Title
Probabilistic tectonic heat flow modeling for basin maturation: Assessment method and applications
Author
van Wees, J.D.
van Bergen, F.
David, P.
Nepveu, M.
Beekman, F.
Cloetingh, S.
Bonté, D.
TNO Bouw en Ondergrond
Publication year
2009
Abstract
Tectonic modeling is often neglected in the basin modeling workflow and heat flow is most times considered a user input. Such heat flows can, therefore, result in erroneous basin modeling outcomes, resulting in false overoptimistic identification of prospective areas or failure to identify prospects. This is particularly true for areas with limited data control such as frontier basin areas, or deep unexplored plays in mature basins. Three major factors obstruct routinely use. Firstly, because of the focus of most tectonic models on lithosphere scale processes a large range of models, including the McKenzie rift model, fail to take into account effects which are of paramount importance for basement heat flow such as transient effects of sediment infill and erosion, and changes in crustal heat production over time. Secondly, lithosphere tectonic models often fail to allow inversion of basin data, making forward tectonic modeling a cumbersome exercise. Non-vertical sediment movements and 2D and 3D loading effects can play an important role, hampering a unique inversion. Thirdly, lithosphere tectonic models generally fail to aid the user to understand the sensitivity of the model results in terms of basin maturation for permissible ranges of tectonic model parameters and for uncertainties in tectonic scenarios such as absence or presence of underplating or two-layered stretching vs a McKenzie model. For this reason, we have developed a multi-1D probabilistic tectonic heat flow model, which is capable of calculating tectonic heat flows, incorporating a variety of tectonic scenarios. The model is capable of inversion of burial histories, calibrated to temperature and maturity data. Calibration and sensitivity analysis is done through Monte Carlo sampling analysis using an experimental design technique for computational efficiency. The tectonic heat flows can easily be used as input for basin modeling in commercially available 3rd party software. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Subject
Geosciences
Basin modeling
Heat flow
Tectonics
Assessment methods
Basin areas
Basin modeling
Burial history
Experimental design techniques
Heat flow
Heat productions
Heat-flow models
Limited datum
Loading effects
Model results
Monte carlo samplings
Rift models
Sediment movements
Tectonic models
Transient effects
Underplating
User inputs
Computational efficiency
Flow measuring instruments
Heat flux
Heat transfer
Sedimentology
Sensitivity analysis
Tectonics
Three dimensional
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6e2bc221-bc45-493a-8ac7-118a3ad12643
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2009.01.020
TNO identifier
241456
ISSN
0264-8172
Source
Marine and Petroleum Geology, 26 (4), 536-551
Document type
article