Earth Sciences Commons^™

Thermal History Of The Michigan Basin: Results From Thermal Maturation Data And Geodynamic Modelling, Kirk A. Wagenvelt

Masters Theses

Thermal cooling, crustal convection, high temperature fluid advection, and 1.0 Km of eroded overburden are required to explain thermal maturation observations in the Michigan Basin. Observed tectonic subsidence in central Michigan follows an exponential decay indicative of thermal cooling following an anomalous heating event. Crustal convection is responsible for episodes of rapid subsidence coincident with the late Paleozoic Appalachian orogeny. Fluid advection through dilated faults reactivated by the Alleghanian orogeny brought hot fluids (as much as 255⁰ C) to the surface and impacted thermal maturation of organic matter in sediments. Models require 1.0 Km of eroded overburden to model thermal …