Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia

The Northern Carnarvon Basin of Western Australia has experienced a polyphase deformation history during the breakup of Gondwana. Extension during the Carboniferous–Permian and a subsequent Early Jurassic rift event imposed two distinct fault systems, separated by a several kilometre-thick Triassic...

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Main Authors: McHarg, S., Elders, Chris, Cunneen, J.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Taylor & Francis Co Ltd 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74919
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author McHarg, S.
Elders, Chris
Cunneen, J.
author_facet McHarg, S.
Elders, Chris
Cunneen, J.
author_sort McHarg, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description The Northern Carnarvon Basin of Western Australia has experienced a polyphase deformation history during the breakup of Gondwana. Extension during the Carboniferous–Permian and a subsequent Early Jurassic rift event imposed two distinct fault systems, separated by a several kilometre-thick Triassic sedimentary sequence. Inboard areas, where Triassic sequences are thinner, Jurassic faults both detach above and also penetrate into Permian sequences. Other large-scale faults demonstrate a vertical hard/soft linkage between the two fault systems. In outboard areas where the Triassic is thicker, the relationship is less clear owing to the lower resolution of Permian sequences in seismic data. Here we undertake fault displacement analysis on three faults on the southern margin of the Exmouth Plateau to investigate the growth mechanism of Jurassic-aged faults and possible structural influence of deeper Permian faults. We find evidence of low-throw faults restricted to Mesozoic strata as more complex-segmented faults that have nucleated at a depth below that resolvable on seismic data. When considered in a regional context, the nature of faults in this study suggest oblique reactivation of the NE-trending Permian fabric, under east–west-oriented extension.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-749192019-08-22T02:00:37Z Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia McHarg, S. Elders, Chris Cunneen, J. The Northern Carnarvon Basin of Western Australia has experienced a polyphase deformation history during the breakup of Gondwana. Extension during the Carboniferous–Permian and a subsequent Early Jurassic rift event imposed two distinct fault systems, separated by a several kilometre-thick Triassic sedimentary sequence. Inboard areas, where Triassic sequences are thinner, Jurassic faults both detach above and also penetrate into Permian sequences. Other large-scale faults demonstrate a vertical hard/soft linkage between the two fault systems. In outboard areas where the Triassic is thicker, the relationship is less clear owing to the lower resolution of Permian sequences in seismic data. Here we undertake fault displacement analysis on three faults on the southern margin of the Exmouth Plateau to investigate the growth mechanism of Jurassic-aged faults and possible structural influence of deeper Permian faults. We find evidence of low-throw faults restricted to Mesozoic strata as more complex-segmented faults that have nucleated at a depth below that resolvable on seismic data. When considered in a regional context, the nature of faults in this study suggest oblique reactivation of the NE-trending Permian fabric, under east–west-oriented extension. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74919 10.1080/08120099.2019.1519848 Taylor & Francis Co Ltd restricted
spellingShingle McHarg, S.
Elders, Chris
Cunneen, J.
Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia
title Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia
title_full Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia
title_fullStr Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia
title_full_unstemmed Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia
title_short Normal fault linkage and reactivation, Dampier Sub-basin, Western Australia
title_sort normal fault linkage and reactivation, dampier sub-basin, western australia
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74919