Basin Analysis

Basin Analysis (MRE403, 15 Credits)

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Basin Types, Setting, Sedimentary Facies & Mineral Resources…

Divergent Boundaries
 Basin Analysis Framework
Time

2 Target
Geophysics
7 Definition

3 Precipitation
Mechanism
9 8 Ore Control
4
Mineralization
1 10 14 Alteration
Grass Roots
Exploration
Manpower

Patterns

11
Exploration in
Paleohydrology
mining districts
5
12 Source
Rocks

6
Stratigraphic
13 Drilling

8. Organic Geochemistry, thermal

1. Data Collection & Cataloguing
2. Plate Tectonics
3. Basin and basement composition
age and configuration
4. Economic evaluation of target type 12. Inorganic geochemistry
history
5. Seismic Interpretation 9. Structure 13. Report writing and quality control
10. Facies distribution and burial
6. Facies Interpretation
history
14. Ore-forming processes
7. Gravity magnetics and
11. Paleohydrology
electromagnetics

Integrated sedimentary basin analysis organisational diagram for mineral exploration (J.J.Eidel, 1991)
Relative plate Basin Basin description Modern Ancient example
movement type example

Divergent Terrestrial rift Rifts in continental crust, Rio Grande, Baikal, Keeweenawan(Precambrian),
valleys commonly with bimodal Rhine-Bresse Karoo(Jurassic), Viking &
setting
volcanism Graben Central Grabens(Mesozioc),

Proto-Oceanic Incipient ocean basins Red Sea, Gulf of East Greenland(Jurassic)

rift troughs floored by new oceanic California
crust, flanked by young rifted
continental margins

Intraplate setting Continental rises Mature rifted intraplate continetal East coast, USA Early Palaeozoic of USA and Canadian
and terraces margins at continental-oceanic Cordillera
boundary

Continental Progradation of sedimentary wedges Missippi, Gulf Coast, Early Palaeozoic Meguma terrane,
embankments at edges of rifted continental margins USA Canadian Appalachians (?)

Intracratonic Broad cratonic basins, commonly Chad Basin (Cenozoic), Palaeozoic Michigan Basin, Illinois
basins with underlying rifts Congo Basin Basin, Williston Basin (USA)

Continental Stable cartoons with think, extensive Barents Sea Middle Palaeozoic, North American Mid-
platforms sedimentary cover continent

Active ocean Basins floored by oceanic crust and Pacific Ocean Various ophiolite bearing complexes
basins active divergent plate boundaries (Semail, Orman), Neoproterozoic
Arabian Shield
 Divergent Margins…

• Terrestrial Rift Valley

• Proto-oceanic Rift Troughs

http://geology.com/articles/east-africa-rift.shtml
 Divergent Margins

• Process of rifting, and

continental break up…

http://www.zetaware.com/utilities/beta/beta.html
 Morphology of a Terrestrial Rift Valley

• Think about the facies

that will be evident
Pre-rift, Syn-rift &
Post-rift?

http://ethiopianrift.igg.cnr.it/rift%20valley%20geography.htm
 Morphology of a Proto-oceanic Basin

• East African Rift…

http://ethiopianrift.igg.cnr.it/rift%20valley%20geography.htm
Morphology of a Proto-oceanic Basin

• Once a rift has opened

to the limit of the flexure
of the crust it new
oceanic crust may be
formed, initially at or
above sea-level as in
the Afar Triangle.

• Dabbahu Volcano &

Rift…

http://www.livescience.com/10592-giant-crack-africa-create-ocean.html
 Facies within a Rift Valley

• Carboniferous Karoo

• Fluvial

• Lacustrine

• Shallow Marine

w.sees.manchester.ac.uk/our-research/research-areas/pes/basin-studies-and-petroleum-geoscience/research-themes/clasticsedimentologyandsequencestratigraphy/currentresearch/slope4/karoo

hopen.com/books/mechanism-of-sedimentary-basin-formation-multidisciplinary-approach-on-active-plate-margins/early-continental-rift-basin-stratigraphy-depositional-facies-and-tectonics-in-volca
 Facies within a Proto-oceanic Basin

• Red Sea Basin, Red

Sea

• Facies from alluvial,

through fluvial,
lacustrine & to shallow
and deep marine…

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274405020_Hydrocarbon_Source_Rock_Generative_Potential_of_the_Sudanese_Red_Sea_Basin
 Sediment Hosted Mineral Deposits…
• Continental Deposits

• Alluvial

• Fluvial

• Lacustrine

• Deltas

• Turbidites

• Evaporites

• Episodic influx

• closed basins

• Volcanic Rocks

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274405020_Hydrocarbon_Source_Rock_Generative_Potential_of_the_Sudanese_Red_Sea_Basin
 Stratiform Copper Deposits (SCD)
• Sediment accumulation…

• Reducing Environment (ANOXIC)

• Oxidised water (Highland

Recharge)

• Remobilisation of minerals in
Oxidised waters
• Hydrological flow of water
• Re-deposition at the REDOX
boundary
A general genetic model for SCDs, based on a
highland recharge of meteoric waters which
evolve to redden the rift sediments and to
become saline and capable of transporting
copper into the base of overlying sulfide-rich
sediments (adapted from Brown in print)

http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F3-540-27946-6_21
http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/farooqs/notes/m7-1-4.htm
 Evaporites

• Restricted water
flow

• High evaporation
rate
 Stretching leads to isostatic adjustment…

• Isostatic readjustment to changes in the lithosphere thickness

(initial subsidence);

• a thermal perturbation, which produces (by removing the excess

heat out of the lithosphere) a long term thermal subsidence;

• deviation of basin depth from a local isostasy will cause the

lithosphere to be in an up‐ or down‐ ward state of flexure.
Stages of rifting…
Heat Flow in rifted areas…

http://earth-literally.blogspot.com/2012/01/basin-analysis-flog.html
 Mechanisms for rifting…

• Passive - distance
forces pull apart the
rift

• Active - upwelling
mantle plume causes
extension
Subsidence Mechanisms

http://earth-literally.blogspot.com/2012/01/basin-analysis-flog.html
 Isostasy…

• The solid crust ‘floats’ on the the asthenosphere

because the latter has sufficiently low viscosity to
flow.

• If the earth is subdivided into columns each column

must have equal mass
Gravity beneath rift zones…

• Gravity can be used

to recognise crustal
variations in
thickness &
density…
• Depth to basement
has here been
derived from
gravity…