Eustatic versus tectonic control on foreland basin fill

This contribution presents a thorough study of the SE-German molasse basin, its subsidence history and the sequence stratigraphy in the sediments of that basin. The study is based on seismic and borehole data generously provided by German petroleum companies. A detailed outcrop study of marine Molasse deposits was carried out to they are thought to be analogues of sandy tidal sediments. Using probabilistic modelling and simulations it was found that the reservoir characteristics, due to the simple layercake structure of the Molasse sediment can be predicted from the data of one single well. The results of the sequence stratigraphic study and those of the subsidence analysis are described and used as input parameters for a stratigraphic model of the Molasse basin.