TY - JOUR A1 - Sayago, Jhosnella A1 - Di Lucia, Matteo A1 - Mutti, Maria A1 - Sitta, Andrea A1 - Cotti, Axum A1 - Frijia, Gianluca T1 - Late Paleozoic seismic sequence stratigraphy and paleogeography of the paleo-Loppa High in the Norwegian Barents Sea JF - Marine and petroleum geology N2 - The paleo-Loppa High in the SW Barents Sea is a ridge structure, which developed during the late Paleozoic when the earliest phase of the Atlantic rifting between Greenland and Norway occurred. The southwest of the Barents Sea, located at the northern margin of Pangaea during the Carboniferous and Permian, was characterized by a structural style of half-graben geometries. The northward drift of the northern Pangaea triggered changes in regional climatic conditions that are reflected in the preserved sedimentary deposits. 2D/3D seismic combined with well and core data were used to define depositional seismic sequences and to understand the stratigraphic evolution of the paleo-Loppa High during the late Paleozoic. Based on the geometry of the defined seismic sequences and the character of observed sedimentary facies, a paleogeographic reconstruction of the key stages in the paleo-Loppa High evolution is also proposed and discussed in relation to local tectonic, global sea-level oscillations, and climatic changes. A total of seven seismic sequences, ranging from clastic-dominated to transitional elastic-carbonate sedimentation followed by an evaporitic drawdown phase, then shifting to carbonate-dominated sequences and finally capped by silica- and chert-dominated deposits, have been defined and represent the infill evolution of the paleo-Loppa High. Tectonics processes associated with the rifting are the principal controls in the 3-D morphology of the defined sequences. Sea-level fluctuations and climate changes have modified the biotic evolution and were responsible of the small-scale features inside each sequence. A renewed interest, in the study of the late Paleozoic sedimentary deposits of the paleo-Loppa High, has been manifested due to the recent discoveries of hydrocarbons in the Gohta and Alta prospects. Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2018.05.038 SN - 0264-8172 SN - 1873-4073 VL - 97 SP - 192 EP - 208 PB - Elsevier CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sayago, Jhosnella A1 - Di Lucia, Matte A1 - Mutti, Maria A1 - Cotti, Axum A1 - Sitta, Andrea A1 - Broberg, Kjetil A1 - Przybylo, Artur A1 - Buonaguro, Raffaele A1 - Zimina, Olesya T1 - Characterization of a deeply buried paleokarst terrain in the Loppa High using core data and multiattribute seismic facies classification JF - AAPG BULLETIN N2 - The recognition of paleokarst in subsurface carbonate reservoirs is not straightforward because conventional seismic interpretation alone is generally not sufficient to discriminate karstified areas from their surroundings. In the Loppa High (Norwegian Barents Sea), a protracted episode of subaerial exposure occurring between the late Paleozoic and mid-Triassic-Late Permian to Anisian-resulted in a significant overprinting of the previously deposited carbonate units. Here, we map the extension of the karstified areas using an integrated approach consisting of (1) a core study of critical paleokarst intervals, (2) a three-dimensional (3-D) seismic stratigraphic analysis, and (3) a 3-D multiattribute seismic facies (SF) classification. A core retrieved in the flat-topped Loppa High revealed breccia deposits at least 50 m (164 ft) thick, which probably resulted from cave collapses following the burial of the karst terrain. The SF classification was tested on a 3-D cube to (1) discriminate the respective SF related to the breccia deposits compared with other SF and (2) to estimate their spatial extent. Seismic-facies analysis suggests that breccias occupied the topmost area of the structural high, extending up to 12 km (7 mi) in width, 46 km (29 mi) in length, and tens of meters in thickness. The inference of such a large amount of breccia suggests that a significant part of this terrain was derived from the amalgamation of successive cave-development events-including periods of subaerial exposure and subsequent burial and collapse-resulting in a coalesced collapsed paleocave system. Previous observations from the Loppa High revealed the presence of karst plains associated with sinkholes, caves, and other dissolution phenomena associated with the breccia facies, further suggesting that a large volume of carbonate rocks in this area was affected by subaerial exposure and karstification. Our integrated approach and proposed karstification model could be applied to similar sedimentary basins that accommodate deeply buried carbonate successions affected by protracted episodes of subaerial exposure, where only few wells as well as 3-D seismic data are available. Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1306/02271211137 SN - 0149-1423 VL - 96 IS - 10 SP - 1843 EP - 1866 PB - AMER ASSOC PETROLEUM GEOLOGIST CY - TULSA ER - TY - THES A1 - Sayago, Jhosnella T1 - Late Paleozoic basin analysis of the Loppa High and Finnmark Platform in the Norwegian Barents Sea : integration of seismic attributes and seismic sequence stratigraphy T1 - Jungpaläozoikum becken analyse der Loppa High und Finnmark Platform in der norwegischen Barentssee : Integration von seismischen Attributen und seismische Sequenzstratigraphie N2 - The subsurface upper Palaeozoic sedimentary successions of the Loppa High half-graben and the Finnmark platform in the Norwegian Barents Sea (southwest Barents Sea) were investigated using 2D/3D seismic datasets combined with well and core data. These sedimentary successions represent a case of mixed siliciclastic-carbonates depositional systems, which formed during the earliest phase of the Atlantic rifting between Greenland and Norway. During the Carboniferous and Permian the southwest part of the Barents Sea was located along the northern margin of Pangaea, which experienced a northward drift at a speed of ~2–3 mm per year. This gradual shift in the paleolatitudinal position is reflected by changes in regional climatic conditions: from warm-humid in the early Carboniferous, changing to warm-arid in the middle to late Carboniferous and finally to colder conditions in the late Permian. Such changes in paleolatitude and climate have resulted in major changes in the style of sedimentation including variations in the type of carbonate factories. The upper Palaeozoic sedimentary succession is composed of four major depositional units comprising chronologically the Billefjorden Group dominated by siliciclastic deposition in extensional tectonic-controlled wedges, the Gipsdalen Group dominated by warm-water carbonates, stacked buildups and evaporites, the Bjarmeland Group characterized by cool-water carbonates as well as by the presence of buildup networks, and the Tempelfjorden Group characterized by fine-grained sedimentation dominated by biological silica production. In the Loppa High, the integration of a core study with multi-attribute seismic facies classification allowed highlighting the main sedimentary unconformities and mapping the spatial extent of a buried paleokarst terrain. This geological feature is interpreted to have formed during a protracted episode of subaerial exposure occurring between the late Palaeozoic and middle Triassic. Based on seismic sequence stratigraphy analysis the palaeogeography in time and space of the Loppa High basin was furthermore reconstructed and a new and more detailed tectono-sedimentary model for this area was proposed. In the Finnmark platform area, a detailed core analysis of two main exploration wells combined with key 2D seismic sections located along the main depositional profile, allowed the evaluation of depositional scenarios for the two main lithostratigraphic units: the Ørn Formation (Gipsdalen Group) and the Isbjørn Formation (Bjarmeland Group). During the mid-Sakmarian, two major changes were observed between the two formations including (1) the variation in the type of the carbonate factories, which is interpreted to be depth-controlled and (2) the change in platform morphology, which evolved from a distally steepened ramp to a homoclinal ramp. The results of this study may help supporting future reservoirs characterization of the upper Palaeozoic units in the Barents Sea, particularly in the Loppa High half-graben and the Finmmark platform area. N2 - Die unterirdischen Sedimentabfolgen des oberen Paläozoikums des Loppa High Halbgrabens und der Finnmark-Plattform in der norwegischen Barentssee (südwestliche Barentssee) wurden mit 2D/3D-Seismik Datensätzen untersucht, welche mit Bohrungs-und Kerndaten kombiniert wurde. Diese Sedimentabfolgen stellen einen Fall von gemischten siliziklastischen-karbonatischen Ablagerungssystemen dar, die während der ersten Phase des Atlantiks-Riftings zwischen Grönland und Norwegen gebildet wurden. Während des Karbons und Perms war der südwestliche Teil der Barentssee entlang des Nordrand von Pangäa lokalisiert, der einen Drift nach Norden mit einer Geschwindigkeit von ~ 2-3 mm pro Jahr erlebte. Diese allmähliche Verschiebung in der paläolatitudinalen Position spiegelt sich durch Veränderungen in den regionalen klimatischen Bedingungen wider: von warm-feuchten im frühen Karbon, zu warm-ariden im mittleren bis späten Karbon und schließlich zu gemäßigten-kalten Bedingungen im späten Perm. Solche Änderungen in Paläolatitude und Klima führten zu größeren Veränderungen im Sedimentationsstil, einschließlich Variationen in der Karbonatausfällungsart. Die obere paläozoische Sedimentfolge umfasst vier Hauptablagerungseinheiten, in chronologischer Reihenfolge, die Billefjorden-Gruppe, welche von siliziklastischen Ablagerungen in durch extensionale Tektonik gesteuerten Keilen dominiert wird, die Gipsdalen-Gruppe, die von Warmwasser-Karbonaten, „stacked buildups“ und Evaporiten dominiert wird, die Bjarmeland-Gruppe, von Kaltwasser-Karbonaten als auch durch die Anwesenheit von „buildup-networks“ charakterisiert, und die Tempelfjorden-Gruppe, die durch feinkörnige Sedimentation, dominiert durch biologische Produktion von Kieselsäure, gekennzeichnet. In der Loppa High war es durch die Integration einer Kernstudie mit einer Multi-Attribut Klassifizierung der seismischen Fazien möglich, die wichtigsten sedimentären Diskordanzen hervorzuheben und die räumliche Ausdehnung eines verborgenen Paläokarstsystems zu kartieren. Diese geologische Besonderheit soll sich während einer lang-anhaltenden Episode der subaerischen Exposition gebildet haben, die zwischen dem späten Paläozoikum und mittleren Trias auftrat. Basierend auf der Analyse seismischer Sequenzstratigraphie, wurde die Paläogeographie des Loppa High Beckens im Hinblick auf Zeit und Raum weiterhin umgebaut und eine neue und es wurde ein detaillierteres tektonisch-sedimentäres Modell für diesen Bereich vorgeschlagen. Im Bereich der Finnmark-Plattform konnte durch eine detaillierte Bohrkernanalyse zweier Explorationsbohrungen in Kombination mit seismischen 2D-Schlüssel-Sektionen, die sich entlang des Hauptablagerungsprofils befindet, Ablagerungsszenarien für die beiden wichtigsten lithologischen Einheiten bewertet werden: die Ørn Formation (Gipsdalen Gruppe) und die Isbjørn Formation (Bjarmeland-Gruppe). Im mittleren Sakmarian wurden zwei wichtige Änderungen zwischen den beiden Formationen beobachtet, einschließlich (1) der Veränderung in der Art der Karbotausfällungen, welche als Tiefen-abhängig beschrieben wird, und (2) die Veränderung der Plattformmorphologie, die sich von einer distal steilen Rampe zu einer homoklinalen Rampe entwickelte. Die Ergebnisse dieser Studie können dazu beitragen, zukünftige Reservoir-Charakterisierungen der Einheiten des oberen Paläozoikum in der Barentssee zu unterstützen, vor allem im Loppa High Halbgraben und dem Finmmark Plattformbereich. KW - Loppa High KW - seismische Sequenzstratigraphie KW - seismische Attribute KW - Finnmark Platform KW - Paläogeographie KW - Loppa High KW - seismic sequence stratigraphy KW - seismic attributes KW - Finnmark Platform KW - paleogeography Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn/resolver.pl?urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-72576 ER -