Physical analog modelling of primary stratigraphic and structural controls on the evolution of the Papuan Fold Belt, Papua New Guinea, with implications for hydrocarbon exploration

This investigation was conducted in order to determine the primary stratigraphic and structural controls on the evolution of the Papuan Fold Belt (PFB), Papua New Guinea (PNG). The complex tectonic evolution of PNG has resulted in an array of structures within the PFB, ranging from thin-skinned deformation of the cover to the reactivation of primary extensional basement faults. In order to create a more accurate representation of the sub-surface structure of the PFB, scaled physical analog models, simulating the known mechanical stratigraphy of the Darai limestone, leru shale, Toro sandstone and Imburu shale, were employed to predict the structural style.; Modelling of intact, plane-layered strata determined that the mechanical stratigraphy and the thickness of the lower decollement horizon exert the greatest control on the changing structural styles of the PFB. The structural differences that occurred between these models correspond to observed structural differences between the Central Fold Belt and the Darai Duplex Zone. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)...