Sandy modern turbidite lobes: A new insight from high resolution seismic data

The present study is focused on the latest Pleistocene distal lobe of a confined turbidite system. Several scales of depositional structures are seen using very high-resolution seismic data, which are quite comparable with those of onland outcrops. The lobe is a sedimentary complex and was built by numerous successive events. This study allows for the first time to describe a comprehensive model for the inter-relationship of different architectural elements within a lobe complex. We demonstrate that the three-dimensional geometry of the lobe is directly controlled by the degree of confinement of gravity currents and thus to the pre-existing morphology that evolved during lobe growth. The confinement and lithology of the lobe has a great impact on the reservoir physical properties. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.