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==An Entry from the AAPG [[2021 Middle East Wiki Write Off]]!==

|Author=Ahmed Al Hawaj and Saleh Al Qahtani

 

|Competition=[[2021 Middle East Wiki Write Off]]

 

In structural geology, restoration is the process of reversing rock deformation in the subsurface through time, which can be achieved by using modeling techniques (e.g., kinematic, geometrical, and geomechanical). For instance, seismic sections from an area of interest can be used to generate restored seismic cross sections to illustrate past subsurface geology.‎<ref name=Nunns_1991>Nunns, A. G. (1991). Structural restoration of seismic and geologic sections in extensional regimes. AAPG Bulletin, 75(2), 278-297.</ref>

In structural geology, restoration is the process of reversing rock deformation in the subsurface through time, which can be achieved by using modeling techniques (e.g., kinematic, geometrical, and geomechanical). For instance, seismic sections from an area of interest can be used to generate restored seismic cross sections to illustrate past subsurface geology.‎<ref name=Nunns_1991>Nunns, A. G. (1991). Structural restoration of seismic and geologic sections in extensional regimes. AAPG Bulletin, 75(2), 278-297.</ref>

 

==Background==

===Background===

Structural restoration is a collective term that encompasses several methods used to reverse the history of deformation and yield a pre-deformational state of the area in a single step restoration or in several intermediate stages (sequential restoration).‎<ref name=Vidalroyoetal_2015>Vidal-Royo, O., Hearon IV, T. E., Connors, C. D., Bland, S., Schaefer, F., Ferrer, O., Mora, I., de Vera, J., Guzofski, C., Rodriguez, F., Blanc, E., & Vaughan, A. (2015). Introduction to special section: Balancing, restoration, and palinspastic reconstruction.</ref> Structural restoration is linked to structural balancing, which is the adjustment of geological interpretation – of a section or an area – so that mass conservation before and after the strain is maintained. Therefore, a balanced section should be: 1) accurate, 2) geologically admissible, 3) restorable (it should be possible to return the section to a pre-deformation geometry), and 4) balanced/valid (mass conservation is maintained).‎<ref name=Dahlstrom_1969>Dahlstrom, C. D. A. (1969). Balanced cross sections. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 6(4), 743-757.</ref><ref name=Elliott_1983>‎Elliott, D. (1983). The construction of balanced cross-sections.</ref> Therefore, structural balancing represents a powerful tool to predict unseen, subsurface geometries based on input data (e.g., outcrop geometries, well-imaged seismic sections/volumes, etc.).  

Structural restoration is a collective term that encompasses several methods used to reverse the history of deformation and yield a pre-deformational state of the area in a single step restoration or in several intermediate stages (sequential restoration).‎<ref name=Vidalroyoetal_2015>Vidal-Royo, O., Hearon IV, T. E., Connors, C. D., Bland, S., Schaefer, F., Ferrer, O., Mora, I., de Vera, J., Guzofski, C., Rodriguez, F., Blanc, E., & Vaughan, A. (2015). Introduction to special section: Balancing, restoration, and palinspastic reconstruction.</ref> Structural restoration is linked to structural balancing, which is the adjustment of geological interpretation – of a section or an area – so that mass conservation before and after the strain is maintained. Therefore, a balanced section should be: 1) accurate, 2) geologically admissible, 3) restorable (it should be possible to return the section to a pre-deformation geometry), and 4) balanced/valid (mass conservation is maintained).‎<ref name=Dahlstrom_1969>Dahlstrom, C. D. A. (1969). Balanced cross sections. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 6(4), 743-757.</ref><ref name=Elliott_1983>‎Elliott, D. (1983). The construction of balanced cross-sections.</ref> Therefore, structural balancing represents a powerful tool to predict unseen, subsurface geometries based on input data (e.g., outcrop geometries, well-imaged seismic sections/volumes, etc.).  

===History===

==History==

Structural balancing was first applied (but not introduced as a term) by Chamberlin (1910) to predict the geometry of the subsurface based on outcrop relationships.‎<ref name=Chamberlin_1910>Chamberlin, R. T. (1910). The Appalachian folds of central Pennsylvania. The Journal of Geology, 18(3), 228-251.</ref> At the start of the Twentieth Century, deciphering the evolution of mountain belts and orogens represented an early stage of studying the kinematics associated with deformation.‎<ref name=Peach_1907>Peach, B. N. (1907). The geological structure of the North-West Highlands of Scotland. HM Stationery Office.</ref> As a defined term, balancing initially referred to the conservation of bed lengths and thicknesses.‎<ref name=Dahlstrom_1969 />

Structural balancing was first applied (but not introduced as a term) by Chamberlin (1910) to predict the geometry of the subsurface based on outcrop relationships.‎<ref name=Chamberlin_1910>Chamberlin, R. T. (1910). The Appalachian folds of central Pennsylvania. The Journal of Geology, 18(3), 228-251.</ref> At the start of the Twentieth Century, deciphering the evolution of mountain belts and orogens represented an early stage of studying the kinematics associated with deformation.‎<ref name=Peach_1907>Peach, B. N. (1907). The geological structure of the North-West Highlands of Scotland. HM Stationery Office.</ref> As a defined term, balancing initially referred to the conservation of bed lengths and thicknesses.‎<ref name=Dahlstrom_1969 />