We now recognize that the origin of sedimentary basins is related in some way to
crustal movements and plate-tectonics processes.
Tectonic Settings
Divergent Settings
Terrestrial rift valleys : Rifts within continental crust commonly associated with
bimodal volcanism.
Modern example: Rio Grand Rift (New Mexico).
Proto-oceanic rift troughs : Incipient oceanic basins floored by new oceanic crust and flanked by young rifted continental margins.
Modern example: Red Sea.
Intraplate Settings
Continental rises and terraces : Mature rifted continental margins in intraplate settings
at continental-oceanic interfaces.
Modern example: East coast of USA.
Continental embankments : Progradational sediment wedges constructed off edges
of rifted continental margins.
Modern example: Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Intracratonic basins : Broad cratonic basins floored by fossil rifts in axial zones.
Modern example: Chad Basin (Africa).
Continental platforms : Stable cratons covered with thin and laterally extensive sedimentary strata.
Modern example: Barents Sea (Asia)
.
Active ocean basins: Basins floored by oceanic crust formed at divergent plate
boundaries unrelated to arc-trench systems (spreading still active).
Modern example: Pacific Ocean.
Oceanic islands, aseismic ridges and plateaus: Sedimentary aprons and platforms formed in
intraoceanic settings other than magmatic arcs.
Modem example: Emperor-Hawaii seamounts
Dormant ocean basins: Basins floored b y oceanic crust, which i s neither spreading nor subducting (no active plate boundaries within or adjoining basin).
Modem example: Gulf of Mexico.
Convergent Settings
Trenches: Deep troughs formed by subduction of oceanic lithosphere.
Modem example: Chile Trench.
Trench-slope basins: Local structural depressions developed on subduction complexes.
Modem example: Central America Trench.
Fore-arc basins: Basins within arc-trench gaps.
Modern example: Sumatra.
Intra-arc basins : Basins along arc platform, which includes superposed
and overlapping volcanoes.
Modern example: Lago de Nicaragua.
Back-arc basins: Oceanic basins behind intraoceanic magmatic arcs
(including interarc basins between active and remnant
arcs), and continental basins behind continental-margin
magmatic arcs without foreland fold-thrust belts.
Modern example: Marianas.
Retro-arc foreland basins: Foreland basins on continental sides of continental-margin arc-trench systems (formed by subduction-generated compression and/ or collision).
Modern example: Andes foothills.
Remnant ocean basins: Shrinking ocean basins caught between colliding continental margins and/ or arc-trench systems, and ultimately subducted or deformed within suture belts.
Modern example: Bay of Bengal.
Peripheral foreland basins: Foreland basins above rifted continental margins that have been pulled into subduction zones during crustal collisions (primary type of collision-related forelands).
Modern example: Persian Gulf.
Piggyback basins: Basins formed and carried atop moving thrust sheets.
Modern example: Peshawar Basin (Pakistan).
Foreland intermontane basins : (broken forelands): Basins formed among basement-cored uplifts in foreland settings.
Modern example: Sierras Pampeanas basins (Argentina).
Transform Settings
Transtensional basins: Basins formed by extension along strike-slip fault systems.
Modern example:
Salton Sea (California).
Transpressional basins: Basins formed by compression along strike-slip fault systems.
Modern example:
Santa Barbara Basin (California) (foreland).
Transrotational basins: Basins formed by rotation of crustal blocks about vertical axes within strike-slip fault systems.
Modern example: Western Aleutian fore-arc (?).
Hybrid Settings
Intracontinental wrench basins: Diverse basins formed within and on continental crust owing to distant collisional processes.
Modern example: Quaidam Basin (China).
Aulacogens: Former failed rifts at high angles to continental margins, which have been reactivated during convergent tectonics, so that they are at high angles to orogenic belts.
Modern example: Mississippi Embayment.
Impactogens: Rifts formed at high angles to orogenic belts, without preorogenic history (in contrast with aulacogens).
Modern example: Baikal Rift (Siberia) (distal).
Successor basins: Basins formed in intermontane following cessation of local orogenic or taphrogenic activity.
Modern example: Southern Basin and Range (Arizona).
Keywords : basins, sedimentary basins, basin classification, tectonic basin, rift, compressional basin
Refference : Boggs Jr, Sam. 2006. Principles Of Sedimentology And Stratigraphy 4th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey.
