Estimating the amount of eroded section in a partially exhumed basin from geophysical well logs: An example from the North Slope
Professional Paper
1732-D
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Abstract
The reconstruction of burial and thermal histories of partially exhumed basins requires an estimation of the amount of erosion that has occurred since the time of maximum burial. We have developed a method for estimating eroded thickness by using porosity-depth trends derived from borehole sonic logs of wells in the Colville Basin of northern Alaska. Porosity-depth functions defined from sonic-porosity logs in wells drilled in minimally eroded parts of the basin provide a baseline for comparison with the porosity-depth trends observed in other wells across the basin. Calculated porosities, based on porosity-depth functions, were fitted to the observed data in each well by varying the amount of section assumed to have been eroded from the top of the sedimentary column. The result is an estimate of denudation at the wellsite since the time of maximum sediment accumulation. Alternative methods of estimating exhumation include fission-track analysis and projection of trendlines through vitrinite-reflectance profiles. In the Colville Basin, the methodology described here provides results generally similar to those from fission-track analysis and vitrinite-reflectance profiles, but with greatly improved spatial resolution relative to the published fission-track data and with improved reliability relative to the vitrinite-reflectance data. In addition, the exhumation estimates derived from sonic-porosity logs are independent of the thermal evolution of the basin, allowing these estimates to be used as independent variables in thermal-history modeling.
Suggested Citation
Burns, W.M., Hayba, D.O., Rowan, E.L., and Houseknecht, D.W., 2007, Estimating the amount of eroded section in a partially exhumed basin from geophysical well logs: An example from the North Slope: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1732, 18 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/pp1732D.
ISSN: 2330-7102 (online)
Study Area
| Publication type | Report |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Title | Estimating the amount of eroded section in a partially exhumed basin from geophysical well logs: An example from the North Slope |
| Series title | Professional Paper |
| Series number | 1732 |
| Chapter | D |
| DOI | 10.3133/pp1732D |
| Year Published | 2007 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | U.S. Geological Survey |
| Contributing office(s) | Alaska Science Center, Eastern Mineral and Environmental Resources Science Center |
| Description | 18 p. |
| Larger Work Type | Report |
| Larger Work Subtype | USGS Numbered Series |
| Larger Work Title | Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey in Alaska, 2005 (Professional Paper 1732) |
| Time Range Start | 2005-01-01 |
| Time Range End | 2005-12-31 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Alaska |
| Other Geospatial | North Slope |
| Online Only (Y/N) | Y |