Unravelling the basin history of the northern Upper Rhine Graben using 3-D retro-deformation

The Upper Rhine Graben (URG) represents a tectonically-complex section of the European Cenozoic rift system that crosses the European continent from N to S. However, the basin history remains unclear due to the heterogeneous development of subsidence rates together with phases of uplift and intricate changes of the local stress field.

This study represents an approach to unravel the basin evolution by retro-deforming a 3D geological dataset derived from interpretation of a 3-D seismic survey. The model covers an approximately 10 km x 30 km wide area between Darmstadt and Worms, in the northern part of the URG. The data were acquired for hydrocarbon exploration purposes and comprise 12 faults (mostly striking N-S and dipping with 55°E) and 9 seismic horizons, the latter range from the Base Iffezheim Formation (5 Ma) down to the Top of the crystalline basement. By backstripping and decompacting each horizon along complex fault patterns, we

1. Examine the effect of retro-deformation on fault plane geometry based on Allan maps,
2. Quantify subsidence rates across the study area derived from thickness changes
3. Understand the tectonic history and fault activity through analysis of the 3D retro-deformation.

Additionally, we attempt to estimate the potential reactivation of major faults using slip- and dilation tendency analysis. The results give first insights to the basin development of the northern Upper Rhine Graben, on which future studies can be built.