Seismic velocities within the sedimentary succession of the Canada Basin and southern Alpha-Mendeleev Ridge, Arctic Ocean : evidence for accelerated porosity reduction?

Author Posting. © Crown Copyright, 2015. This article is posted here by permission of Oxford University Press for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Geophysical Journal International 204 (2016): 1-20, doi:10.1093/gji/ggv416.The Canada Basin and the southern Alpha-Mendeleev ridge complex underlie a significant proportion of the Arctic Ocean, but the geology of this undrilled and mostly ice-covered frontier is poorly known. New information is encoded in seismic wide-angle reflections and refractions recorded with expendable sonobuoys between 2007 and 2011. Velocity–depth samples within the sedimentary succession are extracted from published analyses for 142 of these records obtained at irregularly spaced stations across an area of 1.9E + 06 km2. The samples are modelled at regional, subregional and station-specific scales using an exponential function of inverse velocity versus depth with regionally representative parameters determined through numerical regression. With this approach, smooth, non-oscillatory velocity–depth profiles can be generated for any desired location in the study area, even where the measurement density is low. Practical application is demonstrated with a map of sedimentary thickness, derived from seismic reflection horizons interpreted in the time domain and depth converted using the velocity–depth profiles for each seismic trace. A thickness of 12–13 km is present beneath both the upper Mackenzie fan and the middle slope off of Alaska, but the sedimentary prism thins more gradually outboard of the latter region. Mapping of the observed-to-predicted velocities reveals coherent geospatial trends associated with five subregions: the Mackenzie fan; the continental slopes beyond the Mackenzie fan; the abyssal plain; the southwestern Canada Basin; and, the Alpha-Mendeleev magnetic domain. Comparison of the subregional velocity–depth models with published borehole data, and interpretation of the station-specific best-fitting model parameters, suggests that sandstone is not a predominant lithology in any of the five subregions. However, the bulk sand-to-shale ratio likely increases towards the Mackenzie fan, and the model for this subregion compares favourably with borehole data for Miocene turbidites in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The station-specific results also indicate that Quaternary sediments coarsen towards the Beaufort-Mackenzie and Banks Island margins in a manner that is consistent with the variable history of Laurentide Ice Sheet advance documented for these margins. Lithological factors do not fully account for the elevated velocity–depth trends that are associated with the southwestern Canada Basin and the Alpha-Mendeleev magnetic domain. Accelerated porosity reduction due to elevated palaeo-heat flow is inferred for these regions, which may be related to the underlying crustal types or possibly volcanic intrusion of the sedimentary succession. Beyond exploring the variation of an important physical property in the Arctic Ocean basin, this study provides comparative reference for global studies of seismic velocity, burial history, sedimentary compaction, seismic inversion and overpressure prediction, particularly in mudrock-dominated successions

Structural and fluid-migration control on hill-hole pair formation: Evidence from high-resolution 3D seismic data from the SW Barents Sea

Hill-hole pairs are subglacial landforms consisting of thrust-block hills and associated source depressions. Formed by evacuation of material where ice sheets have been locally frozen to the substrate, they give insights into paleo-ice-sheet dynamics. The aim of this study was to document the relationships between ancient hill-hole pairs identified on a buried glacial unconformity with the structure of the underlying sedimentary deposits, and then to determine if the basin geology and glacial fluid migration pathways promoted local subglacial freeze-on during the hill-hole pair formation. The study is based on seismic geomorphological interpretation of four high-resolution 3D seismic cubes covering an area of 800 km2 in the SW Barents Sea, and fluid seepage data from 37 gravity cores. The seismic datasets allowed the identification of 55 hill-hole pairs along the buried unconformity. The hills are characterized by chaotic to homogenous seismic facies forming up to 19 m high mounds, each covering areas of 2000–644,000 m2. The holes form depressions between 1 and 44 m deep and 2000–704,000 m2 in areal extent, which cut into preglacial Mesozoic bedrock and later infilled by glacial till. The holes are often found above fault terminations. High-amplitude reflections identified along the faults and in the strata below the holes are interpreted as shallow gas migrating upward towards the glacial unconformity. Geochemical data of the seabed sediment cores further indicates an association between hill-hole pair occurrence and present-day thermogenic hydrocarbon seepage. The hill-hole pairs geometries were also used to identify five paleo-ice-flow directions along the glacial unconformity. These ice flows exhibit polythermal regimes, and four of them are parallel to ice-stream flow sets interpreted from glacial lineations. The integrated interpretation supports localized fault-related basal freezing of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet which resulted in the formation of hill-hole pairs when the ice sheet moved. In this context, the faults functioned as migration pathways for deep thermogenic fluids, possibly sourced from leaking Jurassic reservoirs.>p> This study highlights the importance of the underlying geology for ice-sheet dynamics: While hill-hole pairs above glacial till appear to be commonly associated with dispersed gas hydrates, hill-hole pairs above bedrock additionally indicate a link to underlying fault systems and hydrocarbon reservoirs. Freeze-on of underlying bedrock to the basal ice along the strike of faults in sedimentary bedrock explains deeper hill-hole pairs with smaller extents along the glacial unconformity compared to areally larger but shallow hill-hole pairs detected above glacial till on modern seabeds. Such close association between paleo-thermogenic gas seepage and the location of hill-hole pairs strongly support that hill-hole pairs are excellent markers revealing exit points of fluid migration pathways in petroleum system models

Monitoring Of CO2 Leakage Using High-Resolution 3D Seismic Data – Examples From Snøhvit, Vestnesa Ridge And The Western Barents Sea

Source at https://doi.org/10.3997/2214-4609.201802965.Injection of CO2 in subsurface reservoirs may cause overburden deformation and CO2 leakage. The aim of this study is to apply technologies for detection and monitoring of CO2 leakage and deformation above the injection reservoirs. The examples of this study include data from the Vestnesa Ridge natural seep site, the Snøhvit gas field and CO2 storage site region, and the Gemini North gas reservoir. Reprocessing of existing 3D high-resolution seismic data allows resolving features with a vertical and lateral resolution down to c. 1 m and c. 5 m respectively. The current acquisition systems could be modified to image structures down to one meter in both the vertical and horizontal directions. We suggest a monitoring workflow that includes baseline and time-lapse acquisition of highresolution 3D seismic data, integrated with geochemical, geophysical, and geotechnical seabed core and watercolumn measurements. The outcome of such a workflow can deliver reliable quantitative property volumes of the subsurface and will be able to image meter-sized anomalies of fluid leakage and deformation in the overburden

Distribution of crustal types in Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean

© The Author(s), 2016. This is the author's version of the work and is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Tectonophysics 691, Part A (2016): 8-30, doi:10.1016/j.tecto.2016.01.038.Seismic velocities determined from 70 sonobuoys widely distributed in Canada Basin were used to discriminate crustal types. Velocities of oceanic layer 3 (6.7 -7.1 km/s), transitional (7.2-7.6 km/s) and continental crust (5.5-6.6 km/s) were used to distinguish crustal types. Potential field data supports the distribution of oceanic crust as a polygon with maximum dimensions of ~340 km (east-west) by ~590 km (north-south) and identification of the ocean-continent boundary (OCB). Paired magnetic anomalies are associated only with crust that has oceanic velocities. Furthermore, the interpreted top of oceanic crust on seismic reflection profiles is more irregular and sometimes shallower than adjacent transitional crust. The northern segment of the narrow Canada Basin Gravity Low (CBGL), often interpreted as a spreading centre, bisects this zone of oceanic crust and coincides with the location of a prominent valley in seismic reflection profiles. Data coverage near the southern segment of CBGL is sparse. Velocities typical of transitional crust are determined east of it. Extension in this region, close to the inferred pole of rotation, may have been amagmatic. Offshore Alaska is a wide zone of thinned continental crust up to 300 km across. Published longer offset refraction experiments in the Basin confirm the depth to Moho and the lack of oceanic layer 3 velocities. Further north, towards Alpha Ridge and along Northwind Ridge, transitional crust is interpreted to be underplated or intruded by magmatism related to the emplacement of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province (HALIP). Although a rotational plate tectonic model is consistent with the extent of the conjugate magnetic anomalies that occupy only a portion of Canada Basin, it does not explain the asymmetrical configuration of the oceanic crust in the deep water portion of Canada Basin, and the unequal distribution of transitional and continental crust around the basin.Funding for this work was provided through the Geological Survey of Canada as part of the Canada’s Extended Continental Slope (ECS) Program. Funding for this work was also provided in part through the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the U.S. ECS Project.2018-02-0

Geophysical Studies Bearing on the Origin of the Arctic Basin

Deep troughs and ridges of the Arctic Basin are some of the least known features of the Earth's crust. Some of the ridges, eg. Chukchi and Nordwind, are connected directly to the continental shelves and are certainly submarine promontories of the latter. The character of the Lomonosov Ridge as a narrow slice of continental crust that separated from the Eurasian margin in the early Cenozoic (by opening of the Eurasian Basin), is not in doubt. Recent drilling (ACEX) and piston coring have confirmed this interpretation. However there are many other ridges and some of the troughs that are of uncertain origin. Seismic research in combination with potential field data over the East-Siberian margin, Podvodnikov and Makarov basins and the Mendeleev Ridge, presented here, provides a framework for understanding this enigmatic part of the Earth. The constrained models of the crust illustrate their structure. The crust beneath the East Siberian margin is up to 40 km thick; it thins to about 20 km towards to the Podvodnikov Basin. The models over the Arlis Gap, in the middle of the Podvodnikov Basin, and the Mendeleev Ridge have shown that the crust beneath both these features is anomalously thick (up to 28–32 km) and has a velocity structure that suggests the presence of highly attenuated continental crust. The crustal thickness over the Makarov Basin varies from 8 km to 15 km. Reflection profiles provide evidence of the character and thickness of the sedimentary cover (mostly Cenozoic and late Mesozoic), both on the ridges and beneath the troughs. Presented here is evidence that some of the ridges (eg. Marvin Spur) appear to be fragments of continental crust rifted off the Lomonosov Ridge (with a similar, unconformable Cenozoic cover); however, they gently plunge into and beneath troughs (eg. Makarov Basin). Reflection seismic data collected by the HOTRAX expedition in 2005 over the central part of the Lomonosov Ridge illustrate the sedimentary structure on the top of the Ridge and in an internal basin. The main sedimentary units can be interpreted by correlation with the ACEX results. The major fault separating the surrounding ridges from the internal basin appears to have a roll over anticline in the hanging wall, suggesting that the basin was created by a growth fault. The seismic lines provide evidence of gently folded basement beneath the Lomonosov Ridge with intra basement reflections are usually parallel to the upper surfaces; in combination with velocities (c. 4–5 km/s), these suggest the presence of old well-consolidated sediments

Geophysical Studies Bearing on the Origin of the Arctic Basin

Deep troughs and ridges of the Arctic Basin are some of the least known features of the Earth's crust. Some of the ridges, eg. Chukchi and Nordwind, are connected directly to the continental shelves and are certainly submarine promontories of the latter. The character of the Lomonosov Ridge as a narrow slice of continental crust that separated from the Eurasian margin in the early Cenozoic (by opening of the Eurasian Basin), is not in doubt. Recent drilling (ACEX) and piston coring have confirmed this interpretation. However there are many other ridges and some of the troughs that are of uncertain origin. Seismic research in combination with potential field data over the East-Siberian margin, Podvodnikov and Makarov basins and the Mendeleev Ridge, presented here, provides a framework for understanding this enigmatic part of the Earth. The constrained models of the crust illustrate their structure. The crust beneath the East Siberian margin is up to 40 km thick; it thins to about 20 km towards to the Podvodnikov Basin. The models over the Arlis Gap, in the middle of the Podvodnikov Basin, and the Mendeleev Ridge have shown that the crust beneath both these features is anomalously thick (up to 28–32 km) and has a velocity structure that suggests the presence of highly attenuated continental crust. The crustal thickness over the Makarov Basin varies from 8 km to 15 km. Reflection profiles provide evidence of the character and thickness of the sedimentary cover (mostly Cenozoic and late Mesozoic), both on the ridges and beneath the troughs. Presented here is evidence that some of the ridges (eg. Marvin Spur) appear to be fragments of continental crust rifted off the Lomonosov Ridge (with a similar, unconformable Cenozoic cover); however, they gently plunge into and beneath troughs (eg. Makarov Basin). Reflection seismic data collected by the HOTRAX expedition in 2005 over the central part of the Lomonosov Ridge illustrate the sedimentary structure on the top of the Ridge and in an internal basin. The main sedimentary units can be interpreted by correlation with the ACEX results. The major fault separating the surrounding ridges from the internal basin appears to have a roll over anticline in the hanging wall, suggesting that the basin was created by a growth fault. The seismic lines provide evidence of gently folded basement beneath the Lomonosov Ridge with intra basement reflections are usually parallel to the upper surfaces; in combination with velocities (c. 4–5 km/s), these suggest the presence of old well-consolidated sediments

Geophysical Studies Bearing on the Origin of the Arctic Basin

Deep troughs and ridges of the Arctic Basin are some of the least known features of the Earth's crust. Some of the ridges, eg. Chukchi and Nordwind, are connected directly to the continental shelves and are certainly submarine promontories of the latter. The character of the Lomonosov Ridge as a narrow slice of continental crust that separated from the Eurasian margin in the early Cenozoic (by opening of the Eurasian Basin), is not in doubt. Recent drilling (ACEX) and piston coring have confirmed this interpretation. However there are many other ridges and some of the troughs that are of uncertain origin. Seismic research in combination with potential field data over the East-Siberian margin, Podvodnikov and Makarov basins and the Mendeleev Ridge, presented here, provides a framework for understanding this enigmatic part of the Earth. The constrained models of the crust illustrate their structure. The crust beneath the East Siberian margin is up to 40 km thick; it thins to about 20 km towards to the Podvodnikov Basin. The models over the Arlis Gap, in the middle of the Podvodnikov Basin, and the Mendeleev Ridge have shown that the crust beneath both these features is anomalously thick (up to 28–32 km) and has a velocity structure that suggests the presence of highly attenuated continental crust. The crustal thickness over the Makarov Basin varies from 8 km to 15 km. Reflection profiles provide evidence of the character and thickness of the sedimentary cover (mostly Cenozoic and late Mesozoic), both on the ridges and beneath the troughs. Presented here is evidence that some of the ridges (eg. Marvin Spur) appear to be fragments of continental crust rifted off the Lomonosov Ridge (with a similar, unconformable Cenozoic cover); however, they gently plunge into and beneath troughs (eg. Makarov Basin). Reflection seismic data collected by the HOTRAX expedition in 2005 over the central part of the Lomonosov Ridge illustrate the sedimentary structure on the top of the Ridge and in an internal basin. The main sedimentary units can be interpreted by correlation with the ACEX results. The major fault separating the surrounding ridges from the internal basin appears to have a roll over anticline in the hanging wall, suggesting that the basin was created by a growth fault. The seismic lines provide evidence of gently folded basement beneath the Lomonosov Ridge with intra basement reflections are usually parallel to the upper surfaces; in combination with velocities (c. 4–5 km/s), these suggest the presence of old well-consolidated sediments

ArcCRUST: Arctic crustal thickness from 3D gravity inversion, links to files in NetCDF format

The ArcCRUST model consists of crustal thickness and estimated crustal thinning factors grids for the High Arctic and Circum-Arctic regions (north of 67°N). This model is derived by using 3D forward and inverse gravity modelling. Updated sedimentary thickness grid, an oceanic lithosphere age model together with inferred microcontinent rifting ages, variable crystalline crust and sediment densities, and dynamic topography models constrain this inversion. We use published high-quality 2D seismic crustal-scale models to create a database of Depths to Seismic Moho (DSM) profiles. To check the quality of the ArcCRUST model, we have performed a statistical analysis of misfits between the ArcCRUST Moho depths and DSM values. Systematic analysis of the misfits within the Arctic sedimentary basins provides information about tectonic processes unaccounted by the assumed model of pure-shear lithospheric extension. In particular, our model implies a less-dense and/or thin mantle lithosphere underneath microcontinents in the deep Arctic Ocean where the ArcCRUST depth to Moho values exceed the depth to seismic Moho. A systematically larger gravity-derived crustal thickness (ca. 3 km) under the western and northern Greenland Sea points to a hotter upper mantle implied by the seismic tomography models in the North Atlantic

ArcCRUST: Arctic Crustal Thickness From 3-D Gravity Inversion

The ArcCRUST model consists of crustal thickness and estimated crustal thinning factors grids for the High Arctic and Circum-Arctic regions (north of 67°N). This model is derived by using 3-D forward and inverse gravity modeling. Updated sedimentary thickness grid, an oceanic lithosphere age model together with inferred microcontinent rifting ages, variable crystalline crust and sediment densities, and dynamic topography models constrain this inversion. We use published high-quality 2-D seismic crustal-scale models to create a database of Depths to Seismic Moho (DSM) profiles. To check the quality of the ArcCRUST model, we have performed a statistical analysis of misfits between the ArcCRUST Moho depths and DSM values. Systematic analysis of the misfits within the Arctic sedimentary basins provides information about tectonic processes unaccounted by the assumed model of pure-shear lithospheric extension. In particular, our model implies a less dense and/or thin mantle lithosphere underneath microcontinents in the deep Arctic Ocean where the ArcCRUST depth to Moho values exceed the DSM. A systematically larger gravity-derived crustal thickness (~3 km) under the western and northern Greenland Sea points to a hotter upper mantle implied by the seismic tomography models in the North Atlantic.</p

High-resolution landform assemblage along a buried glacio-erosive surface in the SW Barents Sea revealed by P-Cable 3D seismic data

The Quaternary sedimentary record in the Arctic captures a diverse and evolving range of landscapes reflecting cli-mate changes. Here we study the geological landform assemblage of the Upper Regional Unconformity (URU) in theSW Barents Sea. The aims are (i) to characterize buried geological landforms on a meter-scale resolution, (ii) to un-derstand their link with underlying structures, and (iii) to reconstruct paleo-ice-sheet dynamics and configurations.The data consist of a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) P-Cable seismic cube with an extent of c. 200 km2andan inline separation of 6 m. Dominant frequencies of c. 150 Hz allow to image landforms at URU with a vertical res-olution of 1–5 m and a horizontal resolution of 3–6 m. We conduct detailed horizon-picking and seismic attributeanalysis of the buried URU horizon. We identified four sets of mega-scale glacial lineations, and shear band ridgeslocated to the west of a shear margin moraine. Other characteristic features include hill-hole pairs, transverse ridges,rhombohedral ridges and depressions, iceberg ploughmarks and pockmarks. Polygonal faults below URU anddeeper faults have a strong effect on the location of structures observed on URU. Bedrock packages deformeddown to 30 m below URU and up to 5 m-high transverse ridges at URU are imprints of glacio-tectonic activity.Deformed strata below URU indicate normal faulting superimposed by glaciotectonic deformation. The four setsof mega-scale glacial lineations indicate four streaming events with thawed glacial beds, with shear band ridgesforming in the shearing zone during one of these streaming events. Hill-hole pairs and rhombohedral ridges arefrozen-bed features which indicate a polythermal regime at the base of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet during multiplestreaming phases. This study therefore shows that paleo-ice streams have been temporarily frozen to the groundin the SW Barents Sea, and that landforms evidencing this freezing are associated with underlying faults