Icehouse mixed carbonate and siliciclastic sequence evolution based on 3D seismic analysis: Insights from the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin, Texas

Abstract

Reciprocal model was introduced for mixed carbonate and siliciclastic sequences within the Virgilian (Upper Pennsylvanian – Gzhelian) and Wolfcampian (Lower Cisuralian) on the Eastern Shelf of the Permian Basin in Texas. This model emphasizes carbonate dominance during transgressive and highstand on the slope, and siliciclastic dominance in the basin during lowstand. Contradictory observations from other mixed basins, such as compositionally mixed lithology in slope cores, accumulation of siliciclastics behind carbonate highs on the outer shelf, off-shelf transport of siliciclastics during highstands, and carbonate deposition on the slope during falling stage, require a re-evaluation of the reciprocal model. This research examines mixed sequences in the Cisco Group and maps lithology distribution by integrating geological and geophysical data, using advanced seismic interpretation techniques, wireline-log crossplot analyses, model-based post-stack inversion, probabilistic neural networks, and supervised Bayesian classification. Observations from the investigation are presented at two scales. In ∼400kyr sequences, relative sea level fall starts with carbonate deposition on the slope while siliciclastics persist near the inner shelf. As the falling stage progresses, siliciclastics reach the shelf edge, forming offlapping fans at the toe of the slope, likely truncating part of the siliciclastic topsets. Subsequently, mixed facies were deposited during the early stages of rising relative sea level, followed by carbonate deposition on the slope and shelf throughout transgression. The mixed facies found inland of transgressive carbonates indicate that prodelta siliciclastics mixed with carbonate mud. Occasionally, transgressive carbonates create shelf-edge build ups, hindering the transport of highstand siliciclastics to the slope. In the composite sequence spanning ∼1200kyr, siliciclastic input decreases significantly with the onset of sea-level fall. The fall truncates topsets with limited siliciclastics, preserving carbonate and mixed facies-dominated foresets with offlapping fans at the toe of the slope. This study advances our understanding of mixed sequences, challenges existing models and lays the groundwork for future investigations in similar geological settings.