CLOETINGH, S. A. P. L., R. T. VAN BALEN, and B. P. ZOETEMEIJER, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands

ABSTRACT: Tectonic Control of the Sedimentary Record: Constraints from Quantitative Basin Modeling

The incorporation of finite strength of the lithosphere during rifting in models for extensional basin formation in conjunction with temporal changes in tectonic stress levels leads to the prediction of rapid vertical motions in these basins with a rate and magnitude comparable to second- and third-order changes in relative sea level. We present results of modeling simulations, incorporating the interplay of flank uplift and erosion for rifted basins in the northern Atlantic/North Sea area. The incorporation of the mechanical properties of the lithosphere in forward stratigraphic modeling appears also to be of key importance for an accurate prediction of the record of vertical motions in foreland fold and thrust belts. Models invoking the mechanical coupling between plate flexure and ear-surface brittle tectonics are capable of producing onlap/offlap patterns in syntectonic basins sometimes

strikingly similar to the basin-fill signatures attributed to third-order glacio-eustatic signals. The full incorporation of structural geological constraints in forward modeling of basin stratigraphy proves to be a powerful instrument in linking different temporal and spatial scales in the sedimentary record. This approach also leads to a quantification of the tectonic control of the sedimentary record in frequency bands hitherto primarily attributed to external forcing functions.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90990©1993 AAPG International Conference and Exhibition, The Hague, Netherlands, October 17-20, 1993.