Backstripping

1D Airy Isostasy Backstripping Tool

Stanford EPS 251 - Sedimentary Basins

Developed by Victor Awosiji (Stanford University)
Created for EPS 251: Sedimentary Basins, taught by Prof. Stephan Graham

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Overview

Backstripping is a foundational technique used to reconstruct the tectonic subsidence history of sedimentary basins by progressively removing the effects of sediment loading and compaction.

This repository provides an automated Python backstripping tool implemented in Jupyter Notebook form. It allows students, researchers, and basin analysts to input custom stratigraphic data and instantly compute:

• Decompacted sediment thicknesses
• Progressive burial and basin geometry
• Tectonic subsidence curves
• Depth-to-basement evolution through time

The tool follows 1D Airy isostasy backstripping, consistent with the methodology presented in:

• Allen & Allen (2013) – Basin Analysis
• Standard compaction relationships and example data from COST-B2 well
• Earlier excel tool developed by Brian Romans (Virginia Tech)

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Quick Demo

1. Enter stratigraphic units (ages, depths).
2. Run all cells in backstripping_tool.ipynb.
3. Inspect tectonic subsidence and depth-to-basement curves.

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Conceptual Workflow

Input Stratigraphy (ages, unit, depths)
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   Decompact Units
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  Remove Water + Sediment Loads
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  Compute Tectonic Subsidence
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  Build Depth-to-Basement Curve
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      Plot Results vs Time