--> Evolution of Halokinetic Sequences Adjacent to the Pine Ridge Salt Diapir, Paradox Basin, SE Utah: Implications for Salt Controlled Development

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Evolution of Halokinetic Sequences Adjacent to the Pine Ridge Salt Diapir, Paradox Basin, SE Utah: Implications for Salt Controlled Development

Abstract

The objective of this research is to understand and accurately correlate halokinetic sequences across minibasins adjacent to the Pine Ridge Salt Diapir in the Paradox Basin both temporally and spatially. Similar to the sequence stratigraphic problem, correlating formations in depth is not the same as correlating deposits in age. Accurate correlation of deposits across minibasins is essential in understanding the history of a salt-controlled minibasin system. Interpretation of a 3D seismic cube located on the northeastern flank of the Pine Ridge Diapir establishes depositional geometry changes as the salt diapir grew through time. The seismic cube contains one minibasin, and well logs are used to tie the seismic to adjacent minibasins. Interpretations of the well logs show the extent of the lateral continuity of formations between minibasins. Field measurements along a regional transect show thickness and dip changes in proximity to the salt body. Finally a minibasin field analog demonstrates smaller scale geometries below seismic resolution. The 3D seismic, well logs, field data and field analog combine into a model of the depositional patterns of the minibasin. Salt diapir growth affects the accommodation and shape of the minibasin depo-center through time as well as the depositional rates; this can be seen in the isopach thicks and the stacking patterns of the minibasin fill. The relative rise rates between a rising diapir and the aggradation of sediments give the system diagnostic shapes over time, which are analyzed to understand the evolution of the Pine Ridge Diapir. Because the salt is moving in 3D space, the minibasin deposits developed in a 3D space and are not unilateral in their development, so analyzing 3D surfaces is more effective than individual cross sections. This has implications for models of minibasin evolution as a whole, as the interpretation completed here can be used as an analog in understanding halokinetic sequences in three dimensional space in other salt-controlled basins.