Introducing the FROGNet Rigid Plate Model: A Basement Terranes Reconstruction Model by Marie-Aude Bonnardot - 2014 PaleoGIS & PaleoClimate Users Conference

1. INTRODUCING THE
FROGNET RIGID PLATE
RECONSTRUCTION MODEL
A BASEMENT TERRANE MODEL
PaleoGIS and PaleoClimate
Users Conference
5 November 2014
Marie-Aude Bonnardot
Lynn Pryer
Jane Blevin

2. • FROGTECH are global experts in processing geophysical datasets,
structural and tectonic interpretations, basin analysis and resource
assessment.
• FROGTECH’s basement and geodynamic specialists have global expertise
in mapping basement terranes and tectonostratigraphic provinces.
• SEEBASE™ is a depth-to-basement model and FROGTECH’s signature
product. It stands for Structurally Enhanced view of Economic
BASEment.
FROGTECH
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
Australia-based
Geological consultancy

3. OZ Proterozoic SEEBASE™
Structural Enhanced View of Economic BASEment

4. Geological calibration
Integration
Interpretation of
non-seismic and seismic data
SEEBASE™ Structurally Enhanced view of Economic Basement
Bottom-Up
Approach
FROGTECH’S
BASEMENT APPROACH
TECTONIC HISTORY
Precambrian and Phanerozoic
Basement Evolution and Assembly
Plate Reconstructions
Tectonic Events and Response
BASIN PHASES
Petroleum Systems and Play Evaluation
Sediment Provenance and Supply
Palaeogeography
Stratal Geometry
Accommodation history
BASEMENT GEOLOGY
Terranes Type and Age
Composition
Structure
Crustal Architecture
Heat Flow
BASIN ARCHITECTURE
SEEBASE™ depth-to-basement
Structural Analysis

5. Bottom-Up
Approach
FROGTECH’S
BASEMENT APPROACH
What is a “Basement Terrane” ?
 “……. a discrete, mappable, structurally bounded block of
crust of regional extent with a tectonostratigraphic history
different to that of neighbouring terranes.” (e.g. Jones et al.,
1977; Howell, 1995).
FROGTECH has also subdivided
terranes based on rheological
differences within a terrane.
Why focus on “Basement” ?
 Foundation onto which sediments are deposited.
 Basement terranes provide essential information
to understand basin evolution and petroleum
systems elements, including basin geometry, rate
of subsidence, heat flow distribution, maturation
history, migration pathways and distribution of
reservoir and source rocks.

6. GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
How to interpret “Basement Terranes” ?
Outcropping or deeply buried basement, onshore or offshore basement
Cross-section and DEM
Lithology Maximun Stratigraphic Age
Surface Geology
Compilation and georeferencing of published data, i.e
cross-sections, structural maps, surface geology….

7. • Data Compilation, Data Processing and Grid Stitching
• Spectral Analysis and Grid Enhancement
• Standard and Proprietary Filters
• Gravity and Magnetic Modelling
GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
Potential field data to assess geometry and physical properties

8. GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
• Tectonic event information over wide areas can
help to identify terranes that are equivalent in
age and composition, i.e. analogous parts of
conjugate margins
 Correlation of Terranes
Africa
S America
Type
Accreted Arc
Accretion Complex
Craton
Highly Attenuated
Undifferentiated Continental
Restoration of South America against Africa
(Africa fixed).
 South America is colored by terranes type.
 High-Pass 300km of the Bouguer gravity is
shown in Africa with terranes outlines.

9. DEM: SW Pacific, South and Indian oceans
GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
Example

10. Global Free Air Gravity
GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
Example

11. Terrane analysis
GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
Example

12. Proterozoic OZ SEEBASE™ and
New Zealand ECS SEEBASE™
GLOBAL TERRANES
TERRANES INTERPRETATION
Example

13. FROGNET
RIGID PLATE
RECONSTRUCTION
MODEL
R & D
PLATE POLYGONS
ROTATIONS

14. • 1996 - present
Global interpretation of basement terranes, plate reconstructions and
development of tectonic events database including basin response.
• 2006 - 2012
In-house development of the FROGTECH Global Terranes Database including
an events database. In-house plate reconstructions and joint development of
PaleoArc with Cambridge Paleomap Services Ltd.
• 2013-14: Product Release
2013: Release of the FROGTECH Global Terranes Database and GIS
2014: Import of FROGNet Plate Model into PaleoGIS
2015: Release of FROGNet Plate Model for multi-client subscription
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
FROGNet
Plate Model

15. FROG NET RIGID PLATE MODEL

16. Terrane Type
Accreted Arc
Accretion Complex
Accretionary Wedge
Continental Arc
Craton
Cratonised Arc
Forearc-Accretionary Wedge
Highly Attenuated
Island Arc
Oceanic Crust
Oceanic Plateau
Ophiolite
Transitional
Transitional magmatic
Transitional non-magmatic
Undifferentiated Continental
Undifferentiated Orogenic Belt
FROGNet plate polygons are subdivisions of basement terranes
Approx. 1500 continental fragments
Approx. 1250 oceanic fragments
Plate Polygons Symbology
Craton
Continental - Undifferentiated
Extended Crust
Oceanic Plateau
Ophiolite
Oceanic Crust
FROGNET PLATE POLYGONS AND
GLOBAL TERRANES DATABASE
Global Terranes
Database
FROGNet Plate
Polygons
Approx. 1300 continental fragments
Approx. 160 oceanic fragments

17. FROGNET ROTATIONS
Re-adjustment of published rotations
based on FROGTECH knowledge of
tectonostratigraphic provinces
+
Global Terranes Database, including revised LOC
+
=
FROGNet Rigid Plate Model
Rotation Chains
Published paleomagnetic data and relative motion
Oceanic Magnetic Anomalies
Workflow
TECTONIC HISTORY
Precambrian and Phanerozoic
Basement Evolution and Assembly
Plate Reconstructions
Tectonic Events and Response
BASEMENT GEOLOGY
Terranes Type and Age
Composition
Structure
Crustal Architecture
Heat Flow

18.  Obtain the most accurate position of plates through time
FROGNET ROTATIONS
Relative and
Absolute
Paleopositions,
Paleolatitudes
-
Intraplate
Deformation
AF
MAD
AUS
ANT
NZ ?
What is the main challenge in plate reconstruction?

19. BENEFITS
OF THE
FROGNET
RIGID PLATE
RECONSTRUCTION
MODEL
PALEOGEOGRAPHY
INTRAPLATE
DEFORMATION
TERRANE ANALYSIS

20. A high resolution terrane map
to refine paleopositions
• Complete geological
description of plates provides
more constraints to improve
relative paleopositions.
• Mimic deformation processes:
 Change of plate geometry at
megaterrane scale based on
basement terrane
information, i.e. terrane
maximum age
Example-1
PALEOGEOGRAPHY

21. A high resolution terrane map to refine paleopositions
• Mimic deformation processes:
 Distribute intraplate deformation across several terranes and better
control gaps and overlaps inherent to rigid plate models – provide
higher resolution to understand basin phases
Example-2
INTRAPLATE DEFORMATION
Dolomitised Carbonate
Platform Margin
Carbonate Platform
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
r
IRAN
IRAQ
THE
GULF
KUWAIT
Restricted basin
filled with
source rocks
and evaporites
TURKEY
Late Permian-Early Triassic
Oceanic Crust
(Neotethys)
Radiolarites
0 200
km
S
Dolomitised
carbonate platform
Restricted basin with
bituminous carbonates
and evaporites
Outer
carbonate
platform
Rift basin
Radiolarites
+
carbonate
turbidites
Stretched
continental
crust
Oceanic
crust
Arabian Plate
Mid-Late Jurassic paleogeographic
reconstruction for NE Arabian Plate
from Goff (2006) showing
deposition within a restricted,
evaporitic basin with source rocks
overlain by evaporites.

22. Terrane analysis
• Can be used to predict variations in basement rheology during identified
tectonic events. For example, mobile belts tend to strain-soften while
cratonic blocks tend to strain-harden. This leads to strain partitioning and
strain localisation into mobile belt terranes.
TERRANE ANALYSIS
Hercynian reactivated faults
N
Hercynian Event
Hercynian subcrop map of North
Africa from Boote et al (1998)
showing the regional pattern of
Hercynian “arches” (in pink) and
reactivated basement structures
Example-3

23. Terrane analysis
• Provides a complete revision of the Limit of Oceanic Crust (LOC), with
transitional margins wider than previously interpreted.
• Combined with additional methodologies, such as seismic interpretation
and gravity modelling, the terrane analysis provides new insights on key
mechanisms that control margin development, i.e. distribution of hyper-
extended margin
TERRANE ANALYSIS
Plate Tectonic
Events, Kinematics
Basin Architecture &
Evolution
Paleogeography
Terrane
Boundaries
Composition
Fabric
TERRANES
Total Sediment
Thickness
Migration Pathways
& Fluid Focusing
Reservoir & Seal
Quality
Trap Timing, Size & Distribution
Maturity + Hydrocarbon
Generation
PETROLEUM PLAY ELEMENTS

24. FROGNET IN
PALEOGIS
DATA
TERRANES
ATTRIBUTES
TIME SLICES

25. Standard PaleoGIS fields
• Plate Code
• Appearance / Disappearance Age
• Plate Name
• Basic Symbology
FROGNET MODEL
DATA
Default Layers
• Countries
• Coastlines
• Coordinates grid

26. Basement Terranes fields
• Terrane Type
• Stratigraphic Minimum Age
• Minimum Age (Ma)
• Stratigraphic Maximum Age
• Maximum Age (Ma)
• Basement Age (Ma)
• Interpretation Information
(dataset used)
• Abstract
• References
• Megaterrane
*Provided as Layer files with pre-defined symbology
FROGNET MODEL
TERRANE ATTRIBUTES
• Terrane Type*
• Stratigraphic Minimum Age*
• Minimum Age (Ma)*
• Stratigraphic Maximum Age*
• Maximum Age (Ma)*
• Basement Age (Ma)*
• Interpretation Information
(dataset used)
• Abstract
• References
• Megaterrane*

27. Bowers
The Bowers Terrane comprises the
Cambrian Glasgow Group of primitive
volcanic arc affinity (>2km of mafic-
intermediate volcanics and gabbros)
grading up into a thinner (~200m)
regressive marine sequences of the Molar
and Mariner Groups (from limestones to
sandstones) spanning the Middle – Upper
Cambrian (Ferracioli et al., 2002). The top
of the sequence is formed by the Late
Cambrian Leap Year Group, comprising
<4km of continent-derived sandstones and
conglomerates (Tessensohn & Henjes-
Kunst, 2005). The terrane is separated from
the Wilson terrane by the Lanterman Fault
suture (Ultra-mafic rocks, HP-UHP
metamorphic rock) and from the Robertson
Bay terrane by the Leap Year fault marked
by the Millen Schist Belt. Accretion and
suturing at the East Antarctica Craton
margin is usually related to subduction
during the Early Paleozoic Ross Orogen.
The Bowers terrane has been intruded by
the Devonian – Early Carboniferous
Admiralty Suite of calc-alkaline I-type
intrusives (Ferracioli et al., 2002).
Abstract
FROGNET MODEL
TERRANE ATTRIBUTES
Type
Accreted Arc
Accretion Complex
Continental Arc
Craton
Cratonised Arc
Forearc-Accretionary Wedge
Highly Attenuated
Island Arc
Oceanic Crust
Oceanic Plateau
Transitional magmatic
Transitional non-magmatic
Undifferentiated Orogenic Belt
Minimum Stratigraphic Age
Basement Stratigraphic Age
Maximum Stratigraphic Age
Megaterranes
Basement Terranes Fields

28. • The FROGNet Rigid Plate Model includes 25 Time slices that describe the
geodynamic setting in a reconstructed space.
• In the 2015 release, the time slices include:
• Tectonic Events Database: tectonic events are shown on the relevant
time slices. Each tectonic event is fully documented with a unique name,
maximum/minimum age, event age, category, technical abstract and
references.
• Tectonic Boundaries: interpreted for each time slice and derived from the
basement terranes and tectonic events databases.
• The 2016 release will also include:
• Paleostresses at terrane scale
• Terrane type through time.
FROGNET MODEL
TIME SLICES

29. CONCLUSIONS

30. • Geology-driven plate model
• Detailed integration and interpretation of georeferenced
scientific datasets (geological maps, potential field
datasets, wells, seismic data)
• Quick access to global summary of key characteristics of
basement terranes/plate polygons (type, age, major
composition, tectonostratigraphic history)
 Enhances understanding of the relationship between
basement terranes, the overlying sedimentary basins and
their mineral and petroleum resources
CONCLUSIONS
FROGNet Rigid Plate Model

31. • Terranes add a rheological component to the plate model and
provides a first pass assessment of stress partitioning and strain
localisation.
CONCLUSIONS
Terrane Type
• Rotations in the models cover the
Phanerozoic (0 to 540Ma)
• Terranes are interpreted and
described up to the Precambrian, i.e.
useful for Precambrian mineral
systems and rising interest for
unconventionals.

32. FROGNET RELEASE

33. FROGTECH Pty Ltd
Suite 17F, Level 1
2 King Street
Deakin West ACT 2600
T +61 (0)2 6283 4800
F +61 (0)2 6283 4801
E info@frogtech.com.au
W frogtech.com.au
Contacts:
Marie-Aude Bonnardot, PhD
Senior Geoscientist
Jane Blevin, PhD
CEO and Business Development
Lynn Pryer, PhD
Principal Geoscientist