Integrating fault kinematics into implicit 3Dmodeling of fault networks

Lachlan Grose and Laurent Ailleres and Gautier Laurent. ( 2019 )
in: 2019 Ring Meeting, ASGA

Abstract

Incorporating both fault kinematics and surface observations into implicit 3D modelling methods is a challenge for 3D structural modelling. Existing approaches either incorporate the fault displacement into the surface description but do not allow for kinematics to be used. Another approach builds a surface without the fault and then deforms the surface to fit the fault using a kinematic operator. Neither approach can capture the interaction of faults within complicated interacting fault networks e.g. duplex systems, flower structures and listric fault systems. In this study we introduce a new method for modelling faults within implicit 3D geological modelling systems where the fault kinematics are incorporated by first restoring the model domain and surface observations prior to interpolating the faulted surface. Our approach is capable of building models that honour both observations of the faulted surface and observed fault kinematics. Because our approach uses the kinematics of the faults it is also possible to model interactions between co-eval faults where the resulting geometry is the result of combining the fault displacements. We demonstrate this with two synthetic examples: a normal fault system and a duplex system.

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BibTeX Reference

@inproceedings{GroseRM2019,
 abstract = { Incorporating both fault kinematics and surface observations into implicit 3D modelling methods is a challenge for 3D structural modelling. Existing approaches either incorporate the fault displacement into the surface description but do not allow for kinematics to be used. Another approach builds a surface without the fault and then deforms the surface to fit the fault using a kinematic operator. Neither approach can capture the interaction of faults within complicated interacting fault networks e.g. duplex systems, flower structures and listric fault systems. In this study we introduce a new method for modelling faults within implicit 3D geological modelling systems where the fault kinematics are incorporated by first restoring the model domain and surface observations prior to interpolating the faulted surface. Our approach is capable of building models that honour both observations of the faulted surface and observed fault kinematics. Because our approach uses the kinematics of the faults it is also possible to model interactions between co-eval faults where the resulting geometry is the result of combining the fault displacements. We demonstrate this with two synthetic examples: a normal fault system and a duplex system. },
 author = { Grose, Lachlan AND Ailleres, Laurent AND Laurent, Gautier },
 booktitle = { 2019 Ring Meeting },
 publisher = { ASGA },
 title = { Integrating fault kinematics into implicit 3Dmodeling of fault networks },
 year = { 2019 }
}