Rift basins

The features created by crustal movements may be mountain chains, like the Himalayas, where collision of continents causes extensive compression. Conversely, the depressions of the Red Sea and East African Rift Basin are formed by extensional plate movements. Both type of movements form large scale depressions into which sediments from the surrounding elevated areas ( highs ) are transported. These depressions are termed sedimentary basins (Fig. 2.3). The basin fill can attain a thickness of several kilometres. 

Figure 1.60. Variation of subsidence rate for syn-rift basins in the Uetsu district, northeast Honshu (Yamaji, 1990). The line of boxes shows the spatially averaged subsidence rate. The rate after 15 Ma is not clear because of uncertainty in paleobathymetry. However, the rate probably decreased to the order of 10-100 m/m.y. If the rate had been of the order of 1 km/m.y. after 15 Ma, the water depth of the inner arc region at 14 Ma would have been much deeper than modem, young, back-arc basins.

Most petroliferous deposits originally were laid down under warm to hot arid climates and tectonic situations conducive to rapid burial, such as rift basins. One can envisage a complete ecological succession during burial start-... 

Parameter Mid-Ocean Ridge and Oceanic Inlraplate Trailing Plate-Continental Margin Subduct) on (Trench) Continent- Continent Collision Rift Basins Intra-Plate (Craion)... 

Person M. A. and Garven G. (1992) Hydrologic constraints on petroleum generation within continental rift basins theory and apphcation to the Rhine Graben. Am. Assoc. Petrol. Geologists Bull. 76, 468—488. 

Sedimentary formation waters have long been invoked as ore-forming fluids in a number of distinctly different geologic settings. Although ore deposit classification schemes vary, the following have been genetically associated with basinal fluids (i) Mississippi-Valley-type lead, zinc, copper, barium, and fluoride deposits (ii) shale-hosted lead, zinc, and barium deposits (iii) rift-basin and redbed copper deposits ... 

Harding, T.P. and Tuminas, A.C. 1989. Structural interpretation of hydrocarbon traps sealed by basement normal blocks and at stable flank of foredeep basins and at rift basins. Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol. Bull., 73 812-840. 

Such cements occur in weakly compacted sediments and are characterized by low 6 0 values and fluid inclusions with high homogenization temperatures. This mechanism imposes difficulties in recognizing these cements from those formed by recrystallization at increased temperatures, as both mechanisms preserve a high, pre-cement porosity. A few workers (Giroir et al., 1989 Souza et al., 1995) argued that the early emplacement of calcite cement in sandstones of rift basins may take place... 

Giroir, G., Merino, E. Nahon, D. (1989) Diagenesis of Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs of the south Gabon rift basin. West Africa mineralogy, mass transfer, and thermal evolution. J. sediment. Petrol, 59, 482-493. 

Moraes, M.A.S. SuRDAM, R.C. (1993) Diagenetic heterogeneity and reservoir quality fluvial, deltaic, and turbiditic sandstone reservoirs, potiguar and reconcavo rift basins, Brazil. Bull. Am. Ass. petrol. Geol., 77, 1142-1158. 

SucHECKi, R.K., Hubert, J.F. Wet, C.C.B.D. (1988) Isotopic imprint of climate and hydrogeochemistry on terrestrial strata of the Triassic-Jurassic Hartford and Fundy Rift Basins. J sediment. Petrol., 58, 801-811. 

The alluvial reservoir rocks in the Tampen Spur area were deposited within a Permian-early Trias-sic rift basin that comprised most of the North Sea area (e.g. Ziegler, 1988 Glennie, 1990, 1995). 

Still during the Early Cretaceous, the establishment of the initial outlines of continental margins in the African and South American plates (proto-rift phase) caused subsidence of the central part of the depression and the development of a new shallow lacustrine environment. After this, narrow rift basins developed and Gondwana was fragmented. 

Coarse-grained proximal deposits predominate in the Furado and Japoata-Penedo areas (Fig. 2), whereas fine-grained sandstones and mudstones predominate in the Caioba area. This distribution pattern represents a portion of the original deposi-tional association which was preserved within the late-developed rift basin. The connotation of proximal , middle and distal as used in this paper thus applies to the relative location within the central part of the fluvial system. The contemporaneous, most proximal alluvial fan and most distal lacustrine deposits are not preserved within the present basin configuration. 

Badley, M.E., Egeberg, T. Nipen, O. (1984) Development of rift basins illustrated by the structural evolution of the Oseberg feature. Block 30/6, offshore Norway. J. Geol. Soc. London, 141, 639-649. 

Enachescu, M.E. (1988) Extended basement beneath the intracratonic rifted basins of the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Can. J. Explor. Geophys., 24, 48-65. 

Crustal thinning by extensional tectonics, causing fault-controlled subsidence (e.g. rift basins like the North Sea, and strike-slip basins as formed along the San Andreas fault zone). 

Zhang Yueqiao, Zhao Yue, Dong Shuwen, et al. Tectonic evolution stages of the early Cretaceous rift basins in eastern China and adjacent areas and their geodynamic background. Earth Science Frontiers, 2004 11 (3) 123-133. 

Fig. 17.35 Lake Vostok in East Antarctica is the largest of about 160 subglacial lakes that have been discovered by radar echo surveys. The lake is about 300 km long and about 50 km wide. It is covered by 3,700 m of ice and occupies a tectonic rift that is bounded by deep faults. Lake Vostok was named after the Russian research station that is located close to the southern end of the subglacial lake. Lake Sovetskaya and 90°E Lake, which are located close to the 90°E Meridian may also occupy rift basins (Adapted from MODIS Mosaic of Antarctica acquired by NASA s satellites Terra and Aqua between November 20, 2003 and February 29,2004)...

Tseng, H.Y., Burruss, R.C., Qnstott,T.C., Qmar, G. (1999) Paleofluid-flow circulation within aTriassic rift basin evidence from oil inclusions and thermal histories. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 111, 275-290. 

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