Tectonic characterization of the THUMS-Huntington Beach Fault, offshore Southern California
Sergey Ishutov
California State University Long Beach, Department of Geological Sciences,
Long Beach, California, USA
[email protected]
This project is aimed at detailed mapping of the THUMS-Huntington Beach Fault based on the integration of high resolution 2D and 3D seismic data with wireline log data acquired offshore Southern California. Correlation of the seismic and well data provides a basis for tectonic characterization of the THUMS-Huntington Beach Fault and estimation of its structural relation to neighboring faults and petroleum traps by developing a 3D geological model.
The THUMS-Huntington Beach Fault branches from the Palos Verdes Fault Zone and from that point south forms the southwestern border of the Wilmington Anticline, where the 2 billion barrel Wilmington Field is located. The timing and trapping mechanisms in this field are closely related to the evolution of the continental margin from subduction to transform tectonics. The Inner Borderland, where the faults and oil field are located, is a rift zone between the main continental block and small detached, rotated blocks such as the Western Transverse Ranges, with probable changes in stress fields affecting fault motion. Newly acquired 2D images and existing 2D and 3D data will make it possible to more accurately map the THUMS-Huntington Beach Fault and shed light on the character of fault separation. This project’s results will provide insights on true nature of the THUMS-Huntington Beach Fault, including precise determination of dip and strike orientations and displacement components, and reveal important implications on the Palos Verdes Fault Zone and tectonic history of the California Continental Borderland.
AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90157©2012 AAPG Foundation 2012 Grants-in-Aid Projects