Evolution of a Late Miocene Deep-Water Depositional System in the Southern Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

A long-standing problem in the understanding of deep-water turbidite reservoirs relates to how the three-dimensional evolution of deep-water channel systems evolve in response to channel filling on spatiotemporal scales, and how depositional environments affect channel architecture. The 3-D structure and temporal evolution of late Miocene deep-water channel complexes in the southern Taranaki Basin, New Zealand is investigated, and the geometry, distribution, and stacking patterns of the channel complexes are analyzed. Two recently acquired 3-D seismic datasets, the Pipeline-3D (proximal) and Hector-3D (distal) are analyzed. These surveys provide detailed imaging of late Miocene deep-water channel systems, allowing for the assessment of the intricate geometry and seismic geomorphology of the systems. Seismic attributes resolve the channel bodies and the associated architectural elements. Spectral decomposition, amplitude curvature, and coherence attributes reveal NW-trending straight to low-sinuosity channels and less prominent NE-trending high-sinuosity feeder channels. Stratal slices across the seismic datasets better characterize the architectural elements. The mapped turbidite systems transition from low-sinuosity to meandering high-sinuosity patterns, likely caused by a change in the shelf-slope gradient due to localized structural relief. Stacking facies patterns within the channel systems reveal the temporal variation from a depositional environment characterized by sediment bypass to vertically aggrading channel systems.

Synthesis of thermally stable SBT and SBS/SBT intergrowth zeolites

UCSB-6 (framework type SBS) and UCSB-10 (SBT), two three-dimensional phosphate-based molecular sieves with supercages accessible through 12-ring (circumscribed by 12 tetrahedral atoms) windows, are structurally similar to the hexagonal and cubic polytypes of faujasite or zeolite Y, an industrially relevant catalyst, but the cage structures are substantially different. Nonetheless, their inherent thermal instability has precluded any catalytic application so far. By using multiple inorganic cation and charge density mismatch approaches, we synthesized PST-32 and PST-2, a thermally stable aluminosilicate version of UCSB-10 and the hypothetical SBS/SBT intergrowth family member, respectively. This study suggests that many hypothetical cage-based zeolite structures with multidimensional channel systems can be synthesized as compositionally robust forms by systematically exploring the synergy effect of inorganic and organic structure–directing agents.

Evolution of Deep-Water Sinuous Channel Offshore Cameroon, West Africa, Using 3D Seismic Data

Using newly acquired 3D seismic data, the deep-water sinuous channel has been discovered in the Miocene sequence on the continental margin of Cameroon, West Africa. The investigation is using high-resolution 3D seismic data, covering an area of 1500 km2, with the water depth ranging from 400 m - 2000 m. Two submarine channel systems have been documented in the northern part of the study area, the offset stacked channel and North-Northeast – Southwest channel. The offset stacked channel dimension is about 3 km wide, c. 20 km long and c. 500 ms TWT thick, extending from east to west. The evolution of this channel can be divided into three stages based on the changes in channel scale, geometry, and fill type. In the initial stage, the channel is characterized as symmetry ‘U’ shaped, bidirectional onlap, high amplitude reflections, inferring to high energy flow and sand-prone channel fill. In the following stages, the channel reduced the size and flow energy. North-Northeast – Southwest channel developed at the end of the Miocene. It is c. 3 km wide, 20 km long, 50 ms TWT thick, indicating a new sediment source for the study area. At the end of the Miocene, both channel systems show a high sinuously as an indicator of low energy flows. Uplift in the Late Miocene possibly leads to the compacted channel complex which is appeared in the anticline form, giving a great hydrocarbon trap potential for the study area.

Further simulations of the effect of cochlear-implant pre-processing and head movement on interaural level differences

We simulated the effect of several automatic gain control (AGC) and AGC-like systems and head movement on the output levels, and resulting interaural level differences (ILDs) produced by bilateral cochlear-implant (CI) processors. The simulated AGC systems included unlinked AGCs with a range of parameter settings, linked AGCs, and two proprietary multi-channel systems used in contemporary CIs. The results show that over the range of values used clinically, the parameters that most strongly affect dynamic ILDs are the release time and compression ratio. Linking AGCs preserves ILDs at the expense of monaural level changes and, possibly, comfortable listening level. Multichannel AGCs can whiten output spectra, and/or distort the dynamic changes in ILD that occur during and after head movement. We propose that an unlinked compressor with a ratio of approximately 3:1 and a release time of 300-500 ms can preserve the shape of dynamic ILDs, without causing large spectral distortions or sacrificing listening comfort.

Evolution of a Late Miocene Deep-water Depositional System in the Southern Taranaki Basin, New Zealand

A long-standing problem in the understanding of deep-water turbidite reservoirs relates to how the three-dimensional evolution of deep-water channel systems evolve in response to channel filling on spatio-temporal scales, and how depositional environments affect channel architecture. The 3-D structure and temporal evolution of late Miocene deep-water channel complexes in the southern Taranaki Basin, New Zealand is investigated, and the geometry, distribution and stacking patterns of the channel complexes are analyzed. Two recently acquired 3-D seismic datasets, the Pipeline-3D (proximal) and Hector-3D (distal) are analyzed. These surveys provide detailed imaging of late Miocene deep-water channel systems, allowing for the assessment of the intricate geometry and seismic geomorphology of the systems. Seismic attributes resolve the channel bodies and the associated architectural elements. Spectral decomposition, amplitude curvature, and coherence attributes reveal NW-trending straight to low-sinuosity channels and less prominent NE-trending high-sinuosity feeder channels. Stratal slices across the seismic datasets better characterize the architectural elements. The mapped turbidite systems transition from low-sinuosity to meandering high-sinuosity patterns, likely caused by a change in the shelf-slope gradient due to localized structural relief. Stacking facies patterns within the channel systems reveal the temporal variation from a depositional environment characterized by sediment bypass to vertically aggrading channel systems.