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Haughton, Peter D. W.
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Haughton, Peter D. W.
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Haughton, Peter D. W.
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Now showing 1 - 10 of 15
- PublicationDown-dip Termination of Sandy Fan Systems - New Insight from the Pennsylvanian Ross Sandstone Formation, Western Ireland(2015-12-22)
; ; ; ; New and legacy borehole constraints and outcrop work on the eastward extension of the Ross Formation help constrain the down-dip character of the fan stack.82 - PublicationFacies Trends and Large-Scale Architecture of the Pennsylvanian Ross Formation, Western Ireland - New Insight from Cores South of the Shannon(2013-12)
; ; ; ; The Ross Formation is well exposed in sea cliffs facing the Atlantic and Shannon estuary in western Ireland. It forms the sandy deep-water part of a major shallowing-upward Pennsylvanian succession. Over the last four years, a major behind-outcrop drilling program targeting the Ross Formation has focussed primarily on the Loop Head peninsula in west Clare. This has provided a composite Ross cored section (490 m thick) that underpins a new understanding of bed-scale variability and the wider vertical evolution of the system. The focus has now shifted to the key Ballybunion section on the south side of the Shannon, which sits obliquely down-dip (to the east) of the Loop Head area (c. 18 km away). This area is important in that previous outcrop studies have suggested that (1) the character of the lower Ross with its abundant hybrid event beds may reflect a marginal fringe position; (2) an extra sandy section may be present in the uppermost Ross due to offset stacking of the youngest lobes and (3) some of the upper Ross mass transport units may extend across the estuary from Clare. Two new cores are now available ¿behind¿ the Ballybunion cliff section: a 200 m long PQ borehole straddling the lower Ross and the upper part of the underlying Clare Shale (12-KY-UCD-09), and a 151.5 m long slimhole core acquired by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI 09/05). In addition, a re-analysis of the biostratigraphy is underway. Together the matched pair of Kerry boreholes with the outcrop section provide a reference section (480 m thick) that can be compared with the Loop composite section. Both sections have a distinctive precursor cycle involving first stacked thin mudflows and then outsized and coarse grained hybrid event beds. The muddier make-up of the latter at Ballybunion is consistent with a down-dip position based on trends in other basins. The onset of the main Ross system that follows is sandier at Ballybunion than at Loop suggesting the former was more axial at this time. Thereafter hybrid event beds appear not to be as important at Ballybunion. Several of the mass transport units and condensed sections extend across the Shannon and tie the sections.92 - PublicationDrainage reorganization during breakup of Pangea revealed by in-situ Pb isotopic analysis of detrital K-feldspar(The Geological Society of America, 2007-11)
; ; The Pb isotopic composition of detrital K-feldspar grains can be rapidly measured using laser ablation MC-ICPMS. The feldspar Pb signal can survive weathering, transport and diagenesis, and careful targeting avoids problems with inclusions and alteration. As common Pb isotopic compositions show broad (100s km scale) variation across the continents, the method provides a powerful provenance tracer for feldspathic sandstones. Here we combine a new Pb domain map for the circum-North Atlantic with detrital feldspar Pb isotopic data for Triassic and Jurassic sandstones from basins on the Irish Atlantic margin. The Pb compositions reveal otherwise cryptic feldspar populations that constrain the evolving drainage pattern. Triassic sandstones were sourced from distant Archean and Paleoproterozoic rocks, probably in Greenland, Labrador and Rockall Bank to the NW, implying long (>500 km) transport across a nascent rift system. Later Jurassic sandstones had a composite Paleo- and Mesoproterozoic source in more proximal sources to the north (<150 km away). Little or no feldspar was recycled from Triassic into Jurassic sandstones, and the change in provenance is consistent with distributed, low relief Triassic extension in a wide rift, followed by narrower Jurassic rifting with more localised fault-controlled sediment sources and sinks.721 - PublicationFacies and internal stratigraphic variability in the Ross Sandstone Formation (Pennsylvanian), western Ireland - new borehole data from south of the Shannon Estuary(International Association of Sedimentologists, 2013-09)
; ; ; The 500 m thick Ross Sandstone Formation is well exposed in sea cliffs facing the Atlantic and along the Shannon Estuary in western Ireland. It forms the sandy deep-water part of a major shallowing-upward Pennsylvanian succession. Over the last four years, a major behind-outcrop drilling program targeting the Ross Sandstone Formation has been undertaken, focussing primarily on the Loop Head peninsula in west Clare. This has provided a full composite Ross cored section that underpins a new understanding of bed-scale variability and the wider evolution of the system. The focus has recently shifted to the key Ballybunion section on the south side of the River Shannon, obliquely down-dip from the Loop Head area (c. 18 km from the tip of the Loop) and is important in that previous outcrop studies have inferred that (1) the distinctive character of the lower Ross here with its abundant hybrid event beds may reflect a marginal position; and (2) extra sandy section may be present in the uppermost Ross due to offset stacking of the youngest sandy lobes. Two new cores are now available ¿behind¿ the Ballybunion section - a 200 m PQ borehole straddling the lower Ross and the upper part of the underlying Clare Shale Formation (12-CE-UCD-09), and a 151.5 m long, cored slimhole with associated wireline log data acquired by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI 09/05). The latter is 1.1 km along strike from coastal exposures of the upper Ross and the study reported here focusses on the relationship of the section acquired in this borehole to the local cliffs and to upper Ross outcrops on the north side of the River Shannon at Kilcredaun, some 4.6 km away. Correlation is based on goniatite-rich ¿marine bands¿, legacy biostratigraphic data (new determinations are underway), and a number of laterally extensive slump bodies which form distinctive marker beds. The GSI 09/05 core contains three thin goniatite-rich levels, and a fourth candidate level, each interpreted as marine bands. These separate sand-prone packages, interpreted as stacked isolated to amalgamated lobe units, and at least two mass-transport units (MTDs), the lower and thickest of which is 25.5 m thick (true thickness). In the local cliffs to the west, all four marine bands can be identified, as well as the two MTDs. In addition, a third MTD is more obvious in the cliff. The lobe sandstones are dominated by deposits of high-density turbidity currents; amalgamated sandbodies become more abundant upwards. Hybrid event beds are rare (<10%) compared to lower in the formation. At least 50% of the sandbodies extend from the core to the adjacent outcrop without change; the remainder show a change from deposition from high- to low-concentration flows or vice versa. Overall, the Ballybunion Ross section is 480 m thick, broadly similar to the thickness established by drilling on the Loop. At longer length scales, all but the upper marine band are found at Kilcredaun. Correlatives of the two MTD units also occur in the core here, although the thickest slump has become thinner and muddier. Nonetheless this MTD unit can be traced widely across the Loop as a distinctive couplet. As correlated, the Ballybunion outcrop and core suggest there may not be an additional younger sandbody in this area, however the location appears axial and down-dip rather than marginal in character overall.158 - PublicationThe Clare Shale - Basal Ross Formation Contact, Western Ireland - New Insight from Behind-Outcrop Cores(2015-02-21)
; ; ; ; A recent behind - outcrop drilling program targeting the Ross Formation has focussed on the Loop Head peninsula in west Clare. This has provided a fully-cored composite Ross section (490 m thick) that underpins a new understanding of bed-scale variability and the vertical evolution of the system . The work programme h as now been broadened to include the key Ballybunion section on the south side of the Shannon which sits obliquely down-dip (to the east) of Loop Head (c. 18 km away).136 - PublicationHybrid Event Bed Character Across the Clare Shale - Basal Ross Formation Contact, Western Ireland - New Insight from Behind-Outcrop Cores(2014-12-22)
; ; ; ; A recent behind - outcrop drilling program targeting the Ross Formation has focussed on the Loop Head peninsula in west Clare. This has provided a fully-cored composite Ross section (490 m thick) that underpins a new understanding of bed-scale variability and the vertical evolution of the system . The work programme h as now been broadened to include the key Ballybunion section on the south side of the Shannon which sits obliquely down-dip (to the east) of Loop Head (c. 18 km away).102 - PublicationFacies Trends and Large-Scale Architecture of the Pennsylvanian Ross Formation, Western Ireland - New Insight from Cores South of the Shannon(2014-04)
; ; ; The Ross Formation is well exposed in sea cliffs facing the Atlantic and Shannon estuary in western Ireland. It forms the sandy deep-water part of a major shallowing-upward Pennsylvanian succession. Over the last four years, a major behind-outcrop drilling program targeting the Ross Formation has focused primarily on the Loop Head peninsula in west Clare. This has provided a composite Ross cored section (490 m thick) that underpins a new understanding of bed-scale variability and the wider vertical evolution of the system. The focus has now shifted to the key Ballybunion section on the south side of the Shannon, which sits obliquely down-dip (to the east) of the Loop Head area (c. 18 km away). This area is important in that previous outcrop studies have suggested that (1) the character of the lower Ross with its abundant hybrid event beds may reflect a marginal fringe position; (2) an extra sandy section may be present in the uppermost rRoss due to offset stacking of the youngest lobes and (3) some of the upper Ross mass transport units may extend across the estuary from Clare. Two new cores are now available ¿behind¿ the Ballybunion cliff section: a 200 m long PQ borehole straddling the lower Ross and the upper part of the underlying Clare Shale (12-KY-UCD-09), and a 151.5 m long slimhole core acquired by the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI 09/05). In addition, a re-analysis of the biostratigraphy is underway. Together the matched pair of Kerry boreholes with the outcrop section provide a reference section (480 m thick) that can be compared with the Loop composite section. Both sections have a distinctive precursor cycle involving first stacked thin mudflows and then outsized and coarse grained hybrid event beds. The muddier make-up of the latter at Ballybunion is consistent with a down-dip position based on trends in other basins. The onset of the main Ross system that follows is sandier at Ballybunion than at Loop suggesting the former was more axial at this time. Thereafter hybrid event beds appear not to be as important at Ballybunion. Several of the mass transport units and condensed sections extend across the Shannon and tie the sections.99 - PublicationDown-dip Termination of Sandy Fan Systems - New Insight from the Pennsylvanian Ross Sandstone Formation, Western Ireland(2016-06-22)
; ; ; ; The Pennsylvanian Ross Sandstone Fm. in western Ireland forms part of a thick (>2200m) progradational and shallowing-upward basin-fill succession. New and legacy borehole constraints and outcrop work on the eastward extension of the Ross help constrain the down-dip character at different levels in the fan stack.113 - PublicationStatic and dynamic connectivity in bed-scale models of faulted and unfaulted turbidites(Geological Society, London, 2007)
; ; ; ; ; A range of unfaulted and faulted bed-scale models with sheet-like bed geometries have been built and analysed in terms of static bed connectivity and fractional permeability assuming permeable sands and impermeable shales. The models are built using a new method which allows amalgamation ratio to be included explicitly as model input and this property, rather than net:gross ratio, is found to be the dominant control on inter-bed connectivity. The connectivity of faulted sequences is much more complex and is dominated by interactions of variables. A comprehensive modelling suite illustrates these results and highlights the extremely rare combinations of circumstances in which faulted sequences have lower connectivities than their unfaulted sedimentological equivalents, irrespective of whether fault rock properties are included or not. In general, models containing stochastically placed shale smears associated with each faulted shale horizon are better connected than if deterministic Shale Gouge Ratio cut-offs are applied. Despite the complex interactions between geological input and bed-scale connectivity, the flow properties of a system are controlled by only three geometrical, rather than geological, variables describing connectivity, anisotropy and resolution. If two different faulted or unfaulted systems have identical values of these three variables they will have the same flow properties.748Scopus© Citations 42 - PublicationSedimentology of the upper Ross Formation (Pennsylvanian) in borehole GSI 09/05 at Ballybunion, Co. Kerry(2013-03)
; ; The Pennsylvanian Ross Sandstone Formation is well exposed around the Shannon Estuary, in western Ireland. It forms the deep-water part of a major shallowing-upward succession filling the Clare Basin and it has been extensively used as a turbidite reservoir analogue and for subsurface training. Since 2009, a major program of behind-outcrop drilling targeting the Ross Sandstone Formation has been undertaken in west Co. Clare (Loop Head) and across the Shannon estuary in Co. Kerry. To date, most of the focus has been on boreholes acquired on Loop Head. These have provided a composite vertical section through the Ross Sandstone Formation and a framework for interpreting bed type variations and overall system evolution. Now, the emphasis is changing to examine lateral variability away from Loop Head using a new core at Ballybunion in the lowermost Ross Sandstone Formation, together with legacy data and two recent GSI slim-holes (at Inishcorker and Ballybunion). This poster focuses on first results from the GSI 09/05 borehole, located c.4.3 km north of Ballybunion town. This 150 m long slim-hole core intersects the upper Ross Formation as confirmed by correlation with a measured outcrop section on the adjacent cliff c.1.2 km away. Correlation is based on goniatite-rich "marine bands", distinctive thick sandstone units and slump bodies. Three marine bands are identified, the uppermost being unusually thick (c.4.5 m) and provisionally equated with the R. paucicrenulatum band marking the top of the Ross Sandstone Formation on Loop Head. The core records an upward transition from well-bedded sandstones (turbidites and subordinate hybrid event beds) interpreted as stacked lobe deposits to more amalgamated sandstones towards the top of the formation indicating increased channelisation. A major composite slump body (25 m thick) occurs below the central marine band. This remobilised both sand-prone and silty deposits and is significantly thicker than any of the slump units identified in the Loop Head cores and outcrop.126