Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Seismic sequences'

This study investigates the potential relation of seismic anisotropy measured by surface seismic and the sealing potential of the shale sequences. Two case studies analyzed such a relationship. The Gippsland basin and Exmouth sub-basin are both hosts to prolific hydrocarbon resources and offer plenty of seismic data and sealing potential measurements. Weak anisotropy parameters extracted from carefully reprocessed seismic data show in both cases a positive correlation between sealing capacity and anisotropy of the shale.

Tesis para optar al grado de Doctor en Ingeniería de Minas
Una característica común en la minería que se realiza en roca competetente es la sismicidad inducida. Esta es resultado de los cambios en los esfuerzos y el fallamiento de la roca alrededor de las excavaciones mineras. Posterior a un evento sísmico, existe un aumento en los niveles de sismicidad que gradualmente decaen con el tiempo, conocido como una secuencia de réplicas. Restringir el acceso a las áreas de la mina por el tiempo suficiente que permita que ocurra este decaimiento de los eventos sísmicos es el enfoque principal de los protocolos de re entrada. Las propiedades estadísticas de las secuencias de réplicas pueden ser estudiadas mediante tres relaciones o leyes sísmicas: (1) Ley de Gutenberg Richter, (2) Ley de Omori Modificada (MOL) para el decaimiento temporal de la sismicidad, y (3) Ley de Båth para la magnitud de la réplica de mayor magnitud. Esta tesis contiene tres partes principales: estimación y correlaciones de los parámetros de las leyes sísmicas para secuencias de réplicas inducidas por la minería, desarrollo de protocolos de re entrada en el espacio tiempo magnitud y el reconocimiento y comportamiento temporal de secuencias de réplicas usando un aglomeramiento espacio tiempo. En la primera parte, se aplicaron las tres leyes sísmicas, además del modelo estocástico de Reasenberg Jones, para estudiar los parámetros de 11 secuencias sísmicas inducidas por la minería en cuatro minas en Ontario, Canadá. Para proporcionar directrices para el desarrollo del protocolo de re entrada, se estudió y aplicó la dependencia de esto parámetros con la magnitud del evento sísmico principal de la secuencia sísmica. Los resultados obtenidos son coincidentes con los que diferentes autores han estimado en sismicidad tectónica. Sin embargo, aparecen algunas "diferencias de escala", especialmente con el valor b de Gutenberg Richter y el valor p de la ley modificada de Omori, encontrando que, en promedio, hay diferencias de +0.35 y -0.2 respectivamente entre los resultados de la sismicidad inducida y tectónica. La segunda parte corresponde al desarrollo de un protocolo estocástico de re entrada en el espacio tiempo magnitud, utilizando las relaciones entre los parámetros sísmicos inducidos y la magnitud del evento principal. Se define un radio de exclusión y una relación entre el tiempo de máxima curvatura y la magnitud del evento principal. Esto permite construir curvas de decaimiento sísmico, proporcionando información sobre los patrones de decaimiento de una secuencia en curso. Finalmente, se propone un rango de probabilidad de ocurrencia de la réplica de mayor magnitud, basado en el modelo de probabilidad de Reasenberg Jones. La última parte consiste en analizar el comportamiento del agrupamiento de la sismicidad inducida por la minería a través del tiempo y el espacio. Usando el criterio estadístico de Akaike para seleccionar los parámetros del aglomeramiento espacio tiempo, fue posible identificar una secuencia de réplicas asociada a un evento principal con magnitud Mw = 0.7. Además, se encontró que la distancia espacio tiempo aparentemente disminuye su valor antes de que ocurra un evento principal, para luego retornar a su valor normal. Todos los hallazgos anteriores proporcionan una aproximación a pautas concisas y bien justificadas para el desarrollo del protocolo de re entrada.

The present study has been carried out with the following objectives: i) To investigate the attributes of source parameters of local and regional earthquakes; ii) To estimate, as accurately as possible, M0, fc, Δσ and their standard errors to infer their relationship with source size; iii) To quantify high-frequency earthquake ground motion and to study the source scaling. This work is based on observational data of micro, small and moderate -earthquakes for three selected seismic sequences, namely Parkfield (CA, USA), Maule (Chile) and Ferrara (Italy). For the Parkfield seismic sequence (CA), a data set of 757 (42 clusters) repeating micro-earthquakes (0 ≤ MW ≤ 2), collected using borehole High Resolution Seismic Network (HRSN), have been analyzed and interpreted. We used the coda methodology to compute spectral ratios to obtain accurate values of fc , Δσ, and M0 for three target clusters (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Hawaii) of our data. We also performed a general regression on peak ground velocities to obtain reliable seismic spectra of all earthquakes. For the Maule seismic sequence, a data set of 172 aftershocks of the 2010 MW 8.8 earthquake (3.7 ≤ MW ≤ 6.2), recorded by more than 100 temporary broadband stations, have been analyzed and interpreted to quantify high-frequency earthquake ground motion in this subduction zone. We completely calibrated the excitation and attenuation of the ground motion in Central Chile. For the Ferrara sequence, we calculated moment tensor solutions for 20 events from MW 5.63 (the largest main event occurred on May 20 2012), down to MW 3.2 by a 1-D velocity model for the crust beneath the Pianura Padana, using all the geophysical and geological information available for the area. The PADANIA model allowed a numerical study on the characteristics of the ground motion in the thick sediments of the flood plain.

The present study has been carried out with the following objectives: i) To investigate the attributes of source parameters of local and regional earthquakes; ii) To estimate, as accurately as possible, M0, fc, Δσ and their standard errors to infer their relationship with source size; iii) To quantify high-frequency earthquake ground motion and to study the source scaling. This work is based on observational data of micro, small and moderate -earthquakes for three selected seismic sequences, namely Parkfield (CA, USA), Maule (Chile) and Ferrara (Italy). For the Parkfield seismic sequence (CA), a data set of 757 (42 clusters) repeating micro-earthquakes (0 ≤ MW ≤ 2), collected using borehole High Resolution Seismic Network (HRSN), have been analyzed and interpreted. We used the coda methodology to compute spectral ratios to obtain accurate values of fc , Δσ, and M0 for three target clusters (San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Hawaii) of our data. We also performed a general regression on peak ground velocities to obtain reliable seismic spectra of all earthquakes. For the Maule seismic sequence, a data set of 172 aftershocks of the 2010 MW 8.8 earthquake (3.7 ≤ MW ≤ 6.2), recorded by more than 100 temporary broadband stations, have been analyzed and interpreted to quantify high-frequency earthquake ground motion in this subduction zone. We completely calibrated the excitation and attenuation of the ground motion in Central Chile. For the Ferrara sequence, we calculated moment tensor solutions for 20 events from MW 5.63 (the largest main event occurred on May 20 2012), down to MW 3.2 by a 1-D velocity model for the crust beneath the Pianura Padana, using all the geophysical and geological information available for the area. The PADANIA model allowed a numerical study on the characteristics of the ground motion in the thick sediments of the flood plain.

Forecasting the time, location, nature, and scale of volcanic eruptions is one of the most urgent aspects of modern applied volcanology. The reliability of probabilistic forecasting procedures is strongly related to the reliability of the input information provided, implying objective criteria for interpreting the historical and monitoring data. For this reason both, detailed analysis of past data and more basic research into the processes of volcanism, are fundamental tasks of a continuous information-gain process; in this way the precursor events of eruptions can be better interpreted in terms of their physical meanings with correlated uncertainties. This should lead to better predictions of the nature of eruptive events. In this work we have studied different problems associated with the long- and short-term eruption forecasting assessment. First, we discuss different approaches for the analysis of the eruptive history of a volcano, most of them generally applied for long-term eruption forecasting purposes; furthermore, we present a model based on the characteristics of a Brownian passage-time process to describe recurrent eruptive activity, and apply it for long-term, time-dependent, eruption forecasting (Chapter 1). Conversely, in an effort to define further monitoring parameters as input data for short-term eruption forecasting in probabilistic models (as for example, the Bayesian Event Tree for eruption forecasting -BET_EF-), we analyze some characteristics of typical seismic activity recorded in active volcanoes; in particular, we use some methodologies that may be applied to analyze long-period (LP) events (Chapter 2) and volcano-tectonic (VT) seismic swarms (Chapter 3); our analysis in general are oriented toward the tracking of phenomena that can provide information about magmatic processes. Finally, we discuss some possible ways to integrate the results presented in Chapters 1 (for long-term EF), 2 and 3 (for short-term EF) in the BET_EF model (Chapter 4).

Forecasting the time, location, nature, and scale of volcanic eruptions is one of the most urgent aspects of modern applied volcanology. The reliability of probabilistic forecasting procedures is strongly related to the reliability of the input information provided, implying objective criteria for interpreting the historical and monitoring data. For this reason both, detailed analysis of past data and more basic research into the processes of volcanism, are fundamental tasks of a continuous information-gain process; in this way the precursor events of eruptions can be better interpreted in terms of their physical meanings with correlated uncertainties. This should lead to better predictions of the nature of eruptive events. In this work we have studied different problems associated with the long- and short-term eruption forecasting assessment. First, we discuss different approaches for the analysis of the eruptive history of a volcano, most of them generally applied for long-term eruption forecasting purposes; furthermore, we present a model based on the characteristics of a Brownian passage-time process to describe recurrent eruptive activity, and apply it for long-term, time-dependent, eruption forecasting (Chapter 1). Conversely, in an effort to define further monitoring parameters as input data for short-term eruption forecasting in probabilistic models (as for example, the Bayesian Event Tree for eruption forecasting -BET_EF-), we analyze some characteristics of typical seismic activity recorded in active volcanoes; in particular, we use some methodologies that may be applied to analyze long-period (LP) events (Chapter 2) and volcano-tectonic (VT) seismic swarms (Chapter 3); our analysis in general are oriented toward the tracking of phenomena that can provide information about magmatic processes. Finally, we discuss some possible ways to integrate the results presented in Chapters 1 (for long-term EF), 2 and 3 (for short-term EF) in the BET_EF model (Chapter 4).

Muds and mudstones are the most abundant sediments in sedimentary basins and can control fluid migration and pressure. In petroleum systems, they can also act as source, reservoir or seal rocks. More recently, the sealing properties of mudstones have been used for nuclear waste storage and geological CO2 sequestration. Despite the growing importance of mudstones, their geological modelling is poorly understood and clear quantitative studies are needed to address 3D lithology and flow properties distribution within these sediments. The key issues in this respect are the high degree of heterogeneity in mudstones and the alteration of lithology and flow properties with time and depth. In addition, there are often very limited field data (log and seismic), with lower quality within these sediments, which makes the common geostatistical modelling practices ineffective. In this study we assess/capture quantitatively the flow-important characteristics of heterogeneous mud-rich sequences based on limited conventional log and post-stack seismic data in a deep offshore West African case study. Additionally, we develop a practical technique of log-seismic integration at the cross-well scale to translate 3D seismic attributes into lithology probabilities. The final products are probabilistic multiattribute transforms at different resolutions which allow prediction of lithologies away from wells while keeping the important sub-seismic stratigraphic and structural flow features. As a key result, we introduced a seismically-driven risk attribute (so-called Seal Risk Factor "SRF") which showed robust correspondence to the lithologies within the seismic volume. High seismic SRFs were often a good approximation for volumes containing a higher percentage of coarser-grained and distorted sediments, and vice versa. We believe that this is the first attempt at quantitative, integrated characterisation of mud-rich overburden sediment sequences using log and seismic data. Its application on modern seismic surveys can save days of processing/mapping time and can reduce exploration risk by basing decisions on seal texture and lithology probabilities.

2012/2013
I terremoti costituiscono un disastro naturale ricorrente su tutto il territorio italiano e per questo sono estremamente importanti interventi mirati e rapidi di protezione civile. La rapidità di questi interventi dipende dalla produzione di localizzazioni veloci e possibilmente in tempo reale degli eventi sismici. La precisione delle localizzazioni, inoltre, è necessaria per identificare le faglie sismogenetiche. Per questi due aspetti, è necessario un miglioramento dei sistemi di monitoraggio esistenti in modo da poter accrescere la qualità delle localizzazioni automatiche in tempo reale. Lo scopo di questo studio è la scrittura di una procedura che localizza accuratamente eventi sismici in tempo reale. La qualità delle localizzazioni è fortemente dipendente dalla corretta determinazione delle fasi P ed S. A volte è difficile riconoscere il corretto arrivo di una fase, poiché il segnale sismico può essere di difficile lettura per differenti motivi, come, ad esempio, la complessità del meccanismo della faglia generatrice e la presenza di rumore sia naturale che artificiale. Per questo motivo abbiamo studiato, analizzato e comparato differenti metodi per la rilevazione delle fasi e per la localizzazione degli eventi sismici. Gli algoritmi di rilevazione delle fasi che sono stati valutati sono lo Short Time Average su Long Time Average ratio (STA/LTA) e la funzione di Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Il primo di questi è una tecnica comune usata per distinguere il segnale sismico dal rumore. E’ basato sul calcolo continuo di due valori medi dell’ampiezza assoluta di un segnale sismico in due finestre di tempo di differente lunghezza: media sull’intervallo breve (STA) e media sull’intervallo lungo (LTA). Il rapporto di queste due medie (STA/LTA) viene comparato ad un valore di soglia. Quando questo rapporto è maggiore della soglia, viene rilevata una fase nel segnale sismico analizzato. Il settaggio di questo sistema dipende dalla scelta dei parametri, questo prouce instabilità. La funzione di AIC è una metodologia sofisticata e precisa [Akaike and Hirotugu, 1974], basata sul classico metodo della massima verosimiglianza. La sua applicazione più comune consiste nella selezione tra pi` modelli: la stima della massima verosimiglianza dei parametri del modello da il minimo della funzione AIC. Questo metodo è strettamente correlato alla scelta della finestra di tempo nella quale applicare la funzione. Per questo motivo è necessaria una combinazione di più tecniche in modo da poter scegliere automaticamente la finestra corretta. In un segnale sismico il minimo della funzione AIC identifica l’arrivo delle onde P o delle onde S. Questa funzione è utilizzata nella procedura dell’AutoPicker [Turino et al., 2010]. Una volta identificate le fasi, è necessario elaborarle in modo da poter localizzare eventi sismici. In Antelope la procedura di localizzazione è chiamata orbassoc. Questa metodologia legge le fasi rilevate tramite il metodo STA/LTA e cerca di produrre una localizzazione dell’evento sulle tre possibili griglie: telesismica, regionale e locale. La soluzione, che produce tempi teorici di percorrenza per ogni stazione, che si accordano maggiormente con le osservazioni, viene considerata la migliore. Nell’AutoPicker l’algoritmo di localizzazione è Hypoellipse [Lahr, 1979], nel quale i tempi di percorrenza sono stimati utilizzando una struttura a strati piani paralleli e gli ipocentri sono calcolati utilizzando il metodo di Geiger [Geiger, 1912]. In questo lavoro abbiamo utilizzato metodologie per la localizzazione diverse da quelle assolute come Hypoellipse. L’HypoDD [Waldhauser and Ellsworth, 2000] è un algoritmo relativo, ovvero le localizzazioni vengono calcolate in riferimento alla localizzazione di un evento principale o dal sito di una stazione. Questo metodo può essere applicato solo nel caso in cui la distanza ipocentrale tra i due terremoti è piccola comparata alla distanza evento-stazione e alle eterogeneità laterali del campo delle velocità. In questi casi il percorso del raggio tra le due sorgenti e una stazione comune sono simili per gran parte del percorso del raggio. Per testare le prestazioni dell’AutoPicker, lo abbiamo applicato ad un database di 250 eventi registrati nell’area di contatto tra le Alpi e le Dinaridi nell’anno 2011 dalla rete C3ERN - the Central Eastern European Earthquake Reasearch Network [Dipartimento di Matematica e Geoscienze (DMG), Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS), Agencija RS za okolje (ARSO) e Zentralanstalt fr Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG)]. L’algoritmo automatico proposto è risultato essere un utile strumento per l’assegnazione automatica degli arrivi delle onde P ed S. Questo risultato incoraggiante ci ha permesso di procedere nel confronto tra questa nuova metodologia e Antelope, utilizzato da noi quotidianamente in tempo reale per rilevare fasi e localizzare eventi. La complessità del contesto tettonico influenza il percorso dei raggi e conseguentemente la localizzazione degli eventi. In regioni dove sono presenti molte strutture sismogenetiche, una localizzazione precisa della sequenza sismica è essenziale, in modo da capire quale è la faglia generatrice. In questi casi l’uso di modelli 1-D potrebbe non essere sufficiente, mentre un modello 3-D potrebbe descrivere al meglio l’area interessata. La tomografia dei primi arrivi è una tecnica comune per ottenere un modello tridimensionale dalla localizzazione degli eventi. In questo studio abbiamo utilizzato una tomografia di eventi locali (Local Earthquake Tomography, LET) [Aki, 1982]. La tomografia dei primi arrivi e la localizzazione 3-D degli eventi sono state eseguite, rispettivamente, utilizzando il Computer Aided Tomography per modelli 3D (Cat3D) [Cat3D user manual, 2008] e il Non Linear Location (NonLinLoc) [Lomax et al., 2000] attraverso una procedura iterativa. Il Cat3D viene utilizzato solitamente in sismica attiva, mentre in questo studio è stato applicato ad un caso sismologico. La principale differenza tra la sismica attiva e la sismologia sono le incertezze nel sistema tomografico. Nella sismica attiva la localizzazione della sorgente è ben definita mentre nella sismologia è una variabile con incertezza elevata che si propaga nella stima del percorso del raggio e dei tempi di percorrenza. Per risolvere questo problema, abbiamo utilizzato una procedura iterativa composta dalla tomografia dei primi arrivi e dalla rilocalizzazione degli eventi con il modello 3-D risultante. Dopo il verificarsi della sequenza sismica emiliana nel Maggio-Giugno 2012, abbiamo deciso di analizzarla come interessante caso di studio. La sequenza sismica è iniziata il 20 Maggio (02:03:53 UTC), con un terremoto di Ml 5.9 [Scognamiglio et al., 2012]. Questa sequenza è composta da migliaia di eventi, sei dei quali con Ml maggiore di 5.0, tra cui un evento di magnitudo locale 5.8, il 29 Maggio (07:00:03 UTC). Su questi eventi abbiamo testato le prestazioni dell’AutoPicker e di Antelope. Per fare ciò abbiamo rilevato manualmente le fasi e localizzato alcuni degli eventi maggiori della sequenza sismica. Questi eventi sono caratterizzati da fasi P, ma in particolar modo fasi S, difficili da rilevare, probabilmente a causa del complesso meccanismo di faglia. Inoltre la complessità del sistema tettonico assieme all’incertezza della profondità focale rendono problematiche le localizzazioni degli eventi. La sequenza sismica emiliana ha interessato un’area di 50 km con andamento E-W localizzata nell’angolo sud della Pianura Padana, interessando il settore centrale dell’arco di Ferrara appartenente al sistema esterno della cintura degli Appennini Settentrionali. L’arco di Ferrara è composto da due sistemi: le pieghe di Ferrara nel nordest e la piega di Mirandola localizzata nella parte più interna a sudovest [Govoni et al., 2014]. Abbiamo elaborato gli arrivi P ed S in modo da poter localizzare la sequenza sismica utilizzando differenti modelli di velocità trovati in letteratura: Bragato et al. [2011], Ciaccio and Chiarabba [2002],Costa et al. [1992], Iside, Zollo et al. [1995], Malagnini et al. [2012], Massa [2012] e quattro modelli geologici proposti da Lavecchia et al. [in prep.] L’idea è di produrre un insieme di localizzazioni di eventi clusterizzati con residui minimi, in modo da poter capire quale è la faglia generatrice. Questo lavoro è stato svolto in collaborazione con l'Università di Chieti e il Dipartimento di Protezione Civile (DPC). Dalla distribuzione ipocentrale delle soluzioni, sembra che l'arco di Mirandola non sia coinvolto nella sequenza sismica, mentre i segmenti della parte interna e centrale del sistema di sovrascorrimento di Ferrara sembrano essere stati attivati dalle sequenze sismiche del 29 e del 20 Maggio, rispettivamente. La complessità dell'area interessata dalla sequenza sismica dell'Emilia, richiede il calcolo di modelli tridimensionali di velocità in modo da poter localizzare più precisamente gli eventi. Come già detto, abbiamo elaborato una procedura iterativa: tomografia dei primi arrivi e localizzazioni 3-D degli eventi, attraverso l'uso rispettivamente del Cat3D e del NonLinLoc, in collaborazione con l'OGS. La sequenza sismica copre solo una piccola parte della regione (30x30 km^2 di larghezza e 20 km di profondità), per questo l'area investigata si limiterà alla porzione superiore della crosta. Come modelli iniziali di velocità abbiamo scelto: Costa et al, 1992; Massa et al. 2013 e NewModel1 (LaVecchia et al., in prep., i quali avevano errori verticali inferiori al chilometro nello studio precedente. Il miglior modello iniziale sembra essere quello di Massa et al. (2013), il quale mostra valori di rms bassi rispetti alle altre soluzioni. I tre modelli tridimensionali di velocità per le onde P risultanti mostrano caratteristiche comuni: uno strato superficiale a bassa velocità e uno strato spesso (5-20 km in profondità) a 5.5km/s. I risultati tomografici per i modelli Vs presentano un comune strato superficiale a bassa velocità e uno strato caratterizzato da valori di velocità per le onde S di 3.0 km/s. Le tre serie di soluzioni, dei differenti modelli di velocità, sono comparabili all'interno dell'intervallo di errore, anche in termini di qualità. Le localizzazioni per la scossa principale del 20 maggio 2012 sono sparpagliate rispetto a quelle della seconda scossa principale del 29 maggio. Una possibile causa potrebbe essere l'installazione delle stazioni temporanee nel campo vicino della sequenza sismica dopo il 20 maggio 2012. Per l'evento del 29 maggio, infatti, si hanno molte più registrazioni che per il primo evento del 20 e tutte in campo vicino. Le localizzazioni degli eventi ottenute da modelli tomografici tridimensionali sono meno disperse di quelle ottenute con modelli unidimensionali, anche se le localizzazioni dei due eventi principali sono simili. In profondità le due serie di soluzioni non differiscono in modo significativo. Per migliorare la qualità della procedura di localizzazione nel nostro centro di raccolta dati, vorremo installare una procedura automatica sia rapida sia precisa. Per raggiungere questo risultato abbiamo comparato l'AutoPicker con Antelope sulla sequenza sismica dell'Emilia. Questo confronto è di fondamentale importanza per comprendere quale dei due algoritmi rileva fasi e/o localizza eventi in modo più preciso. Il nostro scopo, infatti, è quello di unire ed implementare queste due tecniche in modo da ottenere un miglior rilevatore di fasi e localizzatore. I risultati di questo confronto ci hanno portato a concludere che l'AutoPicker trova più fasi e con maggior precisione rispetto ad Antelope, sia per le fasi P che per le fasi S. Nonostante ciò il processo di associazione delle fasi in Antelope è in grado di correggere gli errori delle fasi e trovare la corretta localizzazione dell'evento. Questo ci ha suggerito di implementare l'algoritmo dell'AutoPicker nella procedura di Anteope, in modo tale che l' AutoPicker definisca gli arrivi P ed S e Antelope li associ e localizzi gli eventi. Con il miglioramento delle reti sismiche e la possibilità di raccogliere enormi quantitativi di dati, è necessario produrre enormi database, in modo da poter avere un rapido accesso ad essi e di poterli rielaborare in tempo reale o quasi reale. Per questi enormi database la rilevazione manuale delle fasi è un lavoro oneroso, che richiede tanto tempo. La possibilità di avere uno strumento che rilevi automaticamente fasi di ottima qualità, che producano risultati similari a quelli ottenuti dall'inversione tomografica utilizzando le fasi rilevate manualmente, è sicuramente conveniente ed utile. Per questa ragione abbiamo confrontato due differenti tomografie dei primi arrivi, prodotte con la stessa tecnica dell'analisi precedente, che differiscono solo per i dati di partenza: la prima è stata ottenuta dalle fasi rilevate manualmente, la seconda dalle fasi rilevate automaticamente con l'AutoPicker per la sequenza sismica dell'Emilia. I risultati ottenuti indicano un incremento del valore medio dell' rms sia nelle localizzazioni sia nella tomografia per le fasi automatiche. Nonostante questo i modelli tridimensionali ottenuti ( Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs) sono comparabili. Pertanto sembra che gli errori nelle localizzazioni non influenzino i risultati tomografici ma inficino la precisione del sistema tomografico stesso. Quindi per database contenenti enormi quantità di dati è possibile utilizzare le fasi automatiche come dati di partenza, ottenendo risultati comparabili a quelli ottenuti con le fasi manuali.
Earthquakes constitute a recurring natural disaster all over the Italian territory, and therefore civil defence focused interventions are extremely important. The rapidity of such interventions strongly depend on the production of fast and possibly real-time locations of the seismic events. The precise location of events is also needed to identify seismogenic faults. For these two aspects, an upgrade of the existing monitoring systems is fundamental to improve the automatic locations quality in a quasi real-time mode. The main purpose of this study is the production of a routine that will accurately locate seismic event in real-time. The quality of the locations strongly depends on the correct determination of the P- and S- phases. Sometimes it is hard to recognize the correct onset of a phase, since the signal can be blurred by various causes, such as, e.g., the complexity of the generating fault mechanism and the presence of natural or man-made noise. For this reason we have studied, analyzed and compared different phase picking and location methods. The picking algorithms that were evaluated are the Short Time Average over Long Time Average ratio (STA/LTA) and the Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) function. The first one is a common technique used to distinguish the seismic signal from noise. It is based on the continuous calculation of the average values of the absolute amplitude of a seismic signal in two moving-time windows with different lengths: the short-time average and the long-time average. The STA/LTA ratio is compared with a threshold value. When the ratio is larger than this threshold, the onset of a seismic signal is detected. The main disadvantage of this method is its instability, due to the parameters choice: a too long STA window could cause the non-detection of local events, whereas a too short STA window could cause the detection of man-made seismic noise. A high STA/LTA threshold records less events than the ones those have occurred, but false triggers are eliminated. If this value is chosen to be lower, more events will be detected, but more frequent false triggers could be recorded. This algorithm is part of the Antelope (BRRT, Boulder) detection procedure, used in this study. The AIC function is a precise and sophisticated methodology, being a revision of the classical maximum likelihood estimation procedure (Akaike, 1974). The AIC function is designed for statistical identification of model characteristics. Its most classical application consists in the selection of the best among several competing models; the maximum likelihood estimate of the model parameters gives the minimum of AIC function. It is strictly correlated to the correct choice of the time window in which apply the function, so it is necessary combined with other techniques, in order to automatically choose a correct window. This dependence on other methods, makes the application of the AIC function to detect phases, a complex methodology, which can be affected by errors in the parameter choices. The AIC function is used in the AutoPicker procedure (Turino et al., 2012). In a seismic signal the minimum of the AIC function identifies the P- or S- onset. In this automatic phase picker the time window in which to apply the function, in the case of P phases, is chosen by a combination of a band-pass filter and an envelope time function, used as “energy” detector to select the event in the waveform; for the S phases, the selection of the window is guided by a preliminary location of the P- phases. Once the P- and S- phases are identified, it is necessary to elaborate them in order to locate the seismic event. In Antelope the location procedure is called orbassoc. This methodology reads the pickings, determined through the use of the STA/LTA technique, and tries to produce an event location over three possible grids: teleseismic, regional and local. The solution that produces the minimum travel time residuals set (differences between synthetic travel times and observed travel times) is considered as the best one. In the AutoPicker the location algorithm is Hypoellipse (Lahr, 1979), in which the travel-times are estimated from a horizontally-layered velocity-structure and the hypocenter is calculated using Geiger's method (Geiger, 1912) to minimize the root mean square (rms) of the travel time residuals. In order to improve the location quality we have used in this work various location methodologies with respect to the absolute ones, such as Hypoellipse. The HypoDD (Waldhauser et al., 2000) is a relative algorithm, the locations depend either on the location of a master event or on a station site. This method can be applied only in the case when the hypocentral separation between two earthquakes is small compared to the event-station distance and the scale length of the velocity heterogeneities. In such cases the ray paths between the source region and a common station are similar along almost the entire ray path. In order to test the performances of the AutoPicker, we have applied it to a database of 250 events recorded in the year 2011 by the C3ERN - the Central Eastern European Earthquake Reasearch Network [Department of Mathematics and Geosciences (DMG), Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale (OGS), Agencija RS za okolje (ARSO) and Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik (ZAMG)] – at the Alps-Dinarides contact. The proposed automatic picker appears to be a useful tool for assigning automatically onset P and S times to detected seismic signals for the purpose of rapid hypocenter calculations. These encouraging results have allowed us to proceed comparing this new picking methodology to another one, tested and used daily and in real-time by us to detect and locate events, the Antelope software. The complexity of the tectonic environment influences ray tracing and consequently the event locations. In regions where many seismogenic structures are present, a precise location of a seismic sequence is essential, in order to understand which fault is the generating one. In such cases the use of a 1-D velocity model might not be sufficient, so a 3-D velocity model is a better solution to describe the studied area. The travel-time tomography is a common technique to obtain a 3-D velocity model, from event locations. In this study we have chosen a local earthquake tomography (LET) (Aki, 1982). The travel time tomography and the 3-D event location are performed, respectively, using the Computer Aided Tomography for 3D models (Cat3D) software (Cat3D manual, 2008) and the Non Linear Location (NonLinLoc) software (Lomax et al., 2000) through an iterative procedure. The Cat3D is basically used in active seismics, but in this study it is applied to a seismological case. The main difference between active seismics and seismology are the unknowns in the tomographic system. In seismology the source location is an unknown parameter with a high uncertainty, while in active seismics the source locations are well defined. In this study, the introduction of the source location in the tomographic system, introduces uncertainties in obth the ray tracing and travel-times estimation. In order to solve this uncertainty, we used an iterative procedure composed by the application of tomography and the event location in resulting 3-D velocity model. After the occurrence of the Emilia seismic sequence in May-June 2012, we have decided to investigate it as an interesting study case. The sequence started on May 20 (02:03:53 UTC), with a ML 5.9 earthquake, preceded by a M_L 4.1 foreshock, three hours earlier (Scognamiglio et al., 2012). Theaftershock sequence comprised thousands of earthquakes, six of them with M_L ≥ 5.0. Among these, a M_L 5.8 earthquake, on May 29 (07:00:03 UTC), caused probably more damages than the first shock. Through the study of this seismic sequence we have tested the performances of the automatic picking algorithms. In order to do that, we have manually picked and located some of the major events of this seismic sequence. These events are characterized by P- and especially S-phases, which are really difficult to detect, probably because the fault system of the Emilia earthquake area is complex. Moreover, the complexity of the tectonic environment along with the focal depth uncertainty make the event locations problematic, because it is not always easy to assess which fault has moved. The Emilia sequence occurred in the central, roughly E-W trending, sector of the Ferrara arc belonging to the external fold-and-thrust system of the Northern Apennines belt. The Ferrara arc is structured into two major fold-and-thrust systems: the Ferrara system in the northeast and the Mirandola system located in a more internal position to the southwest (Govoni et al., 2014). We have processed the P- and S- onsets in order to locate the seismic sequence using different velocity models found in literature: Bragato et al. (2011), Ciaccio et al. (2002), Costa et al. (1992), “Iside”, Zollo et al. (1995), Malagnini et al. (2012), Massa (Rapporto DPC-INGV S1-2013) and four geological models proposed by Lavecchia et al. (in prep). The idea is to produce a set of clustered event locations with the lowest residuals, in order to understand which is the generating fault in the complex system of faults. This work is being performed in collaboration with Università di Chieti and Department of Civil Defence (DPC). From the hypocentral distribution, it seems that the Mirandola thrust was not involved during the Emilia sequence, whereas the internal and middle segments of the Ferrara thrust systems were activated by 29 and 20 May seismic sequences, respectively. The complexity of the seismic sequence area in Emilia requires the calculation of a tridimensional velocity model in order to locate more precisely the events. As already said, we elaborated an iterative procedure: travel-time tomography and 3-D event locations, through the use of the Cat3D and NonLinLoc softwares, in collaboration with OGS. This is done to minimize the uncertainties introduced in the tomographic system by the unknown source locations. Since the seismic sequence covers only a small part of this region (about 30x30km^2 wide and 0-20 km deep), the investigated area will be limited to its upper crustal part. As initial velocity models, we have chosen those ones: Costa et al, 1992; Massa et al. 2013 and NewModel1 (LaVecchia et al., in prep.) that have vertical errors lower than one km. The best velocity model is the one, obtained using as initial model the Massa et al. (2013), which shows rms values lower than the others. The three resulting 3-D Vp velocity models shows similar characteristcs: a surface layer (0 – 5 km) of low Vp velocity, about 1,8 km/s, and a thick layer (5 – 20 km) of 5.5 km/s. The tomographic results for Vs velocity model present a common shallow layer (0 - 3 km) of low velocity (about 1 km/s) and a thick layer (3 - 13 km) characterized by a Vs velocity value of about 3.0 km/s. The three set of solutions, from the different velocity models, are comparable in the errors range. The locations for the main-shock of the 20th of May, 2012 are more scattered respect the solutions for the 29th's. A possible reason could be the installations of temporary stations in the near field of the sequence after the 20th of May, 2012. For the 29th event, in fact, we have more waveforms than for the previous main-shock, and all of them in the near field. We calculated the rms for each event in order to discriminate a velocity model with respect to another from the quality of the locations. We obtained three similar rms values trends, so we were not able to choose a best velocity model. The events locations from 3-D tomographic models are less scattered than those one computed from the 1-D ones; otherwise the locations of the two main-shock events seem to be quite similar. In depth the two set of solutions do not differ in a significative way. To improve the quality of the location procedure in our datacenter, we would like to install a precise and rapid automatic procedure. Therefore, we have compared the AutoPicker method with a more tested and solid one, the Antelope picking method, on the Emilia seismic sequence of data, using as reference pickings and locations the manual ones. This comparison is of fundamental importance which one of the two algorithms better detects phases and/or locates events. Our aim is, in fact, to merge and implement these two techniques to obtain a better detector and locator. AutoPicker finds more and preciser phases than Antelope both P- and mainly S-phases. Despite that the associator process in Antelope, is able to correctly associate the detections and to find the correct location. The obtained results suggest us to implement the AutoPicker algorithm in the Antelope procedure in order to use the AutoPicker to define P- and S-onset and Antelope to associate them and locate the events. With the improvement of seismic networks and the possibility to store huge amounts of data, it is necessary to produce big databases, in order to have a rapid access to the data and to re-elaborate them in real time o quasi real time mode. For big databases, the manual picking is an onerous work, requiring a lot of time. The possibility to have a good-quality automatic tool for phase recognition and picking, which produces similar results to those obtained from the tomographic inversion by using manual phases picking, is certainly convenient and useful. For this reason, we have compared two different travel time tomographic inversions made with the same technique of the previous analysis, differing only in the input phase files: the first one obtained from manual pickings, the second one from the automatic AutoPicker pickings of the Emilia sequence. The obtained results indicate an increase of the average rms both on the locations and on the tomography. Despite that, the tridimensional velocity models (Vp, Vs and Vp/Vs) are comparable, therefore, it seems that the location errors do not influence the tomographic results but the precision of the tomographic system. So for a large database it is possible to use automatic phases as input in a travel-time tomography, obtaining similar results as those obtained using manually picked phases.
XXVI Ciclo
1985

In seismology, an important goal is to attain a better understanding of the earthquake process. In this study of the physics of aftershock generation, I couple statistical analysis with modelling of physical processes in the postseismic period. I present a theoretical formulation for the distribution of interevent times for aftershock sequences obeying the empirically well established Omori law. As opposed to claims by other authors, this work demonstrates that the duration of the time interval between two successive earthquakes cannot be used to identify whether or not they belong to the same aftershock sequence or occur as a result of the same underlying process. This implies that a proper understanding of earthquake interevent time distributions is necessary before conclusions regarding the physics of the earthquake process are drawn. In a discussion of self-organised criticality (SOC) in relation to empirical laws in seismology, I find that Omori's law for aftershocks cannot be used as evidence for the theory of SOC. Instead, I consider that the occurrence of aftershocks in accordance with Omori's law is a result of a physical process that can be modelled and understood. I analyse characteristic features in the spatiotemporal distribution of aftershocks in the south Iceland seismic zone, following the two M6.5 June 2000 earthquakes and a M4.5 earthquake in September, 1999. These features include an initially constant aftershock rate, whose duration is larger following a larger main shock, and a subsequent power law decay that is interrupted by distinct and temporary deviations in terms of rate increases and decreases. Based on pore pressure diffusion modelling, I interpret these features in terms of main shock initiated diffusion processes. I conclude that thorough data analysis and physics-based modelling are essential components in attempts to improve our understanding of processes governing the occurrence of earthquakes.

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Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)
Na Bacia de Campos, os reservatórios carbonáticos da Formação Coqueiros do Grupo Lagoa Feia, de idade eobarremiana-neoaptiana, representaram grandes e importantes descobertas de campos produtores de hidrocarbonetos na década de 70. O avanço dos conceitos geodinâmicos e geotectônicos sobre as novas e potenciais acumulações na seção rifte das Bacias Marginais Brasileiras, a partir de 2007, retomaram os reservatórios formados por rochas carbonáticas como atrativos alvos de estudos, devidos principalmente a grande importância econômica atribuída a esses reservatórios. O principal objetivo deste trabalho foi compreender a distribuição das propriedades físicas dos reservatórios carbonáticos formados por depósitos do tipo coquinas (rudstones e grainstones de moluscos bivalves) e definir os principais fatores petrofísicos que caracterizam os níveis-reservatório (e.g. densidade, índice de radioatividade, composição mineralógica e de rocha, etc.) e os fatores que controlariam a qualidade do mesmo (e.g. porosidade, saturação de água e permeabilidade) com o intuito de compreender a distribuição geométrica do seu sistema permo-poroso. O presente estudo fez uso de métodos geológicos/geofísicos, como interpretação estratigráfica de perfis de poços, cálculos petrofísicos, interpretação de dados sísmicos 3D e interpretação e correlação de atributos sísmicos. Dentre os resultados obtidos, a análise estratigráfica permitiu definir os limites de sequências, em ciclos de 3°ordem, das quatro sequências deposicionais (Sequência Clástica Basal; Sequência Talco-Estevensíta; Sequência das Coquinas e Sequência Clástica-Evaporítica) que compõem o Grupo Lagoa Feia. A Sequência das Coquinas, que é o foco deste estudo, apresenta uma divisão, interna aos seus depósitos de coquinas, em seis níveis-reservatórios (um na Coquina Superior e cinco na Coquina Inferior) onde os limites estratigráficos estão associados a ciclos de 4°ordem. A análise petrofísica indicou que o principal nível produtor na área está na Coquina Inferior 4 (CI-4), e é o que apresenta as melhores respostas de espessura (35 à 100 m) e altas qualidades potenciais de reservatório para o Campo de Linguado (valores médios de Igr = 0,1; PHIE = 11%, Sw ≤ 18%), enquanto que no Campo de Pampo, os níveis CI-4 (valores médios de Igr = 0,15; PHIE = 7,5%, Sw ≤ 30%) e CI-2 (valores médios de Igr = 0,13; PHIE = 7%, Sw ≤ 26 %) apresentam potencial para reservatório. Finalmente, a análise dos mapas, construídos com a integração da informação de poço e os atributos sísmicos, mostra uma distribuição da propriedade PHIE, para o nível-reservatório CI-4, com alta influência da estruturação tectônica, indicando os mais altos valores seguindo as principais estruturas com direção NW-SE. O controle deposicional é um importante condicionante da qualidade permo-porosa, nesse principal nível-reservatório, isso porque a tectônica ativa e intermitente proporcionou a abertura de espaços de acomodação e a formação de barreiras que atuaram na seleção das fácies de alta energia, no acúmulo, no retrabalhamento e na consequente formação e preservação das melhores condições para a formação desses reservatórios. No entanto, para o nível-reservatório Coquina Superior (CS) a distribuição da propridade PHIE mostra que a tectônica-estrutural não influencia no seu sistema permo-poroso e consequente qualidade desse nível-reservatório, assim como na distribuição de suas espessuras. Tal análise nos leva a conclusão de que os fatores deposicionais como as oscilações climáticas foram os responsáveis na seleção e no retrabalhamento para a formação dos bancos de coquinas, assim como, os processos diagenéticos foram os que, possivelmente, mais influenciaram na distribuição permo-porosa dos níveis-reservatório superiores.
In the Campos Basin, the eobarremian-neoaptian carbonate reservoirs from Coqueiros Formation, Lagoa Feia Group, represented large and important discoveries of hydrocarbon fields in the 70´s. The advances in geodynamic and geotectonic concepts about new and potential accumulations on rift section of Marginal Brazilian Basins, from 2007, brought again the carbonate reservoirs rocks as attractive studies targets, mainly due to great economic importance attached to these reservoirs. The main objective was to understand the distribution of physical properties on carbonate reservoirs composed by coquinas deposits (rudstones and grainstones of bivalve molluscs), define the main petrophysical factors that characterize those reservoir levels (eg density, radioactivity content, mineralogical and rock composition, etc.) and factors that could control the quality (eg, porosity, water saturation and permeability) in order to understand the geometric distribution of its permo-porous system. This study employed geological/geophysical methods such as well logs stratigraphic interpretation, petrophysical calculations, 3D seismic interpretation and seismic attributes interpretation and correlation. Among the results, the stratigraphic analysis has identified limits, in 3 rd order cycles, to four depositional sequences (Basal Clastic Sequence, Talc-Stevensitic Sequence; Coquinas Sequence and Clastic-Evaporitic Sequence) that belong to Lagoa Feia Group. The Coquinas Sequence, focus of this work, shows a split, internally to its coquinas deposits in six reservoir levels (one in Upper Coquina and five in the Lower Coquina) where the stratigraphic limits are associated with 4 th order cycles. The petrophysical analysis indicated that the main producer level are at Lower Coquina 4 (CI-4), with the best thickness responses (35 to 100 m) and high potential reservoir qualities for Linguado Field (average values of Igr = 0,10; PHIE = 11%, Sw ≤ 18%), while in Pampo field, CI-4 level (average values of Igr = 0,15; PHIE = 7.5%, Sw ≤ 30%) and CI-2 level (average values of Igr = 0,13; PHIE = 7%, Sw ≤ 26%) have both reservoir potential. Finally, the map analysis, built with integration of well information and seismic attributes, shows a distribution of PHIE for CI-4 with high tectonicstructural influence, indicating higher values following the main structures with NW-SE direction. The depositional control is an important determinant of permo-porous system quality at CI-4 level, the main reservoir level, it is because the active and intermittent tectonic afforded the opening of depositional spaces and the formation of barriers to act on selection of high-energy facies, accumulation, reworking and consequent generation and preservation of the best conditions for reservoirs best quality. However, the Upper Coquina level reservoir distribution of PHIE shows that tectonic-structural does not influence its permo-porous system and reservoir quality, as well as the distribution of its thickness. This analysis leads us to the conclusion that the depositional factors, such as climatic variations were responsible to the selection and reworking of coquinas banks, as well as diagenetic processes were possibly most influenced the permo-porous system distribution on higher reservoir levels.
CNPq: 134409/2014-0

On May 29th 2008 two earthquakes with moment magnitude of Mw ~6 occurred in the southwestern part of Iceland. The second earthquake struck within only seconds after the first, on a fault ~5 km west from the first fault. The aftershock sequence was recorded by 14 seismic stations during the subsequent 34 days. The recorded earthquakes were detected and located with a Coalesence Microseismic Mapping (CMM) technique. The output data from this program has been used as basis for the tomography algorithm PStomo_eq, which simultaneously inverts for both P- and S-wave velocities and relocates the events. Within the study area of 46×36 km the three-dimensional velocity structure has, successfully but not conclusively, been modeled to depths of ~10 km. The Vp/Vs ratio varies from 1.74 to 1.82 within the study area. The velocity increases with depth starting from 2 km where the P-wave velocity is 4.6 km/s and the S-wave velocity is 2.7 km/s, at a depth of 10 km the P-wave velocity is 6.9 km/s and S-wave velocity is 4.0 km/s. In the horizontal slices a high velocity area is seen in the northwestern part of model. This is interpreted to be caused by a magma body rising up from below and lithifying at high pressure. From cross-sections a large low velocity zone is seen in the western part of model area concentrated above the seismicity. The low velocity anomaly is found between depths of 2 km to 4 km, stretching from 21.5° to 21.2° W. It is interpreted to be caused by high porosity within the area. The depth to the brittle crust is increasing from the western part of the model towards the eastern part, right in the middle of the model it abruptly decreases again. The depth to the base of the brittle crust is increasing from 7 km in west to 9 km in the middle of model.
Den 29:e maj 2008 inträffade två jordbävningar med magnitud Mw ~6 på sydvästra Island. Den första jordbävningen följdes tätt av en andra jordbävning på en förkastning ~5 km väster om den första. Påföljande efterskalvssekvens registrerades av 14 seismiska stationer under 34 dagar efter huvudskalven. De registrerade skalven har detekterats och lokaliserats med en Coalesence Microseismic Mapping (CMM) teknik. Utdata från detta program har använts som grund för tomografin som genomförts med PStomo_eq, en algoritm som inverterar oberoende för både P- och S-vågs hastigheter och samtidigt omlokaliserar eventen. Inom det undersökta området på 46×36 km har en tredimensionell hastighetsmodell, om än inte slutgiltigt, modellerats för djup ned till 10 km. Vp/Vs kvoten varierar mellan 1.74 och 1.82 inom studieområdet. Hastigheterna ökar med ökande djup, på ett djup av 2 km är P-vågs hastigheten 4.6 km/s och S-vågs hastigheten 2.7 km/s och vid 10 km är P-vågs hastigheten 6.9 km/s och S-vågs hastigheten 4.0 km/s. I den nordvästra delen av modellen återfinns en höghastighetszon. Denna tolkas vara orsakad av en magma kropp som stigit och kristalliserat under högt tryck. De vertikala tvärsnitten visar en låghastighetsanomali i västra delen av modellen, koncentrerat ovan seismiciteten. Denna anomali sträcker sig från ett djup på 2 km ned till 4 km, från 21.5° till 21.2° V. Den tolkas vara orsakad av en hög grad av porositet. Djupet för den bräckliga jordskorpan ökar från väster till öster i modellen, för att i mitten abrupt minska igen. Basen av den bräckliga skorpan ökar från 7 km i väst till 9 km i mitten av modellen.

This study shows how the use of modern geological investigative techniques can reopen old, “drained” hydrocarbon fields. Specifically, it looks at the White Castle Field in South Louisiana. This field has pay sections ranging from late Oligocene to late Miocene. The late Oligocene package is underexplored and understudied and contains 3 primary reservoirs (Cib Haz (CH), MW, and MR). This study established the depositional history of these reservoirs. During most of the late Oligocene, the White Castle Salt Dome was located in a minibasin on the continental slope. The CH and MW deposited in this minibasin. The CH is an amalgamation of slumped shelfal limestones, sandstones, and shales deposited during a lowstand systems tract (LST). The MW comprises a shelf-edge delta that is part of a LST. The MR is an incised valley fill located in the continental shelf that was deposited during LST after the minibasin was filled.

The Pliocene-Recent Muda formation is essentially undeformed in the West Natuna Basin, and excellent resolution of this interval on three-dimensional seismic data in Belida Field allows detailed interpretation of component fluvial-deltaic systems. Detailed interpretation of seismic time slice and seismic sections along with seismic facies analysis, horizon mapping, and extraction of seismic attributes provide the basis to construct a sequence stratigraphic framework and determine patterns for sediment dispersal and accumulation. The Muda interval contains five third-order sequences, with depositional environments confined to the shelf and consisting mainly of fluvial elements. Sequence boundaries (SB) apparently result from major sea level falls, since there was no tectonic uplift and the field underwent only regional slow subsidence during sedimentation of the study interval. Sea level fluctuation also caused changes in fluvial patterns. Analysis of changing channel patterns indicates that major systems tracts relate to specific channel patterns. The Lowstand Systems Tract (LST) is generally dominated by larger channel dimensions and low sinuosity channel patterns. The Transgressive Systems Tract (TST) typically contains relatively smaller channels with high sinuosity. Channels in the Highstand Systems Tract (HST) generally show moderate sinuosity channels and are intermediate in size, larger than TST channels but smaller than LST channels. Crossplots of stratigraphic position and channel morphology indicate that within the transition from LST-TST, channel dimensions (width and thickness) generally decrease and channel sinuosity generally increases. High sinuosity, meandering and anastomosing channels are generally found near the maximum flooding surface. Low sinuosity channels occur within the HST-SB-LST succession, with the exception of higher sinuosity meandering channels evolving inside valleys. Larger, lower sinuosity channels result from high gradient and high discharge associated with stream piracy. Smaller, high-sinuosity channels result from low gradient and small discharge. Extraction of seismic attributes such as RMS Amplitude and Average Reflection Strength show these depositional features in greater detail. In the Belida Field area, lowstand channels were found to comprise the greatest volume of sandstone bodies. Seismic delineation of the distribution and morphology of these channel systems provides critical input for reservoir modeling and volumetric analysis.

The Tamakoshi Dam in Nepal experienced 19 cm of settlement due to three earthquakes that took place from December 14, 2014 to May 12, 2015. This settlement caused massive damage and halted construction and was believed to have been caused by seismic compression. Seismic compression is the accrual of contractive volumetric strain in sandy soils during earthquake shaking for cases where the generated excess pore water pressures are low. The purpose of this case study is to investigate the settlements of the dam intake block relative to the right abutment block of the dam during the three earthquakes. Towards this end, soil profiles for the dam were developed from the boring logs and suites of ground motions were selected and scaled to be representative of the shaking at the base of the dam for the two of the three earthquakes which were well documented. Equivalent linear analysis was completed for the suites of ground motions to produce shear strain time histories which were then utilized in the Jiang et al. (2020) proposed procedure for seismic compression prediction. The results were found to not align with the settlement that was observed in the field, so post-liquefaction consolidation was also considered to be a possible cause of the settlement. The results from that analysis also showed that consideration of post-liquefaction consolidation did not yield settlements representative of those observed in the field. More detailed studies are recommended to assess the settlements that were observed at the dam site, particularly analyses that take into account below and above grade topographic effects on the ground motions and settlements at the ground surface.
Master of Science
The Tamakoshi Dam in Nepal experienced 19 cm of settlement due to three earthquakes that took place from December 14, 2014 to May 12, 2015. This settlement caused massive damage and halted construction and was believed to have been caused by seismic compression. Seismic compression is the accrual of contractive volumetric strain in sandy soils during earthquake shaking for cases where the generated excess pore water pressures are low. The purpose of this case study is to investigate the settlements of the dam intake block relative to the right abutment block of the dam during the three earthquakes. Representative soil profiles were developed based on data collected from the site for analysis of the settlement. Two approaches were used to compute predicted settlement, one which considered only seismic compression as the cause of settlement and a hybrid method that considered both seismic compression and post-liquefaction consolidation. Both approaches predicted settlement values that were less than what was observed in the field. It was found that the ground motion prediction equations used in the analysis were not representative of the tectonic setting in Nepal and thus was the main reason for the under-prediction. The relevance of this research lies in using methodology developed in academia to analyze a real world event and draw conclusions about the methodology's applicability.

A Bacia de Campos está limitada pelo Alto de Vitória ao Norte e pelo Alto de Florianópolis ao sul, possuindo uma área de aproximadamente 100.000 km2. Sua seção rifte é composta pela porção basal a mediana do Grupo Lagoa Feia, e inclui a principal rocha geradora da bacia, reconhecidamente rica em matéria orgânica, sendo a maior produtora de hidrocarbonetos do Brasil, e rochas reservatório carbonáticas. O presente estudo foca sua análise no intervalo rifte, onde foi realizada uma interpretação e mapeamento sistemático de linhas sísmicas 2D em uma área chave da bacia. Esta análise é baseada em adaptações de modelos já existentes de evolução de bacias rifte, e nos conceitos de estratigrafia de sequências aplicados à sismoestratigrafia. Através da interpretação e mapeamento das seções sísmicas, foi possível elaborar um modelo evolutivo para a fase inicial da Bacia de Campos, com a elaboração de uma carta cronoestratigráfica e estabelecimento dos tratos de sistemas que distinguem as diferentes fases de evolução dos meio-grábens reconhecidos. O resultado foi a delimitação de três tratos de sistemas tectônicos, que permitiram uma compreensão detalhada da complexa evolução e desenvolvimento das calhas da Bacia de Campos durante a fase rifte.
The Campos Basin is limited northward by the Vitória High and southward by the Florianópolis High, with an area of approximately 100,000 km2. The rift section in the Campos Basin comprises the basal and median portions of the Lagoa Feia Group, and includes the main source rocks in the basin, which is known to be rich in organic matter and is the best hydrocarbon producer in Brazil, as well as carbonate reservoir rocks. The present study focuses its analysis on the rift section, where a systematic mapping and interpretation of 2D seismic lines in a key area of the basin was carried out. This analysis is based on adaptations of existing evolution models for rift basins, and the concepts of sequence stratigraphy applied to seismic stratigraphy. Through the interpretation and mapping of seismic sections, it was possible to propose an evolution model for the initial phase of the Campos Basin, with the construction of a chronostratigraphic chart and the establishment of systems tracts that distinguish different stages on the evolution of the recognized half-grabens. The result was the delimitation of three tectonic systems tracts that allowed the detailed understanding of the complex evolution and trough development of the Campos Basin during the rift phase.

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A Bacia de Jacuípe é considerada uma bacia de nova fronteira localizada no Nordeste Brasileiro, na margem passiva leste, e estritamente offshore. Acredita-se que ela tenha um grande potencial para jazidas de hidrocarbonetos. Entretanto, há uma grande carência em estudos integrados que auxiliem no seu entendimento. O presente trabalho visa compreender a história evolutiva da bacia através da interpretação de sequências de segunda e terceira ordens em dados de sísmica de reflexão. A partir da interpretação de 40 perfis sísmicos 2D e do único poço perfurado, que encontra-se na região de plataforma, os autores puderam caracterizar importantes eventos dentro da bacia. Dentro da supersequência rifte foram reconhecidas quatro sequências deposicionais nomeadas Rift 1, Rift 2, Rift 3 e Rift 4, limitadas por três limites de sequência. Os riftes 1 e 2 têm deposições isoladas ao longo da bacia e as falhas sintéticas e antitéticas destas fases começam um processo de conexão. O Rift 3 tem a maior representatividade na bacia e seus depósitos cobrem a maior parte dela. O Rift 4 representa o fim da subsidência mecânica com menores expressões nos falhamentos e experimentou um soerguimento, o qual levou a atual plataforma continental a ficar exposta durante eventos subsequentes. A supersequência Drift foi subdividida em dois estágios drifte. Uma vez que a bacia sofreu um soerguimento ao final do seu rifteamento, o primeiro estágio do drifte tem o preenchimento sedimentar confinado ao talude e ao sopé continental. Enquanto que no segundo estágio do drifte a sedimentação ultrapassa a falha de borda e seus depósitos se sobrepõem à supersequência rifte na plataforma. Um mapa estrutural de falhas foi construído para a porção sul da Bacia de Jacuípe destacando os principais controles do falhamento, a linha de charneira da bacia, principais depocentros, o Alto Externo de Jacuípe e um alto vulcânico. O limite geográfico a sul com a Bacia de Camamu foi definido em uma zona complexa de falhas de transferência e de alívio, caracterizando assim, um limite geológico. Adaptações foram sugeridas para uma nova carta cronoestratigráfica para a porção sul da Bacia de Jacuípe.
ABSTRACT Jacuípe Basin is considered a new frontier basin in the northeastern Brazilian passive margin. It is believed it has a great potential for hydrocarbon plays and leads. However, it lacks in integrated studies for its understanding. The present paper aims to comprehend the evolutionary history of such basin through seismic reflection analysis of second and third orders sequences. With the interpretation of several 2-D seismic profiles and a well drilled on the platform the authors were able to distinguish important events within the basin. Within the rift supersequence it was recognized four sequences named as Rift 1, Rift 2, Rift 3 and Rift 4, limited by three sequence boundaries. Rifts 1 and 2 have scattered depositions and the synthetic and antithetic faults start a linkage process. Rift 3 has a wide spread representation throughout the basin covering most part of it. Rift 4 makes up the termination of mechanical subsidence with minor expression in faulting and has experienced an uplift whose led the currently continental shelf to be exposed most part of subsequent events. Drift supersequence was split in two drifting stages. Inasmuch as basin has undergone an uplift, the first drift stage has sedimentation confined to slope and rise regions. Whereas in the second drift stage sedimentation surpasses the border fault and its successions overlie directly rift supersequence in platform. A structural faulting map was built for southern Jacuípe Basin depicting main faulting controls and trends, basin hinge line, main depocenters, the Jacuípe External High and a volcanic plug. The geographic southern boundary with Camamu Basin was set up at a complex zone of transfer and release faults, making up a geologic limit. Adaptations were suggested for a new chronostratigraphic chart for southern Jacuípe Basin.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD
Integrated approaches in the study of petroleum exploration are increasingly becoming significant in recent times and have yielded much better result as oil exploration is a combination of different related topics. The production capacity in hydrocarbon exploration has been the major concern for oil and gas industries. In the present work an integrated approach was made with seismic, well logs and biostratigraphy for predicting the depositional environment and to understand the heterogeneity within the reservoirs belonging to Valanginian (Early Cretaceous) age of Gamtoos Basin, Offshore South Africa. Objectively, the integrated work was mainly based on seismic stratigraphy (seismic sequence and seismic facie analysis) for interpretation of the depositional environments with combination of microfossil biostratigraphic inputs. The biostratigraphic study provides evidences of paleo depth from benthic foraminifera and information about bottom condition within the sedimentary basin, changing of depositional depth during gradual basinal fill during the Valanginian time. The petrophysical characterization of the reservoir succession was based on formation evaluation studies using well logs to investigate the hydrocarbon potential of the reservoir across Valanginian depositional sequence. Further, the static modeling from 2D-seismic data interpreted to a geological map to 3D-numerical modeling by stochastic model to quantify the evaluation of uncertainty for accurate characterisation of the reservoir sandstones and to provide better understanding of the spatial distribution of the discrete and continuous Petrophysical properties within the study area.
2021-08-01

The Mw 7.1 Darfield earthquake generated a ~30 km long surface rupture on the Greendale Fault and significant surface deformation related to related blind faults on a previously unrecognized fault system beneath the Canterbury Plains. This earthquake provided the opportunity for research into the patterns and mechanisms of co-seismic and post-seismic crustal deformation. In this thesis I use multiple across-fault EDM surveys, logic trees, surface investigations and deformation feature mapping, seismic reflection surveying, and survey mark (cadastral) re-occupation using GPS to quantify surface displacements at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. My field mapping investigations identified shaking and crustal displacement-induced surface deformation features south and southwest of Christchurch and in the vicinity of the projected surface traces of the Hororata Blind and Charing Cross Faults. The data are consistent with the high peak ground accelerations and broad surface warping due to underlying reverse faulting on the Hororata Blind Fault and Charing Cross Fault. I measured varying amounts of post-seismic displacement at four of five locations that crossed the Greendale Fault. None of the data showed evidence for localized dextral creep on the Greendale Fault surface trace, consistent with other studies showing only minimal regional post-seismic deformation. Instead, the post-seismic deformation field suggests an apparent westward translation of northern parts of the across-fault surveys relative to the southern parts of the surveys that I attribute to post-mainshock creep on blind thrusts and/or other unidentified structures. The seismic surveys identified a deformation zone in the gravels that we attribute to the Hororata Blind Fault but the Charing Cross fault was not able to be identified on the survey. Cadastral re-surveys indicate a deformation field consistent with previously published geodetic data. We use this deformation with regional strain rates to estimate earthquake recurrence intervals of ~7000 to > 14,000 yrs on the Hororata Blind and Charing Cross Faults.

The offshore Sierra Leone basin is an exploration frontier area with commercial hydrocarbon potential. The basin is located at the northernmost end of the equatorial Atlantic margin in the South Atlantic; it is bound to the South by the Gulf of Guinea Petroleum province. The Sierra Leone margin has not had the exploration attention like most basins in the equatorial Atlantic, such lack of attention may be explained by the structural complexity of the basin. Despite the recent successful petroleum activities in the basin, very little geological information have been placed in the public domain by the operators. This research will be the first published detailed analysis of the offshore Sierra Leone basin. This work focuses on the broader aspects of basin structural evolution, seismic stratigraphy and reservoir development. The basin analysis is based on 2D seismic dataset, acquired in 2002 by TGS-NPEC. Seven megasequence boundaries have been identified in the offshore Sierra Leone basin. There is one megasequence boundary each in the pre-transform and syn-transform phases. The post-transform phase is composed of five megasequences. They have been dated using well data information and through correlation with the seismic surfaces of adjacent basins in the region. The Sierra Leone margin is structurally divided into three segments, which evolved through transtensional and/or extensional rifting. From a geological perspective, this basin straddles a major tectonic transition zone (the Sierra Leone Transform). The Mesozoic-Cenozoic tectonic evolution of the basin was partly controlled by basement heterogeneity and plate kinematics. This study also highlights the importance of N-S and ENE-WSW trending Archaean structural lineaments, which were vectors for the Sierra Leone margin segmentation. The structural division of the Sierra Leone margin into the Northern, Central andSouthern segments is based on varying structural geometries. The Northern and Central segments developed as rift-transform margins, while the Southern segment developed as a volcanic rifted margin. Syn-transform sequences (late Early Cretaceous) show the influence of normal fault related subsidence and uplift, modified by localised transpressional deformation. The basin bounding faults and half grabens are oriented at high angles to the ensuing passive margin slope strike. Post-transform sequences (Late Cretaceous to Present) are dominated by major phases of slope failure and the development of extensive lowstand submarine fan systems. Some models of slope failure and synchronous development of submarine channel and canyon systems have been developed for this basin. Extensional slope failure is controlled by pre-existing structural trends. Submarine canyons which developed in the hanging-walls of these fault-blocks, became the site of rapid head-ward expansion of turbidite filled channels. The temporal development of these systems are expected to have profoundly affected the distribution and quality of key play elements, such as reservoirs and stratigraphic traps in slope settings, and the distribution of sands in deeper water and base of slope plays.

Tra l’Agosto e l’Ottobre 2016 una serie di terremoti moderati ha colpito l’Italia centrale. Gli epicentri degli eventi principali sono enucleati vicino i paesi di Amatrice, Visso e Norcia, perciò questa sequenza sismica è anche conosciuta come sequenza di Amatrice-Visso-Norcia. Lo scopo di questa tesi è quello di tracciare una mappa afterslip attraverso lo studio della deformazione post-sismica misurata dal GPS. Il primo passo necessario per raggiungere questo obiettivo è la detrendizzazione delle serie temporali geodetiche. Successivamente è stata eseguita una "Independent Component Analysis" (ICA) della distribuzione spazio temporale del campo di spostamento. L’ICA è una tecnica di analisi statistica multivariata che permette di ricostruire e separare le sorgenti fisiche che producono lo spostamento misurato. Nello specifico, tramite una ICA, è possibile decomporre il segnale geodetico in un numero fissato di Componenti Indipendenti (IC). Il vincolo di indipendenza statistica permette di distinguere meglio gli effetti (segnali) delle diverse sorgenti fisiche che hanno prodotto il dataset, rispetto ad altre tecniche di statistca multivariata. Lo step finale richiede l’inversione della distribuzione spaziale del segnale post sismico, che nel nostro caso è stato mappato nella prima componente indipendente (IC1) e interpretato come dovuto ad afterslip su faglia. Per fare ciò è necessario fissare la geometria della sorgente sismica che è stata interessata da afterslip, ovverosia quali faglie sono state attivate durante la fase postsismica della sequenza. Il risultato finale consiste in una mappa della distribuzione di afterslip sulle faglie considerate, con aree attivate nella fase post sismica compatibili con le zone coinvolte nella fase cosismica e con la distribuzione di sismicità. A quanto risulta finora, questo è il primo tentativo di vincolare il segnale post sismico della sequenza dell’Italia centrale del 2016.

In the period between September 2010 and December 2011, Christchurch was shaken by a series of strong earthquakes including the MW7.1 4 September 2010, Mw 6.2 22 February 2011, MW6.2 13 June 2011 and MW6.0 23 December 2011 earthquakes. These earthquakes produced very strong ground motions throughout the city and surrounding areas that resulted in soil liquefaction and lateral spreading causing substantial damage to buildings, infrastructure and the community. The stopbank network along the Kaiapoi and Avon River suffered extensive damage with repairs projected to take several years to complete. This presented an opportunity to undertake a case-study on a regional scale of the effects of liquefaction on a stopbank system. Ultimately, this information can be used to determine simple performance-based concepts that can be applied in practice to improve the resilience of river protection works. The research presented in this thesis draws from data collected following the 4th September 2010 and 22nd February 2011 earthquakes. The stopbank damage is categorised into seven key deformation modes that were interpreted from aerial photographs, consultant reports, damage photographs and site visits. Each deformation mode provides an assessment of the observed mechanism of failure behind liquefaction-induced stopbank damage and the factors that influence a particular style of deformation. The deformation modes have been used to create a severity classification for the whole stopbank system, being ‘no or low damage’ and ‘major or severe damage’, in order to discriminate the indicators and factors that contribute to ‘major to severe damage’ from the factors that contribute to all levels of damage a number of calculated, land damage, stopbank damage and geomorphological parameters were analysed and compared at 178 locations along the Kaiapoi and Avon River stopbank systems. A critical liquefiable layer was present at every location with relatively consistent geotechnical parameters (cone resistance (qc), soil behaviour type (Ic) and Factor of Safety (FoS)) across the study site. In 95% of the cases the critical layer occurred within two times the Height of the Free Face (HFF,). A statistical analysis of the geotechnical factors relating to the critical layer was undertaken in order to find correlations between specific deformation modes and geotechnical factors. It was found that each individual deformation mode involves a complex interplay of factors that are difficult to represent through correlative analysis. There was, however, sufficient data to derive the key factors that have affected the severity of deformation. It was concluded that stopbank damage is directly related to the presence of liquefaction in the ground materials beneath the stopbanks, but is not critical in determining the type or severity of damage, instead it is merely the triggering mechanism. Once liquefaction is triggered it is the gravity-induced deformation that causes the damage rather than the shaking duration. Lateral spreading and specifically the depositional setting was found to be the key aspect in determining the severity and type of deformation along the stopbank system. The presence or absence of abandoned or old river channels and point bar deposits was found to significantly influence the severity and type of deformation. A review of digital elevation models and old maps along the Kaiapoi River found that all of the ‘major to severe’ damage observed occurred within or directly adjacent to an abandoned river channel. Whilst a review of the geomorphology along the Avon River showed that every location within a point bar deposit suffered some form of damage, due to the depositional environment creating a deposit highly susceptible to liquefaction.

This study integrates sequence stratigraphy of the Late Permian Toolachee Formation in the non-marine intracratonic Permian-Triassic Cooper Basin, Australia with 3-D seismic attribute analysis to predict the extent of depositional environments identified on wireline and well core data. The low resolution seismic data (tuning thickness 23 - 31 m) comprised of six seismic horizons allowed the successful testing of sequence stratigraphic interpretations of the productive Toolachee Formation that were based on wireline data. The analysis of 29 well logs and three 20 m core intervals resulted in the identification of eleven parasequences that comprise the building blocks of an overall transitional systems tract, characterised by a gradual increase in accommodation. The parasequences reflect cyclic transitions between braided and meandering fluvial systems as a result of fluctuations in sediment flux, possibly driven by Milankovitch climatic-forcing. The seismic horizon attribute maps image mostly the meandering fluvial bodies within the upper parts of the parasequences, but some maps image the lower amalgamated sand sheets and show no channel structures. Categorisation of the fluvial bodies in the overbank successions reflects a gradual decrease in sinuosity, channel width, and channel belt width up-section, supporting the overall increase in accommodation up-section. Similar acoustic impedance values for shales and sands do not suggest successful seismic forward modelling between the two lithologies. Geological interpretations suggest most imaged channel fill to be made up predominantly of fine sediments, as channel avulsion and abandonment is common and increases with time. Seismic forward modelling resulted in the interpretation of carbonaceous shale as a possible channel fill, supporting the geological interpretations. The three major identified fluvial styles; braided, meanders, and distributaries are potential targets for future exploration. Extensive sand sheets deposited from braided fluvial systems require structural traps for closure. Meandering and anastomosing channel systems represent excellent stratigraphic traps, such as the basal sands/gravels of laterally accreted point bars.

This study integrates sequence stratigraphy of the Late Permian Toolachee Formation in the non-marine intracratonic Permian-Triassic Cooper Basin, Australia with 3-D seismic attribute analysis to predict the extent of depositional environments identified on wireline and well core data. The low resolution seismic data (tuning thickness 23 - 31 m) comprised of six seismic horizons allowed the successful testing of sequence stratigraphic interpretations of the productive Toolachee Formation that were based on wireline data. The analysis of 29 well logs and three 20 m core intervals resulted in the identification of eleven parasequences that comprise the building blocks of an overall transitional systems tract, characterised by a gradual increase in accommodation. The parasequences reflect cyclic transitions between braided and meandering fluvial systems as a result of fluctuations in sediment flux, possibly driven by Milankovitch climatic-forcing. The seismic horizon attribute maps image mostly the meandering fluvial bodies within the upper parts of the parasequences, but some maps image the lower amalgamated sand sheets and show no channel structures. Categorisation of the fluvial bodies in the overbank successions reflects a gradual decrease in sinuosity, channel width, and channel belt width up-section, supporting the overall increase in accommodation up-section. Similar acoustic impedance values for shales and sands do not suggest successful seismic forward modelling between the two lithologies. Geological interpretations suggest most imaged channel fill to be made up predominantly of fine sediments, as channel avulsion and abandonment is common and increases with time. Seismic forward modelling resulted in the interpretation of carbonaceous shale as a possible channel fill, supporting the geological interpretations. The three major identified fluvial styles; braided, meanders, and distributaries are potential targets for future exploration. Extensive sand sheets deposited from braided fluvial systems require structural traps for closure. Meandering and anastomosing channel systems represent excellent stratigraphic traps, such as the basal sands/gravels of laterally accreted point bars.

Sandstone and shale samples were selected within the systems tracts for laboratory analyses. The sidewall and core samples were subjected to petrographic thin section analysis, mineralogical analyses which include x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and stable carbon and oxygen isotopes geochemistry to determine the diagenetic alteration at deposition and post deposition in the basin. The shale samples were subjected to Rock-Eval pyrolysis and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) prior to gas chromatographic (GC) and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric (GC-MS) analyses of the rock extracts, in order to determine the provenance, type and thermal maturity of organic matter present in sediments of the Orange Basin. The results revealed a complex diagenetic history of sandstones in this basin, which includes compaction, cementation/micritization, dissolution, silicification/overgrowth of quartz, and fracturing. The Eh-pH shows that the cements in the area of the basin under investigation were precipitated under weak acidic and slightly alkaline conditions. The &delta
18O isotope values range from -1.648 to 10.054 %, -1.574 to 13.134 %, and -2.644 to 16.180 % in the LST, TST, and HST, respectively. While &delta
13C isotope values range from -25.667 to -12.44 %, -27.862 to -6.954% and -27.407 to -19.935 % in the LST, TST, and HST, respectively. The plot of &delta
18O versus &delta
13C shows that the sediments were deposited in shallow marine temperate conditions.

Interpretation of 900 km of a closely spaced grid of high-resolution seismic profiles over the northwestern margin of South Caspian Basin (SCB) allows recognition and study of six late Pleistocene - Holocene depositional sequences. Sequence stratigraphy analysis of sedimentary strata from 117,000 years B.P. to present led to the identification of a highstand systems tract, two transgressive systems tracts and six lowstand systems tracts. Each systems tract is characterized by specific seismic facies. Diverse depositional processes on the northwestern margin of the SCB are suggested by the thirteen seismic facies patterns recognized in the study area. Two distinct progradational complexes were interpreted within Sequence III and Sequences IV and V in the northeastern and northwestern parts of the study area, respectively. Stratigraphic interpretation of the sequences provided important information on parameters that control depositional architectures, such as lake level fluctuations, tectonic dynamics, and sediment supply. High sedimentation rates combined with a series of high-frequency and high-amplitude lake-level fluctuations, abrupt changes at the shelf edge, abnormally high formation pressure, and high tectonic activity during Quaternary time resulted in the development of a variety of complex geologic drilling hazards. I distinguished three types of hazards as a result of this study: mud volcanoes, sediment instability, and shallow gas. The 2D high-resolution seismic dataset from the northwestern margin of the SCB allowed more detailed seismic sequence stratigraphic analysis in the study area than has previously been attempted. In particular, it has a clear application in deciphering sediment supply and relative lake level changes as well as tectonic relationship of the northwestern shelf margin of the SCB. Results of this work led us towards better understanding of recent depositional history, improved our knowledge of the nature of the basin tectonics, climate history and styles of and controls on sedimentation processes within a sequence stratigraphic framework during the late Pleistocene-Holocene time.

Coastal and river environments are exposed to a number of natural hazards that have the potential to negatively affect both human and natural environments. The purpose of this research is to explain that significant vulnerabilities to seismic hazards exist within coastal and river environments and that coasts and rivers, past and present, have played as significant a role as seismic, engineering or socio-economic factors in determining the impacts and recovery patterns of a city following a seismic hazard event. An interdisciplinary approach was used to investigate the vulnerability of coastal and river areas in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, following the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence, which began on the 4th of September 2010. This information was used to identify the characteristics of coasts and rivers that make them more susceptible to earthquake induced hazards including liquefaction, lateral spreading, flooding, landslides and rock falls. The findings of this research are applicable to similar coastal and river environments elsewhere in the world where seismic hazards are also of significant concern. An interdisciplinary approach was used to document and analyse the coastal and river related effects of the Canterbury earthquake sequence on Christchurch city in order to derive transferable lessons that can be used to design less vulnerable urban communities and help to predict seismic vulnerabilities in other New Zealand and international urban coastal and river environments for the future. Methods used to document past and present features and earthquake impacts on coasts and rivers in Christchurch included using maps derived from Geographical Information Systems (GIS), photographs, analysis of interviews from coastal, river and engineering experts, and analysis of secondary data on seismicity, liquefaction potential, geology, and planning statutes. The Canterbury earthquake sequence had a significant effect on Christchurch, particularly around rivers and the coast. This was due to the susceptibility of rivers to lateral spreading and the susceptibility of the eastern Christchurch and estuarine environments to liquefaction. The collapse of river banks and the extensive cracking, tilting and subsidence that accompanied liquefaction, lateral spreading and rock falls caused damage to homes, roads, bridges and lifelines. This consequently blocked transportation routes, interrupted electricity and water lines, and damaged structures built in their path. This study found that there are a number of physical features of coastal and river environments from the past and the present that have induced vulnerabilities to earthquake hazards. The types of sediments found beneath eastern Christchurch are unconsolidated fine sands, silts, peats and gravels. Together with the high water tables located beneath the city, these deposits made the area particularly susceptible to liquefaction and liquefaction-induced lateral spreading, when an earthquake of sufficient size shook the ground. It was both past and present coastal and river processes that deposited the types of sediments that are easily liquefied during an earthquake. Eastern Christchurch was once a coastal and marine environment 6000 years ago when the shoreline reached about 6 km inland of its present day location, which deposited fine sand and silts over this area. The region was also exposed to large braided rivers and smaller spring fed rivers, both of which have laid down further fine sediments over the following thousands of years. A significant finding of this study is the recognition that the Canterbury earthquake sequence has exacerbated existing coastal and river hazards and that assessments and monitoring of these changes will be an important component of Christchurch’s future resilience to natural hazards. In addition, patterns of recovery following the Canterbury earthquakes are highlighted to show that coasts and rivers are again vulnerable to earthquakes through their ability to recovery. This city’s capacity to incorporate resilience into the recovery efforts is also highlighted in this study. Coastal and river areas have underlying physical characteristics that make them increasingly vulnerable to the effects of earthquake hazards, which have not typically been perceived as a ‘coastal’ or ‘river’ hazard. These findings enhance scientific and management understanding of the effects that earthquakes can have on coastal and river environments, an area of research that has had modest consideration to date. This understanding is important from a coastal and river hazard management perspective as concerns for increased human development around coastlines and river margins, with a high seismic risk, continue to grow.

This study aims to establish a depositional framework for an area of the Louisiana shelf, north-central Gulf of Mexico. The depositional history of the study area is poorly understood, especially within the last cycle of major eustatic fluctuation (~18, 000 yrs BP – present). Data sets used in this study include pre-existing and previously unanalyzed two-dimensional, highresolution seismic profile records (Acadiana 86 and Acadiana 89), geotechnical foundation boring data (Coleman and Roberts, 1988a), and an industry lease block survey report (Cole, 1983). Seismic sequence stratigraphic methods are employed in this study to analyze seismic profile data. Seismic sequence analysis results indicate the presence of five unconformable surfaces and five seismic facies units. Through correlation of seismic profile data with lithologic and chronologic data, it is possible to conclude that these seismic facies units represent shelf-margin deltaic deposition during the last lowstand of sea level (~18, 000 yrs BP), sourced by the Pearl River. .

L’arc des Petites Antilles résulte de la lente subduction vers l'Ouest des plaques Nord et Sud-Américaines sous la plaque Caraïbes (2cm/an). A la latitude de l’archipel guadeloupéen et à ~150 km à l’Ouest du front de déformation, le bassin d'avant-arc de Marie-Galante forme un bassin perché, incliné vers la fosse et limité vers l’Est par un haut-fond, l’Eperon Karukéra. À cette latitude, le bassin de Marie-Galante domine le prisme d’accrétion de la Barbade et fait face à la ride de Tiburon qui balaye la zone du Nord au Sud depuis la fin du Miocène supérieur. Le remplissage sédimentaire du Bassin de Marie-Galante montre des déformations actives au moins depuis ~30 millions d’années. L’objectif du travail est de reconstituer l’évolution tectono-sédimentaire de ce bassin pour apporter de nouvelles contraintes sur la compréhension globale de la zone de subduction frontale des Petites Antilles. Ce travail s'appuie sur les données de bathymétrie multifaisceaux et de sismique réflexion multi-traces haute résolution acquises lors des campagnes du programme KaShallow. Cette base de données, complétée de profils sismiques plus basse résolution de campagnes antérieures, permet d’avoir une couverture pseudo 3D et à quatre échelles de résolution de l'ensemble du bassin. Un échantillonnage par ROV et carottage ciblé a fourni 40 prélèvements dans les principales unités sismiques. Les analyses pétrologiques et les datations biostratigraphiques autorisent des reconstitutions paléo-environnementales depuis le Paléogène supérieur jusqu’à Actuel. L’interprétation sismique multi-échelle montre un bassin sédimentaire atteignant ~4,5s temps double (~4500 à 5625 m) sur un substratum magmatique pré-structuré. Ce bassin est composé de 5 grands ensembles sédimentaires (E-1, E1, E2, E3 et E4) subdivisés en 13 unités limitées par 14 surfaces de discontinuités. L’organisation séquentielle des unités sismiques permet de mettre en évidence 10 séquences de dépôts de troisièmes ordres (S-1 à S9). Le calage biostratigraphique de l’ensemble des séquences permet de proposer une évolution tectono-sédimentaire du bassin de l’Éocène à l’Actuel. Ainsi, nous distinguons quatre systèmes de failles normales associées à trois phases d’extensions qui contrôlent l’évolution architecturale et sédimentaire du bassin. 1/ Un système N050±10°E hérité, actif dès le Paléogène supérieur, qui contrôle le basculement général du bassin vers le SSE. Il est responsable de la formation de l'escarpement de Désirade d’environ 4500 m de dénivelé. Cette première extension est interprétée comme résultant de la fragmentation de l'avant-arc en réponse à l'augmentation du rayon de courbure de la zone de subduction. 2/ Un système N130°-N150°E, structurant à l’échelle de l’Éperon Karukéra, qui contrôle la sédimentation dès le Miocène inférieur et marque une première phase d'extension transverse à l’arc. 3/ Un système N160°-N180°E qui segmente le Bassin de Marie-Galante en un sous-bassin à l'Ouest et l'Éperon Karukéra à l'Est. Cette seconde extension, globalement perpendiculaire à la marge, s'accompagne d’une subsidence et d'une inversion de la polarité du bassin en réponse à son basculement vers la fosse qui débute au cours du Miocène moyen et se poursuit actuellement à l'Est du bassin. Cette évolution à long terme de l'avant-arc, concomitante avec le recul de l'arc volcanique vers l’Ouest, est considérée comme résultant d’une érosion basale de la plaque supérieure. 4/ Un système N090±10°E plus tardif est localisé au centre du bassin et qui contrôle le développement de plates-formes carbonatées néritiques sur certaines têtes de blocs, comme par exemple à Marie-Galante. Cette dernière extension, parallèle à l’arc, se manifeste dans le bassin à partir du Pliocène inférieur. Elle se superpose au régime d'extension perpendiculaire à l'avant-arc et est interprétée comme l'accommodation du partitionnement de la déformation en réponse à l’obliquité croissante du front subduction vers le Nord
The Lesser Antilles result of the slow westward subduction of the North and South American plate under the Caribbean plate (2 cm / year). At the latitude of the Guadeloupe archipelago and ~ 150 km to the west of the deformation front, the fore-arc basin of Marie-Galante forms a perched basin tilted to the pit and limited to the East by a shoal, the Spur Karukéra. At this latitude, Marie-Galante basin dominates the accretionary prism of Barbados and faces wrinkle Tiburon sweeping the area from North to South from the late Miocene. The sedimentary fill Basin Marie-Galante shows active deformation since at least ~ 30 million years. The aim of the work is to reconstruct the tectono-sedimentary evolution of the basin to provide new constraints on the overall understanding of the frontal subduction zone Lesser Antilles. This work relies on multibeam bathymetry data and high-resolution seismic reflection multi-traces acquired during campaigns KaShallow program. This database, supplemented by lower resolution of previous campaigns seismic profiles, provides a pseudo-3D coverage and four scales of resolution of the entire basin. ROV sampling and targeted core provided 40 samples in the main seismic units. Petrological analysis and biostratigraphic dating allow paleoenvironmental reconstructions from the upper Paleogene up Actuel. Seismic interpretation multiscale shows a sedimentary basin reaching ~ 4,5s double (~ 4500-5625 m) on a substrate pre-structured magma. This basin consists of 5 main sedimentary units (E-1, E1, E2, E3 and E4) divided into 13 units bounded by discontinuities 14 surfaces. The sequential organization of seismic units allows to highlight sequences 10 deposits of third order (S-1 to S9). The biostratigraphic calibration of all sequences able to offer a tectono-sedimentary evolution of the Eocene basin to Present. Thus, we distinguish four normal fault systems associated with three phases of extensions that control the architectural and sedimentary evolution of the basin. 1 / A system N050 ± 10 ° E inherited assets from the upper Paleogene, which controls the overall pelvic tilt towards the SSE. He is responsible for the formation of the escarpment Désirade about 4500 m elevation. The first extension is interpreted as resulting from the fragmentation of the fore-arc in response to the increase in the radius of curvature of subduction. 2 / A system N130 ° -N150 ° E, structuring across the Spur Karukéra, which controls sediment from the Miocene and marks the first phase of transverse extension arc. 3 / A system N160 ° E ° -N180 which segments Basin Marie-Galante in a sub-basin to the west and the Spur Karukéra in the East. This second extension, generally perpendicular to the margin, is accompanied by subsidence and reversing the polarity of the basin in response to his switch to the pit, beginning during the Middle Miocene and is ongoing in the East the basin. This long-term evolution of the forearc, concurrent with the decline in volcanic arc to the west, is considered as resulting from a basal erosion of the top plate. 4 / A system N090 ± 10 ° later E is located in the center of the basin and controlling the development of neritic carbonate platforms on certain blocks heads, such as Marie-Galante. This latest extension, parallel to the arc occurs in the basin from the lower Pliocene. It is superimposed on the expansion plan perpendicular to the fore-arc and is interpreted as the accommodation of the partitioning of deformation in response to the increasing obliquity front subduction north

De nombreuses études montrent que les transferts de contrainte co- et postsismiques jouent un rôle majeur dans l’occurrence des séquences de séismes. Cependant, la grande majorité de ces études implique des systèmes de failles à la configuration géométrique simple (e.g. failles parallèles ou colinéaires). Dans cette thèse, nous étudions une séquence de séismes s’étant produite au sein d’un système de failles à la configuration géométrique plus complexe (i.e. failles conjuguées), la séquence du NE Lut (1939-1997, NE Iran), afin d’évaluer (1) si les transferts de contrainte favorisent la succession de séismes de la séquence et (2) s’ils permettent sur le long-terme de synchroniser les ruptures des failles du système. Pour cela, nous mesurons d’abord les déformations de surface produites par la séquence afin de mieux contraindre par la suite la modélisation des transferts de contrainte. A partir de la technique de corrélation subpixel d'images optiques, nous mesurons les champs de déplacements de surface horizontaux produits par les séismes de Khuli-Boniabad (Mw 7.1, 1979) et de Zirkuh (Mw 7.2, 1997). Nous montrons que ces séismes sont caractérisés par la rupture de plusieurs segments dont les limites sont corrélées avec les complexités géométriques des failles. Nous interprétons les différences de leurs caractéristiques de rupture (longueur de rupture, glissement moyen, nombre de segments rompus) comme étant dues à des différences de maturité des failles de Dasht-e-Bayaz et d’Abiz. Nous détectons également les déplacements produits par un séisme historique modéré, le séisme de Korizan (Mw 6.6, 1979). C’est la première fois que les déplacements produits par un séisme historique de si petite taille sont mesurés par corrélation d’images optiques. Ensuite, en combinant le champ de déplacements InSAR déjà publié avec les données optiques proche-faille précédemment acquises, nous estimons un nouveau modèle de source pour le séisme de Zirkuh (Mw 7.2, 1997). Nous montrons que les données proche-faille sont essentielles pour mieux contraindre la géométrie de la rupture et la distribution du glissement en profondeur. Le modèle estimé montre que le séisme de Zirkuh a rompu trois aspérités séparées par des barrières géométriques où les répliques du séisme se localisent. Seul le segment central de la faille présente un déficit de glissement en surface que nous interprétons comme étant dû à de la déformation distribuée dans des dépôts quaternaires non consolidés. Enfin, à partir des informations précédemment acquises, nous modélisons les transferts de contrainte au cours de la séquence du NE Lut. Nous montrons que ceux-ci ont favorisé l’occurrence de 7 des 11 séismes de la séquence et que modéliser précisément la géométrie des ruptures est essentiel à une estimation robuste des transferts de contrainte. De plus, nous montrons que l’occurrence du séisme de Zirkuh (Mw 7.2, 1992) est principalement favorisée par les séismes modérés de la séquence. Pour finir, la simulation d’une multitude de cycles sismiques sur les failles du NE Lut montre que les transferts de contrainte, en particulier les transferts postsismiques liés à la relaxation viscoélastique de la lithosphère, sont le principal processus permettant la mise en place répétée de séquences de séismes sur les failles du NE Lut. Enfin, d'après les simulations réalisées, l'ordre dans lequel se sont produits les séismes majeurs durant la séquence du NE Lut est assez exceptionnel
Many studies show that static and postseismic stress transfers play an important role in the occurrence of seismic sequences. However, a large majority of these studies involves seismic sequences that occurred within fault systems having simple geometric configurations (e.g. collinear or parallel fault system). In this thesis, we study a seismic sequence that occurred within a complex fault system (i.e. conjugate fault system), the NE Lut seismic sequence (1939-1997, NE Iran), in order to assess if (1) stress transfers can explain the succession of earthquakes in the sequence and (2) stress transfers can lead to the synchronization of the NE Lut faults over multiple seismic cycles. To this end, we first measure the surface displacement field produced by the sequence in order to precisely constrain the stress transfer modeling afterwards. We use optical correlation technique to measure the surface displacement fields of the Khuli-Boniabad (Mw 7.1, 1979) and Zirkuh earthquake (Mw 7.2, 1997). We find that these earthquakes broke several segments limited by geometrical complexities of the faults. We interpret the differences in failure style of these earthquakes (i.e. rupture length, mean slip and number of broken segments) as being due to different level of structural maturity of the Dasht-e-Bayaz and Abiz faults. Furthermore, we succeed to detect offsets produced by the 1979 Mw 6.6 Korizan earthquake. It is the first time that surface displacements for such a small historical earthquake have been measured using optical correlation. Then, combining previously published intermediate-field InSAR data and our near-field optical data, we estimate a new source model for the Zirkuh earthquake (Mw 7.2, 1997). We show that near-field data are crucial to better constrain the fault geometry and the slip distribution at depth. According to our source model, the Zirkuh earthquake broke three asperities separated by geometrical barriers where aftershocks are located. No shallow slip deficit is found for the overall rupture except on the central segment where it could be due to off-fault deformation in quaternary deposits. Finally, we use the information acquired in the first parts of this work to model the stress transfers within the NE Lut sequence. We find that 7 out of 11 earthquakes are triggered by the previous ones and that the precise modeling of the rupture geometry is crucial to robustly estimate the stress transfers. We also show that the Zirkuh earthquake is mainly triggered by the moderate earthquakes of the NE Lut sequence. Lastly, the simulation of multiple seismic cycles on the NE Lut fault system shows that stress transfers, in particular postseismic stress transfers due to viscoelastic relaxation, enhance the number of seismic sequences and synchronize the rupture of the faults. The simulations also show that the order in which the Mw>7 earthquakes occurred during the NE Lut sequence is quite exceptional

The steep forearc slope along the northern sector of the obliquely convergent Hikurangi subduction zone is characteristic of non-accretionary and tectonically eroding continental margins, with reduced sediment supply in the trench relative to further south, and the presence of seamount relief on the Hikurangi Plateau. These seamounts influence the subduction process and the structurally-driven geomorphic development of the over-riding margin of the Australian Plate frontal wedge. The Poverty Indentation represents an unusual, especially challenging and therefore exciting location to investigate the tectonic and eustatic effects on this sedimentary system because of: (i) the geometry and obliquity of the subducting seamounts; (ii) the influence of multiple repeated seamount impacts; (iii) the effects of structurally-driven over-steeping and associated widespread occurrence of gravitational collapse and mass movements; and (iv) the development of a large canyon system down the axis of the indentation. High quality bathymetric and backscatter images of the Poverty Indentation submarine re-entrant across the northern part of the Hikurangi margin were obtained by scientists from the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) (Lewis, 2001) using a SIMRAD EM300 multibeam swath-mapping system, hull-mounted on NIWA’s research vessel Tangaroa. The entire accretionary slope of the re-entrant was mapped, at depths ranging from 100 to 3500 metres. The level of seafloor morphologic resolution is comparable with some of the most detailed Digital Elevation Maps (DEM) onshore. The detailed digital swath images are complemented by the availability of excellent high-quality processed multi-channel seismic reflection data, single channel high-resolution 3.5 kHz seismic reflection data, as well as core samples. Combined, these data support this study of the complex interactions of tectonic deformation with slope sedimentary processes and slope submarine geomorphic evolution at a convergent margin. The origin of the Poverty Indentation, on the inboard trench-slope at the transition from the northern to central sectors of the Hikurangi margin, is attributed to multiple seamount impacts over the last c. 2 Myr period. This has been accompanied by canyon incision, thrust fault propagation into the trench fill, and numerous large-scale gravitational collapse structures with multiple debris flow and avalanche deposits ranging in down-slope length from a few hundred metres to more than 40 km. The indentation is directly offshore of the Waipaoa River which is currently estimated to have a high sediment yield into the marine system. The indentation is recognised as the “Sink” for sediments derived from the Waipaoa River catchment, one of two target river systems chosen for the US National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded MARGINS “Source-to-Sink” initiative. The Poverty Canyon stretches 70 km from the continental shelf edge directly offshore from the Waipaoa to the trench floor, incising into the axis of the indentation. The sediment delivered to the margin from the Waipaoa catchment and elsewhere during sea-level high-stands, including the Holocene, has remained largely trapped in a large depocentre on the Poverty shelf, while during low-stand cycles, sediment bypassed the shelf to develop a prograding clinoform sequence out onto the upper slope. The formation of the indentation and the development of the upper branches of the Poverty Canyon system have led to the progressive removal of a substantial part of this prograding wedge by mass movements and gully incision. Sediment has also accumulated in the head of the Poverty Canyon and episodic mass flows contribute significantly to continued modification of the indentation by driving canyon incision and triggering instability in the adjacent slopes. Prograding clinoforms lying seaward of active faults beneath the shelf, and overlying a buried inactive thrust system beneath the upper slope, reveal a history of deformation accompanied by the creation of accommodation space. There is some more recent activity on shelf faults (i.e. Lachlan Fault) and at the transition into the lower margin, but reduced (~2 %) or no evidence of recent deformation for the majority of the upper to mid-slope. This is in contrast to current activity (approximately 24 to 47% shortening) across the lower slope and frontal wedge regions of the indentation. The middle to lower Poverty Canyon represents a structural transition zone within the indentation coincident with the indentation axis. The lower to mid-slope south of the canyon conforms more closely to a classic accretionary slope deformation style with a series of east-facing thrust-propagated asymmetric anticlines separated by early-stage slope basins. North of the canyon system, sediment starvation and seamount impact has resulted in frontal tectonic erosion associated with the development of an over-steepened lower to mid-slope margin, fault reactivation and structural inversion and over-printing. Evidence points to at least three main seamount subduction events within the Poverty Indentation, each with different margin responses: i) older substantial seamount impact that drove the first-order perturbation in the margin, since approximately ~1-2 Ma ii) subducted seamount(s) now beneath Pantin and Paritu Ridge complexes, initially impacting on the margin approximately ~0.5 Ma, and iii) incipient seamount subduction of the Puke Seamount at the current deformation front. The overall geometry and geomorphology of the wider indentation appears to conform to the geometry accompanying the structure observed in sandbox models after the seamount has passed completely through the deformation front. The main morphological features correlating with sandbox models include: i) the axial re-entrant down which the Poverty Canyon now incises; ii) the re-establishment of an accretionary wedge to the south of the indentation axis, accompanied by out-stepping, deformation front propagation into the trench fill sequence, particularly towards the mouth of the canyon; iii) the linear north margin of the indentation with respect to the more arcuate shape of the southern accretionary wedge; and, iv) the set of faults cutting obliquely across the deformation front near the mouth of the canyon. Many of the observed structural and geomorphic features of the Poverty Indentation also correlate well both with other sediment-rich convergent margins where seamount subduction is prevalent particularly the Nankai and Sumatra margins, and the sediment-starved Costa Rican margin. While submarine canyon systems are certainly present on other convergent margins undergoing seamount subduction there appears to be no other documented shelf to trench extending canyon system developing in the axis of such a re-entrant, as is dominating the Poverty Indentation. Ongoing modification of the Indentation appears to be driven by: i) continued smaller seamount impacts at the deformation front, and currently subducting beneath the mid-lower slope, ii) low and high sea-level stands accompanied by variations on sediment flux from the continental shelf, iii) over-steepening of the deformation front and mass movement, particularly from the shelf edge and upper slope.

A 3D seismic volume was acquired summer 2000 over the southern end of Hydrate Ridge (FIR), an anomalously shallow ridge 100 km offshore Newport, Oregon. The survey followed a succession of scientific expeditions aimed at studying the gas hydrates present in the shallow subsurface that gave the name to the ridge. This thesis consists of a seismic sequence analysis of the high-resolution (125 Hz) 3D survey. Identification of seismic units and interpretation of depositional sequences observed on the seismic sections is presented. The sequence analysis is compared with the results from nine sites cored during ODP Leg 204 during summer 2002. The first objective is to document in detail the stratigraphy of the ridge so that we can compare it with the gas hydrate distribution. The second is to reconstruct the structural evolution through time of this complex anticline as inferred from the depositional history. The result is a time series of structural evolutionary cross-sections as well as a series of paleo-bathymetric maps revealing the development of and interplay between the structures now buried in the subsurface of southern HR. The structural evolutionary diagrams show the existence of three anticlines, interpreted as thrust-related folds. They formed at the deformation front and controlled the distribution and deformation of the sediments during the Pleistocene. The current southern HR started its uplift less than 0.5 Ma. A seismic relict in the form of a double BSR is a witness to the evolution of the gas hydrate system of HR. It confirms the recent uplift of the ridge and consequent shallowing of the base of the gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Further detailed studies of the stratigraphy reveal stratigraphic controls on the fluid flow, which in turn control the distribution of gas hydrates. Analysis of the amplitude map of the bottom-simulating reflector (BSR), which is a proxy for the free gas distribution, shows a relationship between anticlinal features within the older strata (older than 1.6 Ma) and strong amplitude anomalies of the BSR, which confirm previous observations suggesting a very low permeability for the young slope-basin sediments and an accumulation of gas within the older sediments underneath.
Graduation date: 2004

Regional exploration in the Barrow Sub-basin has dominantly focused on structural traps in the Top Barrow Group. A lack of recent discoveries has focused attention more towards the economic potential of the Early Cretaceous intra-Barrow Group plays. The aim of this study was to interpret the seismic sequence stratigraphy and depositional history of the intra-Barrow Group within the Barrow Sub-basin, with emphasis on the identification of stratigraphic traps and potential locations of economic seal/reservoir couplets within the study area. The study area lies south of Barrow Island, and contains the topsets, foresets and toesets of the ‘Barrow delta’, which are an amalgamation of Mesozoic sandprone fluvial, coastal deltaic and deepwater successions. The final stages of the break-up of Gondwana impacted on the structural development of the Barrow Sub-basin, when a large shelf-margin fluvial/deltaic system built out toward the north to northeast, contributing to northerly shelf margin accretion, with largescale clinoform features and associated depositional environments. The dataset comprises the Flinders 3D seismic survey 1267 km² and 35 well logs. Eleven seismic sequences are identified and a seismic sequence stratigraphic framework tied to the wells has been developed, via detailed sequence stratigraphic mapping, integrated with 3D visualisation techniques with the use of Petrel. These eleven second-order sequences are further subdivided into lowstand, transgressive and highstand systems tracts. The movement of the palaeo-shelf break, slope and base of slope can be traced throughout each sequence, displaying an overall trend of building out in a north to northeast direction. A series of palaeo- geographic maps for each sequence has been developed to illustrate the basin’s evolution. The seismic sequences identified display progradation, followed by aggradation, then downstepping, concluding with progradation and aggradation. A high-resolution sequence stratigraphic study of Seismic Sequence 1 showed that several higher-order sequences can be identified, including numerous lowstand systems wedges, along with associated channel features, which could be targeted as new plays. The sequence stratigraphic framework developed, palaeo-geographic reconstructions and all other interpretations made for this project have been integrated to assess the prospectivity of the intra-Barrow Group over the study area, resulting in the identification of a number of leads and prospectivity summaries for each of the 11 Seismic Sequences identified within the intra-Barrow Group.
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Thesis (M.Sc.(Petrol.G&G))-- University of Adelaide, Australian School of Petroleum, 2008

Nine second-order sequences in Central Arabia are in part correlatable with worldwide seismic sequences. Differential uplift and subsidence occurred throughout the Paleozoic and was interrupted by a late Ordovician-early Silurian and an Upper Carboniferous to lower Permian glaciation. The wedge-like sequences A and B represent an incomplete Cambro-Ordovician encroachment cycle. The uppermost Ordovician-lowermost Silurian sequence C represents a thin sequence of glaciogenic clastics. The wedge like sequences D, E and F represent the resumption of passive margin subsidence around the margin of the Central Arabian arch. Sequence G is underlain by a major unconformity (SB 7) which terminates much of the formation of the Central Arabian arch. Sequence H, the upper Permian Khuff carbonates mark the beginning of the wide Mesozoic passive margin of the Tethys.

Sequences are recognized throughout the geologic record. The Angolan margin provides an excellent opportunity to examine the factors that control the deposition and preservation of sediments in sequences, as well as the factors that create the erosion or non-deposition along sequence boundaries. The Angolan sequences can be compared to global sequence charts and used to investigate the effects of local events versus global events on the area's sequences. Using seismic sequence stratigraphic principles, a 2D regional seismic data set covering three basins offshore Angola, the Lower Congo, Kwanza, and Benguela Basins, was interpreted. Sequences and their unconformities were correlated within each basin as well as between basins. Major sequences could be interpreted throughout and between the three basins with a high degree of confidence. Additional sequences within these major sequences were interpreted within a basin, but could not be correlated to the adjacent basin with a high degree of confidence. Detailed interpretation of the sequence stratigraphic significance of each reflector was performed on three profiles, one for each basin. Chronostratigraphic charts were constructed using the detailed interpretation of the profiles. Within the interpreted sequence stratigraphic framework, the timing and mechanics of the formation of salt structures was examined. The Angolan basins contain a variety of salt tectonic features. The reflectors of strata adjacent to the salt features were used to determine the timing and mechanics of the salt structure formation. This study accomplished several objectives. The tectonic evolution of the Angolan margin was reviewed. This study established a sequence stratigraphic framework for Angola. The process of deposition and preservation of sediments as depositional sequences was examined. The sequences were compared with the global sequence charts as well as with eustatic, tectonic, and oceanic circulation events. The formation of the sequence bounding unconformities was examined. Within the sequences, the interaction of sedimentation and salt movement was described.

High rates of Neogene sediment influx to the offshore Canterbury Basin resulted in preservation of a high-resolution record of seismically resolvable sequences (~0.1-0.54 my periods). Subsequent sequence development was strongly influenced by submarine currents. This study focuses on correlating seismically interpreted sequence boundaries and sediment drifts architectures beneath the modern shelf and slope with sediment facies observed in cores from shelf Site U1351 and slope Site U1352 drilled by Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 317. A traveltime-depth conversion was created using sonic and density logs and is compared with two previous traveltime-depth conversions for the sites. Eleven large elongate drifts were interpreted prior to drilling. Two new small-scale plastered slope drifts in the vicinity of the IODP sites, together with sediment waves drilled at Site U1352, have been interpreted as part of this study. Lithologic discontinuity surfaces and transitions together with associated sediment packages form the basis of identifying sequences and sequence boundaries in the cores. Contacts and facies were characterized using shipboard core descriptions, emphasizing grain-size contrasts and the natures of the lower and upper contacts of sediment packages. Lithologic surfaces in cores from sites U1351- (surfaces S1-S8) and U1352- (surfaces S1-S6) correlate with early Pleistocene to recent seismic sequence boundaries U12-U19 and U14-U19, respectively. The limited depths achieved by downhole logging, in particular sonic and density logs, together with poor recovery in the deeper section did not allow correlation of older lithologic surfaces. Slope Site U1352 experienced a complex interplay of along-strike and downslope depositional processes and cores provide information about the principal facies forming sediment waves. The general facies are fine-grained mud rich sediment interbedded decimeter-centimeter thick sand and sandy mud. Core evidence for current activity is reinforced at larger scale by seismic interpretations of sediment waves and drifts.
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On November 6, 1988, two strong earthquakes (Mw: 7.0 and 6.8) separated by about 13 minutes occurred in Yunnan Province, China. The aftershocks located by Kunming Telemetered Seismic Network form a lineament approximately 120 km long and 20 km wide with the long dimension oriented approximately N30°W. The epicenter of the first event lies about 30 km from the southern terminus of the aftershock zone while the epicenter of the second event is 60 km further to the northwest. Field investigations indicate that the surface fault ruptures associated with the first and second shock and a variety of ground deformations. We analyze teleseismic data recorded by the GDSN network to determine the rupture process of these two mainshocks (referred to as Ml and M2) and the two largest aftershocks (referred to as Al and A2). Inversion of long-period body waves gives the following centroid source parameters for Ml: strike 154°±4°, dip 86°±1°, slip 181°±1°, centroid depth shallower than 15 km (least-misfit centroid depth 12 km), and seismic moment 4.5-4.9 X 10²⁶ dyn cm (least-misfit seismic moment 4.6 X 10²⁶ dyn cm). The source time function, further constrained by broadband seismograms, indicates that the source duration for this event is 12 seconds. Due to signal interference with Ml, body wave inversion techniques cannot be applied to M2. The Rayleigh waves provide a better look at this event. In order to identify the energy contributions from the two events, group velocity analysis was performed on the surface wave trains. The energy from the individual events was then isolated based on their dispersion patterns. The amplitude spectra in the period range of 100 to 66 s were inverted for the source parameters. The inversion constrains the strike of M2 precisely (155°±3°), however, dip and slip angles were not well resolved by the inversion. Similar Rayleigh wave amplitude spectra and radiation patterns of Ml and M2, however, suggest that they had very similar mechanisms and centroid depths. On the average, the amplitude spectra of M2 are smaller than those of Ml by a factor of 2.2, indicating the seismic moment of M2 is 2.1 X 10²⁶ dyn cm. The two largest aftershocks, Al (Mw 6.1) and A2 (Mw 5.3), which occurred at the southern terminus of the aftershock zone, were analyzed by modeling teleseismic and strong ground motion data. Teleseismic body wave inversion gives source orientation of Al: strike 165°±2.5°, dip 90°±1.5°, slip 178°±0.5°, centroid depth shallower than 12 km (least-misfit centroid depth 7 km from broadband waveform inversion), and seismic moment 1.5-1.6 X 10²⁵ dyn cm. The inversion of A2 gives the source orientation and centroid depth very similar to those of Al. The seismic moment for this event is 1.3-1.6 X 10²⁴ dyn cm. Modeling of strong ground motion seismograms adds more constraints on centroid depths and source time functions of Al and A2. To minimize the effect of scattering caused by upper crustal heterogeneity, we confined our analysis to frequencies lower than 1 Hz. A crustal model, with a low velocity sedimentary layer, was found that predicts common features of observed strong ground motion seismograms for both events. Derived source orientation is consistent with that found from teleseismic body wave inversion. The centroid depths of Al and A2 were constrained to be between 4 and 12 km. A source duration of 7 s and 2 s was obtained for Al and A2, respectively. Derived rupture parameters of Ml and M2, aftershock distribution, field investigations, geological information and concepts of geometrical barriers and fault asperities, indicate that the preexisting fault intersections played the key role in rupture terminations and initiations. The 12 s source duration of Ml and about 60 km long zone of ground deformation along the strike suggest that Ml rupture was bilateral. The rupture initiated near a fault intersection and propagated to NNW and SSE along the strike. The SSE propagating rupture was terminated by a preexisting fault which intersects the ruptured fault 30 km to the south. The aftershock Al and A2 as well as a dense group of small aftershocks were associated with the termination of the SSE segment. The NNW propagating rupture was also terminated by a NE striking preexisting fault on which several of the largest aftershocks appear to have occurred. This NE striking fault right-laterally offsets the fault on which Ml and M2 occurred forming a geometrical barrier for the rupture. M2 presumably nucleated near this barrier and unilaterally ruptured about 25 km toward NNW where it was terminated by a well documented preexisting fault.
Graduation date: 1992