Sedimentary Architecture Prediction Using Facies Interpretation and Forward Seismic Modeling: Application to a Mediterranean Land–Sea Pliocene Infill (Roussillon Basin, France)

This study predicts sedimentary architectures and facies distribution within the Pliocene prograding prism of the Roussillon Basin (Gulf of Lion, France), developed along an onshore–offshore continuum. Boreholes and outcrops provide facies-scale observations onshore, while seismic data capture basin-scale structures offshore. Forward seismic modeling bridges spatial and scale gaps between these datasets, yielding characteristic synthetic seismic signatures for the sedimentary facies associations observed onshore, used as analogs for offshore deposits. These signatures are then identified in offshore seismic data, allowing seismic profiles to be populated with sedimentary facies without a well tie. Predicted offshore architectures are consistent with shoreline trajectories and facies successions observed onshore. The Roussillon prism records passive margin reconstruction in the Mediterranean Basin following the Messinian Salinity Crisis, through the following three successive depositional profiles marking the onset of infilling: (1) Gilbert deltas, (2) wave- and storm-reworked fan deltas, and (3) a wave-dominated delta. Offshore, transitions in clinoform type modify sedimentary architectures, influenced by inherited Messinian paleotopography. This autogenic control generates spatial variability in accommodation, driving changes in depositional style. Overall, this multi-scale and integrative approach provides a robust framework for predicting offshore sedimentary architectures and can be applied to other deltaic settings with limited land–sea data continuity.