With the vast amount of data available and its peculiar setting, the Northern North Sea represents a unique case studio for continental rift development. The area underwent major tectonic events, from the compression phase during the Caledonian Orogen to the extensional phase of orogenic collapse and rifting (Phillips et al., 2019 and reference therein). In this context, the Permo-Triassic rifting event is a pivotal moment in the history of the area to understand subsequent and more recent phases of rifting.

Despite some major discoveries (e.g. the Johan Sverdrup Field), the depth of the Triassic deposits and the general low-recovery rate for hydrocarbon production have driven the focus to more productive and shallower Jurassic/Cretaceous plays. Consequently, the Triassic strata in this area remain largely unmapped, with very little literature covering the Triassic across the area, hampering our ability to characterise the geological framework of the Northern North Sea. Therefore, further research is needed to fill the knowledge gaps and provide a comprehensive understanding of the tectonostratigraphic framework in the Northern North Sea.

The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the Permo-Triassic rift event. We use a dataset of 2D and 3D seismic data, a free-air magnetic survey, and 242 wells, including biostratigraphic data from intra-Triassic packages. We also include detailed b-factor calculations and new structural mapping, providing new tools to comprehend the Permo-Triassic rifting across the area.

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