3D Modelling and restoration of the Vargfors Basin, Central Skellefte District, Northern Sweden, using gOcad and MOVE software
Abstract: 3D modelling is an important step toward better understanding of the current
and past geology in the Central Skellefte District. The study of the
geometry of the sedimentary Vargfors basin and its contact with the
underlying Skellefte Group rocks may lead to further understanding of the
geological events that affected the whole Skellefte district, and to new
strategy for ore deposit exploration. A 3D geometric model of well
understood fault-bound compartments of the Vargfors basin has been built in
the geo-modelling software gOcad using geological map, structural
measurements and geophysical data as a starting point. The plugin Sparse has
proved to be an efficient and intuitive tool to model surfaces where there
are few or heterogeneously distributed data. The 3D model gives an intuitive
view of the interpreted geology at depth. Moreover, a plausible scenario of
structural evolution is proposed using 2D forward and backward modelling
using the restoration software MOVE. However, the lack of stratigraphical
markers and correlation between the footwall and the hangingwall does not
allow a quantitative restoration whereby important geometric parameters of
the basin can not be constrained by this method.
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