Impact of Transfer Faults and Intrabasinal Highs in Basin Evolution and Sedimentation Processes: Application to Potential Hydrocarbon Fields Development

The presence of transfer faults can affect the geometry of a basin by causing changes in depth and width, resulting in the transformation from a uniform to non-uniform configuration. This change has an intensive impact on depositional environments along the basin axis. Close to transfer faults the basin shows a narrow and shallow character. Terrestrial and shallow water depositional environments are present, passing gradually to deep water environments along the basin axis. The synchronous activity of synthetic and antithetic faults can create either intrabasinal highs or highs at the basin margins. Transfer faults that cross-cut intrabasinal highs produce pathways for the sediment distribution on both sides of the highs. Submarine fan sandstone lobes can accumulate at one side of the high, while fine-grained deposits accumulate on the other side. The above described basin evolution model—characterized by the presence of intrabasinal highs and pathways—controls the development of hydrocarbon traps and reservoirs. Distributary channels that discharge into the basin are perpendicular to its axis and shift axially at the basin floor.