Global Basin Classification and Hydrocarbon Plays

A proposed system classifies sedimentary basins worldwide into specific and general categories. The geologic history of each basin may be subdivided into cycles using three parameters: basin-forming tectonics, depositional sequences, and basin-modifying tectonics. Sedimentary basins may be simple, with one or two tectonic/sedimentary cycles, or they may be complex polyhistory basins with many different cycles and events. Eight simple cycle types are used in this classification, covering continental, continental-margin, and oceanic areas. The eight basic cycle types, their depositional fills, and tectonic modifiers have been given letter and number symbols so the specific geologic history of each basin may be written as a formula. These formulas may then be compared, and similarities or differences between basins noted. Prolific hydrocarbon basins are categorized, and the plays are compared to specific tectonic and depositional events. Some plays are controlled by basin-initiating tectonic events, such as interior fracture or interior sag, and the type of sedimentation inherent in each basin type. In more complex polyhistory basins, oil and gas plays are commonly associated with combinations of various cycles, or by basin-modifying tectonics such as episodic wrenching, subsidence, foldbelts, and basin tilt.