Seismic geomorphology of Palaeozoic collapse features in the Fort Worth Basin (USA)

Abstract

AbstractModern multi-trace geometric attributes produce three-dimensional volumes that can facilitate the recognition of karst geomorphology by avoiding the need to pre-interpret irregular horizons and by enhancing subseismic lateral variations in reflectivity. These geometric attributes include the well-established coherence technology, coupled with recent developments in spectrally limited estimates of volumetric curvature. Coherence measures lateral changes in waveform, and as such, is often sensitive to joints, small faults, sinkholes and collapse features. The many components of reflector curvature, including the most negative, most positive, Gaussian curvature and related shape indices (e.g. valleys, saddles, domes), are complimentary to coherence measures. Short wavelength estimates of curvature will illuminate small-scale lineaments while longer wavelength estimates of curvature illuminate more subtle flexures and compaction features. We show the results of applying a variety of multi-trace geometric attributes to a three-dimensional seismic volume from the Fort Worth Basin, where a collapse system extends vertically some 800m from the Ordovician Ellenburger carbonates through the dominantly siliciclastic Mississippian— Pennsylvanian interval. The collapse features in our data set appear as rounded, sinkhole-like appearances on time and horizon slices in the Pennsylvanian Marble Falls Limestones and the Ellenburger horizon displays features that can be interpreted as cockpit karst, dolines and frying pan valleys. Although a variety of palaeocave breccia facies in core and image logs indicate that the Ellenburger surface has been karsted, these breccias are not confined to the mega collapse features visible in seismic. The large (up to 700 m diameter) collapse chimneys can be shown in multi-spectral curvature attributes to have elongate rhombohedral shapes associated with intersections of Pennsylvanian age, field-scale to basin-scale, basement lineaments and faults. Isochores indicate greatest tectonic growth on faults from Mississippian until early Pennsylvanian, coincident with thickest fill of collapse features. Thus we interpret the origin of the chimneys to be primarily tectonic. The multi-trace geometric attributes permit better imaging of the three-dimensional shapes of the collapse features, provide better constraints on timing of their formation, allow us to begin to separate karst processes from tectonic processes and provide a means of predicting most likely locations of fluid movement along faults.