Project title: Evaluation of upslope pinchouts in modern and ancient turbidite system: implications for stratigraphic trapping
Researcher: Dr John Counts
The postdoctoral project aim is to provide a better understanding of upslope sandstone pinchouts in deepwater systems from which to establish more reliable geological models for pinchout trap prediction. The processes responsible for sand pinchouts, where they occur along the slope profile, and between which depositional elements will be assessed using analysis of the existing literature on modern sea-floor turbidite systems and modern seafloor data. This will allow the trap potential of different basin margin settings, and the usefulness of different system metrics (e.g., grain-size, slope gradient and morphology) for prediction to be evaluated from natural systems. In addition, seismic modelling will be employed to understand constraints on seismic detection of pinchouts and link modern data to subsurface data.