Rollover anticlines

A rollover anticline is a syn-depositional structure developed within the downthrown block (hanging wall) of large listric normal faults.

The scale and shape of the anticline is controlled by the geometry of the listric fault plane and the amount of slip that has taken place along it.

As rollover anticlines develop during sedimentation, each layer typically shows thickening toward the controlling fault.

As the underlying layers bend, they create more accommodation space along the controlling fault versus the crest of the anticline.

Trapping is dependent on top seal integrity, and favorable juxtaposition of sandstone reservoirs against impermeable shale across the normal faults that develop within the hanging wall.