CORRELATION OF SYN-RIFT STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC BETWEEN MOROCCO AND NOVA SCOTIA

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CORRELATION OF SYN-RIFT STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS

ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC BETWEEN

MOROCCO AND NOVA SCOTIA

Jim Molnar, Gabor Tari, Paul Ashton and Philip Thompson Jim Molnar, Gabor Tari, Paul Ashton and Philip Thompson

Vanco Energy Company Vanco Energy Company

Houston, Texas Houston, Texas

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(c) 2001 The American Association of

Petroleum Geologists and Jim Molnar, et al.

No slides, figures, text or other matter

contained herein may be reproduced without

the written permission of both the American

Association of Petroleum Geologists and

Jim Molnar, et al

.

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OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION

• Introduction

_Introduction

•

Regional geology

•

Syn-rift reconstruction of Morocco and Nova Scotia

•

Hydrocarbon exploration implications

•

Conclusions

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REGIONAL SEISMIC TRANSECTS,

OFFSHORE NOVA SCOTIA AND MOROCCO

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REGIONAL SEISMIC TRANSECT,

LAHAVE PLATEAU, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA

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REGIONAL SEISMIC TRANSECT,

TAFELNEY PLATEAU, MOROCCO

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OFFSHORE BATHYMETRY

AND ONSHORE TOPOGRAPHY

Tafelney Plateau Canary Islands Anti-Atlas Moroccan Meseta High Atlas Middle Atlas Rif Cordillera Mazagan Plateau Alboran Sea Saharan Atlas

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OFFSHORE FREE-AIR GRAVITY

AND ONSHORE TOPOGRAPHY

Tafelney Plateau Canary Islands Anti-Atlas Moroccan Meseta High Atlas Middle Atlas Rif Cordillera Mazagan Plateau Alboran Sea Saharan Atlas

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LATE SYN-RIFT (EARLY JURASSIC) RECONSTRUCTION

NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA AND MOROCCO

MINIMUM CLOSURE MINIMUM CLOSURE CCW rotation 74.57 CCW rotation 74.57oo Pole at 66.97N and 12.34W Pole at 66.97N and 12.34W

(Klitgord and Schouten, 1986)

CCW rotation 74.42 CCW rotation 74.42oo Pole at 66.92N and 12.45W Pole at 66.92N and 12.45W (This work) (This work)

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SUBREGIONAL STRIKE SECTION,

TAFELNEY PLATEAU AND SAFI SUBBASIN, MOROCCO

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SUBREGIONAL STRIKE SECTION,

TAFELNEY PLATEAU AND SAFI SUBBASIN, MOROCCO

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LATE SYN-RIFT (EARLY JURASSIC) RECONSTRUCTION

NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA AND MOROCCO

High-relief accommodation

zones (HRAZ) in rift basins

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PRESENT-DAY EXPRESSION OF THE TAFELNEY

ACCOMMODATION ZONE, SAFI HAUTE MER, MOROCCO

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MID-JURASSIC MID-JURASSIC

DEPTH STRUCTURE DEPTH STRUCTURE

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SW

NE

MID-JURASSIC MID-JURASSIC TOP SYN-RIFT TOP SYN-RIFT TOP JURASSIC TOP JURASSIC TOP APTIAN TOP APTIAN TOP ALBIAN TOP ALBIAN TOP CRETACEOUS TOP CRETACEOUS

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EXPLORATION IMPLICATIONS

TAFELNEY ACCOMMODATION ZONE, MOROCCO

RMS AMPLITUDES RMS AMPLITUDES 300 MS ABOVE 300 MS ABOVE MID-JURASSIC MID-JURASSIC HORIZON HORIZON

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EXPLORATION IMPLICATIONS

TAFELNEY ACCOMMODATION ZONE, MOROCCO

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CONCLUSIONS

• Published structural patterns offshore Nova Scotia combined with detailed _{Published structural patterns offshore Nova Scotia combined with detailed}

structural mapping results offshore Morocco are interpreted in terms of a

very specific syn-rift reconstruction of these conjugate margins.

The basement embayment beneath the Sable Basin, Canada, correlates with

the basement promontory offshore Essaouira/Safi, Morocco.

• The basement high of the Tafelney Plateau is interpreted as a high-relief_{The basement high of the Tafelney Plateau is interpreted as a high-relief}

accommodation zone during the late syn-rift stage (Early Jurassic).

The actual Middle Jurassic breakup occurred obliquely across this

accommodation zone leaving most of it on the Moroccan margin.

•_{The area of the Tafelney accommodation zone experienced inversion as}_{The area of the Tafelney accommodation zone experienced inversion as}

CORRELATION OF SYN-RIFT STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC BETWEEN MOROCCO AND NOVA SCOTIA