Integrating fault kinematics into implicit 3D modelling of fault networks

Summary

Existing 3D geological modelling methods do not incorporate fault kinematics and do not have any way of modelling interacting fault networks, e.g. duplex systems, flower structures and listric fault systems. It is difficult to build models that honour both geological observations and fault kinematics because fault kinematics are not used to constrain the resulting geometries. In this study we introduce a new method for modelling faults within implicit 3D geological modelling systems where the fault kinematics are incorporated by restoring the model domain. Our approach is capable of building models that honour both structural geological data and fault kinematics. Because our approach uses the kinematics of the faults it is also possible to model interactions between co-eval faults where the resulting geometry is the result of combining the fault displacements. We demonstrate this with two synthetic examples: a normal fault system and a duplex system.

• inverse problem
• structural modelling
• folding
• implicit modelling
• Bayesian inference