Growth fault

[7] Both the new-created accommodation spaces and the thickness of the new-deposited sedimentary layers are greater above the sinking zones than above the growth ridges.

The growth ridges end up with salt diapir when the sinking zone sequences weld to the base of the evaporite layer.

[7] Figure 3 is an E-W seismic line at Svalbard area showing footwall, hanging wall and the geometry of sedimentary layers around the fault plane.

This is caused due to the differential load of the overlying sediments and the high mobility of the lowermost low density layer.

[9] The main driving forces of the growth faults are the deferential sediments load and the low density layers - evaporites or over-pressured shale - that are formed during or right after the rifting process.

[10] Growth faults are located mainly within passive margin sedimentary wedges where tectonic forces have minimum or no effect.

These passive margins receive millions of tons of sediments every year which are concentrated on the continental shelf below base level and above areas where the water velocity is no longer supporting the particles weight.

Evaporites and/or high-pressured shale layers have the ability to flow because of their high mobility and low viscosity characteristics.

[12] Thick layers of evaporites are formed due to continuous water evaporation and fill of the rift basin.

This encloses much fluid which under pressure causing the whole shale bed to turn into a viscous, low density, high mobility layer.

[1] Likewise, growth faults are connected directly to the subsidence in the coastal and continental shelf areas.

[1] The updip area on the downthrown block is the main target of oil and gas exploration because it has synthetic and antithetic faults and rollover anticlines.

This will unravel the mystery behind the groundwater contamination due to reservoir mixing, and track the oil and gas migration pathways.