GESGB London Evening Lecture – November 2023 (In person)

GESGB members can register free of charge via the membership platform

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Speaker: Gavin Elliott – Exploration Geologist, Genel Energy

Topic: Slip Slidin’ Away; the Impact of Evaporites on Mesozoic Shelf Edge Evolution and Prospectivity Offshore Morocco

Date: Tuesday 28 November 2023

Timings: 17:30 – Doors open / 18:00-19:00 – Lecture / 19:00-20:00 – Networking drinks

Venue: The Bedford Hotel – 83-95 Southampton Row, London WC1B 4HD
(Ground Floor Meeting Room – next to the garden)

Catering: Tea/coffee/biscuits to be provided. Self-funded bar for post-lecture drinks.

Slip Slidin’ Away; the Impact of Evaporites on Mesozoic Shelf Edge Evolution and Prospectivity Offshore Morocco

Offshore Central Morocco is well known for its evaporite-related deformation with large diapirs found in the deep water outboard of a stable, long lived Mesozoic carbonate shelf. What is less well known however is the evolution and morphology of the slope/shelf edge that marks the transition from the stable shelf to the deformed deep water slope. Understanding of the shelf edge has been limited by legacy seismic data which does not reveal seismic geometries diagnostic of evaporite presence but the advent of modern multi-azimuth depth 3D seismic has challenged the status quo.

In this talk, I will use insights from modern 3D seismic data to discuss how the slope evolved through the Jurassic and show that sediment loading of an evaporite succession led to multiphase slope collapse followed by annealing. Prolonged deformation of the slope throughout the Lower Jurassic created significant bathymetry that impacted both source rock deposition and also reservoir distribution. Insights from modern 3D seismic data combined with those from other salt influenced margins will be key to unlocking the potential along this vastly underexplored continental margin.

Gavin Elliott – Exploration Geologist, Genel Energy

Gavin has been exploring the subsurface for over 18 years and has gathered some knowledge on the tectono-stratigraphic evolution of continental margins along the way. Gavin has held Senior Geoscientist positions in Genel Energy, Lukoil and NewAge working in both asset exploration and business development roles focussed predominantly along the Atlantic margins. Prior to this, some happy years were spent in research at Imperial College London and the National Oceanography Centre at Southampton working on the influence of structure on sedimentary systems.