--> Abstract: Understanding the Transition from Sediments to Volcanics at the Onset of Flood Volcanism in the North Atlantic Igneous Province: Implications for Prospectivity in Arctic Volcanic Margins, by Dougal Jerram; #90177 (2013)

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Understanding the Transition from Sediments to Volcanics at the Onset of Flood Volcanism in the North Atlantic Igneous Province: Implications for Prospectivity in Arctic Volcanic Margins

Dougal Jerram

Large parts of the Artic and related regions are covered by, and intruded with, volcanic rocks from the North Atlantic Igneous Province (NIAP). A key question yet to be addressed is the nature of the sediment to volcanic transition in basins that form current exploration targets (e.g. E/W Greenland, Norwegian Shelf, Jan Mayern etc.). This is important as the base basalt interface is often poorly defined in the offshore examples, and an important marker to aim for as sub-basalt targets. At present it is hard to map the sediment/volcanic interface offshore, so a good handle on onshore analogues is very important. In some instances the volcanics interbed with sediments to provide unusual petroleum plays (e.g. Rosebank Field, UCKS), in others significant hydro-volcanic deposits occur, which due to unpredictable density and thickness variation hamper sub-volcanic exploration. In this contribution, we review the main styles of transition from sedimentary to predominantly volcanic settings using studied onshore analogues from the NAIP and other world-wide examples. The use of onshore analogues allows better understanding of the volcanic/sediment transitions which can be applied to offshore examples. These onshore examples are of specific relevance to Inner Flows in the Norwegian margin, E/W Greenland, Jan Mayern and Faroe-Shetland Basin, but can be applied more widely to encompass examples of such transitions in and around the Artic (e.g. Siberia) where target basins contain significant volcanics. With an understanding of the distribution and type of volcanic facies within a basin it is possible to predict the nature of the sediment/volcanic interface, and in doings so allow for a better estimate of the offshore examples that will be present. Understanding the lava sediment transition is likely to have significant implications for petroleum prospectivity.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90177©3P Arctic, Polar Petroleum Potential Conference & Exhibition, Stavanger, Norway, October 15-18, 2013