Early stage evolution of growth faults: 3D seismic insights from the Levant Basin, Eastern Mediterranean

The geometry and kinematic evolution of small growth faults were analysed from a high-resolution 3D seismic dataset located at the margins of the Levant Basin, in the eastern Mediterranean. The 3D geometry, segmentation history and throw distribution of one particular fault was reconstructed to evaluate and illustrate the changes in dimension and displacement distribution that occurred during the transition from purely blind propagation to propagation at the free surface. The fault is considered to have grown by blind radial propagation of three main segments that hard-linked prior to surface interaction. The fault subsequently reached the seabed and continued to accrue displacement as a syn-sedimentary fault. Most of the fault surface area formed during the blind propagation phase, but most of the displacement was added during the syn-sedimentary phase of the growth history with little increase in surface area. The interaction of the fault with the free surface led to a change in the position of the point of maximum displacement as well as modifying the vertical throw distribution. The amount of displacement added after this transition from blind fault to growth fault is discussed with respect to existing fault-growth models.