Viscous salt layers can introduce significant structural complexity to the basins in which they are deposited. Along basin margins, salt typically flows basinward due to regional tilting of the margin, and can be influenced by the geometry of the surface that it flows over (e.g. fault scarps on the base-salt surface). This interaction can lead to coupling of sub- and supra-salt structures, with the orientation and distribution of base-salt structures reflected in the structure of the overburden. However, the controls on the degree of strain coupling during salt-detached translation are relatively poorly understood, in particular the roles played by the thickness and mechanical heterogeneity of the salt unit. This is, in part, caused by difficultly in deconvolving the relative contribution of variables such as salt thickness, the magnitude of base-salt relief, sediment supply, and regional tectonic regime. In addition, seismic reflection data provide only the present structure of the basin, from which its evolution must be inferred.