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Abstract

K. R. McClay, 2004, Thrust tectonics and hydrocarbon systems: AAPG Memoir 82, p. 356-371.

Copyright copy2004. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.

Trishear Kinematic Modeling of Structures, with Examples from the Neuqueacuten Basin, Argentina

Richard W. Allmendinger,1 Tomaacutes Zapata,2 Reneacute Manceda,3 Francisco Dzelalija4

1Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.
2YPF S.A., Departamento Exploracioacuten Regional Oeste, Neuqueacuten, Argentina; Present address: Repsol-YPF, Buenos Aires, Argentina
3Maxus Energy, Dallas, Texas, U.S.A.
4YPF S.A., Dto. Exploracioacuten Regional Oeste, Neuqueacuten, Argentina; Present address: APEX Petroleum Inc., Englewood, Colorado, U.S.A.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are greatly indebted to YPF S.A. for permission to publish the seismic data displayed herein. Numerous discussions with Stuart Hardy, Ernesto Cristallini, Dan Litzenberg, Ben Brooks, John Suppe, and others have substantially increased our understanding of trishear. Reviews by Eric Erslev and two anonymous reviewers helped to improve the manuscript. We thank Ken McClay for organizing Thrust Tectonics 99 and inviting our participation. We are grateful to the U.S. National Science Foundation for partial support of this research, through grants EAR-9614759 and EAR-9814348 to R. W. Allmendinger. Acknowledgment is also made to the donors of the Petroleum Research Fund, administered by the ACS, for partial support of this research.

ABSTRACT

We have expanded previous trishear fault-propagation-fold forward models by allowing additional structural complexity in the form of multiple ramps and flats, variable propagation-to-slip ratio (P/S) and trishear angle, as well as multiple faults in a single section. The resulting forward models simulate characteristics of real structures very well. Our six-parameter grid search overcomes a long-standing obstacle to the application of trishear by providing a scientifically objective way of choosing the correct parameters to apply to real structures. By grid searching forward models with known initial parameters, we investigate the sensitivity of trishear to various parameters. These experiments highlight the importance of P/S in determining fold shape: A change in P/S of just 0.3 produces a change in fold shape that is equivalent to that produced by a 15–20deg change in trishear angle. Application of the trishear model to contractional and extensional structures of the Neuqueacuten Basin highlights its utility for predicting (1) strain and strain path, (2) fracture orientation and distribution, (3) fault-slip magnitude, and (4) fault nucleation point/decirccollement depth. Our study of large basement-cored producing anticlines such as Filo Morado–Pampa Tril emphasizes an important point: Trishear and parallel kink-fold geometries can be compatible when applied at different scales. Trishear provides a bulk description of the deforming zone on the thickened, triangular eastern flank of the fold but makes no explicit prediction about how the strain is accommodated. In these structures, the strain is variably accommodated by tight folding, duplexing, and flow of evaporites and depends significantly on the thickness of the ldquocompetentrdquo units in the section.

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