Use of fault cut-offs and bed travel distance in balanced cross-sections

Successful hydrocarbon exploration in foreland fold-thrust belts requires the preparation of numerous fully balanced cross-sections. Each section must be compatible with neighboring sections. Line balancing on many sections is preferable to balancing on single sections. A series of balanced sections must also be volume balanced if constructed properly. An often overlooked basic principle is that the fault cut-off angle on both hangingwall and footwall, and the angle and distance that a fault travels within a bed will not change significantly during thrusting under simple shear motion assuming no significant interbed slippage. The section must be geometrically correct if it is to have a chance of being geologically correct.