Coupled Structural/Stratigraphic Forward Modeling of the Central Albanides

Barrier, Laurie¹, Emily Albouy², Sazan Guri³, Jean-Luc Rudkiewicz², Spiro Bonjakes³, Kristaq Muska³, Remi Eschard² (1) Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Paris, France (2) Institut Français du Pétrole, Rueil Malmaison Cedex, France (3) Institut NationalAlbanais des Hydrocarbures, Fieri, Albania

In compressive systems, the relationship between deformation and sedimentation can be a powerful key to understanding the structure and evolution of foreland petroleum provinces. Joint structural and stratigraphic studies can therefore provide very interesting results. In this perspective, we have coupled structural and stratigraphic forward modelling softwares, in order to better constrain the structural, erosional and depositional events in compressive domains and their effect on associated petroleum systems.

After the Central Apennines, the Central Albanides were chosen to test our approach. This area shows a typical fold-and-thrust belt involving pre- and syn-compressional sedi­ments where high potential source rocks and a number of oil and gas fields are known. First, two regional seismic sections were interpreted, balanced and unfolded to provide a struc­tural picture of the studied zone at different times during compression. A synthetic chronos­tratigraphic chart of Albanian syn-tectonic deposits was also drawn from field, well and seis­mic data. Based on the previous geological model, a structural forward modelling of the Central Albanides was carried out with Thrustpack while sediments were eroded and redis­tributed at each step of deformation according to the numerical transport laws of Dionisos.

This coupled modelling allowed us to iteratively correct and refine the structural and stratigraphic geometry and history of the Central Albanides interpreted from the seismic data. The modelling also leads us to define the sedimentary mass balance of the region that may have an influence on its burial history. This new approach has thus a great potential for petroleum exploration in peri-orogenic basins.