Salt tectonics in intracontinental sedimentary basins: Triassic – Jurassic salt movement in the Baltic sector of the North German Basin and its relation to post-Permian regional tectonics

This is a Preprint and has not been peer reviewed. The published version of this Preprint is available: https://doi.org/10.1111/bre.12760. This is version 2 of this Preprint.

Add a Comment

You must log in to post a comment.


Comments

There are no comments or no comments have been made public for this article.

Downloads

Download Preprint

Authors

Niklas Ahlrichs, Vera Noack, Elisabeth Seidel, Christian Hübscher

Abstract

The formation and structural evolution of complex intracontinental basins, like the North German Basin, mark fundamental earth processes. Understanding these is not only essential to basic research but also of socioeconomic importance because of the multitude of resources, potential hazards and subsurface use capability in such basins. As part of the Central European Basin System, major subsidence and structural differentiation affected the Baltic sector of the North German Basin in Permian to Jurassic times. A dense network of high-resolution 2D seismic data together with nearby wells allow creating regional maps with refined stratigraphic subdivision of unprecedented spatial resolution covering the bays of Kiel and Mecklenburg (Baltic Sea). Cross sections along the basin margin allow reconstructing the structural evolution of the Zechstein salt and its overburden. At the northern basin margin, near the Kegnaes Diapir, thinning of the Buntsandstein and divergent reflectors indicate Early Triassic faulting and salt movement. In the Late Triassic, tectonic activity increased as expressed by the onset of salt movement in the northeastern Glückstadt Graben, major growth of the Kegnaes Diapir and faulting at the northeastern basin margin during deposition of the Keuper (Erfurt, Grabfeld, Stuttgart and Weser formations). At the northeastern basin margin, we interpret the accumulation of Keuper and Jurassic deposits as an infill of a local sub-basin bordered by the Werre Fault Zone and Agricola Fault System. Between the Glückstadt Graben and the northeastern basin margin, the Eastholstein-Mecklenburg Block formed a more stable area, where salt movement first began during the latest Triassic. In the peripheral part of the basin, salt movement was triggered by thin-skinned extension associated with thick-skinned faulting within the axial parts of major graben systems. Indications for gravity gliding are absent. Reactive diapirism is restricted to the basin margin, where reduced overburden thickness and Late Triassic erosion allowed diapiric breakthrough.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.31223/X5WD3R

Subjects

Earth Sciences, Tectonics and Structure

Keywords

seismic interpretation, salt tectonics, structural geology, North German Basin, Baltic Sea, Triassic, Jurassic, Zechstein

Dates

Published: 2022-11-03 06:35

Last Updated: 2023-02-13 13:18

Older Versions
License

CC BY Attribution 4.0 International

Additional Metadata

Conflict of interest statement:
None

Data Availability (Reason not available):
The seismic profile BGR16-221 of Fig. 7A, isochrone and time-structure maps shown in this study will be available in the supplementary material of this article after final publication by Basin Research. Further seismic data used for mapping, is available from the authors and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) upon reasonable request. Industry seismic data available upon request at ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH.