An Introduction to

Structural Styles and Tectonics

in Petroleum Geology.

INVERSION
Dr Kevin C. Hill
University of Melbourne
PIN LOOSE
LINE Regional LINE
Post-Rift

Pre-Rift Syn-Rift
Extension growth
Basement

PIN LOOSE
LINE LINE
Regional
Syn-Inversion
Post-Rift
Inversion growth
Pre-Rift Syn-Rift

Basement

PIN LOOSE
LINE LINE
Post-Inversion Basin subsiding
Post-Rift
Syn-Inversion
during inversion
Regional
Syn-Rift
Pre-Rift

Basement
After Bally (1984)
Otway Basin, inversion
Tertiary

Tertiary

Approximate
null point
Paleocene

Paleocene

Cretaceous
 1.
Cretaceous
3.
2.
Tertiary
Paleocene
Inversion anticline gasfield
 Lithosphere
Crust

Pure Mantle
Shear
Asthenosphere

Simple
Shear

Sag
 BASIN
10'S of kilometres

'SUNDA FOLD'
<10 km

Crust
Mantle

After Lowell 1995

 NW Minerva 1
SE
TWT (s)
0 0

Base
Heytesbury Group

Approximate 1 1
Top Sherbrook Gp.

Stratigraphic thickening off

flank of fold rather than into
a growth normal fault
2 2
Top Turonian
Sandstone Facies

3 3

Minerva Anticline
Minerva 1
4 4
Minerva 2A

Possible Reactivated Early

Cretaceous Normal Fault
5 5
Base Wangerrip Megasequence
Time Structure Map

Contours outline a
northeast-trending fold
compartmentalized by
crest-perpendicular
fault array.
 Extensional and
compressional faults

Compressional
(inversion) Fault

Extensional
Fault
 Extensional and
compressional faults
Inversion sandbox McClay 1995

Growth

Ext + comp

Fault rotation
Sand-box models-Rigid footwall
End Inversion

Simple Listric Fault

1. End Extension

Simple Planar Fault End Inversion

End Extension

2.

End Inversion
Ramp / Flat Listric Fault
End Extension
3.

Domino Fault Blocks End Inversion

4.
After McClay (1995)
End Extension
Clay modelling - equipment
Inversion eg. Eisenstadt + Withjack 1995
Clay model 4 cm extension

Wet Clay Model - 4cm extension

Main normal fault

Pre-growth layers (12)

Growth layers (2)

1 cm

After Eisenstadt & Withjack (1995)

Clay extensional geometries
Clay 50% Inversion Model.

Growth layers (4)

Pre-shortening layer (1)

Pre-growth layers (12)

1 cm

After Eisenstadt & Withjack (1995)

 Skull Creek West 1
SE North Parratte 1 Fenton Creek 1 NW
TWT (s)
0
Heytesbury Gp.
Nirranda Gp.
Wangerrip Gp. Top Cretaceous

1 Sherbrook Gp. Top Turonia

n
Sand Facie
s

Regional
Regional Top
Top

lt
au
Eumeralla
Eumeralla Fm.
Fm.

kf
2 Eumeralla Fm.

ee
F

Cr
Top Early Cretaceous Unit F ?

ton
n
Top Ear

Fe
ly Cretac
eous Un
Crayfish Sub-gp. (?) it C C
3 C B
B

4
0 1 2 3 4 5
km

Inversion of Top Eumeralla Fm. Above Regional

Belfast Mudstone deposition strongly affected by anticline morphology. However, the base
shows normal offset on the Fenton Creek Fault - possibly due to Parratte age extension.
Clay 50% inv. HW antithetic
Clay 50% inv. Fault rotation
Clay 4 cm ext., 4 cm comp.
100% Inversion Model
Pre-shortening layer (1)
Growth layers (4)

Pre-growth layers (12)

1 cm

After Eisenstadt & Withjack (1995)

Clay 100% inv. Close-up
Clay 200% Inversion Model.
Growth layers (4)

Pre-shortening layer (1)

P re -g ro w th la y e rs (1 2 )
After Eisenstadt & Withjack (1995)
Clay 200% inv. close-up
Clay 200% inv. FW
Clay 200% inv. HW antithetic
 4cm contraction

Pre-growth layers (13)

1 cm

After Eisenstadt & Withjack (1995)

Inversion fold geometries Inversion fault ge

4 cm extension, 8 cm shortening 4 cm extension, 8 cm short

Increasing Inversion
4 cm extension, 4 cm shortening 4 cm extension, 4 cm shorte

4 cm extension, 2 cm shorte
4 cm extension, 2 cm shortening

4 cm extension 4 cm extension
ld geometries Inversion fault geometries

cm shortening Increasing Inversion 4 cm extension, 8 cm shortening

cm shortening 4 cm extension, 4 cm shortening

4 cm extension, 2 cm shortening
cm shortening

4 cm extension