03/04/2016 SeismicGeomorphologyofCretaceousMegaslidesOffshoreNamibia(OrangeBasin):InsightsintoSegmentationandDegradationofGravityDrivenLinkedSystems

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Highlights
MarineandPetroleumGeology
Abstract Availableonline15March2016
Graphical abstract
InPress,AcceptedManuscriptNotetousers
Keywords
1. Introduction
2. Regional Overview Researchpaper
3. Tectono-stratigraphy of the Orang
4. Seismic Data & Methodology
SeismicGeomorphologyofCretaceousMegaslidesOffshore
5. Seismic Stratigraphy Namibia(OrangeBasin):InsightsintoSegmentationand
6. Megaslide Complex
7. Slump Complex DegradationofGravityDrivenLinkedSystems
8. Slump Complex Megaslide Com
NicolaScarselli1, ,
,KenMcClay 1,ChrisElders 1,2
9. Discussion
10. Conclusions Showmore
Uncited references
Acknowledgements Chooseanoptiontolocate/accessthisarticle:
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doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2016.03.012 Getrightsandcontent

Highlights
3Dseismicgeomorphologyrevealslateralsegmentationofgravitydrivenlinked
systemsintokmwidescoopshapedmegaslides.
Megaslidesegmentationprovidesavarietyofhydrocarbontrappingstructures.
Emplacementofmegaslideslikelytotriggershallowfailureswithvolumesof
hundredsofcubickilometers.

Abstract
Thisstudyappliesmodernseismicgeomorphologytechniquestodeepwatercollapse
featuresintheOrangeBasin(Namibianmargin,SouthwestAfrica)inordertoprovide
unprecedentedinsightsintothesegmentationanddegradationprocessesofgravity
drivenlinkedsystems.Theseismicanalysiswascarriedoutusingahighquality,depth
migrated3DvolumethatimagestheUpperCretaceouspostriftsuccessionofthebasin,
wheretwoburiedcollapsefeatureswithstronglycontrastingseismicexpressionare
observed.ThelowerMegaslideComplexisatypicalmarginscale,extensional
contractionalgravitydrivenlinkedsystemthatdeformedatleast2kmofpostriftsection.
Thecomplexislaterallysegmentedintoscoopshapedmegaslidesupto20kmwidethat
extenddowndipfordistancesinexcessof30km.Themegaslidescompriseextensional
headwallfaultsystemswithassociated3Drolloverstructuresandthrustimbricatesat
theirtoes.Lateralsegmentationoccursalongsidewallfaultsystemswhich,inthe
proximalpartofthemegaslides,exhibitobliqueextensionalmotionanddefinehorst
structuresupto6kmwidebetweenindividualmegaslides.Inthetoeareas,reverseslip
alongthesesamesidewallfaults,createslateralrampswithhanginwallthrustrelated
foldsupto2kmwide.Headwallrolloveranticlines,sidewallhorstsandrampanticlines
mayrepresentnoveltrapsforhydrocarbonexplorationontheNamibianmargin.

TheMegaslideComplexisunconformablyoverlainbyfewhundredsofmetresofhighly
contortedstratawhichdefineanupperSlumpComplex.Combinedseismicattributes
anddetailedseismicfaciesanalysisallowedmappingofheadscarps,thrustimbrications
andlongitudinalshearzoneswithintheSlumpComplexthatindicateadominantly
downslopemovementofanumberofcoalescedcollapsesystems.Spatialandstratal
relationshipsbetweentheseshallowfailuresandtheunderlyingmegaslidessuggestthat

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264817216300691 1/4
03/04/2016 SeismicGeomorphologyofCretaceousMegaslidesOffshoreNamibia(OrangeBasin):InsightsintoSegmentationandDegradationofGravityDrivenLinkedSystems

theSlumpComplexwaslikelytriggeredbythedevelopmentoftopographycreatedby
theactivationofthemainstructuralelementsofthelowerMegaslideComplex.

Thisstudyrevealsthatgravitydrivenlinkedsystemsundergolateralsegmentation
duringtheirevolution,andthattheiruppersectioncanbecomeunstable,favouringthe
initiationofanumberofshallowfailuresthatproducewidespreaddegradationofthe
underlyingmegaslidestructures.Gravitydrivenlinkedsystemsalongothermarginsare
likelytosharesimilarprocessesofsegmentationanddegradation,implyingthatthe
megasliderelated,hydrocarbontrappingstructuresdiscoveredintheNamibianmargin
maybecommonelsewhere,makingmegaslidesanattractiveelementofdeepwater
explorationalongothergravitationallyunstablemargins.

Graphicalabstract

Keywords
OrangeBasinWestAfricadeepwatergravitydrivendeformationgravitydriven
linkedsystemsslumpsslidestraps

Correspondingauthor.
Copyright2016PublishedbyElsevierLtd.

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03/04/2016 SeismicGeomorphologyofCretaceousMegaslidesOffshoreNamibia(OrangeBasin):InsightsintoSegmentationandDegradationofGravityDrivenLinkedSystems

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