Recognizing late cretaceous to paleogene changes in relative sea level in northern Santos Basin, Brazil

Abstract

The stratigraphy of the Santos Basin has become of great interest in the last decade because of the large oil accumulations in pre-salt (rift) and post-salt (drift) strata. Nevertheless, the most accepted stratigraphic models for the drift phase are only at a basin scale and can still be improved by more detailed work. In this paper we analyze an inline seismic section in the modern continental slope of the Santos Basin in order to describe the stratigraphy and to reconstruct relative-sea level (RSL) changes from the Campanian to the Eocene/Oligocene boundary. We mapped 40 seismic horizons, in which clinoform rollovers (former shelf margins) and stratal terminations were recognized. These data allowed for the construction of a chronostratigraphic chart and a RSL curve. The proposed stratigraphic chart displays three lower-order sequence sets comprising higher-order sequences including mostly alternating forced-regressive and normal-regressive system tracts, with the exception of three important transgressive episodes. Higher-order sequences above the intra-Maastrichtian unconformity exhibit low-angle ascending to descending shelf-margin trajectories and frequently truncated topsets, while aggradation was more important during Campanian to Maastrichtian. Expressive mass-transport deposits (chaotic seismic facies) at the bottomsets of some mapped horizons all match with forced-regressive episodes.