Fold growth during basin inversion — example from the East China Sea Basin

Abstract

Abstract Understanding the progressive growth of fold structures during basin inversion is an important part of basin analysis. To achieve this, a complex inversion-related anticline in the East China Sea Basin has been studied to examine variations in the growth rate and growth kinematics during the Miocene inversion of the basin. Detailed studies of onlaps and truncations of seismic reflections, particularly within the syn-growth package, indicate that different parts of the anticlinal structure grew at slightly different times, i.e. the start and cessation of growth vary along and across the structure. Growth was related to the reactivation of the pre-existing, dominantly W-dipping early normal faults. The reactivation of these early normal faults and the development of new reverse faults progressed laterally and transversely across the structure. Sections have been depth-converted, back-stripped and reconstructed to restore the progressive development of the fold. The concept of this study may be applied to many other basins with a similar evolutionary history.