**7. Conclusions**

In this study, we have integrated 2D structural restorations with thermal modeling to investigate how halokinesis impacted the thermal evolution of the basin through time and to explore the implications of the modeled thermal history on the petroleum system of the Nordkapp Basin, a confined, salt-bearing rift basin.

Combined structural restorations and thermal modeling show that the shape of salt diapirs and their negative thermal e ffect change through time. In the case of an isolated salt diapir, it induces a strong, but laterally limited, negative anomaly, which is directly proportional to its width. Temperatures along the diapir flanks are 70 ◦C cooler and are exceptionally low (~150 ◦C) at depths of ~9 km beneath the salt. On the other hand, the thermal anomalies of closely-spaced diapirs mutually interfere and generate a combined negative thermal anomaly that reduces the temperature in the minibasins by up to 50 ◦C with respect to the adjacent platform areas.

Although large salt tongues and allochthonus salt sheets are generally absent in confined rift basins, sub-vertical and closely spaced salt structures still generate a combined anomaly that extends over large areas of the basin. As a result, thermal maturation of the source rocks in the minibasins is retarded, and the hydrocarbon generation window is expanded. Thus, laterally-sealed minibasins offer favorable scenarios for deeper than normal hydrocarbons kitchens and entrapment in various near-diapir structural and stratigraphic traps.

**Author Contributions:** Conceptualization, A.C., L.A.R., N.C. and L.C.; methodology, A.C., L.A.R., L.C. and N.C.; software, A.C., L.A.R., L.C. and N.C.; validation, A.C., L.A.R., L.C. and N.C.; formal analysis, A.C., L.A.R., N.C. and L.C.; investigation, A.C., L.A.R., N.C. and L.C.; resources, A.C., L.A.R., L.C. and N.C.; writing—original draft preparation, A.C., L.A.R., N.C. and L.C.; writing—review and editing, A.C., L.A.R., N.C., L.C. and A.E.; visualization, A.C., L.A.R., N.C. and L.C.; supervision, A.C., L.A.R. and N.C.; project administration, A.C., L.A.R. and N.C.

**Funding:** This research received no direct funding. However, Andrés Cedeño was supported by the JuLoCrA project.

**Acknowledgments:** This work evolved from a Master thesis by Luis Centeno at the University of Stavanger. We are grateful to WesternGeco Multiclient for providing full azimuth 3D seismic data from the Nordkapp Basin, and the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate for kindly providing the NPD-BA-11 2D seismic survey in the eastern Norwegian Barents Sea. Thanks to Schlumberger and Midland Valley for providing academic licenses of their softwares PetroMod and Move, respectively. The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and to the gues<sup>t</sup> editor Willy Fjeldskaar for their valuable contributions. Andres Cedeno thanks the JuLoCrA project for economic support.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
