.Consc'lu.::nlly.thclhrcc-dimcn,ional aspc,,(;.
.:solution,distribution.andarchitcclUreofancient submar inc
fans can besl be wi t h muhifold seismic data. nlegra-
lion ofcores . ....clllogs.biostratigraphy.lhrccdirn.::nsional S<';s-
mic,and rescT\'oirpressuredat:lI.,il1also add signincantlyl01hc
undcrSlandingoflhesedccp-w:tt<'rsyslcms. Th<,uscof sci,mic-
"on'pts ro. submarin.:-!"an deposition ,,th OUt
cropshaschangedtheintcrpret:ttionoffa<.'icsand!h .. ird;'!rihll
tion io !Il rbidih' systems (Mutti. 1985: .\ l utti and th i,
volume; Sga,cu i. thisvolume)
Thescismk,u at igraphi<.' rc<"ugniionofsubmar inefansi,uf
g: reat irnportaoec AIl thcaocicnt sul!-
marioefansdcscribcd inlhisseclioncilhcr<.onlainpo:lrulcul11or
ha\cpo: lrolcumpot<.ntiaI.Tl!cidcntirkationamjwrrC(lprcdi<.
t ion 01 sand prone sei,rn( facies are crikal for sucee"ful
cxplor.lIion slraleg:ies inll!cfulurc'.parli<.'ularlyinfronlicrand
decp-waterareas.Faos rcrnainclusi' ctargels.ycII!J\"Cahlgh
positi\"c opsidcpolcntialwhcntherescrvoirsarediscuwrcd, ln
panicular. thcdisco\"ericsofmajordeep-walerrcscnoirsln lhe
North Scabcginninginthc lale 1960sopo:ncdanc"'fronllerfur
Ihe scisrniestratigraphic reeognilion of IUrblditcrcbl<.,,1 ,cdi
Illcl1larybodicsk,g,. Fontcsand Frigg field,) , Thc imcrpre'ta
tionofhcsedc'Cp"'aterdcpositionalcnvironmcnt" causcdTun
dament al ehangcs in our ideas of IUrbidi \c rC'(f\oirs. Also.

defi nng muund,-d faciesand ampli\udeanol11alies ,'ol11munly
",so..'i:l!edw,th re""'n'o,r,, Doringlhepa,llwode'<' adcs, maJor
pt:lroleul11di"'o\Crle, in lurbidil<.' facicshn\'coccurrcd in Olnny
basIIls uf Ihe ,,,,,Id, including Ihc Jurassic. Crela<.',,,U'. and

of offshore BrJll: Teniary Slrata of thc Gulf 01'
Nc'<Jgcnc , tmtaof .\figcria: and IheTeniary strJla of!he Cana-
dian Aeau fort Sea
Thruughuul the 19;05 and early 19805. un!", a hundful 01'
scparJlc. unrdaled publi shcd studies addrcssed Ihe scismic
TJ<ic,,,fan<.icmfansandlhc;r significanee.SangrecaodWid
mier (19771 ,uggestcd that aneient suomar;nc fans eonsi,! of
muondcd seismic realures. aS rccoglll7.ed by their
Ihrtc' dimensionnl shapo:andim(rnalren,"'tion,onfigura!ions.
Submarincfan re,enoirs "'cre rarely addrcss,"'d and sei,mie
profilcs aeross fao, "cre , hown "nly 10 C,lablish regional sel
tings. Some nutable eXJ11lpks are Frigg Field (Haiti,'ret al..
1979). Ftmics Ficld (CarOlenand 'I;'ung. 1981). Winlers Fans
1 DrurIlmond el al . , 1982). Baldcr Fan(SargandSkjold. 19821,
and Allanl,," I:lrJ1.ilian basin, (Brown and Fi,hcr. 1977). Thcsc
resef\'irs ,,<.'re as importanl d;'eo\'<.n"s. bUI for
proprlelary rcasons. re", ca...: >ludies prcscnted their ....;'mie
To CllIpna.;;i1.C Ihi s poin!. twu importanl puhl";a
tiun, m the early 19!!O,laded,ci,m'"' 'lr:uigraphil'papo:r,uf
aneicm , ubmar ine fans : acompilalion "olul1\" bv Tillman nd
Ali (1982). and Ihc' COMFAN meellng held in s.,p!cmbtr 1982
(Buu",a. 198J
The firstcnmprchen,i\'<.'treJ!!l1cntoflhc "i,,ni<' c.'prc,' lOn
ofane;"'nl subm""ne Tans was prescntcd hy ,\l ilchul11 1198-'.
198.'\ ), s..,:au,c ofth(If<."onCcpl>fur ' ublllarinc fand,po'"iun
Ihescp.lpo:rshaJagreal Lmpa<.'loo SIr'ligrJphll"lhinkmganJ fao
Thc,,' papo:rs reprc,cmc"'d a ,ynlhesi, of indu,lrial
and acadelll<; re,caren b"gun in Ihc nud l960s. Mill'huT11
clnpha,i7.edlhcdcpo,ilionof , uo01ar incflnS,,'il hina'cquen(e
PHI
S""m,c"""".",,( s..,/........"',,' fi,n,',m,('r."/>,/"S,.,,.m,
,
"f. -
SlratigraphicfrJmcworl.recognizlngatv.o-foldimcrnalhicrar
chyoffacics wilhinfans"'hoscdeposit ionarccontroll&lbyrda-
ti,c Thc lowcr fan consists of ntcrnally
mounded. bidirc(!ional dov.nlapping and is ;nl er
prctL-..J 10 be Ih e sand-rich portion of!hc su bmarinc fan . Thc
.. psomothclowcr(an.and
itintcrpre!ed!Obcshaleprone. Thcrccogni l ionofdinoformSIS
ley 10 pruP'<'rly idcntifying lhe (X'curr,'n,'cs f ,ub-
marin,'fans. Milchumalsodc"eloP'<'da lislofpilfallsinrc""og-
nizin: subma rinc fans (rom seismic data . a major probkm in lhe
slrJl igraphic recognilioninc\plora! iont....r fanlargels:ll)1"I)JIe
",li noror01 sl0P'<' "''luences ha", mounJcd exlernal fmm in
SlrileS<""l ion. (2) mounds(:!n bc(auscd by "',,,elllenlalong
nor01'll.li stricfauhs.O)internalbidi reclionaldownlap cau"cd

foondalnllpassi"clllargmsanJ be lhi ,rcscmblingsubmarmc
fans , AII "fth(St' fe:uures h:nd to be shale-prone anJ are not
rescn'oirqual ity.
Vail (1987) furt ha llloJifl,"d Ihe moclels for d"psition (lf
sub01ari nefan.<;andprcscnlcJlhclowSlandS)'Sle01s tracls_en-
sisl inllflhreccomponenls: (lIbasin-lloor fan. (2) slP'<' fan
(channcl,o,crbank). and 01 progrJding Va,l
intc'rpr"ledlhcba,intlooriantob.'thc:;anJ-pronea,pectoflhis

10 be shale-prone in Jeep "';tter 'Cninlls. Occasionally >om"
turbiJitcs are at lhe toes nI" the prO)!faJ ing
,'o"'pl",
This ...."lionofthe'olumc wnlain'''''''nchapl''''lhal
l hcsc'sllli';nprcssi"n anJcrtteriaforthCfccngnili"nofancicnt
, ubmarin<' fans : Posmncnt,Cf anJ Erskinc. ArmcnlroUt et al "
Carminatti and SCJflon. Gallmay et al._ Winn.
Lear}' anJ Fcelcy( Fig. Q.I)
POl'a,.,,,,lIi,,r ",uf Er5klll"
Th" ,,,yuence slral graphlc "on.:epb lor sul>'llarlnefan depoSl-
tion tl>at "-e re dl,,'doP'<'d I>y Mit.:hum (1,}85), Po,a",,'m,cr and
Vail (1988). and Po""ment,er el al. Ilhis '-olul11e). are c<p;wJc'd
on by I'ns:im"micr and Erskin.: (thi, ,'olume). aUlh""
prcscnt several imponanl erllera for the sesnllc-'trJtgrJpht<:
rc"Cognion ofan<:,cnt submarine fans by nUI11""'us
exampl .. s throughout the ","orld of _arious ases anJ Icetoni,' ,et
li ngs. including(l) idemifieat i"n oflatcrJl pinchoulOfthe fln
facies . (2) high-amplitudc relleet ions onlappi ng Jak"I>ath>'-
n,elrie highs. (3) internally b,dirc-.:tional downlappmg re!lel'-
tiun,;. (4) !ow-rcl ief externa! mounds, and (5) associal,,,n .... ith
Typc I basinward of tht shdf E.\amples
inelude many imponanl re","'(l'oir inter"als "orldwid,': Pli u-
Pkistocene of the Gulf Coas!. oflhe North Sea. Cre
t:K:eous and Sl rala uf Ihe Alaskan North 51uP'<' anJ
Per
mian uf ",est fus.amcnt<'r Jnd abo threc
aJdiliunalpotentialpttfal1sloMil.:hun (l985listiorthc ,eis
reeognitiunofsubmarine fans: mound ing i, not
al"-a)"S fan -rclated, (2) h),,"stand fan does not ."",ur
Wilhin submarin,- ,'anyons.Jml (3)moslsubmartne.:anyonsJu
not comain I,," stand fa ns anJ predielion of OCl"ur-
ren.:eisdiffeul!
Am'<'IIIIVIII ,'1 ul.

one ofthe major plays in the United States, Thesc
basi nsare filled with lUrbidile S>'Slcms dur ing gl acial euswtic
lo""Stands in sea lcw!. ArlllCntrOUI Ct a!. (thisvu!umc)dcsaib..'
Ihevar iabilit yinseismiefaciesanJ rescrvui r dnc10pmenlinthe
East Breaks f,eld in offshorc Tcus arca (Fi g_ 9. 1)_ The Easl
Breaksf,eldproducesfrumfourdifferentimervals:thercser\"oir
charaeteristicsor lhc l,,"uend mcmbas are desn,bed hc reas
Trim A (].04 Ma) and Gfob a/I (2.2 Ma), Log chameter. intcrnal
reserwirlithofa<:iesandlhcirdislribUlion'-aryeonsiderably
belweenlhcS<,'l,,"ointcrvals.andar,-int,rprcledlobere!Jt,'<llu
Ihegradientofthcbasinandthedisla nceoflheb.lsinfromlhe
shdf edge. The Easl Breaks ficld is one of he frsl well -
documcnt ed cumples of p<"trolcum-productiw intraslope turbi o
dites)'StenlS from Ihe Gulfof.'Iexico
""jllill/ia,,,IS,art""
An ilupo rlant lead"r jn lhe nplonltiun ofdccp-....
ha, bccn PETROBRAS, the nalional oil eOll1pany 01' Bral. Dur-
tng 198-1anJ 1985.majrb,lIionbarrclJisco,cri<.'s,,'ercmaJc
in the Marlim and AIbat:orJ !ields in the Campos Aasin_ These
fcldsoc'cur in presen! walerdcplhsofgr,'atNthan1<XXlkcl
(650111); In"" .ln<.i p",Ju':Wtn have led! n,'W<'<I11-
,epI,inre'l'rvrllrandpr.:.>Ju"liunde"clupl11enllechnology, Car-
nllnall,and v"lume) pre,ent
phyoftl>e Iurblditc rec,,'otrsofthe Oligoc'cn.' Marlim 0, 1 ficlJ
Thc ...... aUlhor.' emph",iL': Ih.' re!!",n"l senin)!
sequen.:e Slra l,grJphe fr alllework ofthe Campo, Bilsm tha' kJ
,hc"" IU ror <.in'p""a'cr anJ Ihe eU<lalle
wntrolson thetitningofdeposition oflhe re,servoirs, They rol
lo"," do,ely the ,'on"cpts "f Mmu 11985) anJ Vai! (1987), ,ug-
gc>tinggUl.>J,orrclattonofthepropocdglob;) .;cak'c!.:urve"
",ilh Ihe timlll); of rec,,,,i, de!"";ti,,n and ,ubmJrine
111 the Campo, Basin. Re",'r\'uirs are
by anomalte, un regional ,,!,.\n"e
the"! are 10 ('orrcspond 10 a uf bal'k,t,'pping
deposttton:t l lubes
c;,'IOi"I\' n"f.
SubmartnecJnyonformationandthcc,-,miefack,of!hcirfjlls
arcdesl'ribedby Gallov.-ayrt al.
submarine can)'ons and La Vaca) of the Wi lco,\ Group
in "nsho' e Tc,,",s (Fig_ 9_1), Thtse authors note considcrJble
l'ariationinthemorphologicsands lylcsofformatiunoflhese
lanyons.and suggestane\ululionary scqucntial slylcofdc'c1 -
oprnenI. Gallov.'ayctal. sugg,'stthatlhesceanyonsfonneddur
rngtr"nsgressionsorrelati'-ehighslandsinscalcvel.indireet
10 Ihe moJels for the eustati,' control, On timing of
.:anyonformattonpre sc ntcJbyl'usamc ntierelal ,(this,olume)
McMiI/l''' "lid lI'illll. McJlil/""
Thc ",-,i.<mtc fa"es aud .>Cquencc ni turl>idile ,ys-
Icn" Jcposn,'d in forrlanJ ;cnings "ith the Cre o
IU':c'Ous [ntcr ior >ca"'ay of Norlh Amerjea are dec"b..'<l by
McMillcn anJ Winn (Ihis "olum,-I for Wyoming anJ b)'
Uhis "olume) fur norlhern (Fig_ 9. L The
ba_,ing""nklricsanJ ".. forthc>c Iwofordandba,ns
..-ere qunc diffcrent. The Uppcr ICamJan Lanl sub-
ma, incfans"r",uth .... ,>,ternWyommg,'on,i,l\'dofa , hallow.
rn:mnc ba,in ",ilh m,n,mUIll .... 1500 fed m)
was eSltmatcd I>y ll1ea,uring dinoform.< using
,,'i,mil' rd1c,tiun Jata anJ d,'taik'<l wdl -Io; ,'roso' s, tions. Thc
,,l>lIl1e I",',es 01' the t"n, d<'[JosilCd in the posillon are
,ubtlelll<'undedfcalurc'. "uhdeposilll)llaltopogrJph)'ofthc
ba,in be'l ,c,'non squ''''lcd ... i,mie profilrs. Inl'ontm,L lhc
Lower Crclacc'Ous (Albianl strala 01" the North SloP'<' 01' Alaska
",' r, Jepo,ucJ in a ba,in with .....:11'r J,'plh, of
-I()()()-5()()() (eel 11150-1600 m). ,,'uh "'cll-Jevd"ped I"psct-
f"rc,e t- boltom,cl gcom,'tri ". on ,eiSlllle lhis
,'olume) . Thcscfansaecul11ulatedinabasinalpos,tionandonlap
Ihc,lope. lnbolhstudies.!hesequenccslratigraphyofthe
deposus wl1hilllherCil lOnal 'CllIIIgarc("mparcdwnhlhcm..xl d
pmpuscdby Vai I (1987).sU!;!!CSl ingmany<inHbril,cs a",J SlHlle
dilTcrcm:cs.
Submarine wilh acarbo
nal c.s<: ll ingha\"crccci'edfar lcss au,nt ion lhan,h, ir silici
dasl i.:: equivalems. Mos! proposcd mw eb SUg:CSl lhal (ar
bollal .. depusi1onal syslcrns ha,c mJny nheren!
differcnccs rom silicicl asl ics.andlhallheresulu ngdeep-WJ1 Cr
deposils arepr irnaril yslupeapron k alurcs(Cook. 1983 : Sargo
1988). Sncral giam oil t"idds. such 3S 1he Poza Rica Trr nd in
Mn ico. occur in lhese apron fac ies. Lear y and Fccl ey(lhis
wl um<, ) docum,' ntlhc S<'quence slral igraphyofcarbollalc sub
marine fans illlhe Permian (Wolfcampian l Slra! J uf!he Midland
Basin in WeSl Texas. They describe lhe ,,"dOpmenl of lhe
carbonale submarincfan dC[losi ls. andrclal c lhcrcscr\",,rs",
rcl al i.-c cuslal ic conlrols on fan devcl opmcnl. Reservoirs are
pr imarily poimsourced and of bifurCJ,ing , hanncls al
lhcbase o slopc wilhilllhcdeep basi n.lnaddil ion. Learyand
Fcelcy illus!rale SCveral ,;cismicmodclsfur lhc rcscn " If ' nler
These ca,;c sIUdies illustral;ng ,he seism;,; Slral igraphy UI
anciem submarinc fans are some oflhe f"Sl10 docurncnt fans
us;ng diffcrcnlapproaches. The wide ' "ari abili lyofseis
rnicfaciesi ll submar inefans andthcirasStx:i aleddcposi t iunal
proccsscs lhe nc.'<! ror mor,' uf ,his
Refercnces C; ' cd
l'I<",m,. A H . ro. 1983 (;ro-.\ !,,,,,,, L<" . ' . J. 'i", p, 53
,,,,,n. L,F . Fi,l><r. W F. '977: S<"n" .
J <p.""",.1 E..",pl<, f", m 8",,,,,,n "f, Jo;.! p.l1I'P;In b
C E ,-J.. s.."m,, '" ,'VIo'r.
' ... n. Am ",,,'" 1'1:,""" 'km p
C...""n, G . ,o;.! '1b.. R . Ro",,,.,,, ," !he F.)n,e, "<h!, ro L V

EUf\,!,<, 1"" '" l'I:'mkum. H<)J,:n &: s... L,J ,. Lo"""n . p J71 _
C.. ,' . H E .. ,983 An.. 'enl"ar"',n><Cpl.""fmn,arg,n",,,,!,<,.nJb,,,,,,.S.,,,
E,,)n. I'.'",n..\ 10""", SIIoo COOf'" );<l , 1:'. p,
Df"''''''''..... K F ,("",t<" .. n.EW . nJ Be,,). K O . . Uw<,Crc'"""""
,,,t>..fm<, " ....Ie1 . s...nmcn!O C. I,f'>fn l> . Am A".", l'I:'n.

H'""<r. FE . u,,,,,I.P .o;.!W,,h,,,,.E, IQ]<I F"l'I'fi"" _ 'arg<,unm",
fa. 'r'p.n E .. ".", ... ,",.nh Vi.,,,! Gr,"' . An' l'I:u,,4
(;.,01 Hul l. .vbl. p,IY\N-:O!O
1::'. ::::;
Re"".rct>Confc,"",-. . p,
. 50.:"100< ,e,:""""" ,,,n"'- ",b<",,,,,< f.n, . lO
Be'}' ,nJ O,G lI'ooh<r'"n. ro" . 50.:"",,,. 11. .\m A' .....
1'1:,""" c........\1<"",,, JQ. p. 117 _j.l6
E .. ' 98' .. ,)"<",,.n..l ' h." 1"""",0"""''''''',", 1
'" G,0 , zu,r, . . p,,,,.n.OI"'- ".n"." R.,<kl . p. 6...
JV,;,n"'n"<r.HW .""V.. .. 1988 EU,I>lI.,,,",,",,,nd.'H,<k,,,,,,,,,,,,
11. "'4""" ,nd ,),,<m, 'r.." ",,,ok"- lO CX OS
CG.SLC K.nJ>II.Il W 1\J",,,,<n"<f,CA R.)".,"" J.c...... ,.<oj".
s.:.k,<I >In ,n"gtaJ 'PI'"",,II, Soo E"", P". I....,.,'
Spo:< Publ. P
f B . rol \\.lJmlOr. J So"",,, ,rol
"'. I"el, P,... 9 $.:,,",,<,n,,,,p,.,,,,,,,,, 0(" ."". J,:po,,,",.,1
f..,"'.,.C,E P. )'un.l
<, ,.,m'",".Am A,>oc 1'I:,....., . c."t .\1<",,"r lb. p.
."'rg.JF.'988.C"""natc"''''''''''.''r.''g'Jp/I)'.roC K, W;'g .... 8 ,$, UJ>I
'"1,.CG.S,C JV,;,mo:n!l' f. CA Ro". ,rolJC l." " 'I"n<,-
ro,. 50.: . I.,d,II.n:<, . A",n, ci""ro'pp'"",h.S,,,, E"," P:r.lron \1 ,",,,,1
SI"'< Pub' P
s...", . J F . nJ L T , , ... p' 'n PO."",."" ",nJ, ," ,11<
B.llokf ,r< . . H H,II",",), <J .. Th.<kl,l><r. ",. ..h rUf,1I<
,uIH'< Am A,,,,,,. f'o:,.....,. G!I . J'. p. '97 _XIt>
r,n"un. R .. "n" Ali, S,.<J, O'.p .... , .. "'.,<,. ,e."" Am
'',,,><I'I:II-01G<o1 R<p, m'50.:,,<, ''''':.6Q.Ip
\'a,I . P R . 1987: 50.:"",,,. ,n'<rp""""'" .,..",:ro .. ", . '" A W B.l1I)
,-J.. ,\ , 1" ," ",,,m,, Am A,,.,,, G<oI. S, ......., ,n
''1'; '""" l. p, 1-10
CHAPTER 10
Seismic Expression and Recognition Criteria
of Ancien! Submarine Fans
HW. Posamcn!;cr and R.O. Erskine
Abstrae!
lhe seisrnic of submarinefan deposilS wilhin lhe
lowSland-fan syslems is documenlcd from lhe Gulf uf
Mexico. Norlh Sea. Arelie Beautort Sea. Pcrmian Basin of
TC."(;ls.andExmoulhPlaleauofAuslralia. Lmo.slandfansappc:ar
loha"e lhesamegencralsci smiccharactcrislicsfrombaslIllo
basin. 111e key reeognilioncrileri a include(l) idcmilicali onof
aleralpi nchOOlgcomelry.(2)highamplitudcconlinuoosrdlc(,
ionsonlappingpalcobathymetrichighs.(3)intcrnalbidirection.
allydownlappi ng rcfkclions. (4) l'o"-reliefexlcrnal mounding.
and(5)associationwilhTypo: lunconformitiesbasinwardofthc
shclfcdge. Themoslimportamca"catsrcgardingseismicrccog-
ni l ionofsubmarincfansidentiflcationinclude l l)lo,,"Stand-fJn
deposilion lypical1y does nOI<xeur wilhinsubmarinecanyuns.
(21 apmrenl scismie mounding is not always submarinc f:m
rclatcdlinaddi t iontodalanoisesuchasmuhiples.diffractions.
andstaticsprobkms. scismic mounding rnay also be indicJli,'c
of slurnp.contouritc.anddeltaicdeposits.aswellascrosional
remnants) . and O) prediclion of rcse"'oir faei", <xcu",'nc'"
wilhin fans in saod-poorsystcrnscanbc problcmat ie
The seismic".'prcssi"nofsubmarinc-fandeposns\\nhmlhe
IO\\"SIJnd-fanand I'o',tand-"cdgcsystcms lraets iscomparcd.
BoththelowstandfanaswellaSlhcslopeandbasindcpo,ilional
s)stcmsoflhclow standw"dgemaybclypically fan shap<.xIor
lobatein plan vicwandnlouodedin ("fo,sseclion. Thcprincipal
faclortha l resultsi ndiffcr"necsbclWe'Cn thes..'twounils i, lhe
saodto- mudml ioofthc>edilllcotsupply"hichishighcr,,ithin
lhe I"""sland fao lhan "' i,hin I'o"staod propor-
lowswndwcd;crcsu llS
in a greatcr lendene)' 11 ,urbidil<'
systcllls 1985) rather lhan Type lturbidile
lypicalof,he lowSland fan. Morco..-cr. thc ioereascd mudcon
('ni of Ihe lo",",t:md enhanas Ihe likelihood of mass
nlo"cmcntproccssesoccurring.lnmanyinstanccs. mas.,mo\c
,kpos'lS "'thin Ihe I_'stand ...,edge- break: up ilS seismic
';Qntinuily. Consc:qucmly.theseismicstrJligraphic resp<)nsc"r
Ihclo-o.'stand w cJgrinlhedccp-walcrs..'uingiscommonlya'on-
IOrlcdlchaollcscismicfacics.incontraslwit hthcnlOfc cominu-
OtIS lIigher amplitud .. rcncctions ,,'thin Ihe 10,"",land fan
Nonclhclcss.dcpositionbygF.l,' uy!lowsstillplaysasufficicmly
impunam pan in submarinc-fan ,kposition "'thin oolh Ihe
lowslandfanandlowstand .."cdgcthallhct"'odcposilionalunits
sharcaconformablcconlJC1
Subrnarinefans arct:Jn ,hapedphysiographicfeal urcscompoS\.-d
oftcrrigenousscdimcnt l<xatcdscJwardoflargc riversaod sub
IGaryelal .. 1974). Fanscanbcd<:positcdatany
ti me under righl physiOi!raphie ami ,edime'ntolog'c mmii
tioos . . \ lost int"rvals01 rela
t i,c .ca k'el fall (Val! al. . 1977: Shanmugam anJ .\lolOb
1982: S,,,,, 1985: Shaomugam ct al.. 19851. as p;trt oflhc
'l" JW",/HINIII.'/nwtll'osal11c'nt;crand Yail. 1985. 1988). Th"
of 'ubmarine fans ,,Ihin a 'equence
ha. b. .. 'o di,,,:u,,ed ds.:"ha..' O'o"'"llcnticr and Yail
1985. 1988: Po,;am,:nt,cr. 1987: Posalllentierctal .. lhisvolumc).
Thc 1()\\'sland IraCl "ontains 1"0 ('omponcnls: Ihe
/QlI"JIfUld filll and IOll.,.I<md "'cd!!r IFig. 10.1) . Thc 10wslaod
... ,'dgeis .ubdi,idcd funh<"r iOW1,,-o,ubunits: lo",tand
!ale h".,laod \\cdge')f
progradi ng compln. Th..'se mmponcnb of lo"sland ,ystcllls
IrJ';1 are shuwn schem31i;;ally in Figure 10.1. Sublllario .. faos
and turbiditc dcpositiun can <xcur within c3('h Ilflhcsc un ' t'
tWI YOB.t ...
s,.,.,.. ... ,,,.1 s..Ji",,,,,,,,,, "nil li,ro.,;" 5.,,,,,",
A.lowstand Fan
C. late l owstandWedge
Prograding Complex
B. Early lowsland Wedge
Channe)levee Complex
D. Axial SeCl on lhrough
Canyonand Slope
Fi,U" 10. 1.
",'h>nn<I "","" "ln'pok' l, ... 'O I.'e """,,, .. compok.\ I. An
....1""""" IDI 'h......gh ,11< ,';In),,".<I<I ".,,, ,II< ,kop< ,11.",.0" ,11< >lc.,,1
""",o< r<1.. """h,1" ,1>< ,h"", U"'''' Th< l."" <1<1""" .... ,,'h<
ahhough isan di ffcrcnco.' b..'t"'cen sublllarin" fans
..!cpositcd ",ilhin thclowSland fanand IQ\Io'sland (se.: Fig
6." in el al. . this ,"olume). [n ge neral.
rine fans ",ithin Ihe IO"'1Otandfan unit are signific3n11y more
,;andpronclhanthose withinthe lov.'Sland-wedgc unu
Suhmarincfans l hal occurwi lhin thelo"'slandfanunilan.'
s.omN im.:srcferr.:d loas/J(I .rj/,w,rjlIIs.bccauselh.:locusof
dcposi l ion oc<: urson th.: basin Ilooror within intrasl0(1<'
onlhc<ontin.:nt alslope. With inthe IO"1Otandwedg.'unil. sub
marine fans are illmclim.'s ref.:rred 10 aS S/0fH'jIII S r"llcning
Ihclocusofdcposlion onlhc slopc (o."ithni ntraslope rosins
slope tans may noor fans flhe imrasl0p'" " a,
a depo,:elller during immcdiatcly precedi ng I ..... stand-fan
lime) . ;',;,,,,,,thclcss. il mUSI be cmpha.ized Ihal suhmarine fml

S<lrily tO Ihe slope just as submarincfan d,'posi1S "ilhin th.:
lo,,"sandfanmuynOlbcrCSlrictednecessarilytOlhchasinrloor
IhCf< ". b<"..k Ln , k'l'" be),"" ,"" ,11< ,'a"),,". n.. ...1)
.. Th<
1.1<""',,,nJ ..
<,,1) k"", ..
&ismk ti" Ihe ....ogni tion of ar>eicnl fans
ha' c b.:en de'dopcd by seismie dala wilh
wdl l'lg infortnation."lanyoflhecrncriaprcscnlcd in IhlS paper
.. ..teriz.' th.' fans ,110"11 hy Rocho.. 11981). Sarg an..! Skjold
11982). and Raoo\'<'h (1985). and .\ l itehum (1985).
The li.'nt 11) ,ci,m<' rCOlgnili,," ",neria can be obscr.ed
IS funclion of sclSmC' resol ution las a funetion of r<'k,mcr\'al
data ror e\ample. cenaon .\ub-
tic fJn recogmt ,on ",itcria. 3" mounding. be
In Ihe Pli,) Plcistoccne of the Cutf nf "1cxico
"hcre imcr...al ,d(l.;ilies are 6())()- 8<XXl feet /....... than in the
Eo,:enc- Mi<X'c lII' of Californiu. imen':!l ar.
12.(X))-1".()(Xl t ....... t/ ........ Conscquently. Ihe mnimum re.\Oh'abte
fan
60 fcet, J",umi ng that one-quaner "a,'clength is Ihe
minimal re>oh'ablc thickncss. "hereas 1hJI of '1 Iypcal fJn in
"oold b.: 100 fee l (Fig. lO.2). Diff<,r

lO.:.Llnll'oll<';"'" r.""I.,""",,.1,,"""0"'H""'''''''" '-010<" ...(In<
'l""".f " -" 'Ol<ng'h L> ..,umcJlo fOpre","' ",.mon,mum ,<>"habl< ,",do<"
""...me<! . Fo,<_umple, 'h< mln,m"m,.,..
.."h",....,t"..""..",,,,'. k",U)
,, !lOOOr.eI,...,' ()() ro..' 1\10'1' "."..',1",, 1 C>hf",
......,G,..,V,1I.y
",.
"" ".""')' 1\.000 r<e' "'"r J%O m,nlmUnl ,.><>I,-.bkIh",k
..."" 100 r. 1_ JI m'
c(:es in quality and fa n lilholo;y and slr.l igr"phy frm
basin 10 basin furlher complical" idcmitication uf commun
fan r<!\:ognilion crileria and emphasize Ihe nccJ 10 dc\'dop
recognilion "r;lera sJll-.:ific !O each general area by cardul
c' -alualion of available "'ell-Jug. coreo and dala. lhe
basin sening uf wismic c\amplcs , h,)\O:" in Ihis chapl a Jre
ummariz<,d in Table 10. 1
Ssrni. R.:cognilionCrilnia fur Fans
Tllc rel'ognilion crilcria fOT sobrnarine fans w;lhin Ihe 1",","
, landfanoni tofthel",,'s tand syslemsl':lclarcdcsc,ibedbelol>.'
Sornl' of Ihes.: c, ilcra Wl're idcnlifie..l and describe..l
by (1 985)_ In th is chapter. Ihl'se cr ilai a are addc..l
h>. updat<'<l wilh Tl'ecn!vintagc seismic dala. and addressed
",ilhin asequcnee stratigraphic frarnc,,-ork. Theailcria. sum
rnaril.cd in T:lbk 10,2. "ere dC\'clopcd lhroogh observa
li ons frorn many ..locunocnlCd fans onurring in rosin, char
ac'lcrizcd by a "f tcctnic and Sl'dirn("nlolog<' Sl'uings
Gi""n the nalUTe of Ihe pelroleOtl' industry data lhe
",,'nplc of fan, obSl' r,'ed is ncccssarily biaS<.xI 10wJrd Ihose
fans wilh hydrocarbotl potenlial. :-'c\wthcless, ",e ft'd thal
Ihese cxamplcs represenl a reasonablc eross s.:eti on of lhe
><: i.,mi,' of aneienl fa ns on muhichannd ,e;,mie
The ni teria discussed heTe represen! ;har;elcriSl i,s
Iypic'ul of of Ihe observed fans_ h must hol'.',
ncr, Ihal /101 ,,11 fi m.,
rC{'og/liri<",airai<l.
1I<,,,,".r>J
K"k. SI,,
1>L"" ',ndL""",,,
'''''
;,
,,1 , M><
Ph",,,,o.lqn
----------==""---
Slrtrml Geomn,.y ObSi'n'ed ,/l/he Poim of Fm, Pi""'",,,/
Hdp-' lNji"e lte 7bp ""'/Bme of he Ft", Ilt/al'<I/
Inde<:p"'atcrsofthcslopeandbasi n, whic'h are usoallyd'Jrac
lc'riz,xlbydrJpedeposlIsoffinc graincdpclagiC Jndhcmipelagi,
'edimen".coarser 'lCdimtntsd"positedby grJ,' ily nows
..:ommonlyaredeposil ed ",'ilhinbalhymclric lowsandonlapand
p;n<:h oot aga; n,t posili"e"Iidonthe 'a noor, Idcnlifica

defining a submar inc IS. Hanslicn, personal comrnuni ca
lion,1985)IJ<,<,auSl'awayfromthislocmionofonlap. subrnarine
fans can le conformably o"er sobjacent prdowstand Jeposils
and may nol be rcadily dislingui,hable. Th;s malal pinchoul
mayproduceamalillraphiclrapthalc'anbcc;thcrlalerJI,updip.
or downdip dependn: on Ihe lo,:atinn of palcobathyntclric
hi:hs. Th,' laleral and updip pinchoul of 's ;lIu,trJ led
T>bl< 10,:, Summar, ,,s. ,,,",,,Rc"'l' "'"''''e"",,. 1;" l<",,,.<>J F.."
b>lh)".."," .. hiel< I><lp' ,o< "'1'
.mpl"",k,"","",,,,,, I<"kc",,,,,,,,o"pp,,,!, ,heb.,, "
Int<""' b"I".,,,,,",I'',..nl,p

0."'"'1<0"" mcrl"o$ r'r-< I "",,,nf,,,noll) 1''''''',00-..-1,''
.lel"''''''
l
-->:-.-
'::-,'-_:::.'
..I...'.:<n< I.,...,,,nd.f," I,!<,.,lp'"CI><,,,,
..di> A .o.l a ",m ,1>< ..."",. " ....,'"r ,, 'h. ",,"h s.. ,1><
m1<".IJo.. ..

schcmalically in Figurc 10. 1. rrom Ihe 01 pin- nlhcr an,1 sho" 1"0 maJor un'ts. Fan unl1 A
"hout. IOp and of Ihe fan tIIay tic t:har.Klcrizcd by 's b\ pronounccd pin.:h0ul on lhe kll
parallcl seismic rellcctions (Fig. IO.JI. Seisnllc ex.amplcs 'mm houlhwc'1) ,ide uf Line L 011 Linc 2_ Ihis fan unil
Nonh $ca:tnd lhe illuSlrJlc ,lratal pin - prin(ipi,1 rognllIOnnikria. Wilhoull)'in;; 1"0
choul gwntClrics (Figs. 10.3-10.51. Fur cach e><amplc. well-Iog wtsmic Imes anJ Ihe pinchoul geo"'Clry on 1, a
informali onconfirms lhcprescnceofsandsloncwilhinlhcinlcr- . ubmarinc-fan inlerprelallOn would probably tlOI ha\'c becn
inteT\'aL In man)' ,' ases. "ithout lhe on lhe' basi, 01' Lin. 1 Fan unit B l' an be r.,:ogntNd
nilion of fan pinchoul g<'Omclry il be impossiblc 10 rccog- on oolh Jinc. pint:houl .lrJlal
mle scismit:all y lhe prcsctlccofasubmarinc Thc sc;,nllC
profilessh"",'n in Figure 10,6 are oriemcd perpendiculJr 10 fl/'xl/'oll"'''')' ''''f,,:gt'!05

~
j
,
lINE2
Figure 10.7. Seismic expression of externa! mounding and interna! bidirectiona! down!ap in a Sl
marine fan fmm the Arctic Beaufort Sea; (A) uninterpreted and (B) interpreted. Note the hi!
amp!ilUd e re!lections al the top, as well as within the fan unit. This un, was penetrated by a wellt)
targeted the st ruclure on Ihe soulheast end of this seismic lineo The well encoumered turbidite sal
Slones wilhin the interpreted fan interval. Note tha! subsequent to deposition within a pak
bathymetric low, structural activity has resulted in inversion of topography raising the fan axis t
struclUrally high posilion.
Figure 10.7. Seismic expression of external mounding and internal bidirectional d o w n l ~
marine fan from the Arctic Beaufort Sea: (A) unincerpreted and (B) nterpreced. Note
amplitude rentetions al he top, as well as within the fan unil. This unit was penetrated by ,
targeted thestructureonthe southeastend ofthisseismicline. Thewellencount ered IUrbl
stones within the interpreted fan intervaJ. Note Ihat subsequent to deposition within
bathymetric low, structural activity has resulte<! in inversion of topography raising the fa
structurally high posilion.
(
Figure 10.1. Seismic expression of external mounding and internal bidirectional downlap in a sul
marine fan from the Arctic Beaufort Sea; (A) uninterpreled and (B) inlerpreled. Note the higt
amplitude reOections al Ihe top, as weJl as within Ihe fan unil. This unit was penetrated by a well th,
targeted the st ructure on the soulheasl end of this se ismic lineo The well encounlered lurbidite s n ~
slones wilhin Ihe inlerpreted fan interval o Note Ihat subsequent to deposition within a paleo
bathymet ric low, struct ural activity has resulted in inversion of topography raising the fan axis to
structurally high position.
a sub-
e high-
ellthat
esand
paI>-
(is 10 a
i

.... - . ~ ' : . . , . . . - - .
~ : : ' - - - - ~ - - : : . : : -::"'-'-

. ~ .
:..- ..... -
:>:-#
n "
1 MILE

againsc a Jl<Ikobalhyrnecri" high . il may u""fullO tbnen n

SlanoJ anoJ gain insighc lO lh" k",'a1iuns ufpossi
ble depocenu:rs as shuwo in Figure 10.-1. Anexamplefrornthe
Nonh Amer i,'an Arclie also how prosp..:cling for fans
benclilsgreallyfromaounderslaodingoflhelX'lCOOlhymccry
(Fig. 10.7). Twoscruecuresareshownonlhislinc:lhcSlrU{'lurc
on che righ1 (southeasU clearly was presenc ac che lime of fan
oJepositionas lhe fan un lhinsagainst il. The scrUClurc"n lhe
Icfc(norch"'csOaplX'renllyposldates fanoJcposilion as che fan
unchickenso\"Crlhi sarca sug,gesCi nglhacaclhelime ofdeposi-
lion Ihis arca "'as muclU"'Uy lo",". Thus. uplift apjXlr<,nlly
oceurrcd "fterdeposicion oflhe fan. Althoughlhe slrUC1Ureon
cherighl wasdrillcdandencoumcrcdlhin saodswncs wilhinche
incenalofimeresl.achickerreservoirs.:.:tionis prcoJ(ledaoo,e
che ocher scruccurc.
An incerprcced lo"'scand faninlhe Pkisloccnc >ce1ionOl lhe
Gulfof Mcxieo al so illuscrJces an inversion of ,cru,'cure in
response w uplifl subsequentlo fanoJ"posion(Fig. 10.8). In
lhi sexample.drillinghasconfirmedcheoceurren<'eoffandepo-
si lion "'ichio an inlraslop..: Ixlsin becween cwo salc SlrUClUres
Bonomhugging gravily tlo\\'S resullcd in depositionof,oorse
grJinedsedimencsonlappingchcflankingsaltrclacedbath)"mcc
ric highs. Shifling iso,;hron lhirks
cions wichinthe fancomplcx sUgj!cscspossiblc
resuhing io dcvelopmem ofcornp..:nS:tlion e)'des (Mull i aooJ
Sonnino.1981):tlcht!scaleofJO- 50minlhincss.
hJWard lheaxisofS<."'imcm crans-
j)Qrt result<'tl in uplifl. 10j)Qgraphie in"crsion,
ofchis former balhymelric low as a dcpocenler (or g""'icy-llo,,,"
dej)Qsilion
FigureslO,9and 10, 10 illUSlrale submarine fans pinching OUI
updip in che Pt:rrnianBasinofWeSlTc:<as(Sarg. t989) and the
Exmoolh Plateau offshore Ausc",lia (Erskineand Vail.
resp.:ecivcly.lneachcase,submarinefansarcobservedlopinch
oUlagainscprogmdingdinoformsandinc3"hcase.a,ubmann<'-
faninlerprelacionforthesedeposilswouldhavct,,:en"crydiffi -
cuh wilhoul of Ihis pinchoul Thi, lIus'
craccschcnccdwid<'nlifychislyp..:ofgcom<'cryloas,iscinlhc
prcdiccionofrc>cn'oirt:'eicso<'currcnce
Comim"ms R,}I.TlIUIIS
O,,lp !te (/lIIms"I'<'J 8mill ,IIargill
This <'r;terion is relatcd lO lhe abm'e one as che oolappiog relk",:-
linnsdcfi ni ng thcpinchoul Ofthc h'ghampli
ludcandconcinuoos. Thisscismicrcsponseisprob"btyduel o lhc
lilhologie ,'oncinuicy high imx'dann' ('ollllllunl\'
chamcterizing che fan imernally. as wdl as lhe __onlaCb
with o\'crlying and underly ing uni,; , Thc dcposl1ioll of
__nl"lIhJisllnctlydiffcrencseismic,cloc'ly
chan che p..:iag;" and/or hcmipdagic scdimencs abo.n'c anoJ bdow.
whi,'h u,ually com-
monlyrcsutlsinadiscinc1ivescismi __ uoi1. Thefancompkxillus
io Figur<' 10.8 ,ornpriS<.'s Ihe onl y pan uf the so.. ...tion
charaCleri7.<'<l by high-amptiwde rellections fmmonesal l ,lruc
IUrCa{rosswlh<'01hcr. ThcrcmaindcroflhcSoI'dionischarancr
by 1..,.. to highal11plitude disCOIUilluous rd1eClions
Thed.'gr.'cwwhichUl"'/ppinggcomecrieswillbeobser--edis
a functionoflhcrclicfonlhepalcolopographicirregularilies
Ih<, jXllcoslop..: and Ixl si n. The grcacer lhe rdief.
lhe more pronounecd these onlappiog reneelions will be
Figures lO.tt and 10,12 illustrac.'chiscrilerion for fans in che
Gulf of and Figure 10.7 Ihi, ",ilcrion for a
("n in lhe North American Arecie.
Ima"al 8idirl'Cli",,,,lIy IUjle,',,,,,,s
S"gg<,s, aSubll"Molllu/",IC,mfigllm,iollasIiHI
as,m Accr,'tiOtU/r\" IAggrm/<lti<HU//) St."/<,,ifFtm D""",.iti,,,,
Bidire,'(!onaUyoJO\\nlapping seisntierelleclionsare sol1letil1les
diagnoslicof,ubmarincfans. IO. t 3and
(ans fmm che Gulf of Me.\ico. cha",elerized by
In bolh dire",ions untO the sequenec al
che base uf Ih<, fan , The wel! informacion wnfirms chac the

CJChIllSlann'.
s.:lsmic rctkcuons dipping ac ;reacer chan -l ' musc b<:
Original Jcpositional ,Iop..: 3ngles assoo;ialed
wnh g",vicy 110\\' dej)Qsition are rarely in of l wich
lhe p'"sibk of slopcs ofchannct ""alls Or ass<",' ,atJ
le'ee erests lE. Muui. p..:rsonal eomntunicacion 1988), I'oSI '
JepoSilional oJiffereolial ,"omlX'etioo may enhance lhe slop..:
angleacchewp oflhefanas..-cllasincernallyanderosion>ub-
,cquenth.fandeposilionmayalsoresultln sceepcrslop..: anglcs.
In somt! <:ases, locally Slccpcr dipping do"n
lappingretl'cions(greacerchanJ )l1laynocbesh""inglruc
be,ldingg"umetry. SornCSleeplydippingimcrnal bid,rCClionally
dO\\nl"pping rcfl<'c1ioos Illay be diffra,:cions, N.'\("rchrk'ss
oo:';!"'ence ofthis p.1uern may a!so bediagnosuc alben inJi
uf ,ubmarin" fans . Diffra __uon, l11ay be p",Ju,"eJ by edgc
dfccb rclatcd w ,ubmar;ne t":Jn channd, j)Qs>lbly aSMX:laccd
",ilh inlernal mouoding wilhin che fan. In addiuon, ",me di!"
fromlowscand"edged,"po,tso\'crlytng
the Low'land" 'coJgc deposi lS are oflen a
,'onlor1cd/chaoli,' sei"nicfac;noc..'3uscofchccffc'I,ofma"
mol'oement tc.g ,. slumps, sli des) 111 lhis
dcpo,iuol1:t1 uni1 . E.\ampk's oflhe ","i,mlC ,'\prc"ion of lh"
are ,ho)"'n in Sangrec el al . (1978) and Sidner et ai. I 19781
It,x! comi"'...., (mh'!<, 225
f
B S
' _ _ 'MILE
o 1KM
109 Sub.",,,,,,, ,-..., In ,lo< "",m,,,n s.,," Te...." 'A' ,,"ont<r_ ,he) .....,,II.,,""."'.Jb) .. n.lly "",,,.,1 ..fk<,""" .AI[<,
I B\ ,nl.'pr<'l $.oh",." f,n,.......po,,"" .."n,"110< I:>.", n""r,,,!!
""".,"0.I,..r,."k.,.I.rol Oftl.p h'gn,.. 1I<l ..1,00(,,,",, Scl>mK.II)
Fifur.IO,'O.SUb",."f.... 'nF.m'''.'hPI....u....,off,''o..''',,'''.h. 1,1 1 b.,'n'lI)f.w,<,.J...'.. Rep""'<d
on'""'I"<I<..I, (8) ..,<'l'''''..-.I , NO!.,.,. b)I'.:r""",,,,,,,,',I>tA",<fI,."A>,,,,,,,..
<h"'(()f1Il. 'Th<pri"''p;olrc..'Ofmhonm'<tootlfor,I><>.ndcpo,,, .. ,1><
TITHONIAN BATHONIAN
NORIAN HETTANGIAN
LCM'STANOFAN
o,""

o 1IAILC
w
u
-.._ : ; . . . . ~ -: ---------..--,
1,0 ---::-:-. -_...:::.:-- - - ::::::::-:--:
,i
'w
..
S O ~ ENCOUNTEREO IN WELl
I KM
I
10 IS_Suom""n"- f, " ""i">'''' """.."<,,,,,,, In ", ,", ",1 , nJ ,n'<m,1 bld" "," K ...II; ,<tl' "><I , _S ...... n"'"'" \.. 11.')_ c.hr",",. ' A'
Un,".<,P"''''' 181 ,"'cr"w,"
(1<'.[/ fmm {Jlge 205)

us...'tl ....,it hcaulionandprcfcrdblyinconjuncl;onwilholhcrre<:<Jg
nit ioocri tcria_ This pot<'ntia) pitfall isalsoaddrcsscdbdow.
Basi nward-oricnted. unidireclionally downlapping scismic

documente(! submarir.: fans. In our wc ha,"c IOlrcly
obscn'C(j this seis"';c rdk<:li.,m p,mern in scnings_ The
absenl-euflhispal1crngivcsinsighllothc slyleof;rO"-lhufsub-
marine fans. A do..... nbpping JXIl1cm " oold
progradalion as onc mighl C.\PC<:l in a del1ai<: sen;ng. A bidircc-
lionaltmnl"ppingJXIltcrn suggcstsanaggmd31ionalmoo:!..' ofocp-
osition assoc;ate(! " 'ilh sl<K"king ofdiscrclc lubes_ Con:>Cqucml y.
lhesc obsen-Jtioos Su;;CSl tha! Ihe dominant gllM'Ih of , ub-
IHarine fans invoh'<"Sanaggradalionalslackinguffanlobcs
Sub/le m- Rrlief Ertemul.lfuuIl<Ii"K (m /1,<, TUI' uf /he ron!
Su ms 10 Ch"f"IlC/"ri:e Mosl Lmn/",,(I Ftms
In map view. low-rdief. eXlernal nlounds appear !O be oricntcd
parallcl IOth<' inferred scdimem lranspon a,m(Mitchum. 1985)
As prcvlOusl y di scussed. dcposilional sJopcs Jssoc'Jlcd wnh
scdim<'nl gra\'ity-flow dep"ition rarcly l . HO ....'C\'N
diffcrenrial scdimenr compa<:lion subsc'lucnr 10 dcpusilion as
wcllassubscqu<'llImodificationby bottom currcnts may rcsult
in slopeanglcs incwcss oflh,s
Thcc'lcrnal mounding oflow's land fans in a \'arictyofbasins
is illuslrak'tlin Figures 10, 7.10,8. 10. 15.and 10. 16, Theseis-
mi<: SC<:!lon sh""ninFigurcIO, 16has becnflallenedallhcba!-e
ufth<' fan to illustrale th<' probabk postdiffcrcntial - compaclion
dcposil i'JIlalmounding_ The apparenr slope ofS" is a resullof
,
l
", or>dR .D. E"kone
iii SOUlH
r
Q NORlH
~
~ ,.
~
~
~ ,
> ~
SOUlH LlNE2 -Q NORTH
~
Figure 10.14. Lowstand fan underlying lowstand wedge (Plio-Pleistocene), offshore Gulf of r.
The lowstand fan is defined by a high-amplitude reflection at top, subtle external mounding an,
internal bidirectional downlap on Une I (A and B). On Line 2 (C and D) the fan is largely obscl'
diffractive energy emanating from within the lowstand wedge. The seismic express ion of Ihe lo'
wedge varies from low-Io-moderale amplilude conlinuous-Io-discontinuous refleclions on Lin<
chaotic/ contorted seismic facies on Une 2. This contorted/chaotic pallern is nferred 10 be cau
slumping within the lowsland wedge. This seismic facies commonly characterizes Ihe Plio-Plei
lowstand wedges of the Oulf of Mexico. The well shown on Line I confirms Ihat the only Sigl
sandstone encountered occurs wilhin the predicled fan intervaL
i
UNE 2
Figure 10.14. Lowstand fan underlying lowstand wedge (Plio-Pleistocenel, offshore Gulf of Mexico.
The lowstand fan is defined by a high-amplitude reflection at top, $ubtle external mounding and subtle
internal bidire<:tional downlap on Une I (A and B). On Une 2 (C and D) the fan is largely obscured by
diffract ive energy emanating from within the lowstand wedge. The seismic expression of the lowstand
wedge varies from low-to-moderate amplitude continuous-to-discontinuous refle<:t ions on Une 1 to a
chaotic/contorted scismic facies on Une 2. This contorted/chaotic pattern is inferred to be caused by
slumping within the lowstand wedge. This seismic facies commonly characterizes the Plio-Pleistocene
lowstand wedges of the Gulf of Mexico. The well shown on Une 1 confirms Ihat the only significan!
sandstone encountered occurs within the predicled fan inlerval.
UNE 2
Q NORTH 2' WEST
i

I

Figure 10.14. Lowsland fan underlying lowstand wedge (Plio-Pleislocene), offshore Gulf of Mexico.
The lowsland fan is defined by a high-amplitude rencelion at top, subtle ellternaJ mounding and subtle
internal bidirectional downlap on Une 1(A and B). On Une 2 (C and D) the fan is largely obscured by
diffractive energy emanating from within the lowstand wedge. The seismic expression of the lowstand
wedge varies from low-to-moderate amplitude continuous-to-discontinuous renections on Une 1 to a
chaotic/contorted seismic facies on Une 2. This contorted/chaotic pattern is inferred to be cause<! by
slumping within the lowstand wedge. This seismic facies commonly characterizes the Plio-Pleistocene
lowstand wedges of the Gulf of Mellico. The well shown on Une l confirms that the only significant
sandstone encounlered occurs within the predicted fan intervaL
exaggcr:I!ionof!heseismicsec!ion; Ihelrueslopcangle
is 1.8. This emphasires !he need for cau!ion
",hen in!<,rpr<,!ing !he signif,<,anc<, o seismic mounds. NOIe how
differenlhor izomalsca!cschange!heappcaranceof!hefan
Wh<'Te3S!hispoimmayscem!obea!rivial<'nsideralion.our
isuseluJ IOrccmphasize!hencedw
{'olca/aIl' Ihl' ITUI' 51opl' o/a )'I'mi{'olly illlerprl'leUjilll /O

waler seuings. slope angl<,s grealer Ihan 7_9 are more likely
associa!ed wi!h inferred slump deposi!s wi !hin !he dislal
lo",cstand w('dge. AnOlher for higher slope angles
may be eros ion by bouom currems subsequem !O deposi.ion E.
Muui. personal communica.ion. 1988). Trunca,ion of seismic
reflec.ionsagainstlhesurfacea!!he!opofthefan surfacewould
bee'idencefor !his!ypeofmechanism.
L.tw.,UIII' nUJ5 T.'piroll., O"erlie Typl' I Uncon/ormilin
/JId Undl'rlil' Dqwsils
Lowstand are in Ihe decp wa.er of!he conlinen!al
slope and basin flooron ini!ia.ionofrelati\"e sea Ie_"eI fall . A!
!histime. Type I unconformi.iesbegin
andin!hedC<'pwa!cr.undcrliesubmarinefans(Posamcn!icrand
Vail. 1988). Es,ablishmem of a rcliable age model helps hi!!h-
grade thOS<' imer"al s of significan! r<,lali\"e sea-Ie"<,1 fall aml
spccifi call y!hoseunconfomties!halarecommonlyassocia!cd
wi!hsubmarinefand<'posi!ion
Jnthedecpwa!erscawardoflhe shclfedge. Type I unconfor
milies may be difficuh !O recognize because Ihey can be
npressed as confonni!ies. onlap surfaees. or e"en
downlap surfaees. ThekeylOsubmarine-faniden!ifica!ionin!he
deep_wa!ersellingisrecognizinglhcS<'dimcmological response
IOlh.: fundamen!alchange in S!yleofdeposilion be!"'ccn !he
highs!andandlhelov.stand systemstracls.
!<,ms traet lime. deposi!ion isdomina!ed by pelagic orhemi -
pelagic s.c:dimenl. In conlrasl .lhe sedimenl5deposi lcdduring
10,,"sland syslcms !rJC! lime are commonly !ransported by
flo,,"s. Thus. !hc nalUre of!he unconformi! y ,,"ill be a
func!ion oflhc Ihe IwO Iypes ofdcposils; Ihal
is. drapedcposi!s of!hc highsland sys!ems !rJCI
,,"ill beoverlain predominamlybydcposils ofbonom hugging
gravi ly tlov.cs of !he 10000csland syslems !rac!. The of
Ihischangeof sedimcm! ypewill vary ,,"i!h 1<><:31 physiography
Forexamplc."hercin'raslopebasinsoccur.!heresuhing slTa!al
gcorne!ry associaled ,,"ilh Ihe unconformity may be onlap
Wherelow-;!and sysl<'lIls!rac!deposi!ionoccurs onaplanar sur
Ihe resuh bebidireclional dov.nlapOnlO!hc unconfor-
nlilyor. insomccascs.noapparen!angulardiscordancc,,",Jlbc
(i.e .. a conelali,'c ('onformi!y)
In some s<,uings. "'here 1()\I,'sland-fandcpoSlS are Ihinand
below seismic resoIUlion.lows!and,"'cdgedeposils can appear
on seismic dala IOdirec!I)' overlieType I Thi s
relali"nshipcanbeinlcrprc,edasindircclindic3Iion ollhepres.
enceoflo,,"sland-fandeposil5(ahhoughit isalsopossible!ha!
Ihelowslandfanis nOlpr<,scn. and!helov.':S!andwedgedcposi!s
maybeoverlying!heunconformi!ydirectly) . Thi sscenar io is
illustralcd in Figure 1O. 17wherc lowstand-fan deposils are no!
dircc!ly obseT\'able on !he scismic s"'clion bu! inferrcd 10
occurbel"'ccnthclo"CSland-,,"edgedeposi'sand!heunderlying
Type I unconformi!y. The weU confirms !he ... of
s!on<, JI !ha! comaC!. ,,ith Ihe remainderof!he sec!ionabove
and immcdialel y below being shaley. In !his case Ihe l"cs!and
""cdgcischarac!crizcdbya chaQlicseismicfacies andlheunder
lying 10"':Sland fan is as a single seismic rdlcc!ion
onlapping !he marginsofan basin.
Anolhcr eumple of where only lows!and-wedge Jcposits and
nO!!hcunderlyingICMs!andfanarerecognizedonlheseismicscc
!ion is in Figure 10. 14 (foldoul). T"u seism<." seclons
aresho><n:onLinelafaniscl<,arly<,vidcn.and is confirmcdby
Well A.lltc s"diono-erlyinglheIOYrcslandfanischara.:!crized
scismically by con!inuOtls !O diSCQn!inuOtls. moderJlcamplitude
rdl ecl ions. Lilhologically. Ihisuni!comprisesashale..oomina!cd
s<'clionwi!h numerous!hin sa nd slOne5!ringen inconlras. wi,h
blockysandslOlles,,i!hinlheI01-'cs!andfan.On Linc2.oricmcd
nornml !O Lin<, 1. Ihe lCM"S!and fan is more difficuh !O recognize
from Ihe lov."Sland-wcdge
dcposits above lends !O obscure of !he 1000cs!and fan .
NOle !ha! in conlrasl wi!h Line 1. !h<, lowstand wedge is charolcler
ized bya conlOl1cdfchao!ic seismic facies. If only Line 2 ""ere
!en!a!i,c fan predidion (albeit high risk) <'Quid slill be
madeon Ihe basisofrecognilionofthe kw.':S!andwedgeseismic
facies aloneand subsequenti nfcrenceoflhe<><:curreoceof
JOYrcs!and fanimmedia!elybelow
l...un"Sumunm Occurs
in De<'p-WilerPltY1io; mpl,icS<,uinSs
BccauselO\O.Sland-fandepositionoccurs ind<,cp-wa!eren'iron

!erizelheareaof inleres!. lden!ifica!ion onS<'ismicdalaof shclf
and slope gcomclri es. aS ,,"ell aS submarine !O

mcm. Idcnlificalion of dcep-wa!er indicalOrs in core ,u,'h as
d,-cp"'J!,'r!urbidi!efacies andassociatedbcdforms.andadccp-

addi!ion. pakon!ologic da!aderi'ed frornabo-.candbcl(}\O.' lhc
lov'Slandfan unil may gi"<' se ll ing
Pi!fall si nLO\O. slandFanldemifi,a!ion
Inprospec, ingforhydrocarbonsind<.'Cp-wa!er sell ings.anumber
ofpilfallsin!heseismicprcdie'ionofreser"oir occu",:ocecanbc
idcnlitied. Somcoflhcseha"e bo:t.-n "'ell dcscribed by Mi!chum
here. Thelhreemajorpi!fallsincludc
10 17 L,,,.,',nJ f"n
Io",'''and '"'""'g< ,PIi"PI.",,,,:.n.J.


"""nll)', >r'1'<<>><<1>> ,.hlh: "lIS'"

i

r
I
(1, mounding O" scismic is nOI always (21 by differenl pro.."c,s.:s. us ....-dl as 10 a \'aricly of sci,mic
pmspel'ing ror lowstand-bn dcposils ..... thin .::tllyons is high proccssing arlifarls. As prC"nusly discusscd. submarincf,n
risk. and (3) of <>ccu rrcn ce ",hin sci,mi dcpositional sJope angles. though cnhanccd by posldcpositional
,al1y id<,nlifi.'d fans loan oc probkmalic in sand-poor syslems diff,'r<'nl;al <'ompm:lion andlor erosiono mrdy excccd
w' ilh anJ!lcs in ncess of Ihis are more likcly
rclaled lolarge-sealc erosion Ihal resllhs in erosiona l
App<l'ml St'ism;c MVI"'/;lIg /s NOI Ahmys hU! Re/<IIed mass-mO'-Clllcnl deposils. or modificalion by bonom currenlS.
Qlhcrmu.md,""<lMposiISlhal(antK'mislakcn furl'o'osland fans
Scismil 'mounding bolh inlernal and !O lhe inlerprCl,""<l Inelude shclf-edge dehas_ rccfs_ ,;.ah mud
fancanbeanriool,-dtoavarielyofgcomorphicfcalUresforml""<l Illounds. and vokanicdeposils. ln addilion. anifacIsofscismic
/
Fituf'< 10 Ig, s'"m" e",mM. ol"p"I",11 ,. ,u""'.".el".n '."'p<e"''',,, . 1"'1
s.: ..m,, "'1'f<'>>lun"",ne',,>,o"'l rcmn.;,n, . Tb""""lll" 1,,,,, II.".., ..". Goo.!"'m"T>dP"''''. I'Il!9). .'Ool<,I><"m,I.,u,."n,nl<lboIh.""h.l'''''l<lllcJ
.Io<, '<ro,.,.,1 ",m.,.' ..,,,,,,,tcJ "'"h TI>< ronfilm. tI>< by _ 9OOf.., 1- !JS "11 0,,,,11<1),,, w.ll ''''''1''><>IOj!) n,h. '0<".'
,)(,l><lf.1 ,he .,,,,"'.11 10n,.,.1. 18) A .><><Iel
.IT>dm' ....
proccssing such as diffraclions and mul1jplcs can also produce sional from Ihc .\'Iississippi CJnyon areJ, NOle Ih.-
wi l h Ihc shel redge
rnlerpr.:tatrons. Del1aloresmayalsoappcarasdiscrelemooooswhcn\'iewedin
Anellamplc"fa suspo..-et moundl'<l feal ure Ihat ....'3s imerpwcd a Sl rikc oricmalion (Fig. 10.19: Fig. IJA in Milchum. 1985). In
originally as lowstand fan and sub,;equcnl(y drillcd is illus a diporientation progrJding clinoforms are obso::r'cd . .\ Iapping
lraledin Figure IO.18A. Drillingresults ""credisappoi01ing.aS Ihe unitandestablishiog the physiugrdphiC>euingdocumcnting
nosubmJrine-fan dcposils ""crc pcnclralcd, On closcr insp.:c isshclfJI. r:UhcrlhanbasinJI.
lion. cenain aspcClsoflhis mO<Jnd "'Jrrantcaution. Thecoc"al whcrc fan,;cncr.. iSlhe lcytoaw"Jin;th'spn-
shclfandshclfslopcbreakare shownon Ihisscismic hnc.jusl fall,
Ihe soulh of the mound. NOle lhal lhe top of Inc mO\lnd is and well -IO!! dala muSI inlcgrJle<! inlo InC analysis.
lhe same IC"el as lhc shclf surface. lt is highly AnOlhcr Iypc of fcalUre. which has b.'en ineor
unlikelylhat asubrnarinc fancould build I,,"'a,c base Ic>el :,.. re,tly interprClcd as comouri lc and/or 10"'Slandfan deposilS
Furlhcrmorc.ili sunlikelythalafancO\I(dhavebuiltamoundof (Pcikcrl. 1985). is sho""n in Figure 10.10 (foldoul). Thcse fea-
such magniludc wilh such limiled acrial diSlribulion so do,.. (() turcs hayc be.:n inlcrpretcd Weimcr (1987) as a ,;crics of
Ihcloeoflhc slopc. ltal soappcarslhalscismicreflcclionsfrom orgJnizcdanddisorganized:;;Iidcdcposils. Whcndrilled. Ih.'Y
under the shclF eominue wilhin Ihe "mO\lnd:' This would SUUCSI are sho"'n 10 consisl of nonrcscr\"oir strJla .
anal1crnali yeinlcrprclalion ofanrm"iollll/,.,,"'mmtforthisfea Ihcapparentcrosiunallruncalion marking Ihcsidesoflhcsc
lurc. Figure 10. 188 also illuSlralcsa rnodcrn analogu.:ofan ero
".
1 MILE
10_ 19. x"",,,,y",pkJp"fall In <"bo""",,_t:." '01<'1"<1'''00 ' 'A'
""'"' <'1'''''d. 18) 'O'<fJ>f<I1. xi' mL"<'p' ....on<)(."" ..n..dpfOfil<
"""",.dol,.Iob<, ....-.,,(". I" L<
Lo>"s,,,nJ-Fi.m Deposilioll T\fliwlly D"('J,vOl Oc..",
C"".'",ms
Whcn,ubmalinc canyonsarcac!i,'clybeingtUllheyarerepcal
edly f1u,hed by sedimcnt grJvily f10ws and b:ome a zone uf
sediment b)"pass. Coorse-grained sedimems ale lranspollC<l

01' lhe canyon in lhe basin. Canyoll cuning Cea-'\eS ",hen Ihe
.. Jnequilib
riumprotikiseslablished)lhrougha,uc<'cssionofrclrogressive
slumps (Coleman et al., 199J) and when lhe energy Inel of
flows thTOUgh lhe canyon decrcases during
lime, Al lhe same time. the volume and grain size of scdimenl
mo,'ing through lhecan)'on broughl !O
(hc(anyonfloor.thnfromlhi-'up-canyonsedimcnl .\OUrCeor
sl umpcd from Ihe overslCepened walls. no longe.
Thccan)'onsgrJduallyfl ll wilhthesc,lump
dcposilsa, "el! as wilh flnergrained hcmipdagie and pdagic
sedimenls (Posamemie' et al .. lhi s volume)_ Thes, slump
depositsmay produce moundson,;cismicbularegenerJllynot
sand-prone. SandSlOne' within Ihe canyon are usually confm.'{\
",dim<",,,,,n,"'hl>n,,,,,od, ... ,,,.'h<on'pp'''ld.ooform.,,,,w,t><,,,,,<A'h<
"""'," h<""nh",!hu,i<l<<A'h<<<<-,iOft , .n.j,,,<,ubll<",,"nl'p,,uh.. 'h.
""",nJ. n.jic."og.m.II,h,rl>o(,"<<l<"",.n..,.
toth<' O'asionallc"cC<lchannel(Fig, .-cnecr of sand-
slOncatlhehaseofthecanyonaslhcdcpocenlershiflsrapi<ily
landward from Ih.-Jeep waler10 lne incised "alleys 3no.luuler
sh<'lf dur ing lhe lowstand-fan 10 lowsland-weJge l.ansilion lime.
Final flUing uf the eanyon by lhe prograding complex of the
1<l"'Slandwcdgcmayresuhindep",ilionofdchaicS.lndsl0nCSal
lhelOpoflhecanyonfiU(Fig. 6,1. Fig. 6,5 in Pos,mentierClal ..
thi,volumc) .
ScverJI nll s ha'-c Ix:en drilkJ. two "f "hi('h
ar.' shll".-ninFigure,IO.22andIO.23. ln cacheasc.liulcornu
s,nd,tonc ",as encounlcred wilhin lhe canyon fill . Thc fine-
grainC<lna(ureofthesedimenltilling)wkum Can)"ninlheWiI-
formalionof Easl Tc:os was OOcumentC<l by HO)'1 ( 1959) and
Gall<l"'ay et al. (thi, ,"olurnc), Evcn in can)"on system, that mmain
sandstoncs. prospo.'Cling forfan-relatedreSCTvoirr.andsloncs
",ilhincany"ns can be high ri sk:, NOI onl)' is the lalcrJI
of the rcse.voir unil limiled by Ikposilional gcomct.y
(i .e .. le\ccd-<hanncllkposils arenarT<l"' and,inuous).bullhe
eonlinuilyoflher.andstonebodies isfurtherlimiH:dbylher<'Cur-
renccof slumping wilhin .. II aS Ihepossibilily of
suecessivecrusional c"cnlSinlhisseuing(Fig, 10,21)
.'
Figure 10.20. Seismic ellpression of slump deposits: (A) uninterpreted and (B) interpreted. This figure
is an ellample of a pitfa11 in submarinefan interpretation. Torok Formation (Lower Cretaceous),
Nat ional Petroleum ReserveAlaska, North Slope, Alaska. Note the abrupt termination of the
clinoforms at lacation A. Basinward of this area, reflenion panerns suggest the occurrence of discrete
rotated slump blocks. NOIe, the majority of the downlaps are unidirectional (10 the southwest)
indicating the rOlated nature of Ihe individual slump blocks.
Figure 10.20. Seismic expression of slump deposits: (Al uninterpreted and (B) interpreted. This figure
is an example of a pitfall in submarine-fan interpretation. Torok Formation (Lower Cretaceous),
National Pet roleum Reserve-Alaska, North Slope, Alaska. Note he abrupt termination of he
clinoforms al location A. Basinward of this area, reflec tion panerns suggest the occurrence of discret e
rotat ed slump blocks. Note, the majority of he downlaps are unidi rectional (tO he southwestl
indicati ng the rotat ed nature of the individual slump blocks .
.'
10.21. L,,.!..:ha nn.1dopo.. " ",,hln 11>< A"bt h ""m.tlon. BI",,'" dop",O!, .,p,dl}" ,".1< ""t 1.. iq.. to th.Ion <>1',1>< p!m"'!i"""" MOr<"
8c:""h.C.h()<n.. ."OI<thedol""",on.lp,.,,,,""t.,th< lcn'"tl><r>tnc''''''''''' ",.,.tl><_.. ... .,,,hp:tN,,,,"b""l,,,,nt<,,,..u,,,,I,,',,,,rl<.I..
....nte",,",nal,'en,""",,,<:d,"'"<h.""elfill Th" th.ch,nll<: l p,"d,,,,,',,"th.,i,h'''do<>l',,,,"p/Io<.."r."")..,,.11.,m.""""'e'
,11.,,,,..,,,, ,he ..""'r.'"," ",k> In ,h" ')'11< <>1' "><"'011, Th.>< """, .""", "",ot. funh.. ""'''011
fi,ore 5<:,,""< pro.",n <>1' tlt< S'II1""'" S-ubm"In< C"lUII, N..,..,h 05<:. O tor do,,,I. <>1' h",,,,) .) N,-,,< ,hal. o"'"
S..".'Ala,'. (Alon.n'<rp<<lN.oBI,no''l'r<t<tl .N""tn,f"-.no"",,,o,,f:.:,<> c,o)"oftlll,'d)h.,liukorno",pI""'t.,opoo"nt,.I,potcntl.ldox,<",t(or
"'.'"corountc,cJ In ''''" ""011, "me'he "1I",r",.n, ."""on"',"'"<'"l""1_ pi.)'. "he", "'","',""'.,h..c botn "unc.'cJ b c.n)""
"""""".nd.ut<QU<",I} ...Olb'fi... ..r. ',...,"n)"nfin
,:e,.... ' . C."lonf,lIfaclC,i.""n<>l"h<Coh,"eGroup'UWC,Cr<1..."COO,).
/
B
0.0
~ E I L
10 . x"""',, E..p.ession and Re'ogn,uo.>n uf Submarm.
Pu"it'/i"" ,,/ Sa"ds/(ml' ..hi" Ih" [;:,...sw",1 Fm,
PrediCtloo of wilhin luwsland fans is diffkul!
10 Ihe .:omplexi ly of Ihi s Iypc ofdeposil. The occurrcncc of
,;.andslone in Ihis sySlcm 10 be associaled witll 111..,
thickeSI xort of Ihe seismically identified unit (Mitchum.
1'J85). Thisisespccially lrueofMutti ( 1985) Typc 11 andTypc
111 lU.bidite systemswherc sandslOncs arc concCnlr,ltcd within
or within Iobt: s. Sandstuncs within Typc Jtur'
bidite systemsaremorccommonl y distributcdacross thebasin
lloor and COOSiSI uf deposilional lobes with a mo.e markcd
sheel-likeg<'Orn"lr y.
A significa ni problemassocial<'<.l wilhlhc seisrnicinlc.prela-
lionoffansislh"pre<.liclionof sandslOnewilhinlheinlcrprcled
fan inlerval. Our expericn.:e suggesl lhal lime is
characleriud by dcposilion ofrclali vely..,oarser-grained sedi -
menl lhan duriog subsequenl lime. 1I"",e\"e . if
Ihe sedimemsupplyis sand poor.lhcntheresultcould besih-
pronc sedimcnl deposit ion during fao lime and w mewhal finn'
grained mud-prone S<'dim.:nldeposit ionduring [n
lhis lypcofsystem. il is thereforepossib1elhalllO signi ficanl
depositsofsandslOnemay beobS<'rvedwilhioeilheruni l . Coo
sequenlly. assessm.:nt of regional stratigraphy is essemial in
establishing the
In Ihe absence of straligraphi c
corr.:lations. anolher approach 10 s... -dimemologic asscssrncm
may be analysis ofseismic data (Peiken. (985 ). Carcfullycali -
bralcdsequcoce-keyed.sei smicvelocityanalyscs as wellas for -
ward and inverse se;srnic mudeling ma}' prO'o' idc informal ion on
lithologicdi stribulion withiolheprediCled fan int.:rval
Conclusions
When prospecting fo. fan s. multiple seism;c
ognition mUSl be used 10 idemify and delineal': lhe
1.,.,.,>land fan uni l (somelimes al1ernali\"ely rderrcd 10 as lhe
basio-floo. fao) . Th.:se cr iteria inelude (1) ide nlifi.:alion of
laleral pin.:hout geometry. ( 2) high-ampli l ude. continuous
refleclions onlapping palcobalhymclri.., hi; hs. O) inlernal.
downlappin; r.:flecrions. (01 ) lown:lief exlernal
mounding.and( 5)aSI'll<."iationwilhundalying T} pcl unconfor-
bcyood Ihe shelf cdge. The o\"edying
deposils a.e sei smically characler izcd by contortedlchaoli c
seismic refleclions 10 ampl ilude continuou'Ho,

major pilfall s in for hydrocar bons within lhe
lowsland fao are ( 1) apparcnl seismie moundin; is nOl always (an
relatcd. (2 ) lo",stand fan dcposilion does nO! <XTUr
wilhin submarioc,anyons.and (3) prediclion ofoccurrencc of
f,teies within idcntified fan s Can be prob-
lematicinsand-poor syslcms.
Fans
Ackn.,.,.' lcdgmcnls
W': lhankEx.w nProdoCl ionRcsearchCo.forpermi SSlOnl Opub
li sh lhi s r haptcr aS weli as lhe Euon affilial':s forproviding us
wilhandgramingus pennission lO publi shproprictary dalauscd
Ackno.....!edgrncnls are duc to lhe many e'ploralionisls
w;lhin EHun who have shared wilh us lheir as well
aS lhciriMas rcgarding lhc S<' ismicidcnlif,cat ionof sublHar inc
fans. Weal.wlhanl E MuuiandS Hanslienforuscfuldiscus.
sions rcgardingfan morphology andtheseismicexprcssion of
submar ine fans. A.H. Bouma. D. P. James. V. Kolla. M.H. Link
M. Richards. R. Sial!. and P. Wcimer criti..,aUy rcad this
manuscripl andprovideduscful feedback
RcfcreocesCiled
II".JI<. DR. D ..nd KII' . R 11.. IXpo"",,.,,
""" ',,n.ndnon h"<sI<,n,w,' r.ha; Am.Aoc. P",rol.Grol .
0 .11..nd J.F. 198J: IXI ..,< ,nll., ..."" ""
,hd!rug< n""",l" y p""....><. lO OJ S.. n19 ,nd G.T . .\(""'0. l.. Th o
.-.Io. I!b,. ,l: c. " K"".1 ..,",f",.onron"non'al mall, n" So..:. Eron. !'Jlro,"
... l. Sp. "'"'l . lJ. p. 121 - 1J8
R.O .. , nd v.,1. PR . 1988: 5<".,,< Q( E>mw,h
Pl>t<, . ,. "-W . l .. "-,I .. of .. ,,",,, " ra"graph). "I>I.n>< l : "-m
"-,_,,,,",. r,, " "'.Grol.S' '''o<,G<-oI .
G.,y. M .. . \I<M... R .. Jr. . ,r>J \\.OIf. Cl.. 19N,Gk>o' y<Jfg..""I'Y. "-m. ,,
, .n Groluf""I I",,,,", . W'''''''i'''''. 0 .c..805p.
GooJ '.. n. R.H.a nJp,...,...0.1I..
.. ' . S9. P. lI8_
H,'l' .W.V. 1959: E""""",I,h. nn<1 ,n,l><n"..Jdk "', I""no., V.... l um. Lo.",.
C"un'y. T<u>. Tr.n . Gulfe""" A,,,,,,. G<-oI. Soc.. '.9.
R.V. R"h. E 1 .. nJ D,ck,.",n. w M.. 1977. G,. .. s..,.... .....
Soc Am. eonlill....ns....:.. Fi<1oJ T" p
Gu,okbool .ll p
k. A . S<d,"",",.,,,,n a nJ mh.n..m ,nupp<' M,,,..
...' ..
C.hf....ni.,"- n' . "-''''''. P,, '',>i.Geol. B. II .
..y. I. E ..oo 1b..Io>,d, . IIJ . . 5<,, ",0< f""'o, .....
,1>< F"h! f compl",. Nonb 5<. mO R. Be""oo D. G. \\.OI,.n.... I'
s.:.. n . A'" A."",. P"", . c;..., M",,, 39. P.
.\l n,hum. R. M .. Jr . 1985: s.:"m,, " ... "!r.phK o<pr<""", u(,ul>n,.""" f,n,
m o. R Be" and D.G. "".,hon"". l,.. s.:..mo< 110 Ano "">OC
P",rol . e...... ..\! "", 39. P.
M.>ion"'.e . lUS8 IX.,....",,"'.I h"ou".nd ",,,oh,
ere".".."" ,n th o S",,,,,,,l P,,'roku", R<><". ,n oo .><1)><'," ,
""'. ,. G. G,) . l . Geolov,y .nd ,., >!""",on "ft he ... 1 P" or"'o.",
Ro ... ,,. ,n "I.,l;. U.S. P",( 1'"."",. R.p' . P
13':19. 1'. 5\13-6-21
MooKGT.. so.,k GW. Ilunham.tC. .nd I\"oWt:.t,). H.o. . 1978 .\1 "",
..
f"",.,. ,nd",I' r.I'P'''I! ,h. r...", ,,,,,,,on upp<' ""n"",,",,1 on,,!, ,n. "m
"-,>o< P",rol Geol 7. r .
M." ' .E . I</SS:
lO GG. Zull. od. . "f ,,<nno,; s.:,,", R< IJ<l.

M."'.E.. ,n.jS.,nn, ... , .\ I .IQgl Con,o<n"""""<)".,o .di.goo"o<fe.,.",<>f
,.m,Ji,. ",n.j.."n. lobe>o In' ....,'""" s..-.lin"'"' ...... [.'''!'C0n
M.. . h"y.P"" . 11O_I!J
E.W. S<"'''gr."",,' in!C,p'"",''''''' .. "",.II'I::,,,,kum
Rc>e".-... o. R lI<"onoJ D,C. l. . Sc"rn: ""'''IW'p/ly
Il o"'m ....,>OC. p . .!09- Zn
p'"",m"",,. ,. H,W. 1987: S<lbm...""r.",.Ikl,c>.I..-."h.,.e, ,"""".
''''''''i'''''''''< fc''''''''",k : So<. EC<lfI, P;'le"", M, ,,,,,,,', .\lid)."
"'u,"n TX. !O-ZJ.
P,,,,,,,,,,n,,.,.H.W __ .noJlI:o,"P. R .. ...I"r.
' . lpa""'n':SOC. E<:on.f':Il..,n . \"""rJI, R.><''''hC''''r.'.nS.... ().S<.
Lc'dCh'nrc>-Anln'<i",'IApp.--n.O:I,,",:r!0-2J,198.s
fu.amen".,. H'w,. ,noJV""P,R __ '9!!8.Eu".",, ....ntr,,'''''d..,,<dcro>'''on
11 _ ......,... "". anoJ ').... m' 'r.oc' ",,,",1,. ,. CK. \\ lgu,. D.S. H,... m"
C.G.S..c. ';:.nd. II.H,W, p.."",men".,.CA. R." ...noJJ.CV.n W' gon."oJ,..
s.,.k,<I,n.ngc-.n,n'.gr"oJ,pprw<h:SOC. Econ P""""' . M,ner-,' . S"",
IH- l5-4
Ro.;"".... K, ... .. 1981:SC'''''''''""",gr.:op/lyo(.h.Nonh S..P;.l<occno:-
..
"""n'.I .....,fo(""nh..<"E.'OI><: In""u,.off'e'roIeum.ll.jUen .lldSon
Lid . . u,ndon. p. "'- UI
s.ns"",JI:IW.) le". O.c.F"",... O.E .. Ame'y.G. D. .noJFenn<y,W,j
.. .
..0<1<. 1"",.,.nJoil'l'lIpp,n,-".r.oc,eri>li<. of'h>p<,.'OO"n.n,.' ma'1,n
,\n'. A,_""-'. f'e'ro! . GeoI.S.ooi .. c....I . Nt>. 7.p.87_116
Sa'l. J.F,. 1989' ....po"""... f'e,m.. nDa,,".
\\'e" Te."".nJ N. .. B.ollyoJ. . A" ,>I" ....
J: Am. A,,,,,-,. f'e,ro! . Ceo! . SlOOi c....I, N.,. p.
f
s.r. J.F,.,1Id lJ. . 1982: S<r.o."gr.o.p/I'c ' r"'l" in p,.",.""" ..nd. ln ,h.
B.oklc,a,< . NonhSca.I.M,T. H.loo .."y,""__ Thedclober,'e .""",hfot,he
,...,. ,. ""1" Am, ........" f'e'roI .c....I . Menloi,l2.p.
C...noJ . RJ.. 1982 p,oJ"",," ()l' dce".. ... ' fc"""",,
Ix,.,.. T"'n'. CulfC''' ,' .... '"''',c....I,SOC, . ., J2.p,!JS_181
C. , .\1.,,,,1>, R.J . noJ O.mu.n, I.E,. Eu,,"'" .",",rQI ,""ub
m."""I.n """.Iopm<n'. In"'. H. 8oom.anJN.E. o""..,.. oJ". Su"'''.''"<
fan.,alkl ,.Ia'.d ,y.""''' Spllngt,.V.,I"Il. N .... 'li>rk. p. !J_:S
S'dno:"B.R .. G,nn<t, S ,.nJB')I;In. W,R __ '\l78, t.aPk,,".:<ne,.."''I!'"
;:','.
'raop<ng oharx .",,,,-,.o(Iheupl"', , on,,n<n,.lm''l,n.,\m. A,>oc. "',NI
OcoI.Sloo;e'GeoI . .... lp.1H-26t>
C.C, .n.I L<noo, . .\t J .. Th..."In', ,,1., of ...... ",lonJ
..,n.: Un... Eanh R<"",,,,e. Founw"","

oJ.,. Su""'.""" 1......noJ ,.,"Kli.< .,.,.e"''' Spr",!,",V.,I,,! . ...
I-b,k.p.IS_Z!
V.,I.P.R.,." "chum.R. \I .. k , .noJTOOm""",.S,.IlLI917:Se"m",''''''''''.
phy.nJ gk>b>l'hange,of""".'ellrnm c"",,.I""'p.i.C.E.f':I)'''''.ed.
s."m'<""'''g..phy_ .ppli<., ,,,"stoh)'ro<.rbotl
11"''''.0c0I. M.""",:6.p.61_SI
..
.. I'ac,f"Se<',,," .
W.R" .n.,l Ch.... T.E, 1978: Ch,",,,, , .."", .""
l"'"oI.umpu'en".,()(M'..".'''y ..... "..,...I,n.C.lofo'n .. : Am. As>oc. f'e''o!
GooI ,
Willumxn,PS.nJCOI . R,P,. 1981: T<f,,",y ..dinoe.,a,ion,nlhe;oo'h<,n
lle.uronSe. C.n><l., nA.F-Em",y.noJH.R. S.lk,,,II.oJ ..
oflheTh,nJln,.'n. , ,,,,,.'S, mro>,um"""''''''cc...''''ry:C.n.So<. PttNl
(;roj . . \Ie""", 11. p.
N
Seismic Facies and Sedimentary Processes
of Modero Submarine Fans and Turbidite Systems
UO",O.', "" 0.000 FLORIOA ESCARPMENT
Modern fansurface, Mi ssiss ippi Fan,

John 8. Wagner, 1988
CHAPTER 17
Introduction
Johl1 E. Damuth 3nd WiIliam R, Normark
Theclearesltiebctwecnseismicfacicsandlhesediml'nlaryfca-
luresandprocessesofsubm;lrinefanscanbcachic\"cdthrough
Ihcstudyofmoderndeep-seafansandrelatedlurbiditesystems.
TurbidilycurrenlswilhinanygivenfanSYSlcmcanuhibigrcal
variabililyinflowpropcrties.Thedepositionalpanernsforindi -
vidual flows are comrolled by inlcractions bclween
morphologic fealUresofvariousscales(frommajorfan valleys
!O small erosional and depositional bedforms). and Ihe SilC.
velocity.andsedimenlcomcnloflhClurbidityflow(Piperand
Normark. 1983; Norma,k.. 1985). Ooly modern fans afford Ihe
opponunilylOdirectlyobscr.clhelruemorphologyofthc fan.

sourcearea. because lhesc paramclersarcobscurcdor.albcR
oniy partiaily in older. now buried (and oflen lec-
Fortunalely. bothmodernandancienl
fanscanbcimagedbyseismicreflecl iontechniqucs. anddirecl
comparisonofmodern andandenlfan may be
mmanycases
Comparison of facies ofsubmarine fans and relalcd
IUrbidilesyslcmslOdeducesedimenlaryprocesses issubjecl!O
the same (re"ie"e.j by Muni and Normark. Ihi s
volume) Ihal mUSIbe considered when comparing fan dcposi ls
mapped Ihrough OUtcrop sludies and scismic-reflection lech-
The physical scale and resolulion of Ihe fcalures
observedare slronglydepcndcnlOn thelype ofscismicsyslcmor
mappinglechniqueslhalareulilized.Nosinglesurveysystemor
lechniquecanpro"idelhefuU rangeofdalalhal "'j ll resoh'eail
scalesofmorphologicfealUresorscdimenlaryprocesses wilhin
one fan deposi l. Thcrefore. comparison of simi lar scales 01"
seismic faciesunils and/ormorphologicfealuresiscri l icalwhen
compar ingdi ffcrcm submarinefan S);lemS
Rcrognicionoflheeffccluflhesizeandshapeoflhebasinin
whichasubmarinefan isdevclopedisalso"cryimporlam. Muni
and Normark (I987)emphasized possibleprolllems in compar
ingmo'lsmallancienl-fansyslem'lhal"ercdeposiledinlcccon-
icallycomroUedbasinsoncominenlalcruslwilh Illrge modern
.ubmarine fans Ihalare fornllngon occanicerustoffpassi"c
marginsfedby"erylargerivCTS. Althoughmany featu rcs maybe
commonamongIhevariouslargc modern fan syslemsdescribed
inthissection.thesefellluTcsmaynotbesimilllrlolhowofthe
smaller.ancicnllurbidilesyslemsandfans(e. g. lhosediscussed
in 111). or 10 smal) fans in offshore basins now being
cllploiledforhydrocarbons.
PriorlOlheearly 1980s.lhe majoricyofmodern fan studies.
espccillllyoflhe lllrgefans.....ercmoreorless limiledlobroad
regional rcronnaissance andexploralory surveyslhalcolle.:led
widcly spaccd. unprocessed singlechannel seismic and bathy
metrie dala. plus limiled numbcrs of shal1ow-penclralion
10 m) cores_Close,sp;!ced surveys and
detailedstudiesoffansubenvironmenlsweregcneraUynolpos-
sihle( withafcwnotableexccpl ionssuchasthesludiesofNavy
andol her U,S. WeslCoaslfans: c, g. Piperand NormllTk. 1983)
becausesophisl icaled insITumentssuchasside-scanandmult i-
beamswalh-mappingsonarsandmuhifoldscismic profiling
lemswcre nOl ye1readilyavailablccomosl in'eslgacors. The
statusof modern fan sludi esup 10 thi slime is"'ell summar ized
by lhe 'ulumesrcsulling from Ihe (rsl COMFAN (COMmiuee
on FANs) meeting hcld in 1982 (8ooma. 1983/ 1984; 800mael
al,. 19851.which prescnldelaileddcscript ionsandcomparisons
of "ar ious fan paramclers for a large number of modcrn and
ancknl fans
During Ihe ear ly 19805 more sophi sti ea1ed inSlrumenlS
including si descan sonars (e.g.. GLORIA. SCllMARC 1. etc).
balhymelricswalh-mappingsyslcms(SeaBEAM).andmult ifold
seismicprofilingsystemsbecamcincTcasinglymorca,'ailablcto
submarine-fan inveMigalOrs_In addition. the firSI sys tematic
... t9'l1 1""
s,."",i, """,,,,mJ c(Su/J,ru,,,.t a.w Sm",,,
long coring ofsubcnvironmenls Ichannels. Icvecs. ele.) ofa
modern fanwasaccomplishedonlhe Mi ssissippi Fan in 1983
during DSDP Leg 96. The availabilily oflhesc newer inSlru-
mentsandlechniquespcrmitted
detailed.
un many fans. which previously had bcen subjccted only 10
rcgionalreeon naissaneesurveys.
The GLORIA long-range side-scan sonar system has provided
Iheeapabilityformapping evcnlhc largeslmodcrnfanwilhin
realistic time fr.lmes and cconomic conslr.lints. GLORIA sur-
Ve)'S completed 10 dale ha,'e revealed Ihe areal
sizes.andmorphologiesoffanfealUres(channels.levees.clc.)
and indicah:d the mosl suilable localions 10 conducl delailcd
sludiesoffan subcnvironmentsusingmid- toshort-rangeside-
scanandbathymetr icswalh-mapping systems. coring.andsub-
mersibles. These increasingly sophislicated inSlTumems and
techniquescan nemuallybe UsN 10 idcmify and studYOU1-
crop-scaleor smallerfan (ealures, therebyofferinglhehopc
Ihal we wiU evemually be able !O reliably idemify and compare
faciesof modernfanswi t hthoseof ancienlfansandrelaled lur-
bidilesyslcms.
The ehaplns in lhis deal wilh variQIJs aspccl' of
modernsubmarinefansyslems: lhe Mis-
sissippi.lheAmazon.andlhelndusfans{Fig.17.1);andexem-
plify the more sophisticated types of submarine-fan sl udies
thal havebccome roul ineduringthe 1980s.1npartieular.lhe
Ihreeehaptersonthe MississippiFanprovideexcellenteX.1mples
of Ihe problems eneountered in delincaling Ihe sedimemary
processes fo r a modern fan sys lem where a variety ofi nslru
ments. melhodologies. and data lypes are available. Thesc
stud ies illustr.l le various scales of fan featufes and how mulo
tiple syslems ("observal ional techniques"") can yield a mueh
bctter understandingof fansubenvironmentsanddeposilional
processes.
MissilsippiFan
Althollghsurprisinglyunderstudiedpriortolhe 198Osgi"en ilS

now becomeoneofthebest studied ofthe large modern fans:
and Ixen invesligalcd. al leasl in limited areas. with nearly
allavailab1emarinegeologiealandgeophysiealleehniquesand
inSlfumenl5_ This upsurge in study is mainly auribulable lO

and to the choi ce of this fan for syslematie drilling during
OSDP Leg 96 in 1983. Predrilling geophysieal sile surveys
mappcdportionsoflheyoungestdistributarychanncl-Icveesys-
lem with GLORIA (Garriwn et aL. 1982). SeaMARC I mid-
range (Kastensand Shor. J985). and shortrange (Prior ct al ..
1983) side-scan son3rs. and high-resolution seismie profilers
DSDP Leg96 thencored(hydr.lulic pistoncorer)theyoungcst
l'hannelandlcwcs atsitesonthemiddle ( -2500m)andlower
( - 3200 m)fan.as""ellaslhedeposilionallobo:althecnd ofthts
channd (- 3300 m) (Bouma et al . . 1985. 1986: O'Connell,
1986:Picringetal . 1986).lnaddition.lheMi"is,ippiFan,s
the lirsllarge modern fan 10 Ix imaged with relativcly close
spacc"d. deep pcnctratiun multifold seismic prof,ling (W"imer
andBuffler. 1988:Wcimer. 1989. 1990).
Inlhi sSl'Ction. TwichelldaL (thisvolum<':)desnibelhetyP<'S
anddistribolionufdcpositionalproceS5<:Slhatareasso:x:ialed",'ith
Ihe uppcrmost (- 100 m). youngesl dcposits of the Mi ssissippi
Fan as rewa!ed by GLORIA long-range side->ean sonar (Fig
17. 1). Usingthcrelativestrenglhofacoustiebackscatterrecorded
by GLORIA. together wil h 3,5-kHz and high-resolution air-gUIl
seismicproftk'S.lheydcfnclhefan-growlhpauernforlhelat<':St
QuaternaryoosedOflasequenceofshiftsindcpositionalsitesor
lhal oceur do..... n-slopc from lhe youngeSI
system. The liming and sequcntial history of development of
thcsedcpositional silesarcunccrtain.andlhcsedcpositiOflalsitcs
cannoteasilybecorrelatc'dtOlheseismicsequcncesdcscribedin
thisseclionbyWeimcr(thisvolume)
O'Conndl et al. (this volume) describe limited arcas un the
1O\O.'crp;nuflhefanlh3Iindudelhedistalsegmenlofanappar-
ent dislributary channe! (Fig. 17,1). This emire sludy area
"'uuld eneompassonly 3 small p.:tnofonc oflhe deposilional
"Iolx"" features describcd by Twichell etaJ. (th isvolume). Mid-
range side-scan sonar (Sea MARC nimages and high-resolution

action of depositional and erosional evenlS_ Overbankl levec
arcas ha,c been modified by flO\O.'s (bouom currents and/or
debrisflO\O.'s)lhalgeneral1ycross-<:ulturbidity-<:urrenltrends
andappeartopartiallyobscureprimaryturbidite-deposi tional
eharacters.
documenled in lhis sludy rcflcctonly the youngesl (ewtensof
metersoffansedimentinanareawhcrelateslWiseonsindeposi
lional r.lleS ar" as high as lIOOem/ lO'yr
In contrast to these two studies. whieh focuson the upper
mOSI fansedimentsandonlythe)'oungest (lalesIQualernary)
stage of{an lhe study by Weimer(this "olume)
uses a rclath-ely dense grid of regularly
tration muhifold 124- and 48-fold) seismiereflcction profiles
from the uppcr and midd1e fan to image lhe "Id"r (>2 Ma tO
preS<'nl). moredecply buried rhannel le'ce syslcmsand thelr
associaled deposits (Fig, 17. 1). Seismie-scquence and
analysis lechniquesare ulilizcdtodcfineandmap 17discrete
ehannel-Ie,'ee syslems. each uf which is lhrough
varying degTC<!s ofchannellength.lc"ee widlh. channcl sinu
osity. ' -enieal relief. and inlernal strUClure The
(lOSilion ofeaeh l'hannel-Ic"ee SySlem pcrmi ls delerminalion
uf relati"e age relalionships Ixlween channels. and re"eals
the s}'slematie lateral migration of these syslcms along the
Louisiana continental margino presul11ably in response to
shiflingcourseoflhe Mississippi Rivcr.
(
IndusFan
Thissecond largcsl modern submarine fan has recentlyunder-
goneanupsurgeinS1Ud}'byseveralinveiligalors(Fig.ll.lniliaI
sludies by Kolla and co";orkers deseribed lhe morphology.
inlernal strUClure, se ismic facies_ sedimemalion . ar>d growlh
pallernoflhe lndus Fanbasedonseismic-rcflcclion.balhymcl -
ric. and pislOn-core data (Coumes and Kolla. 1984: Kollaand
Coumes. 1987). Mc Hargue and Wcbb (1986) described the
,'haracler andcvolulionofsubmarinccanyon-channel,ystemsof
the uppermosl fan based on seismic-stratigraphic analysis of
mullifold seismic dala, In 1987 invesligalOrsallhe InSlilUIC of
Oceanographic Seiences and Universily College. S"-'ansea in he
Uniled Kingdom began a joim sludy of the Indus Fan. whi<;h
included a GLORIA survey of Ihe middle fan (Kcnyon. 1987).
follolO.'oo by coring and seismic The GLOR IA
su r.'ey a spi'clacular S}'SICm of mcandcring channel
levee ,)'slems similar 10 Ihose pre\'iously mappcd on Ihe
Amal0n Fan
Thisse<:lioncomains IWO ne"" seismic-slratigraphicanal ysis
sludies of Ihe lndus Fan. Oroz and Bellaiche (Ihis "olume)
describelhecvolulionoflhefanbasedonanana!ysisofrrgion

upperand middle fan (Fig. 17 . 1). This slUdy (an
growlh has beencomrolledby Ihe inleraclionofeuslalic sea-
level fluClualions. lectonicsoflhe sourcc arca (Himalapsland
Indian Ocean basin. andpaleomorphologyofthefan itself.
In contras tto this r<'giona! sludy. thcchaplcr by McHargue
(this\'Olume) focuseson seismic-faciesanalysisofsomeofthe
largc submarine canyonkhannd-levee systems Of lhc uppcrmost
2000 m water deplh) fan (Fig. 17 . Il This study is a more
detailedanalysisofp;lrlofthemultifoldseismicdata initially
interprcledby Webb( 1986). Locationsofsand -
prone facies within channels are predicled. andanewlutionary
f
hislOry forchannelslhalindu<.less.equenlial pcr io<.lsofaggra<.la
!ion. laleral and meandering is prupos.-d
The Amazon Fln(Fig. 17,1)was lhe firsl large modern subllla-
rinefan 10beS)'Slem31icallyimaged wilhlheGLORIA
side scansonar, This 1982surveyled 10 lhedisrovery Ihal many
ofthelcvceddislribularychannelsonlhemi<.ldle lO lower fan fol-
low highly sinuous coutses thal sh<N' devclopmcnl of inricaIC.
.:>ftcnrccllrvingorcu--Q(fmeanders( DamulhetaL.1983a.19881
Sinee Ihis <.IiSl..'O'owy, subS<X!uenl GLORIA surveys of olher fans
shown lhal highly meandering channcls are commonplace
TheoccllrrcnceufhighlymeaOOcringch:mnelshas rnisedcritical
newproblemsaOO questionsconcemingIheIype(s ). vul ume.con-
linllily.andhyd.odynamicsofthelurbidily n<N'S Ihalcaninitiale.
maintain. and modify such SillllOllSchannel s. Bc.:ause a lar;e
number ufolde. channe]levee syslems slill have morphologic
e.'pn:ssiononhesurfaceoflheAmazonFan .syslcmaticmapping
wilh GLORIA and high-resolution s.eismic profibrevealed
relaliveagc reblions uflhechanne l-Ievee s)'slems aOO he fan-
growh pauern(Damulhelal.. 1983b. 1988; ManJey aOO FlooJ.
1988). In addilon. channel (such as sinuosilY,
meanderwavelenglhand radiusofcurvalure. grndienl .ele. )were
quantital ively measured and eompared wlh si milar panlmele.,
for meandering subaerial tiver> (Flood aOO Damulh. 1987)
The GLORIA sludy was fol!owed in 1984 by a eontinuous
balhymelTic swalh-mapping (SeaBEAM) and highresolUlion
s.ei smic survey of Ihe youngesl channel -levce syslem of Ihe
Amazon Fan.andincludeds)'stemalic.bull imiled.pistoncoring
oflheehannelsubenvironmenls.In IhissectionFloodelal. (Ihis
VQlume) presenl results from Ihis and coring study
Ihal focus onlhe<.IelailsofIhe meanderingchanoelmorphology
and the implications of he sedimenl facies observed for
sedimentali.:>n processesandheirrelationship10
sea-level fluClualions (Fig. 17.1) .
Thedeposilionalprocessesrevealcdbyseismicfacicsanalysis
O(lhevariousmooernfan sdescribed in thi ss.eClionconlribule10
our appreciaion ofIhe complcxily of submarine-fan syslems
Thelackofoverlapin Ihe scalesoffealuresobserved as....en as
broad variationsinresolulionof(ealuresprovidedby Ihe'"obser-
valionar' lechniques and inslruments uscd in Ihes.:
clcarl y demonslrnle Ihe pifall s in aue mpti ng 10 generalizl'
scdimentalionprocesscsforane ntiredeposilionalseque n.;eofa
modcrn fan onIhe ofasingle Iypeuf mapping Icchnique
RcfereneesCitl'<.I
BOIi rna .A, ll ..d. Gc()- .\I.ri "" 1.<".... J. oos. 2- 4. p.
BOIi ma , A. H,. Cok""n.1 M., 000 M<) .." 1,. 1986: [n,,,. 1Ro"",..",',h.
O'. pS".Drilling Proj'.v. % :U.S.'''''. rnm<n' P''n'ing OfIi......,hong
,...... o.C . . 8H p.
IIoum.A,II .NU!",,,l< , W JI: , .nd8;0 , "",. )i .E .. 1, .. 19S5 Sub,"."""(an;
.oJ ,.1"1,",b,d".'}"<m>; N<,, 'llxk. JSI p
c"",nc:. F..aoJ"'-" I. V. ' 9S-1 . Ind",F:on,s."m' <."'\lC!". <h.onelm,s",.
,..,n.""s<d,m<n' ,hock.." ,n,...."t>P<' 8.U, 11"'1 ,OJ1, 0. M,II .."n.
,l... M'lLn, I!<"-'l"llY ,OJ "".on"tw'p/ly ..x ,h" A...b"n Sn.nJ".,.".1
. oJ ",1110'.
M,A.. An.<o,")' ,nu ll""';'h pa".,n "f Anu",o o...p-$o:, F.o"

Monteno. Me
Gor," ,. M A ,P.,l mJ .JI,C.,. oJ R.H. , Oi"" n.,y'h,n
nd me, ntk"ol .oJ M"" ,.tion panem, on ,h< Am.ron Dp-x. F,n J,
.. 1
M. A.,. I Ag.,.I.,.,o,h,,,"ofd,,,,ibuoafY<h.n..l.00AmaronD<ep-$o:.
F.n: mplic."",,' fo, f.n l"",' h y. 11 .p,
FIood. N,II .oJ O.mu,h.lE-. 1987: Qu.a n' i''' i..ch,....,'.",'' <'..x'' noo.I<
di, tribut"ychannd. "",....An\al""o...p-s..F,o,Gwt So:x.Am,Butl ,. y.
98.p,718_738
G.....i ....... LE..Ke n)"<l. NH..oo Boom.A.II.. 1982:Ch. nnel ,-"<moJ
1<>b<""",,,,,,,uooon,h . \I ,,,,,,,w,Fan,o.o. M."ne.. ,\..v.2,p.JI- }9
"",,<l\>.K.A. JoJShot. A N .. DeI'O>"ioo.1proc""""..xa01<,ndo:,,08
0<\ ,h< F.n, Am. "" ><J<.!'t,rul . Gwt . O"U lA. P , Y,
Ken)on. .... ,11 ,. Ch.,I.,D. rv. ,n, Crui",:!O.Gl.ORIA>lwy of,....
!OOu,Fan: C,"i..R<: """ N". In.. "",<..xo..,,.no;llIp/lo< 5<i<",..,De.
,oo t..oo..,o'y.17p
"'-"l . V. OO C""m<"i, F" 1987: .\torph,,""t!y. inl<,o.1 ;u,"" uf< , ",,,mi<:
""'''s",p/ly.nJo;edim<n''''ooof lnJu, F,n, Am.A:.soc.!'t " ,," . G<''' B"II "
' . 71. p,MO---677.
.\"nI9. P. L. .oJ FIood, !t D . . 1988: ",dim. n, d<"",i"....... "h,o,h.
Am""no...p-$o:, F.o: Am. Aoc, h " uI . Gwt, llull" Y, n. p.912-92'
T. R.nd W.bb. lE.. 1986: [n" m>lrro""'''y ...,i,m,, f"",n. ""
p<',""'umpoJl.o,i.loI<an)"n,.oJin ..,l:oo<h>.nnel<ofdl<lndu,Su/:>m. "ne
F.n; Am, 1\>><><. !'t,ro!.Gwt, llull .. y. 70. p. 161- 180.
MUII' . F.. nd NO<lII..l. w.!t.. 1987: C"mpa"lIJ,u"",k,ofmoJ..n.nJ
''''-''n',", b,d". '};I.m.:Probl.n".r.dconpt>. ,nJ.K. Lrn<".r.dC.G
Zulf. l....\I..,o< .r.d d."ic<edim.o,o!ogy: C.".,.pt>.nJ<..."...rie<
Gr.>h,m &1 Tm' m.n. LonOOn. p. 1-37
Norm"I.,WR. ,19SS:Loulmo<pIIokIg,<. loon,mI,'IId.fI"",II"",,,ng>m<.
Ir} "" Ilow Pf"""'iC"i in<k<p "'''n,. G.G,Zull.,1,. p..,.""".
of'f<n,.." R<:Id< I, Dorurec h', p. 47-63
$,B .. 1986, A", lOmy of _,n-",""",ine o.l'O>",oo,l.nJ
"it..'.. .. na" "".Co>Iumbi. U"".", i, ), N< .. Yofl". , l I4 p.
P,<I:'..ing. K..Cokma n. J.M.. D,,,,.L. KMI. B. W.!t
O-C"nndl. S.Ji . So""'. O.. ,oJ M<).' -W"l.... A.. 1986, A ,,"""' '' )'
la",lIy m'll'."1If. ""bm,,,.... (,n !te",I!> /rom
IlSOP % on..... F,o.Gul f ofM<"<,,. Po;,rol. Gwt
v,J,p3_18
P'pe', DJ. P. ..... Norm"k. W,!t.. 1983: Turtl,J "<ok"",,,,,,,,.IJ"I<I<rn.,nJ
11"""h.r""t." .. ,,... N,y Subm. """ F>n.C.lil",n,.s...-d<,I.......x..hnl<n

P"",.O,B .. M.m.C 1981.0.racl<,,,',,,,<>i.dp-
>i<. on m,lIdl. F,o",,11by "', .
'.y, TIlIn;. GulfCo' "'"'oc. Gwt So:x.. ' ., 33. p.
W<,m... P .. 5u.n of th< .1.l '''''''PP' F,n ,PI,,,.
Plm'(K<nel. G"lf", ..iro, 1.<11 .. v.9,p. 185- :7:1
W<lm<l. P,. 1990: "r' ''gr.p/I). foc., ,oJJ.",,, ..iM,1
h,,",,) of,h. r-. n.Gul f of .\In i",: Am, "',"'" "",,01, G<CII
1988 D'''' Lt..''on.1Id",,,moc ("".., ..x .. ".

i
CHAPTER 19
Depositional Patternsofthe Mississippi FanSurface:
Evidence from GWRIAn and High-Resolution Seismic Profiles
David C. Twichell. Nei) H. Kcnyon. Lindsay M. Parson. and Bonnie A. MeGrcgor
GLORIA long-range side-scan sonar imagcry and 3.5-kHz
seismic-reneclion profiles depicI a series of nin.: dongau:
deposilswilhgcnerallyhigh-backscauersurfacescovcringmoSI
orlhe lalesl fanlobe sequenceoflhe Mississippi Fan nlhe
eaSlemGulfof The youngesldcposil is a"slump" lhal
covers a 250 by 100 km area orIllemjddle and uppcr fan. The
remainingmapped<kpositS. lermeddepositionallobes. are long
(as much as 200 km) and relalively thin(less Ihan JS mhic,,)
bodies.Smallchannelsandlineal ionsonlhesurfaceofmanyof

nellhaisl heconduitlhroughwhichsedimemhasbecnsupplied
101hescsurficialdcposilsonlhefan.The3.5-k. Hzprofilesshow
thaladjacentdeposionallobesoverlaponeanotherralherthan
imerfingering.i ndic3tinglhalonlyonelobewasanacl ivesileof
depositionatatime.Shiftingoflhedeposilionalsitesappcarslo
be caused b)' bolh aggradal ion and avulsion. The chronology
de\"elopcdfromlheoverlappingre1alionsindica1eslhcoldcstof
Ihemappcddepositionalloix'sarconlhclowermoslfan.andlhe
youngeslarefunheruplhefan
Deposilional I"bes on Ihe I""'er fan consisl of a series of
smaller. elongalc fcalures wi1h high-backscallcr surfaces (5-
40 km in Ienglhl loeatedatIheendsofpreviOtl sly unrecognized
small channcls .5 11\ deep) . These small channels as
muchas 120 km from Ihe main channel.Smallchannelized lur-
bidilycurrenls andlordcbris nows. sand nOW5. or mud no.....
appcarlobelhcdominanllransponprocessconslruClinglhese
dcposilionallobes. Channelizednow an imponantmechani sm
for Ir:msponing sedimenl away fromlhe main channel on Ihis
fan and Ihe resulling faciescrealed by Ihese small nu.....sarc
lalerallydiscunlinuous
IntroduClioll
Thc Mississippi Fan covcrs 3OO.0c0 km-'. is as much as -1 km
Ihiel::. and ineludes 290.0c0 Iun'ofsedimenl (Barncsand NOT'
mark.1985). h isabroadarcualefeaturelhatex1cndssoulhward
fromlhe MississippiCanyonandisboondcdlolheeaSlb)' Ihe
FloridaEscarpmem.lolhesou1hby1heFloridaAbyssal Plainand
Campeche Escarpmem. and 10 Ihe "'eSIby Ihe
Plain(Fig. 19.1).ThefanisanaccumulalionoflalePlioceneand
Plcisloeencaged sedimenlS (Sluan and Caughey. 1976: F...... ley.
198-1: Shaubelal.. 198-1; Boumaelal.. 1985a, 1986:Slcllingcl
al.. 1986). Regional scismicprof,lesha\"ebccnus..'<J
::cumulalion intose\"crallarge.lensshapeddepositional pack
agescaIlW"fanlobe!.(8ouma elal.. 1985a. 1986: Sleltingela!. .
1986). sequcnces (Feeley. 198-1: Weimcr and Buflkr. 1988
Weimer.lhis,,,lumc),and'urbidi ledeposilionalsyslenlS(Mulli
and Normark. 1987). Here. Ihese features are called fanJobe
sequences. The loei ofthesc fanlobe se<uences shifted laterally
Ihroughlimeinresponsclodiffercnlsedimenlsourcesresullingin
Ihe bleml and ,'cnical grow,h uf Ihis fan wilh lime. A more
delai1ed scismic slraligraphicanalysisof1he uppcrand middlc
ponion ofIhe fan sh",,-s 1hal il is divisible into 17
indicllinglhecomplexil}' oflhcdeposi1ionalhistoryoflhisfan
(Wcimerand sumer. 1988: Weimer. thisvolumel. TheyoungC'S1
fJnlobesequencchas bcencoredby DcepSeaDrilhng ProjectL.:g
96 (Bouma el al.. 1985a. (986). The ninedrill holcs rt'''cal lhat
sedimcnt I}PCSare "aried (8ouma el al.. 1986: Normark el al..
1986: Cwncrand SIOW. 1986: Stowelal.; 1986:Thayerelal,.
(986). bUlingenerJ I arefLnegrained:especiallylheuppcr
5- IOm.....hichha"elx-cnfunhcrsampledbypistoncores(E.....ing
el al. . 1958: Huang and Goodell. 1970; Bouma. 19721, St-.:Ji-
mcnlJlion rales in Ihis }u\mgcst fanlobc seque...e are high:
<i!l 1991 h...
s."....,. ,,,,, ... Prox<"" of fims '","'di"
;Zn:';:::
Il9U''''''h'h.''PI''''.m.<l,J l.t"'nt>..........ry..!100--:JOOm......'h<m'<l,JI<
1"".. Th<I",.."",of.larg<,lump".'-to,
...... 19701.' '''nI ".,1><",,,
'",mBwm....1. '198/:1,.no.! OSOP11<>1., ......1""".
afl<r Bwll ..<1.1 ,198/:I,.no.! '1970). ""p."''',d)
6OO-IIOOcmlIOOOyrfor lheimNvaI80.000to 15.000B.P..but
dccrease abruplly to 2-13 cmllOOO yr during the Holocene
(Kohl etaL. 1986: Wctul and Kohl. 1986)
BelauS<'oflhelargesizeoflhisdeep-S<'afan.ithasb.>endiff,-
colt 10 Khie"c a regional oflhe deposilional pro
lha! tOlhe formalionoflhepre"'!nlsur
faeeofthefan. Todale.swdiesof lhedepositionalprocessesthat
ha"ebecnact ive on lhis fan beenddailcds!udicshat
concentrJtedonornearlheyoungeslchannelfoundonthefan
(Garrison Cl al.. 1982: Prior el al., 1983: Kastcns and 5hor.
1985: O'Connell amI Normark. 1986: O'Connell et al., thi s
voJume: 51elting CI al.. lhis wlume). These delailed swdic,
rC"eal compkx and varied facies within and adjacent 10 lhe
channd. A regional underslandingoflhcd<'posi!sand dcposi
lionalpro.:css..:sthat shapelheenliresurfa.:eoflhisfanisnccdcd
10 pnwide a bcuer und<,rslanding of lhe eompl<,xi!y of the
dcposilionalS<."quencesrerurdedonseismicproftlcs
The U.s. Survey and the InslilUte of o..cano
graphicScienees. U.K.. undenook a Mississipp'
Fan using GLORIA 11 . a long-r:mg<' sidesean sonar s)"slcm
EEZScan 85 Scienliftc S1aff. 1987). These side-scan 50nar
;magespreS<: nt a \';ewoflheenlircsurface oflhe fan Ihat has
allo"'edidenlifteationofa><.'rksofdcposi!ionalpackagesco.-er-
ing the fan surface. The purposesoflhis sludy are 10 pro\'ide
insighlsona regional:><:aleintothegeome1ry. relali'e1imin!!.
andprocessesofdeposilionlhathaveshapedth<'presentsurfae<,
ofthisfan.
'rmit",logy
The scalc of sedimentar)' resolwd by GLORIA is
mOl"hlargerthanthalseenbyolhcrsidescansystellls. RecauS<.'
oflhis difference in seale and bccausc ofthe eonfusion in
lhat airead>' e\ts in Ihe lileralurc (Nurmark
el al.. 1983184), Ihe lerms used in Ihis chapter are def,ncd
hcr<,.\l o(krnfansarcdi\'idedimoupP<'r.middk.andlowerfan
portions largely on he hasis of Iheir morpnology. T....u dif
fer....llt di\'isions for the Mississippi Fan / BoullIa el al..
1986: Normark el al., 1986), wc foll"w Bi)uma el al. (1986\.
and use the Icrms only fordeseripti\'e purposcs IFig. 19.11.
Channdsared':s<:rib...-d large ursnmll; Ihe b;,"C'cn
19. o.posit;Qnal Ponc,nsoftheMi"""ppiFanSo,fa.:c
Iq!. """",,,< ..,( ,11< <a>'m\ C" lf
..'!e. i", Sorne ph)"", ... ph,c fn'",.. """e becn
,:1;;:,:,:,
r<t''''' ..,(h'gh b..,k",... <, <"''''''9<>'''1' ,. "h
,1"1< 'C"'''',II<)",,"S.'' ,10000>I""""c >I\0I00 ,.
F;':." 19, 1
the t"'u is arbitrarily set al 0,5 km in width and 10 m in relid
fromehannellhalweg 10 levee ereSI, Three fea
tures have becn idemified On lhe GLORIA images, The smallesl
are termed lillt'U1iOlI$. which are Slraight. narrow. and have
....-ell -ddined edges (Figs. 19.2. 19.3). They are 8-40 km long
and less Ihan I km wide. The inlermediate sized linear
are lenned SlrifH' s and are nearly parallel to each other (Figs.
19.2. 19.3), They are up 10 200 km long and up 10 10 km wide
The largesl Oflhe linear fealuresare termedfingus and are
up [O 160 km long. 20 km wide. and have roonded ends (Fig
19.2). These fingers are nOI 10 be ",ith he "finge rs"
described by O'Connell el al. (Ihis volume). ",hieh are mueh
smaller in size. Areas ofdeposition have becn divided into
threesizcgrol,l)S_ The largcstdcpositional f<'3Iures. definedby
seism ie- reflee tion lechniques. and IIOt GLO RIA imagery. are
calledfimlobe U 'I" enceJ (Weimer and Bumer. 1988: Wcimcr.
Ihis ,"olume). This study has dividcd Ihe su rface "f
Ihe youngesl fanlob<' sequence into se"cral dcposits called
Jeposiitmallobes. The apparent finer-grained of sedi-
ment of the depositional lobes on this fan (Huang and Goodell.
1970: Booma. 1972: Boutna el al .. 1986) is a notcd diffcrenee
from lhe descriplionofsandy dcposi l ional lobes in aneiellt fans
( Mull and Normark. 1987: this I'Ol ume ). Within some uf the
depositional lobes of the Misslssippi Fan. small er fealures Ihal
are inferred 10 be dcposits on the basis of backscaller
alone are lermed 10b<'5 in kecping wilh Muni and Normark's
(1987: th is ,ulume) terminology
During 1985 th<, Gulf of Mexico was survC)'ed sea"'ard of Ihe
",OO-m isobath using the longrange side-scan sonar sys tem
GLORIA JI (EEZ-Scan 85 Scientifie S13ff. 1987) Trad lines
""ere spaccd loleavefewgapsint hesonareovcrage,Surveylin<,s
""ere spaced 25 in ....aterdep4hs grcaler Ihan 3000 m
over the fan. "'ere run in diree -
tion (Fig. 19.1 ). In dcplhs Icss than 30Cl0 m. hne spal'ing
"'as closer. decreasing 10 alx>ut 5 km in "'aler deplhs of",OO m
The GLORIA ,'eh;,'le "'as tO\l,'1.'<I near Ihe surfaee (alx>ut 50 m
deep) at an averJge speed of 15 km/ hr. had an operating fre-
quenC)' of 6.2 k-Hz on on<, sidc and 6.8 kHz on the olher. and ....as
operalcd al a 3O-sec firing rale_ Further informalion on Ihe
GLORIA syslcm be found in Somers et al . (1978) and
DC T"',ehdl ol
90
0
W 88"W B6"W B4"W Fi gur. I'I. J In,.rpre'., ,,'n uf rhe

-.q; ....n"ref.. '" " . ... , .,." ,>f J SkH/.
24N

"'''''I: ra>!u'''''''' n,n Fi, u,.19.b
taughlOn(1981) . Thedala were 8-bildala
(rangc of 256 !evelsl. cach side ocing rcpres.:nlcd by
"-I6 piclUrce!emenls (pixclsl inlheacrosslrackdircrl ion_ Thc
rcsulloflhissamplingdensilyislhaleachpixelrepresenlsan
arca SOm in Ihe across-Irackdircclion by 120m inlhcalong-
Iraddireclionforashipspcedofl5kmlhr:lhcminimum sizc
fcalUre resol,'abk by GLORIA is all.. asl of l his arcal eXlcm. Th ..
dalawere proces,;edl0CQrrcrl forgeomelric(slanl-rang .. and
variationsinshipspccd)andradiomelric(anenualionandnois.e
slripping)dislOrlionsusingimagcprocessingtechniqucsdc,-ci.
o]l<'d by Cha"ez (1986). The process.ed dala then ....re goo-
gr..lphicallyregislcredandcombincdbymcansofcompulerlO
crealC noor IEE Z S<:an 85 Scicnlific
Slaff.1987).
On Ihe GLORIA images (Fig. 19.2). "'hi,e (or lighlcr) areas
indicalChighacouslil'backscanerandblackerareasindica,low
bad:SC3ncr. Thcse images are Ihe rn erse of moSl side.scan
images. ,,hichshowhighbackscancrasdarkerloncs.

10m profiling data and 100kHzccho-soundingdalawcre collcc1i:d
concurremly wilh Ihe GLORIA sidc-scan data. 111c J .5-kHz pro-
files providcd onaver.lge 100-IOmof subbollompcnelr.uion.and
wcreusedlomaplhc,xhocharaclcrand shall{)Wseismicfoci .. sof
Ihe fan for l'Omparison w;lh Ihe GLORIA imagery.
Rnuhs
GLORIA
Thrce sinuous channds hl"e been idenl ified on Ihe surface
"f lhe Missis--,ippi Fan on lhe GLOR IA inlages. The easlern
",ost. DeSolo Channd. hes outside lhe region of high bad
..caner aOO is buricd by these sedim<,nts ""ilh Ihe high-baek-
s<'a uersurfaee near 21 3O'N. 86 W (Figs. 19.1. 19,3). This
ehanne! is 0.5- 1 km ""ide. is lr.!ced fo, alleasl 200 km. has
10--20 m relief fromehannd noor loJlhecresl oflhe
1c"L'CS. and ils noo, has a high-badcscauer return, The DcSow
Channel eannOI be lraeed lO ils origin because il is buried
a,lcposi l wi lha high-bal:kscanersurfaceinlhe DeSoIOCan)'On
area. Seismic-refleclionprofilessuggesllhat this<'hannclori -
in lhe :\IOOile Bay. AJabama area (Weimer. persona)
The westernmost channel ( Mississippi Chan-
nel) originales in lhe Mississippi Can}'on and is lhe ehanne!
associated ""ith Ihe most rerent deposition on the fan (Fig.
19. 1). Thi s channe! hes enlirely wilhin Ihe region of high
baebeaner anu is diseonti noous wilh one se<;l;on being
obscoredbythehighbaekscanerseatloor(Figs. 19.2. 19.J
bel wcen longitudes 87" 20' W and 87 50' W). The ehannel
is 0.5-4 km wide. is 600 km long. has 10-45 m
relieffromchanncl floorlo leveccresl. and itsfloor "aries
in backscaner slrenglh. The Mississippi Channel broadens
on lhe lov.er fan al approximately 25 3O'N and86 (X)'W.
Jnd from here a much narrower (0.3 wide). slraighter
,'hanne! can be tnlCed SO\Ilhward another 40 km (Fig, 19.3)
The lhirdchannel (Iabeled unnamedchannelon Figs. 19.1. 19.3)
hes belween lhe Mississippi .lnd DeSolo Channels ""ilhin lhe
areaof highbad scatt er.ltisbur iedalbolh enusbysediments
thal have a high-backscalter surfaee on lhe GLORIA images.
This channe! is 0.5- 1.5 ""ide. is 75 km long. and whuc
crossed has 18- and 27-01 relieffrom ehannd floor lO levee
erest. The origin ofthi schannel is unkno...'"
GLORIA images show lhal much of the surface of lhe Missis
sippiFanprodoees highbackscaner (comparefanlobeexlenlin
Fig. 19. 1 Fig. 19,2). Theareaof
",'ideby650kmfromilsshallowesl
poi nt in lhe Mi ssissippi Canyon 10 its dcepest point "n the
Florida AbysSitI Plain. The region of high b;tckscaller eo\'ers
87.200 km' anu imo lwtJ pans: (1) the eastern region.
eastoftheMississippi Channdand southoflhecnd of thcchan-
neli"henlOSl cxlcnsl\'eanJbrighleslparl.and(2)lhcsouth
weSlcrn region. soulh""esl oflhe cllanne! isa smaller area of
highbacks{alli'rstripeslhal sprcadsou lhwarJfromthi'chnnn<'1
(Fig, 19.2)
Thi'eaSlern region ofhigh backscaller has surfacc
eharaeter. ltsnonhernmarginis slighllylob;tte.andlhc,urface
oflheJeposithasahigherbackscanerlhanlhesorroundingsea
floor(Fig.19.2).ltsSOOlhernmargi n isshapedimoasericsof
broadn ngcrsanditssurfaccdoesnolha\'eashij!hacontraslin
Ixu;b<.:alter strcnglhwilhthesurroundingscatloorIFig. 19.2)
North of 27 N. lhe ca,lern region is by 'ny
highbackscattnareuate stripes:S001hof n o N. areasof"cry
highbackscancrrad iaICfromni'arlhi'cndofthc<'hann<'iforas
Inu,,hasI20kmasaseriesoflinearfingers l Fig.19.3). Smallcr
linealions also lre present: lhcy are 8- J long. less than
1 km wide . and abrupto ""eU-delined edges (Fig. 19.3).
MOSI are slraighl. bot somenre sinuous. which refl .. ..:t small
<'hannc!s ",ilh Icss lhan 5 m of rdief ""here nossed by the ,..:ho-
sounder. lile slraight lineations radiate from lhe Mississippi
Channd. ano may be <.:hannels as ""eU (Fig. 19.3). Thcir appar
en t abscnce on the 10000'ermost panofthe fan may be aoonse
quenceoftheirorientat ionrelali\'eIOthetrackoricntationorto
later modification (Fig. 19,2).
Thc SOuthwcSlern region eompriscs nearly paraUd ; lr ipes
lhal are less than 10 km ...idc. and reach 100 km in lcngth
(Figs. 19.2. 19.3), They slart wilhin 5 km "flhe .\iississippi
Channd and radiate south ...'cst,,ard from jI. but most do nOI
appear lO conneet wilh tlle channeL Their brighmess tends to
decrease wilh increasing dislanee from lhc channe!. lllese
stripes tend 10 coincide with shaUOl'-' dcpressions "'herecrossed
oneehosounder pronles (compare Fjg. 19.-ICwithilslocation
in Fig. 19.3)
S"smic Ref/ario"Profiles
The 3.5k Hz proflles show pronounccd dffercnces in surface
Mississippi Fan, Usingthese
proftles(Fig.19.1).theeasternGulfofMexicoisdividedinto
five characler types. Echo Iypc I produces a continuous.
sharp. bollom echo ano has numeroos. eominuQus. parallel
subbouom refleelions (Fig. 19.4A). Gencrally. this Iype of
.....a fl<X)r is .mooth. bU! in places it has broad undulalions
Echo lype 11 has a sharp surface ceho with a transparenl.
prolonged. or fainlly lamina1ed layer below il (Fig. 19.-18)
(from here on referred lO as transparent layer - its principal
lype). A semiprolonged . highly refleclive. irregular horizon
commonly undulies the transparem layer (Fig, 19.5A.B).
bUllocallynot11crousparalleJ refleetions are seen inStcad(Fig
19.5C). Truncationoflheseparallcl rcfleclions
thclrJnsparcntlayer.alleaslinparl.rcstsonaneroded surface
(Fig. 19.5Cl. The traMparcnt laY'er varies in fmm Icss
Ihan 1m tO grealer Ihan 90 m. the maximul11 p..'nclTJtion
achic'cdwilhthe3.5 kHzsyslcm.&hotypel ll hasa,harpbot-
tOnl echo ""ilh intermi nent. disconlinuous. parallcl lO sub-
paralld subbotlom eehocs (Fig. 19-1Cl. IV has a di(fuse
prolonged echo (Fig. 19...\D). Echo lype V is asemiprolonj!i.'d
echo ",ilh no subbollom reflcclions ano a surfaa
(Fig. 19...\E), These echo types closely ",itll the
aeoustic facies described by O'Conndl and (1986) for
10000'CTfannear
lhe DSDPdrill sites
,
D.eT""Khcllel.!.
NE Prulii<>J.'1kH,),I>.,,,, ,n_r,,<<<h.Ht.ar.>Cl<f'yp<,tUen.
sw
A
"firu on 01,,, M."""pp' f,n. ''''1 C"""......., 1"",lIel ,ub"""lOrn
.TYPE.I
...m
...

.. -- . o.",ubbou"m relle...""n,.11 proiuny<'ol bo""n, ""lI" """'''''''''''m
refk""on,,,,,ngh' ...."
""i""""'lI" '">lP """0mf"'"fn,'" 00
" B
TYPEIl

e
o 5KM
o

lNM
ThediSlribulion ofIhcse echo corresponds \"elll<.> differ
cnlb,:,d:scall<,rlYJl<!S seenonlh<,GLORIAsonographs. Thearea
ofhighbacksc:tllerooincideswilhl hedislribul ionofecholyp.:s
II and IVIFigs. 19.3. 19..\ B. D). Oflhesc.Iype 11 . the Imn'par-
cntlayer O\'crlyingan irregular semiprolongcd horizon. iSlhc
mOSI commonthroughotJllhe high-backscatlcrregion. Typc IV
is not and is bcstdevdQpcdalong the edgesofth<,
Mississi ppiChanncl: i1 has been described in greaterdetail by
Prioretal. (1983). Kas lcnsandShor (1985).andOC"nnelland
Normark (1986). Where 3.5-kHzprortlcsshow the
sedimentle.:holypc lllboryingl heacousl icallylaminalcdsedi -
mentsIt)"pc 1). GLORI Ashowsanabruptlransi t ion from high\O
low backscaller(Fig. 19.6A). The samcabruptlransilion,ssecn
in lhe soulheas!crn Gulfof WhNC layN
o\"erhes ei!her older laycrs or Ihe scll1iprolonged
el'howhnosubbollomrdkctions(Fig.19.6B). lnbolhcascs.
Ihe lransition from high 10 low backscauer on 1he GLORIA
imagcs ....hereIhe uanSJXlrcm is kssthan2 nllhick
(theresoJuliono( l he 3.5kH7. Thiscorrela!ion
lhal subbollom pcnetrJtion by GLORIA is minimalin kind
ofsedimcnt and the diffcrencesin b,:,ckscallcr Slrcnglh resull
fromdiffcrcnccsin rcfkctivityoflhcsurfaceorncarsurfaceof
1hisdeposil
ThcstripcsofhighbackscJuerinlhewuthweslcrnrcgiono(
Ihe(an(Fig. 19.3) coincidc "ithecho 1ype IIJ (Fig. 19.lC).
allhoughwmcoflhisareaislypcl(Fig.19..\A) .Theregionsof
.. ;-
A
-
B
...
"'..", ,, ,
.
e
o


o 2N M
Fig"",I'I_S_Profil<>,j.S kH'"'''''' '''l!J,rr... n,.,pe'C,'''' he""""''c>lIy 'r:o",,"""'., 1')'0" 1.o. ,A<.,..."",II)'
' ran,I'<"" .. '1",-. ,.'1'0' rol h"l! .brvod",.II,,...J<p"""'. j Blprofil<
.,.. In'<'!'fe,"""" """,,"t'he ,d,"on,llIp of ",,,r.1 ",,,lIe, 'r:o"'p.iI.en ' l.)",
"nh,n""" <po... . " ..l lob<.IO't>c "u"<.. .. h.,<.
,h''''''''l>o",l(In""O)"o,.. ,hao ",".. <Jf,l><pr<',,,,,,, "" '"',,"'"" ,n"",p.>I"w ,n ,h" ,r"n,,,,,ron' <kpo"' .
..nJ IDI !he 1" """"1' on a n .. "",",ron . nd a,'"",,, up";"" ,u,t". Loc.",," of "''''-,1<>
,h.""nonF;Ju,<, 19J.odI9.7
lo..... back-scall<'rinth.:norlhcaSlernGulfofMc.,icoandonlhe moslly t1al-,urfaced knscs Ih<ll flll broad shallo" .. dcpres,ions
Sigsbee Abys,;al Plain arC arca.' of echo lyp<! I (Fig. (Fig.19.5A .C\:insomecascs,ho"'cwr.lhelcnseshavecon'c.\
Ikyond lhe lerm inalion o(lhe highbacks.:311cr region in Ihe up surf"ces (Fig. 19.5D\. Thc GLORIA imalles 5hO\\' highesl
soullleaSlcrnGulfofMcxi<,'O,lhcseaflooroflhcFloridaAb)'ssal back.;,;altcr whcre lhe transparent Ia)"er s the Ihicst: Ihis
Plain (Fig. 19AE). corrclalionwJsuscdlOCOnnccllhclransparcnllcnscsonadja-
The Ihickncss of the lrdnsparcm layer was on Ihe ccnt lrad lines. A scricsoffingcrsof thick sedi menlrdJialing
J .S-kHz profilcs,and is as grcal as 35 m(Fig. 19.5D) bulaver- from lhe channclarcshown in Figure 19.7. Th<'''slump''onlhc
agcs8 mon the low.:r fan. This laycrisshaped inl o ascricsof
,/
originallyrnappo..-dby Wallr:erandMassingill(1970)basedonthe
moreexlensiveseismiccoveragcavailab!e fromlhisurveyand
lke GLORIA imagery (Fig. 19.3). This ',Iump" is pan of Ihe
lransparenl layer aOO coincides wilh Ihe arca on Figure 19.7
sho..... Ihickcr Ihan 40 m. Profiles show Ihal mueh of Ihis arCa
aClually is Ihid:er Ihan 9Om, and geolechnical propeniesof
mlhick
Bryan! e! al .. 1985)
ExcePl for a 5- 10 7(km-!hick layer o HoIocene scdimenl
(Booma. 1972: SIOW el a!., 19!!6) lhal eannot be resolved on Ihe
sw
NE
35-kHz pro/iles. Ihe Ihe fan are lhe trJns-
parclll layer. Thcy overlie!loth Ihe laminaled sedimcnts (Typc 1)
oflhe nonheastern the hum-
mocky sea floor (Typc V) of the southeastem Gulf of .l.kxico
(Fig.19.M.S)
Dcpositiono(lhelransparentlayerwasnota singleevenl.hoI<'-
ever. In sorne places 1hc 3.5-kHzprofilesshowlhallrJnsparem
knsesoverlieoronlaponeanother (Fig.19.5Blsuggeslingdiffer-
enlagesfordiffcrenlpansoflhisdeposil.Funherevidcncefor
1helackofa singleagecomesfromlherelalionshipofsurfieial
features shown on lhe GLORIA images. The ;;Iump" shown in
Figure 19.3.fore:omple.buriespanoftheMississippiChannel
(Figs. 19.1. 19.3belw....nlongitudesS7 20'WandSrso, W).
maling Ihe malerial lransponed lhroogh lhe channel and
dcpositedonlhelowerfanolderlhanlhe ;;lump"
Thc relat iveagesoflhediff<,rcmpansoflhisdeposilhavebet-n
mappedusinglheoverlapping relalionshipseen on3.5-Ir:Hzpro-
mes and Ihe Iruncalion of features seen on Ihe GLORIA images
(Fig. 19.8). The Iransparem deposit has bet-n dividcd into nine
discreleunils.lheyounges!andthieslbeinga'>lump"(Walker
and Massingill. 1970) aOO Ihe remainder being deposilional
lobes. Thesc deposi l ionallobcs are elongale. sheel-like deposits
thal are up 10 200 Ion in lenglhand as muchas SO m inthidrness.
allhough tnOSt are Icss Ihan 3S m Ihick. The olMst on Ihe
lower pan oflhe (an. The relali"e ages of some o Ihcse eould nOl
be detennincd because Ihey do 001 contact one another. The
3.5-kHz profiles show Ihat depositional lobo: I (the old<!$t) is
buriedbydepositionallobc1A. Therelalionbel ....'ttn2AaIld2B
isunknown.bulbotharepresumed!obeolderlhan3becaus<:a
small ehannd eXIc'nds lodepositionallobe 3, bul noehannels
prescntlyexlcndt02Aor2B {Fig.19.3).
The nexI se1 ofdeposilionallobes {4, 5. 6) waS red fromlhe
sharpbeOO inlhe .l.l ississippi Channelat 26 15'N (Fig. 19.8)
The unit (7) coincides wilh Ihe originally
mapped by \Valkerand Massingill (1970). Tllearea bel ..... ccn6and
7 (Iabeled <6) isolderlhan oolhofthl-m, but itSrela1i"eagcin
comparison lodeposilionallobes 1 10 S cannOI be resol"cdby
lh<,s<:daI3.Theagco(lheregionofhighbackscatter str ipesis
uncenain,bullhefaellhatlhedo..... nfan<'ndsofsomcoflhemipes

may bcoldulhanalloflhcdeposiliofl3llobes(Fig.19.3)
Closer c.\alHinalon o individual deposilionallobes irnlieales
Ihalrllany of 1h<,marcmadcupofse"crJJ smal1erdcposiIS. For
19.6. s..""'I''''!'h"nJ 0<><r<>J>->n<l'",-) p,ofil<,. ' AI"Thc '''0''''''0
h'gh 'o k,,"' b;o.;l,...".. on 'h< """'Ilt:lph "'''m.p.>nJ, " "h ,1>< ,,,"' ,,,""
''''''',r'lISf'I'''n' 10 I.on'n...... u" ,h. l .$l!tl ",,",l. ,nJ...,,"It ,h., GLORI'" "
tunl,,,!! ""Ir ,,,,,,,, oJ n..'-,u,f.. (81 '''''.'1W.ph '''''''''''- 'h..,
I);.-I<>c,""" " ..... t'" '",",!"".nt l.)" " ,h,d. ,t. "P,n ,n.J,e' ''''1,h.,
'hc Nc......u" """,,'h " "l"lto ' ho""face "" ul'I"',n.o .. ron ",j , ... '''",!"" .

,."'.,h"" ()"hc: ..... nugr.oph'. .. ..- ... "",..","F;j! u"'19.j
FiJur< 19. 7. """"'I"f. di,'flboo",.. .in.,! 9O W SsoW
,h,.;kJK'vf,1o< "",,,,,,,,..II)'tr.n>p"n,10)'"
""h '0< h' ih-b,,I<>.:.((<r Th"
.l<po.l>" """,b.,Ii"d<oj,n'"'h..."n,.,.,,...t, . ,11
I"" ''''n
'31$","."hanol()m(h,ck_N",.on'h<m'd_
dk.rI<l " , f.n ,.." tho ,r>n'p",<n, le....'
,.di ... fro", ,h .\Ii ';''''pp. Ch.nnd
Wb<1<d ti"" sqn>ent> ",le"" loe""""...

c::l O_10m THICK
10_((ImTHICK
O > .OmTHICK
_CHANNEL$
__ EXTENTOFGLOAIA
CQVEAAGE
-. PAOFILE LOCATIONS

n'mposcdof Icns-shapi'd Ixxlies(Fig:. 19.58). Thc
eSI on lhe GLORIA irnagcry is dcposilional lobc 6.
which has becn examined in delail Fig. 19.91. small
channels. less lhan300 mwideand5 mdcep.areseenonlhesur-
faceoflhisdcposilionallobe,andrnostoflhcmbifurcaleallhcir
dislal ends where lhey adjoin ueasofhigh backscallcr, Thcse
areasofhigh backsc:lIleralthc<'ndsoflhcchann<'lsarcimcr-
prclcdassmall dcposilsorlobes_ Thesesmall lobesare 15-60
long_ 2- 201<rn wide.100 are 100 Ihin 10 be rcsolvcdonlhe 3.5-
kH1.prooles.SomeofllH:smallchannelsprescmlyare notcon
ncclcdWlhemainchanncl.iooicatingth.1lmorcthanonccvcm
wasn<.'Cdcd lofonnandsub5equently isolalethcm (Fig. 19.9)
Discussion
Thc Mississippi Fan is a rdali"cly largc. tinc-graincd fan thal
has accunwlatedon apassivemargin(Boumael.11..1986: MUlli
and NormJrl<. 1987). It is (he tir>! such fJn loha>'c cumplele
side-scan sonar covcrJge. and lhese images like lhose on Ihe
Amazon Fan. which has becn parlially cov{'rcd by GLORIA
imagcs(D:.mulhelaL.1983).provide>'aluablcinsightsimothc
complcxilyofthedeposilsandproccssesofdcpositionlhalh:.w
:telcdloshapi'lhefansurfacc,Previoosly.lhcrcgionalunder
slandingofthedcposilsandpnx'essesofdcposi (ionCaOlcfrol1l
widclysP.1<>cdcorcs(HuangandGoodell. 1970: Bouma. 1971;
Bouma el al.. 1985.1) and regional gr;ds ofseismicrdlcction
9
19 s.,mm. ' )' ""'p ' ...... 101
__ __ ____ __
1o<."""" . II<Ir<I"''''l/<'oftl><.I<""" .
c:.;::> EXTENTOFHIGH
11" ... 1 1ob<"" P''''''' """.. ,u,r"". "f,he
BACK$CATTEA
___ 6DUNOARIESOF

DEPOSITIONALLOBES
RELATlVE AGE
__ GLORIA COVERAGE
Ocpo""un,11ob< 7" ,h.,
by .nJ M"""Il ,1I
profilcs (SIUan and 1976: Fedey. 1984: Shaub el al <:harJC1cr ofmuch oflhe fan's surface isdiscominuous and mm-
1984), Dcposi ti on away from Ihe main .:hannel. bar.cd on Ihese bUllhe caus<'s oflh"differcn("cs naCOUS1;' backscatlcr
dala. was assumed 10 be lalerally cominUQUS sheet flows (Fccley. no! yet fulJy undemood. lhe differen.:cs in Ncksc3t1Cr may
1984: Slching el al. . 1986). Localized echo-chaructcr maps indic3Icdifferences ingrain sizc,beddingthiness.orother
(O'Connell and Normark. 1986) and detailed side sean sonar physical propcrtiesofthe sediments, Mailablc eoresdo indicalC
sUf"e}'$ (prior et al .. 1983: Kastcns and Shor. 1985: O'Conncll that those (rom outside Ihe region of high bascatter Icnd to
,'t al.. this ' olume). ho"'ever. indicate that in thcse small arcas contain fcwe, laminations than those from ",ithin it (8oum3.
thc surticialdcposilsarclaterallydiscontinuousandhavchighly 1972),andthatsedim,'nlis sandieranddcformationstru,turcs
variable Most of the dctailcd studies ha"c mOre eommon in so me of the cores (rom within Ihe reion of
been limi led 10 silcs ",i thin or near Ihe main channel. and pr ior high lxlckscaller ( Huang and Goodell. 1970: 8ouma. 1972)
10 Ihis GLORIA surw}' il was uneNlain how uniform the o\"er- H"",'cver. a more complete ><'1 of cores is needed to llene. under'
lxlnk deposils ""cre 3""ay from Ihe main channcl (80uma et al .. Mand Ihc causes of Ihe acoustic ";ri;bilily sh"",'n on Ihe
1985a). The regional GLORIA coveragc sh"",'s Ihal Ihe aeousl i.: GLORIA images. The UnderSlanding of Ihe surfa.:e of lhe Mis-
f
Fi,u" 19,9. GLORIA im.1!< (ul'I'<'
'00 in!<rp<...., on (Ioo.'c' 01'
, " ,00>1 l<>be U>c""""" .J{ oJ<po"" ..",.1
i<lI>< .. .</kNn,nFilurcl\lS. :OOo(h.t
,h" de""''' .....1 I<>b< o"l,na'<. (rom
.h.rpbooo ,n ,h. M,,,,,,"pp,Ch.nn<I . OO
'h.'(h< unnamcdch.nn<I,h<,."n,nFigu't
19.J bo'wcon ,1Ie 0<50'",00 Mi''''"pp<


., n"",,, bin:. t<.,,I\c,, oo..'nf,,n't,m, nu,
aOOcnd in.".,ofh"hl".d",a"<,.
1..fV'- CHANNEL -==::::>HIGHSACKSCArTER
DEPOSITS
-:::::J> DEPOSITlONALLOSE ,,:::::::'\}::: FLORIDA ESCARPMENT
sissippi Fan prO>'idcd by GLORIA images in conjunclion
",ilh Ihe profiles does indicalc Ihal a CQl11plicaled and
disconlinuousdcposil ionalpallern covcrs lhe surfaceoflhisfan,
andlhallhisCQmpluil y ne.:ds lobeconsideredin faciesanalysis

Scwralscalcsofdcposil ionalfealuresarcscenon lhe surface

have becn mapped usi ng scismic relleclion profiles (Fedey.
198-4: 80uma e! al .. 1986: Slclling el al . 1986: Wcimcr. 19901

rc spondsdoselywilhlhccnlirearcaofhighbackseaueronlhc
GLORIA imagcry (compare e'len! of Ihe youngcsl fanlob.- on
Fig.19.1 wilhar<,aofhighbackscall<,r onFi g. 19.2or I9.3).The
surfaceoflheyoungcslfanl obeisdivisibli'inloal leasl nincunils
19.8).and.inlurn.
manyoflhedcposilionallobes olllhe lo",erfan, lhemsel\"cs.
consiSI of smaller deposils or IlIbes (Fig. 19.9). This
dcposilional pau<,rnindicaleslhalmuchoflheIO\<'crfaniscon-
slru<:lcdofrclali"ely smalldcposi lional nems, Thc o"crlapping
fclmionshipofadjaccnldcposiliooallobcs(Fig. 19,5b)suggcsls
Ihal. similarlolhc largc-scalefanlobc s.equences ( Fedey. 198-1:
Slclling el al.. !9g6:W<,im<,randBufner.19Sg: W<,ilu,'r.lhis
"olume). onl ynnci s acti'C alal imc.Onancvcn small er s.:ale
IhcabandonOlenlaod Iruncalion of lhc small channcl s "ilhin
individualdcposil ionallobesi mply lhallhc samclalcral shiflinj
"fslesofdcposi l ionsecnallhelwolarger s.::a1csi' 3cli'eallhis
,mall scakas "'ell (Fig, 19.9) , Thisvi<,woflhesurfaceoflhc
"",SlrC<;Cnlfanlob.-sequcncesuggcsISaninl<"TnalslrU(:lurcron-
si slingofahicrarchyofoverlappingdcposilsofdiffrrenl sizes
Thc res"h is a lal<,rall y discominuous faci<,s. e"Cn a"'ay from
lhe mainchannel in arcas "'here muhi channcl
largdy shO\<' cOlllilluous parallel laminalions (Fedey. 198-1:
/
Slel!ingel al . 1986: Weimu. lhis volume). How representalive
thcmodernfansurface isoflhefan'shistoryisbeyondthc scopc
ofthischapter
Thedepositionallobcsoccurovcrmuchofthefan(Figs.19.1.
19.8). Theirdistribulionindicaleslhalmoreofthefanhasbeen
o(l<' nloacli vescdimentalionthanjusllhemiddlefan . Redirec-
lionofsitesofdepositioncanresul!fromaggradation(Weimer.
Ihis volume).mass w3sting:ofthcchannel walls(GarrisonctaL.
19821.oravulsionbypanicularlylargesedimentgr.lVilyflowsas
hasbeeninferredonlheEbroFan(Bellaichectal..1981:AJonso
et al.. 1985). Amazon Fan IDamulh et al.. 1983: Flood and
Damuth. 1987). and Mississippi Fan(Weimer and Buffler. 1988:
Wei mer. thi s volume). Depositional lobes 1- 5 (Fig. 19.8) sug'
8esl formal ion by aggradationmuch likelhatproposed in Nor-
mark's 1970. 1978) and Wa!ker"s (1978) fan models. The flows
appc:artohavebeencontnedbythechanneluntillhecndof the
channelwasreached.at"hichpointdepositionoccurredand lhe
silesofdeposition shifledlaterally. Thelocationofdcposilional
lobe6atasharpbendoflhechannelsuggesISthalJsedimenl
gmvi ty flow. 100 large to be contained by the channel. over-
rlowed the levee similar to a crevasse splay. Once the levce ....as
breached.numeroussmallchannelizedrlowscontinuedloflow
acrossthispanofthefan(Fig.19.9)unlillhelimeofdeposi
tionallobe 7. whendeposition was redircctedonto the middle
and upper fan. Theactive shifti ngofthe recenlsedimemalion
sitesonlhc Mississippi Fanimpliesthatthecoarseningupward
stratigraphicsequ.:ncethathasbeeni nferredforfansasaresul!
oftheirscawardprogradation(Walker.1978)isnotthecasefor
thesurtcialdepositsaddressedinlhiSSludy. lnstead.onlhis
fan.lhedepositionallobesthatcoveritspresenlsurfaceindicate
aprogressioninlhesitcsofdcposilioninanupfanratherthan
downfan direction with time (Fig. 19.8).
The small channcls that radiale from lhe main Mississippi
Channel that revealed by the sonographs lhal
channelized rlow isan importan1 agem in th.:transpon ofsOOi
menl away from Ihe main channel on the pan of this fan
(Fig. 19.9).
mapped wi l h ScaMARC by al. (t his volume)on the
lo"..erfan. The channelnlappedbyO'ConnelletaL(thisvolunlc)
appcars on the GLORIA imaguy. and is lhe small ehanne! thal
approximately -1-0 km from the end of the main chan
ne! (Figs. 19.2. 19.3). Ikyond the limits of lhis Sca:>'I ARC
surwy. Ihe GLORIA imagery sho""S Iha11his channel ends in a
highbackscatter lobc similar to the small channels show'n in
Figure 19.9. Th.:se small channels show Ihat dispc:rlal from
the main channel has. at leasl in parto been by channclized
lhan nonchannclized tlows. Someoflhcse channdsarc
in exccss of 100 km in Icnglh. so lhis proccss can dfcctive!y
lransports..--dimentlongdi staneesfroI111hcmainehanncl(Fig
19.9).Ik-<:Jusethcse<'hannclshadnolbccnimaged.ithadpre\i
ously been assumcd that noncharmeli>:ed sheet flows
muchoflhefanfarfromlhemainchanncl(Feeley.198-1:Stclt
ing el al.. 1986)
deposilional processes that crcak>d Ihc pres.cnt Missis
sippi Fansurfacearealleastthreedifferentslylesofsedimem
nov.".\. Thcdistributionofthe high-backscall.:rsurfaceon
th.: GLORIA imagery (Fig. 19.2) suggests thal these surfieial
tlows originaled from the Mi ssissippi Canyon area. Thc yOlln-
gest unit (7) ha. becn interpr.:ted as a single"slump"deposit
(Walkerand Ma ssingill.1970)andasseveral failurcsNormark
elal. (1986)andCoJemanetaL (1986).basedonstrucluressecn
in DSDP holc 616. Thelack ofcross-cuttingfcaturesonlhcsur-
fac.:ofthlSdcpusi((Fig. 19.2)suggests1hattheyoungeste.'enl
in itsformalion hasco\'ered ilSentire surfacc. Whetherthis
"'slump"wasdcpositedasasinglelargeeventorse"eralsmaller
ones be resolved by analyzing the surflcial deposils
alon.:. Based on the backscancr of the GLORIA imager)'. lhis
depositoriginated inlhe MississippiCanyonarea.butilowr
rorlcthecasternlc.'eeonlheupperfananJspreadacroSSlhc
uppcrandmiddlcbn {Figs. 19.2. 19.4). Thisimerpretalionas10
the place oforigin isbasedonthe natureof1hesurfaccofthis
dcpusil.and wiJl nccd to be reconciled with seismic-renection
protles.which i uggeSt1ha1iloriginatedonthesJopc:easlofMis
sissippi Canyon (Weimer. written communication).
Thedepositionallobcs onlhelowerpanofthe fanmaybeof
origino The rlOger-like shape ofmany ofthese deposits.
Iheir high-badscauer surben. linealions parallel with lheir
IQng ues (Figs. 19.2,19.3).andtnegrainedfairlyhomogcnc-
ous sed;mcnl sequence (Huang and Goodell. 1970: Bouma.
1972)are similar. ahhough much larger in si7.e. lOa smallsubma
rinedebris flow thal has been mapped in detail,"'ith sidescan
sonar (Prior"t aL. 1984), Lensshaperlcross sections. sorne
times wilh surfaces IFig. 19.50). and acousti
<' ally transparenl in1emalstructures resemble largesubmarinc
debris flows off the Spanish Sahara(Embley. 1976) andon 1he
Amazon Fan (Damuthand Em bley. 1981), Although lhe geome-
tryandaeousticandsedimemologiccharacterofsomeoflhese
dcposits appears lO b.: consistem with a debri s flow origino
oth<'rsaremoreconsistentwithaturbiditeorigin. Forexample.
laminationsandgradedbcJsarepreseminsomeofthepislon
cores aod DSDP holes lHuang and Goodell. 1970: 8ouma.
1972: Colcman et al., 1986). Funhermore. thesmallehannel s
wi1hhighbascal1erdepositsorlobesattheircnds(Fig. 19.91
aresimilartothelurbidi (es>".\tcmsPriorelal.(1986.1987)ha.'e
mapp<'dusingsidescansonarandsamplingtcchniqucsinafjord
in wesecrn Bri1i sh Columbia, We cmphasi1.e. however. tha1 the
lobes show'n on the GLORIA images are several1cns of kilolllc-
ters in knglh in contrast 10 lhose seen by Prior ee al. l986.
1987). which ...-ere less 1han aoout 10 km in length.
pbccd('orcsare nceded inthese fcatoreslobelluund"rstand
theirrcla1i"eabundanceandthemeehanismsofdeposition
The stripes ufhigh backscaller lhal radial': south and ....-est
ward from lhe Mississippi Channel may indica1e Jocali7.cd shee1
flo....sorunchannelizcdflow,slhalhavespillcdO\Wlhc"cstun
levee (Figs. 19,2. 19.3). Thc3.5 kHz protles showthalthc,><,
high backscallerslripesareoftenassociatcd .... ithalhinacousti
1'1 f>JI!CrnS Qthe Fao Surl:":.

r.:gionoflhe fan. suchasshown in Figure 19.9,arenolclearly
on thestripes in thi sSQuth.....eslcrn region. The'\C
may Oc generatcd by localiled ovcrfloworno..... stripping" of
tlo"''' (Piper and Normark. 1993) passing through the main
Ihal Ihcn spread SOlIthward. The age oi" these stripes
relali"c 10 Ihcdcposi ti onallobes is enigmalic. Theirprc'\Cnce
downfan froAl bol ha ponionof the mainchannellhalhasOcen
filledbythc"slump(uniI70nFig.19,8)andunf,lIcdponions
oflhechannel suggeslslhaltheyareoldcrthanlhis''slump''
deposil. The do...nslope ends of IWO or three of ,hese stripes
appearloOcburiedbylhewesternendofdepositional loOc 2S
(Fig. 19.2).andifthisisthccase.thesestripesmaypredatcthe
depositional loOcs altogetherand retlcrlalime whcndifferent
depositi onal processes wereaeliveonthe fan.
Thesourcc for Ih.:sesedi mentgT:wily is IheMississippi
Canyonarea. Thcpauernoflinealions.high-backscauerstr ipes.
anddeposiliona! 10ocsr:ldialingfromlhe Mi ssissippiChannd
indical':lhallhi schannelhaSOcentheronduilfurdisx'rsalof
IhesescdimcntsaerossthefanlhalwerederivedfromtheMis-
sissi ppi Canyon area (Fig. 19.3). The croocd nalure of the
surface underlying Ihese sediment gravily tlow dex>sils IFig
19.5C)suggeststhatolderf:mmaleriallocall yhasbe.:nincorx>-
ratedinlhesedeposits. butalargesourceareast ill wasneed.:d.
ThelalePlei slocenefailurethatcreated lheMississi ppi Canyon.
orfailureoflhemateriallhatsuOsequentl yi ntilledlhi scan)lOn.
istheprobable souree. Colemanel al. (1983) Goodwin and
Prior(1 989jauribuleformationoflhe Mississippi Canyon10 a
series of failure sonthe upper slope. The
lionallobcsandthesmalllobesonlhefanmayrepresenleither
as.eriesoffailuresassociatedwiththeformationoflhecan)lOn
orfailurtsthal imerruplcdlhcinf,lIingoflhecanyon. Analter-
nalcexplanation.atleaslforlhedex>silionallobesonlhelower

associalcd with nuvial discharge Ocing fed dircrtly into the
canyon syslem.
Goodwinand Pri or(1989jdaled the formationofth<, Missis-
sippi Can)lOn al prior10 30.000B.P. witherosionofthecaoyon
wa!lsand inf,llingofth<,eanyontlooreontinuingunl ilaboul
7500 S. P. Cores show 5- 70 cm of Holocene ooze overlying
Pleisloccnemuds(E,,ingC!al.1958: Bouma. 1971:StIN' elal .
1986). 5.:dimentation rales of Ihese Holoeene sedimcnts are
2-Deml ](XXI yr. whcr<'3s the Plei slocenc muds show average
sedim<,ntation ralesof600- IIOOemlloooyrfo rthetime int er
"al 15.000- 80.000S,P. (Kohl elal. . 1986). The laofsignifi -
eants.:dimenlcmeronthedcx>si lionalloOcsi lllpli es thalthese
sediment gr3\"i ty tlo...'swcredepositednearthcend ofthislimc
ofhighsediment input allheoosclofor par! way lhrough the
Il olocene ri s.: in ,ea Icwl ralhcr Ihan earlicr during the
5.:dimem inpul 10 Ihe GulfofMexi<:o was extremely
highOctwccn 16.500and 11.600B.P,. and wlsassociatcdwith
thelastdi schargeofglaeialmcltwalerintolheGulfofMexi<:o
Ocforelhis melt""atcrwas redireeled through the 51. Lawrence
5eaway to lhe Atlanti,' (Laventer el al 1982: Williams :tml
Kuhl. 1986) This large sediment supply to the Gulfuf,\k_k"
couldhavercsultcd in instabilit yoflhe lluter sh.:tfandupper
sh,x'sedimenlScausingfailuresIhatWQuld have a

Cllncl usiolls
Sc,eralmajor><:>i nlScanbentadcaooutrecentdcposit, ononlh.:
.\Ii ssissippi Fan from Ihe GLORIA side-scansonar r.:sults
1, The Mississippi Fan ,' hannel is the condui llhrough which
s.:o.! iment hasbeen supplied lotheeighlreccntd<'posi tional
lobesthalha"eOccnidcntifiedonthclowerfan.Thc"slulllli
onIhe upper and middlc fan spreadsonto theupper fa n
ofthc channel
1. Di spersal ofsedimenl away fromIhe mainchanndis largely
by channelized flow "ia small ehannds rather Ihan by un
no'"s
3. Thcdex>sitionallobescoveringthesurfaeeoi"themllslrecent
fanlob.: sequencc(ofwhieh8o(l he surfieial ha"e b..'en
idelltifi.:d)andthcirdislr ibutiononupx'r.middle.ano.!IO\'oer
fanprovineesindicatethatdepositionisnotconfinedtothe
'niddlefan.l'I:rhapslhisisOccausethechanneJistoosmallto
eontainsomeoft he s.ediment gT:lv ilyllo...'spassing throughi t
ThedepositionalloOcsha"c moved progressi"ely uplhe fan
ratherthan prograding in ldO\'o'n-fan direetion.
The large number ofdepos itional loOcs and the eomx>site
natureofmanyofthemindieatcthatrclativdysmalldcposi-
tionale"emsaeeounlforbuildingaJargeparloflhisfan.The

surfaceoflhe fanimplieslhallhe fanstratigraphy iSl110re
and lalcr:llly discont inuous than Ca n oc inf.:rred
fromseismie -retlection proftlesor"idclyspacedcores.The
dex>sitionalluOesand e"en Ihe smallcr loOcs idcnlifiedon
theGLORIAimages. hO\'o'e\"er. still areenormousincompari-
sonto the oUlcrops useo.! in lhe an,;':m r.:ooro.!
5. Thedcpositionallobes..-eremainly by sill- and day-sized
mater ial deri"ed from the Mississippi and are
Oclic"cd 10 ha"e Occn dcx>sit.'<l 13.000- 15.000 B.P. during
thetransillon fromlowtohighsea k"el
Acknowkdgm.:nlS
W<'thankCaptain R.HadgrJft andcrewoflheRIV FARNELLA
in Ih.: collcClionof data,
nieal supx>rt for lhe GLORIA systcm was prm' ided by M.
Sumer, andO RishopoflOS. p, Cha\"czoflheUSGSd<" 'clox'd
the software package used for proeessing and mosa'cling Ihe
GLORIA data. V Paske"ieh taughl usho...' tou'\C thc sofl "'arc
and made modificationstoSlreamJine the procedure. Drafting
l
and ptlOl<J!rJ phic work ",as done by P Forrestel. J.
D. Bl a\Ck",ood. Rev i .. by M. An hur. J. A
..\1. Link. D. OLeary. R. W. Normark. J.
Schlec.andP. Welmcr greally impro..-cd lhismanuscripl
RefcrenccsCilCd
AI"n,,",. 8 .. Ka>l.n,. 1( ,>,.. ,>, . ..,. ,>, . S<I",.. eH .
O"C"nfldl. S. r,I.,,-!uc,. ,>,. . ,n.l Ry;n. W8.F. . 193): "i,h.
Ebn,fan ",11<)"fmm S...I.1,>,RC and Se.Bc.m pruf,l<s: <J<,.,.\lmnc Le"
' .
I!;o,nc,. N. E . nJ W R . O,"Sn"",,< r'if;"""OI> f()f ooO\p""og
mOO<,n ,ubm,,,,,,, ,:'0. ,nd."",<n"u,bid, .. '>', 11 s"",,,.,
N"rm.. ."" S.E. B.rn... od,.. Subm. "ne f,n, .nJ ... I>,od tumoJi..
..I'8.N.,,,,'tb,k , p.
8<11...1><. G,. Oro<,l..A10..,. J,e. C,. Got. 11., ." ",,:oro. ,>,..
n.oo. A .. So, ,,,,Rc'.n'.... I, .n.l ),I , ...b<I<. Lo. 19111 ' TI>< Ebw,nd
J<q>-"'" f,ns: RI>1 romp""'''''< >100); .1.1.., Gcol, 4J, p,
s""m. '>',H. 1912. ",,,,,tu,.. ,n
,1>< Gu lfol Mo>lCo. Rctak.nd V,J H.n'y.""' . . Con",,,",,on.,,"'h.
GwkJfi..
Un",CX nog' St"'-".,..Gulf"'-'bl . C"-.H"",'",,.TX.. j , p.JS- 6t>
Boum A H,.CoIcm.n, J .\I ,..\I.).A'w' .,.1..1981>: ln,r.-.Ju<"0tI ,ob,..:
"""'. ,no! pr,oClpal ... ",1 .. <Jf De<p Se. 0"11",, Pro)C<t 96. '\ ,H
IIoom. J .. \1. CoI.m.n, A.W. .\Ieye, ....1.. 1>,. In"..1 Rcp.>'b(}('h. De<p
Se. Or,lh",P<OjO:U,S. Go>'on"n' P"n"ogOffice. Wa.I""",,", O.c. .
v. 96. p. IS_J6.

;; f.nian<! ,<1""" 'urtoi.!i,. ,}",.m" $p<,nge .vcrl>$. ... p, 143-
Boum. A.H .. Norm.rk. w'R..no.Il!;or"". N.E .. <d, __ ..,
nJ ... 1 .."" 'u,b,di,c .},,<m,. 1'1."" HI p.
8r)'.nt, W, R. ' n.l OSDP lq '16 Sh'pbu,,,d Seicn"'1>, 1985: Con, ..hd:r,"


P,S.. 1q8/). Pn",",,,ng thn"!",,, for "",.. ,m'g.. from
GLORIA: 1'!H>I"II ...mmr,,,,,E,,,,nce,, ,', 5!.p.
C"km,n.l.\!. . Boum . A.H ,. Robe" H. H, . ,ndTh.)u. P. 1986: St.."r.".
,;'""n F.ncor.. r..IIby ""'''II",>h)'. In ,>,.Ii. Boum.
I, M. CoIem. n.A "".. .\Ie) ....'.1 .""... 1"",.1 Repom.(}(,1>< 0,,11
P"'J!; U.S. Go>emme"' P"n".., Ofr".. , W.oh,,,,,on. OC. ". >16
P"Uf. 0.8, .nd t,no.I... J. F . . 0<1",,, 10'1"" ........ , ,,"
,n,"b,I,,) p""''''". m 0./, S"nlc:)' ,nd G,T M"'"e, ed., Tl><
,h.llbr..' : Cr"",.1 ' Olerl",e,,"""'''nen,,1 Soc. EA"". f'alc:.ffl,
M,nc:r.I.S9. Publ H , p. 1!1_1J7
Cremer. M . no! St..... O. A,V. Sed,n",", . ,)' ,"'''''u,,, uf
"ru,m.ot>f,,,m,I>< .\I "'''' ' PI',F.n. Th,n""""",n.ll,,. mA H. s""m.
J . .\I. CoItm... AW. Me)'. el . 1 . <J". I",,,I Repuru,Jf'h< DcepSe.
""',h"'itonne.' 96
p.S I9_5J2.
D-,","th. J.E .. nd Emblc). W, 1981: p,"".,><, un '\,n.,,,"
W.... ..o".IA'I. n". :Am. ,\''''' Pe,ro! Geol.' 65.p.6!9-
O.nMh. I,E.. !<;oI1, . V.. FIood. 0__ I(ooo",,,n", RO" M",,'mo..\te
Qoo-in,. M,A . . p.lm'././,C. .ndlkl,Jo'son.It.H . 198J. O"t"but.r)'<h..",, 1
n... ..,i<>np""<r",onAn,.,on De<p-S.. F. n., ..v<.lodhj
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Jon.BPSPubl .. p. 16_!4.
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S.. Pkk<ring. KT. S,.I"",. CE.. S.A.. 'ooJ Ch. pl,n. C. \986
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Go" ..""",n, Prn""SOlfice, W.>h,nlllOn. O.C . 96. p. HS437.
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F. n.GulfCo",' A,,,,,,,. GJj. s.x. Tr.>n.. ", 26.p. Hl - :l4J.
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Pron"ng Off"",. O.C.. Y. 96. p,
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nonhc..t<,n Gulfo(.\1<,,,-u: GroI . Soc. Am. Bull ., !I.p. JIOI_JI01I
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