Ian Deighton - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Ian Deighton

Research paper thumbnail of Deepwater Kwanza Basin: A Prospective Pre-Salt Province?

Deepwater Kwanza Basin: A Prospective Pre-Salt Province?

GEO ExPro Magazine, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Deep water plays of the Orphan Basin, Offshore Newfoundland, Canada

Deep water plays of the Orphan Basin, Offshore Newfoundland, Canada

First EAGE Workshop on East Canada Offshore Exploration

Research paper thumbnail of Continuous Coverage of Recent High Resolution Seismic and Magnetic Data Give New Insight On the Early Development of the Gulf of Mexico

Proceedings

Extensive coverage of the entire Mexican Gulf of Mexico (MGoM) by long offset 2D marine seismic d... more Extensive coverage of the entire Mexican Gulf of Mexico (MGoM) by long offset 2D marine seismic data, processed in time and depth, along with gravity and magnetic shipborne data were acquired on an evenly space survey grid during 2015-16 and enable a better understanding of the deep structure of the entire GoM. A correction of the GoM oceanic spreading transform fault locations, previously only diffusely identifiable on a Vertical Derivative version of the Sandwell Free Air Anomaly Map was carried out and a refinement of existing models of the extinct Jurassic-Early Cretaceous GoM spreading ridge locations was undertaken by coupling the above with gravity and magnetic grids and profile plots of seismic depth of top oceanic crust vs. distance. Due to thick sediment (up to 13 km) overlying the oceanic crust in the GoM, the magnetic anomaly signal and, therefore, the spreading anomaly pattern are more difficult to identify than those in younger and wider oceanic basins. Nonetheless, the location of the magnetic isochrons are readily identifiable by forward modelling of transform parallel transects within each spreading segment, and we are able to review existing models of oceanic opening time, rotation poles and spreading rates.

Research paper thumbnail of Subsurface fluid flow in the Java-Sumatra basins

Subsurface fluid flow in the Java-Sumatra basins

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of Igneous Activity in the Offshore Northern Perth Basin - Evidence from Petroleum Exploration Wells, 2D Seismic and Magnetic Surveys

Effects of Igneous Activity in the Offshore Northern Perth Basin - Evidence from Petroleum Exploration Wells, 2D Seismic and Magnetic Surveys

Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA), 2002

Research paper thumbnail of New Insights Offshore Southeast Grand Banks, Canada: Prospectivity Analysis from a Multidisciplinary Study

New Insights Offshore Southeast Grand Banks, Canada: Prospectivity Analysis from a Multidisciplinary Study

First EAGE Workshop on East Canada Offshore Exploration, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of A Study Of Petroleum Systems Offshore Malta Through Updated Basin Modelling Providing Enhanced Regional Prospectivity

A Study Of Petroleum Systems Offshore Malta Through Updated Basin Modelling Providing Enhanced Regional Prospectivity

Proceedings, 2018

TGS have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Malta, having first acquired ~10,000 km of 2D s... more TGS have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Malta, having first acquired ~10,000 km of 2D seismic data surrounding the islands in 2000/01. In 2013/4, ~6,500 km was reprocessed to better delineate a range of features from Triassic to Tertiary. With 11 wells drilled in Maltese waters between 1971 and 1998, exploration has significantly slowed down with only two wells being drilled since. Despite an absence of commercial hydrocarbons encountered, there have been numerous oil and gas shows ranging from Triassic to Tertiary. The petroleum potential of Malta is prospective and varied since the various working petroleum systems from the prolific neighbouring offshore regions of Tunisia, Sicily and Libya are postulated to be present. TGS have been granted data from the Maltese government to produce an updated temperature model. Using Fobos Pro, TGS’ internal basin modelling software package, a regional temperature model will be built and adjusted to to output ‘optimal temperature zones’ pertaining to source and reservoir. Preliminary reviews of the data suggest that there are clear trends such as an increased geothermal gradient in the Mesozoic basins (south of Malta) in contrast to the lower gradient on the Malta Plateau. Full details will be presented at the Workshop.

Research paper thumbnail of Evidence of Forearc Uplift, Earthquake Segmentation, and Great Earthquakes Associated with Large Subducting Features

Evidence of Forearc Uplift, Earthquake Segmentation, and Great Earthquakes Associated with Large Subducting Features

Research paper thumbnail of Diatremes in the Northern Bonaparte Basin - Implications for petroleum exploration and Mid Tertiary tectonic evolution

Diatremes in the Northern Bonaparte Basin - Implications for petroleum exploration and Mid Tertiary tectonic evolution

Research paper thumbnail of An Appraisal of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Southeast Clarence-Moreton Basin in Queensland

An Appraisal of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Southeast Clarence-Moreton Basin in Queensland

Research paper thumbnail of Revealing the Hydrocarbon Potential and Quantifying the Prospectivity of the Harper Basin, Liberia, West Africa

Revealing the Hydrocarbon Potential and Quantifying the Prospectivity of the Harper Basin, Liberia, West Africa

82nd EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition, 2021

Summary The Harper Basin, a frontier area, extends from a narrow shelf to the extensive deepwater... more Summary The Harper Basin, a frontier area, extends from a narrow shelf to the extensive deepwater domain offshore Liberia. Modern 3D seismic data acquired in 2013, allowed disclosing new elements of a working petroleum system, which allows combining elements from the southern Liberia Basin and western Cote d’Ivoire. The Cretaceous syn-deformational deposition of clastic sediments infers organic-rich lacustrine muds (not yet proven in this area), buried by approximately 4–5 kms of post rift sequences, which include the mapped reservoir packages throughout the passive basin infill phase of the basin evolution. Cretaceous deepwater sequences are anticipated to include shale-rich source intervals containing sand prone carrier beds up-dip, relevant for the thick basin intervals comprised of Turonian to Mid-Albian clastic reservoirs. Basin temperature modelling has confirmed favourable maturation conditions for these possible source rocks. The basin’s structural evolution created numerous undrilled structural-stratigraphic traps identified on the new 3D seismic dataset. The up-dip pinch-out of deepwater channelised sandy fan systems charged by Turonian black shales represents a key play.

Research paper thumbnail of Depositional Environments and Geotectonic Framework: Southern Australian Continental Margin

Depositional Environments and Geotectonic Framework: Southern Australian Continental Margin

The APPEA Journal, 1976

Three principal phases occurred in the development of the basins of the southern Australian conti... more Three principal phases occurred in the development of the basins of the southern Australian continental margin: epi-continental, marginal continental and oceanic. These correspond generally to the phases of margin development proposed by Falvey (1974): pre-rift, rift valley, and post-breakup; but tectonic and depositional transitions are not necessarily contemporaneous.Prior to the Upper Cretaceous, the region of the present day southern Australian margin lay well within the Eastern Gondwanaland continent, essentially barred from deep ocean basins. During the Upper Cretaceous the series of epicontinental basins was increasingly subjected to marine breakthroughs. Thus marine ingressive horizons were deposited along an incipient rift valley between the primitive Indian Ocean and Tasman Sea. Rift valley subsidence, possibly related to deep crustal metamorphism, was most significant on the flanks of the rift zone. Further marine influence during the Paleocene ('infra-breakup') a...

Research paper thumbnail of A Hydrocarbon Generation Model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins

A Hydrocarbon Generation Model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins

The APPEA Journal, 2003

The aim of the National Geoscience Mapping Accord Cooper-Eromanga Basins Project was to develop a... more The aim of the National Geoscience Mapping Accord Cooper-Eromanga Basins Project was to develop a quantitative petroleum generation model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins by delineating basin fill, thermal history and generation potential of key stratigraphic intervals. Bio- and lithostratigraphic frameworks were developed that were uniform across state boundaries. Similarly cross-border seismic horizon maps were prepared for the C horizon (top Cadna-owie Formation), P horizon (top Patchawarra Formation) and Z horizon (base Eromanga/Cooper Basins). Derivative maps, such as isopach maps, were prepared from the seismic horizon maps.Burial geohistory plots were constructed using standard decompaction techniques, a fluctuating sea level and palaeo-waterdepths. Using terrestrial compaction and a palaeo-elevation for the Winton Formation, tectonic subsidence during the Winton Formation deposition and erosion is the same as the background Eromanga Basin trend—this differs significantly f...

Research paper thumbnail of New Petroleum Models in the Pedirka Basin, Northern Territory, Australia

New Petroleum Models in the Pedirka Basin, Northern Territory, Australia

The APPEA Journal, 2002

The northern Pedirka Basin in the Northern Territory is sparsely explored compared with its south... more The northern Pedirka Basin in the Northern Territory is sparsely explored compared with its southern counterpart in South Australia. Only seven wells and 2,500 km of seismic data occur over a prospective area of 73,000 km2 which comprises three stacked sedimentary basins of Palaeozoic to Mesozoic age. In this area three petroleum systems have potential related to important source intervals in the Early Jurassic Eromanga Basin (Poolowanna Formation), the Triassic Simpson Basin (Peera Peera Formation) and Early Permian Pedirka Basin (Purni Formation). They are variably developed in three prospective depocentres, the Eringa Trough, the Madigan Trough and the northern Poolowanna Trough. Basin modelling using modern techniques indicate oil and gas expulsion responded to increasing early Late Cretaceous temperatures in part due to sediment loading (Winton Formation). Using a composite kinetic model, oil and gas expulsion from coal rich source rocks were largely coincident at this time, wh...

Research paper thumbnail of New approach to basin formation temperature modelling

Research paper thumbnail of Geological and Geophysical Evaluation of Offshore Morondava Frontier Basin based on Satellite Gravity , Well and regional 2 D Seismic Data Interpretation

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison of structural styles and prospectivity along the Atlantic margin from Senegal to Benin

A comparison of structural styles and prospectivity along the Atlantic margin from Senegal to Benin

The structural style of the African Atlantic margin shows significant differences between the pas... more The structural style of the African Atlantic margin shows significant differences between the passive rifted Northwest African Atlantic Margin (offshore Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Guinea) and the West African Transform Margin (from Sierra Leone to Benin). Recently acquired seismic data provides good quality imaging (down to the Moho in deepwater areas) that allows an understanding of the structural development since the initiation of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the Jurassic and gives insights into the present day structural styles and how they developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Neotectonics Of North Sumatra Forearc

Neotectonics Of North Sumatra Forearc

Proc. Indon Petrol. Assoc., 36th Ann. Conv.

Research paper thumbnail of Neotectonics of The Southern Sumatran Forearc

Neotectonics of The Southern Sumatran Forearc

Proc. Indon Petrol. Assoc., 36th Ann. Conv.

Research paper thumbnail of Fore-arc high and basin evolution offshore northern Sumatra using high-resolution marine geophysical datasets

Fore-arc high and basin evolution offshore northern Sumatra using high-resolution marine geophysical datasets

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2021

We present a morphotectonic study of the offshore northern Sumatra fore-arc high and fore-arc bas... more We present a morphotectonic study of the offshore northern Sumatra fore-arc high and fore-arc basin and an evolutionary model of the area based on high-resolution marine geophysical datasets. We show that the landward slope of the fore-arc high and the western edge of the Aceh fore-arc basin host a set of deeply-rooted, seaward-dipping backthrusts: main backthrust (MBT) and frontal backthrust (FBT), which we call north Sumatra backthrust system (NSBS). The FBT is imaged reaching the seafloor throughout the study area, whereas the MBT is imaged as a blind fault. Many landward-dipping imbricated thrusts (fore-arc high thrusts-FHT) are also observed below the fore-arc high, which along with the system of backthrusts have been responsible for uplifting the fore-arc high, shortening the Aceh Basin. On the landward slope of the fore-arc high, a strike-slip fault zone is imaged (termed West Andaman Fault - WAF - in accordance with previous studies), is readily interpreted as the product of...

Research paper thumbnail of Deepwater Kwanza Basin: A Prospective Pre-Salt Province?

Deepwater Kwanza Basin: A Prospective Pre-Salt Province?

GEO ExPro Magazine, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of Deep water plays of the Orphan Basin, Offshore Newfoundland, Canada

Deep water plays of the Orphan Basin, Offshore Newfoundland, Canada

First EAGE Workshop on East Canada Offshore Exploration

Research paper thumbnail of Continuous Coverage of Recent High Resolution Seismic and Magnetic Data Give New Insight On the Early Development of the Gulf of Mexico

Proceedings

Extensive coverage of the entire Mexican Gulf of Mexico (MGoM) by long offset 2D marine seismic d... more Extensive coverage of the entire Mexican Gulf of Mexico (MGoM) by long offset 2D marine seismic data, processed in time and depth, along with gravity and magnetic shipborne data were acquired on an evenly space survey grid during 2015-16 and enable a better understanding of the deep structure of the entire GoM. A correction of the GoM oceanic spreading transform fault locations, previously only diffusely identifiable on a Vertical Derivative version of the Sandwell Free Air Anomaly Map was carried out and a refinement of existing models of the extinct Jurassic-Early Cretaceous GoM spreading ridge locations was undertaken by coupling the above with gravity and magnetic grids and profile plots of seismic depth of top oceanic crust vs. distance. Due to thick sediment (up to 13 km) overlying the oceanic crust in the GoM, the magnetic anomaly signal and, therefore, the spreading anomaly pattern are more difficult to identify than those in younger and wider oceanic basins. Nonetheless, the location of the magnetic isochrons are readily identifiable by forward modelling of transform parallel transects within each spreading segment, and we are able to review existing models of oceanic opening time, rotation poles and spreading rates.

Research paper thumbnail of Subsurface fluid flow in the Java-Sumatra basins

Subsurface fluid flow in the Java-Sumatra basins

AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, Dec 1, 2018

Research paper thumbnail of Effects of Igneous Activity in the Offshore Northern Perth Basin - Evidence from Petroleum Exploration Wells, 2D Seismic and Magnetic Surveys

Effects of Igneous Activity in the Offshore Northern Perth Basin - Evidence from Petroleum Exploration Wells, 2D Seismic and Magnetic Surveys

Petroleum Exploration Society of Australia (PESA), 2002

Research paper thumbnail of New Insights Offshore Southeast Grand Banks, Canada: Prospectivity Analysis from a Multidisciplinary Study

New Insights Offshore Southeast Grand Banks, Canada: Prospectivity Analysis from a Multidisciplinary Study

First EAGE Workshop on East Canada Offshore Exploration, 2021

Research paper thumbnail of A Study Of Petroleum Systems Offshore Malta Through Updated Basin Modelling Providing Enhanced Regional Prospectivity

A Study Of Petroleum Systems Offshore Malta Through Updated Basin Modelling Providing Enhanced Regional Prospectivity

Proceedings, 2018

TGS have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Malta, having first acquired ~10,000 km of 2D s... more TGS have enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Malta, having first acquired ~10,000 km of 2D seismic data surrounding the islands in 2000/01. In 2013/4, ~6,500 km was reprocessed to better delineate a range of features from Triassic to Tertiary. With 11 wells drilled in Maltese waters between 1971 and 1998, exploration has significantly slowed down with only two wells being drilled since. Despite an absence of commercial hydrocarbons encountered, there have been numerous oil and gas shows ranging from Triassic to Tertiary. The petroleum potential of Malta is prospective and varied since the various working petroleum systems from the prolific neighbouring offshore regions of Tunisia, Sicily and Libya are postulated to be present. TGS have been granted data from the Maltese government to produce an updated temperature model. Using Fobos Pro, TGS’ internal basin modelling software package, a regional temperature model will be built and adjusted to to output ‘optimal temperature zones’ pertaining to source and reservoir. Preliminary reviews of the data suggest that there are clear trends such as an increased geothermal gradient in the Mesozoic basins (south of Malta) in contrast to the lower gradient on the Malta Plateau. Full details will be presented at the Workshop.

Research paper thumbnail of Evidence of Forearc Uplift, Earthquake Segmentation, and Great Earthquakes Associated with Large Subducting Features

Evidence of Forearc Uplift, Earthquake Segmentation, and Great Earthquakes Associated with Large Subducting Features

Research paper thumbnail of Diatremes in the Northern Bonaparte Basin - Implications for petroleum exploration and Mid Tertiary tectonic evolution

Diatremes in the Northern Bonaparte Basin - Implications for petroleum exploration and Mid Tertiary tectonic evolution

Research paper thumbnail of An Appraisal of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Southeast Clarence-Moreton Basin in Queensland

An Appraisal of the Hydrocarbon Potential of the Southeast Clarence-Moreton Basin in Queensland

Research paper thumbnail of Revealing the Hydrocarbon Potential and Quantifying the Prospectivity of the Harper Basin, Liberia, West Africa

Revealing the Hydrocarbon Potential and Quantifying the Prospectivity of the Harper Basin, Liberia, West Africa

82nd EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition, 2021

Summary The Harper Basin, a frontier area, extends from a narrow shelf to the extensive deepwater... more Summary The Harper Basin, a frontier area, extends from a narrow shelf to the extensive deepwater domain offshore Liberia. Modern 3D seismic data acquired in 2013, allowed disclosing new elements of a working petroleum system, which allows combining elements from the southern Liberia Basin and western Cote d’Ivoire. The Cretaceous syn-deformational deposition of clastic sediments infers organic-rich lacustrine muds (not yet proven in this area), buried by approximately 4–5 kms of post rift sequences, which include the mapped reservoir packages throughout the passive basin infill phase of the basin evolution. Cretaceous deepwater sequences are anticipated to include shale-rich source intervals containing sand prone carrier beds up-dip, relevant for the thick basin intervals comprised of Turonian to Mid-Albian clastic reservoirs. Basin temperature modelling has confirmed favourable maturation conditions for these possible source rocks. The basin’s structural evolution created numerous undrilled structural-stratigraphic traps identified on the new 3D seismic dataset. The up-dip pinch-out of deepwater channelised sandy fan systems charged by Turonian black shales represents a key play.

Research paper thumbnail of Depositional Environments and Geotectonic Framework: Southern Australian Continental Margin

Depositional Environments and Geotectonic Framework: Southern Australian Continental Margin

The APPEA Journal, 1976

Three principal phases occurred in the development of the basins of the southern Australian conti... more Three principal phases occurred in the development of the basins of the southern Australian continental margin: epi-continental, marginal continental and oceanic. These correspond generally to the phases of margin development proposed by Falvey (1974): pre-rift, rift valley, and post-breakup; but tectonic and depositional transitions are not necessarily contemporaneous.Prior to the Upper Cretaceous, the region of the present day southern Australian margin lay well within the Eastern Gondwanaland continent, essentially barred from deep ocean basins. During the Upper Cretaceous the series of epicontinental basins was increasingly subjected to marine breakthroughs. Thus marine ingressive horizons were deposited along an incipient rift valley between the primitive Indian Ocean and Tasman Sea. Rift valley subsidence, possibly related to deep crustal metamorphism, was most significant on the flanks of the rift zone. Further marine influence during the Paleocene ('infra-breakup') a...

Research paper thumbnail of A Hydrocarbon Generation Model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins

A Hydrocarbon Generation Model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins

The APPEA Journal, 2003

The aim of the National Geoscience Mapping Accord Cooper-Eromanga Basins Project was to develop a... more The aim of the National Geoscience Mapping Accord Cooper-Eromanga Basins Project was to develop a quantitative petroleum generation model for the Cooper and Eromanga Basins by delineating basin fill, thermal history and generation potential of key stratigraphic intervals. Bio- and lithostratigraphic frameworks were developed that were uniform across state boundaries. Similarly cross-border seismic horizon maps were prepared for the C horizon (top Cadna-owie Formation), P horizon (top Patchawarra Formation) and Z horizon (base Eromanga/Cooper Basins). Derivative maps, such as isopach maps, were prepared from the seismic horizon maps.Burial geohistory plots were constructed using standard decompaction techniques, a fluctuating sea level and palaeo-waterdepths. Using terrestrial compaction and a palaeo-elevation for the Winton Formation, tectonic subsidence during the Winton Formation deposition and erosion is the same as the background Eromanga Basin trend—this differs significantly f...

Research paper thumbnail of New Petroleum Models in the Pedirka Basin, Northern Territory, Australia

New Petroleum Models in the Pedirka Basin, Northern Territory, Australia

The APPEA Journal, 2002

The northern Pedirka Basin in the Northern Territory is sparsely explored compared with its south... more The northern Pedirka Basin in the Northern Territory is sparsely explored compared with its southern counterpart in South Australia. Only seven wells and 2,500 km of seismic data occur over a prospective area of 73,000 km2 which comprises three stacked sedimentary basins of Palaeozoic to Mesozoic age. In this area three petroleum systems have potential related to important source intervals in the Early Jurassic Eromanga Basin (Poolowanna Formation), the Triassic Simpson Basin (Peera Peera Formation) and Early Permian Pedirka Basin (Purni Formation). They are variably developed in three prospective depocentres, the Eringa Trough, the Madigan Trough and the northern Poolowanna Trough. Basin modelling using modern techniques indicate oil and gas expulsion responded to increasing early Late Cretaceous temperatures in part due to sediment loading (Winton Formation). Using a composite kinetic model, oil and gas expulsion from coal rich source rocks were largely coincident at this time, wh...

Research paper thumbnail of New approach to basin formation temperature modelling

Research paper thumbnail of Geological and Geophysical Evaluation of Offshore Morondava Frontier Basin based on Satellite Gravity , Well and regional 2 D Seismic Data Interpretation

Research paper thumbnail of A comparison of structural styles and prospectivity along the Atlantic margin from Senegal to Benin

A comparison of structural styles and prospectivity along the Atlantic margin from Senegal to Benin

The structural style of the African Atlantic margin shows significant differences between the pas... more The structural style of the African Atlantic margin shows significant differences between the passive rifted Northwest African Atlantic Margin (offshore Senegal, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Guinea) and the West African Transform Margin (from Sierra Leone to Benin). Recently acquired seismic data provides good quality imaging (down to the Moho in deepwater areas) that allows an understanding of the structural development since the initiation of the opening of the Atlantic Ocean at the end of the Jurassic and gives insights into the present day structural styles and how they developed.

Research paper thumbnail of Neotectonics Of North Sumatra Forearc

Neotectonics Of North Sumatra Forearc

Proc. Indon Petrol. Assoc., 36th Ann. Conv.

Research paper thumbnail of Neotectonics of The Southern Sumatran Forearc

Neotectonics of The Southern Sumatran Forearc

Proc. Indon Petrol. Assoc., 36th Ann. Conv.

Research paper thumbnail of Fore-arc high and basin evolution offshore northern Sumatra using high-resolution marine geophysical datasets

Fore-arc high and basin evolution offshore northern Sumatra using high-resolution marine geophysical datasets

Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, 2021

We present a morphotectonic study of the offshore northern Sumatra fore-arc high and fore-arc bas... more We present a morphotectonic study of the offshore northern Sumatra fore-arc high and fore-arc basin and an evolutionary model of the area based on high-resolution marine geophysical datasets. We show that the landward slope of the fore-arc high and the western edge of the Aceh fore-arc basin host a set of deeply-rooted, seaward-dipping backthrusts: main backthrust (MBT) and frontal backthrust (FBT), which we call north Sumatra backthrust system (NSBS). The FBT is imaged reaching the seafloor throughout the study area, whereas the MBT is imaged as a blind fault. Many landward-dipping imbricated thrusts (fore-arc high thrusts-FHT) are also observed below the fore-arc high, which along with the system of backthrusts have been responsible for uplifting the fore-arc high, shortening the Aceh Basin. On the landward slope of the fore-arc high, a strike-slip fault zone is imaged (termed West Andaman Fault - WAF - in accordance with previous studies), is readily interpreted as the product of...