Structural geometrical analysis and simulation of decollement growth folds in piedmont Fauqi Anticline of Zagros Mountains, Iraq

• Published in: Science China. Earth sciences Vol. 59; no. 9; pp. 1885 - 1898
• Main Authors: Ou, ChengHua, Chen, Wei, Li, ChaoChun, Zhou, WenJiang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Beijing Science China Press 01.09.2016; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Deformation; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Kinematics; Mountains; Petroleum; Plate tectonics; Research Paper; Rock deformation; Seismology; Spatial analysis; Structural analysis; 伊拉克; 几何; 变形模式; 滑脱; 生长模拟; 生长褶皱; 结构分析; 背斜; ISW, Iraq; Fauqi Anticline; Kinematical simulation; Decollement; Geometrical analysis of structures; Zagros Mountains; Growth fold; Petroleum enrichment
• ISSN: 1674-7313; 1869-1897
• DOI: 10.1007/s11430-016-5332-6

This study carried out detailed structural analyses of the plane structural deformation pattern and sectional structur- al deformation styles of the Fauqi Anticline by the 3D seismic section with full cover collection, and carried out the kinemati- cal simulation of the Fauqi anticlinal deep decollement coupling shallow growth folds and faults based on the fault decol- lement fold model and the forward balanced geological section technique. The study subsequently evaluated the differentiated petroleum enrichment mechanism of the Fauqi Anticline by utilizing the results of the structural analysis and combining the spatial-temporal relationship analysis of the source, the reservoir, and the caprock. The results showed that the differentiated plane structural deformation pattern and hierarchical sectional structural deformation style were developed by the superposed coupling of deep decollement, syntectonic sedimentation of shallow growth strata, and the compression of the south-west hor- izontal tectonic stress from the Zagros Mountains. It was found that the differentiated structural deformation caused the differ- entiated enrichment of petroleum in the Fauqi Anticline. It was also found that the horizontal slip distance of the Fauqi Anti- clinal Folds reached around 3.5 km by the simulation of deep decollement coupling the movement of the shallow growth folds and the faults.