A wide variety of the structural models have been applied to the Papua New Guinea(PNG)Fold-Thrust Belt(FTB)during hydrocarbon exploration which range from Canadian Rockies-style thin-skinned deformation to detachment folding and basement-involved inversion.This is not surprising,but has significant implications,given generally poor quality seismic data and well control that provide limited constraints on the large-scale structural architecture of the FTB.However,several first-order observations can be made:1.There is a significant change in the topographic expression of the thrust belt from northwest(high relief)to southeast(low relief),2.Basement is locally involved in FTB deformation in northwestern regions(confirmed by wells and outcrops),3.Regional trends of Upper Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous stratal thickness show a substantial increase from northwest to southeast and imply that pre- FTB depth-to-basement was larger in the southeast.
展开▼
