Upper cretaceous and paleogene sediments from the Northern Kerguelen Plateau

Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene pelagic sediments sampled from the Northern Kerguelen Plateau during cruise MD35 of theMarion Dufresne are described and correlated with the Late Paleogene sequence drilled at site ODP 737 (Leg 119). Taking into account geophysical data obtained by the cruise MD26, a Lower Cretaceous age is computed for the unsampled acoustic basement. A major tectonic/volcanic event in the Late Paleogene, related to rifting, gave rise to a marked unconformity and hiatus termed the “Acoustic Discordance.” Tertiary sediment facies changes were strongly influenced by the evolution of the Antarctic environment.     

The role of basement inheritance faults in the recent fracture system of the inner shelf around Alboran Island,Western Mediterranean

Fractures associated with volcanic rock outcrops on the inner shelf of Alboran Island, Western Mediterranean, were mapped on the basis of a side-scan sonar mosaic. Absolute maximum fracture orientation frequency is NW–SE to NNW–SSE, with several sub-maxima oriented NNE–SSW, NE–SW and ENE–WSW. The origin of the main fracture systems in Neogene and Quaternary rocks of the Alboran Basin (south Spain) appears to be controlled by older structures, namely NE–SW and WNW–ESE to NW–SE faults which cross-cut the basement. These faults, pre-Tortonian in origin, have been reactivated since the early Neogene in the form of strike-slip and extensional movements linked to the recent stress field in this area. Fracture analysis of volcanic outcrops on the inner continental shelf of Alboran Island suggests that the shelf has been deformed into a narrow shear zone limited by two NE–SW-trending, sub-parallel high-angle faults, the main orientation and density of which have been influenced by previous WNW–ESE to NW–SE basement fractures.     

Correlation of Miocene strata on the submarine St. Croix Ridge and onland St. Croix,US Virgin Islands

The nannofossils of an hydraulic piston core from the steep scarp between the St. Croix Ridge and Virgin Islands Basin were restudied. Formerly thought to represent a Pliocene debris flow, we interpret it as an early Miocene (NN1/2) hemipelagic deposit. We correlate the seismic unit sampled by piston core with the Kingshill-Jealousy Formation present on St. Croix. These sediments likely belong to an extensive, thick, deep marine cover of the St. Croix Ridge, deposited on a metamorphic—igneous basement between early Eocene and early Miocene time. Faulting did not evidently affect this sediment cover until the late Neogene.     

南黄海盆地构造特征及油气地质意义

南黄海盆地发育于前南华纪变质基底之上,是一个大型叠合盆地,经历了多期成盆和多期构造改造,形成了海相盆地和中新生代断陷盆地叠合改造型残留盆地。盆地演化历经南华纪—早、中三叠世海相地层发育期、晚白垩世—古近纪箕状断陷发育期和新近纪—第四纪坳陷发育期,为一典型地台—断陷—坳陷多层结构的复合型盆地。通过对地震资料解释、区域地质构造特征分析,综合烃源条件和后期保存条件,探讨了南黄海盆地油气远景。     

冲绳海槽南段基底组成探讨

本文根据反射地震、折射地震、磁力等资料，结合周边地质，探讨冲绳海槽南段基底组成。在海槽周边的东海陆架盆地、台湾褶皱带和琉球岛弧褶皱带，均出露不同程度变质的晚古生代、中生代和早第三纪地层。多道反射地震表明，海槽南段沉积盖层由上第三系和第四系组成，声学基底由下第三系及更老地层构成。邻近海槽的折射地震揭示，除第四系-中新统速度层之外，还存在纵波速度分别为4．7～5．3km／s和6．3km／s的下第三系和中生界速度层。磁异常分析和正反演拟合计算结果表明，海槽磁性基底主要由变质岩系构成，次为燕山期中酸性岩浆岩和喜山期中基性岩浆岩，磁性基底大部分相当声学基底。综合分析表明，海槽南段基底主要由不同程度变质的下第三系、中生界和上古生界构成；在海槽某些构造部位，已有喜山期基性岩浆岩形成。     

Basement structure and sedimentary cover seismostratigraphy in the northern part of the Japan Basin in the region of the Tarasov Rise (Sea of Japan)

The results of continuous seismic profiling thermodynamics performed in the northern part of the Japan Basin in the region of the Tarasov Rise and the data of a micropaleontological examination of the diatom remains encountered in the sediment samples from the rise and continental slope are presented. In the area studied, the topography of the acoustic basement features a vast rise (plateau) buried under the sedimentary cover outlined by the depth contour 5.8 s. The plateau has a relatively smooth top surface crossed by a series of rises of the acoustic basement. The two largest rises are represented by the ridges of the Tarasov Rise. The plateau is separated from the continental slope by a depression in the acoustic basement with a depth up to 6.8 s. From the end of the Middle Miocene up to the beginning of the Paleocene, the region of the plateau represented an area of active volcanism; it coincided in time with the stage of subsidence of the floor of the acoustic basement depression. At the end of the Late Miocene, the ridges of the Tarasov Rise started to sink. In the Pliocene, this process accelerated, and, at the beginning of the Pleistocene, it stopped. In the Middle Miocene-Early Pleistocene time, the portion of the continental slope adjacent to the plateau remained stable and suffered no significant vertical movements.     

Lower cretaceous basalt and sediments from the Kerguelen Plateau

Geological samples from the southern Kerguelen Plateau include Lower Cretaceous basalt and lava breccia, probable Lower Cretaceous conglomerate and shelf limestone, Upper Cretaceous chert with dolomite, Upper Cretaceous-Eocene ooze, and Tertiary conglomerate. Neogene sediments are only a few hundred m thick, and include foraminiferal and diatomaceous ooze, and ice-rafted debris. In conjunction with seismic reflection profiles, the samples indicate Early Cretaceous near-shore volcanism, followed by erosion, sedimentation, and subsidence through Cretaceous; arching of the plateau at the end of Cretaceous; subsidence through Paleogene; widespread emergence in mid-Tertiary; and slow subsidence through Neogene.     

Hydrocarbon accumulation model for Neogene traps in the Chengdao area,Bohai Bay Basin,China

Chengdao is an offshore area in the Bohai Bay Basin that contains approximately 25.7 × 10⁸ bbl of oil and gas reserves within the sandstone reservoirs in Neogene strata. However, previous predictions of hydrocarbon accumulation in Neogene traps are inaccurate, resulting in a current failure rate of 50% when drilling for hydrocarbons in this area. To build an improved exploration model for Neogene traps, we select 92 traps from Neogene strata in the Chengdao area to quantify the filling degree, which is an indicator of hydrocarbon accumulation efficiency. The quantified filling degree is based on actual geological and exploration data and differs significantly among various trap types. The filling degree of traps also varies significantly with their structural locations and decreases generally from the northwest to the southeast along the Chengbei Fault zone. Vertically, the filling degree is highly heterogeneous, initially increasing from the bottom to the middle of Neogene strata and then decreasing towards the top of the strata. These Neogene hydrocarbon reservoirs are sourced from the Paleogene, and as they lay vertically away from the source rocks, their hydrocarbon enrichment is constrained largely by hydrocarbon migration distance and vertical migration pathways. The sealing capacity of faults and cap rocks, sandbody orientation and reservoir sedimentary facies determine the maximum column height, which in turn affects the amount of hydrocarbon accumulation within these traps. A scatter plot analysis of individual controls and volumetric filling for each trap type is compiled using multivariate linear regression analysis to quantify controls and the dominant control of hydrocarbon accumulation is determined.     

Post-Palaeozoic stratigraphy of the eastern Agulhas Bank,South African continental margin

The Agulhas Bank, which forms the continental margin on the southern tip of Africa, consists of a thick Meso-Cainozoic sedimentary sequence (up to 6.2 km) resting on and behind pre-Mesozoic continental acoustic basement. The stratigraphy of this sequence is outlined and its history and facies variations mentioned where they are known. Refraction seismic velocity and bottom sample data indicate a basic three-fold subdivision of the Mesozoic sequence, which can be correlated with the onshore succession in the Algoa Basin. It is separated by a major hiatus from the Cainozoic sediments, which consist of a Palaeogene and Neogene sequence subdivided by another well-defined level of erosion. Various formations within the Cainozoic are defined and named. An outline of the bathymetry of the eastern Agulhas Bank is also given.     

Structure and sediment distribution in the western Bering Sea

Eleven seismic reflection profiles across Shirshov Ridge and the adjacent deep-water sedimentary basins (Komandorsky and Aleutian Basins) are presented to illustrate the sediment distribution in the western Bering Sea. A prominent seismic reflecting horizon, Reflector P (Middle—Late Miocene in age), is observed throughout both the Aleutian and Komandorsky Basins at an approximate subbottom depth of 1 km. This reflector is also present, in places, on the flanks and along the crest of Shirshov Ridge. The thickness of sediments beneath Reflector P is significantly different within the two abyssal basins. In the Aleutian Basin, the total subbottom depth to acoustic basement (basalt?) is about 4 km, while in the Komandorsky Basin the depth is about 2 km.Shirshov Ridge, a Cenozoic volcanic feature that separates the Aleutian and Komandorsky Basins, is an asymmetric bathymetric ridge characterized by thick sediments along its eastern flank and steep scarps on its western side. The southern portion of the ridge has more structural relief that includes several deep, sediment-filled basins along its summit.Velocity data from sonobuoy measurements indicate that acoustic basement in the Komandorsky Basin has an average compressional wave velocity of 5.90 km/sec. This value is considerably larger than the velocities measured for acoustic basement in the northwestern Aleutian Basin (about 5.00 km/sec) and in the central Aleutian Basin (5.40–5.57 km/sec). In the northwestern Aleutian Basin, the low-velocity acoustic basement may be volcaniclastic sediments or other indurated sediments that are overlying true basaltic basement. A refracting horizon with similar velocities (4.6–5.0 km/sec) as acoustic basement dips steeply beneath the Siberian continental margin, reaching a maximum subbottom depth of about 8 km. The thick welt of sediment at the base of the Siberian margin may be the result of sediment loading or tectonic depression prior to Late Cenozoic time.     

Salt tectonics and tear faulting in the central part of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt,Iran

The central part of the Zagros Fold-Thrust Belt is characterized by a series of right-lateral and left-lateral transverse tear fault systems, some of them being ornamented by salt diapirs of the Late Precambrian–Early Cambrian Hormuz evaporitic series. Many deep-seated extensional faults, mainly along N–S and few along NW–SE and NE–SW, were formed or reactivated during the Late Precambrian–Early Cambrian and generated horsts and grabens. The extensional faults controlled deposition, distribution and thickness of the Hormuz series. Salt walls and diapirs initiated by the Early Paleozoic especially along the extensional faults. Long-term halokinesis gave rise to thin sedimentary cover above the salt diapirs and aggregated considerable volume of salt into the salt stocks. They created weak zones in the sedimentary cover, located approximately above the former and inactive deep-seated extensional faults. The N–S to NNE–SSW direction of tectonic shortening during the Neogene Zagros folding was sub-parallel with the strikes of the salt walls and rows of diapirs. Variations in thickness of the Hormuz series prepared differences in the basal friction on both sides of the Precambrian–Cambrian extensional faults, which facilitated the Zagros deformation front to advance faster wherever the salt layer was thicker. Consequently, a series of tear fault systems developed along the rows of salt diapirs approximately above the Precambrian–Cambrian extensional faults. Therefore, the present surface expressions of the tear fault systems developed within the sedimentary cover during the Zagros orogeny. Although the direction of the Zagros shortening could also potentially reactivate the basement faults as strike-slip structures, subsurface data and majority of the moderate-large earthquakes do not support basement involvement. This suggests that the tear fault systems are detached on top of the Hormuz series from the deep-seated Precambrian–Cambrian extensional faults in the basement.     

Neogene-Quaternary tectonic evolution of the Leeward Antilles islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) from fault kinematic analysis

Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao are islands aligned along the crest of a 200-km-long segment of the east-west-trending Leeward Antilles ridge within the broad Caribbean-South America plate boundary zone presently characterized by east-west, right-lateral strike-slip motion. The crust of the Leeward Antilles ridge represents the western segment of the Cretaceous-early Cenozoic Great Arc of the Caribbean, which obliquely collided, with the continental margin of northern South America in early Cenozoic time. Following the collision, the ridge was affected by folding and was segmented by oblique, northwest-striking normal faults that have produced steep-sided, northwest-trending, elongate islands and narrow shelves separated by deepwater, sediment-filled and fault-controlled basins. In this paper, we present the first fault slip observations on the Neogene carbonate rocks that cover large areas of all three islands. Our main objective is to quantify the timing and nature of Neogene to Quaternary phases of faulting and folding that have affected the structure and topography of this area including offshore sedimentary basins that are being explored for their petroleum potential. These data constrain three fault phases that have affected Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao and likely the adjacent offshore areas: 1) NW-SE-directed late Paleogene compression; 2) middle Miocene syndepositional NNW-SSE to NNE-SSW extension that produced deep rift basins transverse to the east-west-trending Leeward Antilles ridge; and 3) Pliocene-Quaternary NNE-trending compression that produced NW-SE-trending anticlines present on Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire islands. Our new observations - that include detailed relationships between striated fault planes, paleostress tensors, and bedding planes - show that prominent bedding dips of Neogene limestone on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao were produced by regional tectonic shortening across the entire Leeward Antilles ridge rather than by localized, syndepositional effects as proposed by previous workers. We interpret Pliocene-Quaternary NNE-directed shortening effects on the Leeward Antilles ridge as the result of northeastward extrusion or “tectonic escape” of continental areas of western Venezuela combined with southeastward shallow subduction of the Caribbean plate beneath the ridge.     

Northwestern Hellenic Arc: Concurrent sedimentation and deformation in a compressive setting

Seismic (air-gun) and 3.5-kHz systems and coring in the northwestern sector of the Hellenic Arc, Ionian Sea, serve to define the regional configuration, attitude and geometry of the unconsolidated sedimentary cover in a compressive tectonic setting. The Pliocene and Quaternary deposits are deformed to varying degrees throughout the region southwest of the island of Zakinthos. Depositional trends, overall structural configuration of the cover, and assemblages of deformation structures, including tilted, folded and faulted strata associated with a very complex topography, clearly reflect syndepositional modification in a tectonically mobile area. The structural attitude of the unconsolidated strata can be distinguished from that in tectonically active regions of the Mediterranean where extension prevails. The youthful physiography, sediment dispersal patterns and depositional distribution reveal prevailing NW—SE and NE—SW trends. Sediment deformation structures, whose axes strike primarily NW—SE, reveal a general NE—SW compressive stress trend. The geologically recent nature and orientation of the deformation are compatible with present theories concerning the evolution of the Hellenic Arc.     

Superposed deformation straddling the continental-oceanic transition in deep-water Angola

The Angolan margin is the type area for raft tectonics. New seismic data reveal the contractional buffer for this thin-skinned extension. A 200-km-long composite section from the Lower Congo Basin and Kwanza Basin illustrates a complex history of superposed deformation caused by: (1) progradation of the margin; and (2) episodic Tertiary epeirogenic uplift. Late Cretaceous tectonics was driven by a gentle slope created by thermal subsidence; extensional rafting took place updip, contractional thrusting and buckling downdip; some distal folds were possibly unroofed to form massive salt walls. Oligocene deformation was triggered by gentle kinking of the Atlantic Hinge Zone as the shelf and coastal plain rose by 2 or 3 km; relative uplift stripped Paleogene cover off the shelf, provided space for Miocene progradation, and steepened the continental slope, triggering more extension and buckling. In the Neogene, a subsalt half graben was inverted or reactivated, creating keystone faults that may have controlled the Congo Canyon; a thrust duplex of seaward-displaced salt jacked up the former abyssal plain, creating a plateau of salt 3–4 km thick on the present lower slope. The Angola Escarpment may be the toe of the Angola thrust nappe, in which a largely Cretaceous roof of gently buckled strata, was transported seawards above the thickened salt by up to 20 km.     

Cenozoic structural deformation and dynamic processes of the Bohai Bay basin province,China

Cenozoic structures in the Bohai Bay basin province can be subdivided into eleven extensional systems and three strike-slip systems. The extensional systems consist of normal faults and transfer faults. The normal faults predominantly trend NNE and NE, and their attitudes vary in different tectonic settings. Paleogene rifting sub-basins were developed in the hanging walls of the normal faults that were most likely growth faults. Neogene–Quaternary sequences were deposited in both the rifting sub-basins and horsts to form a unified basin province. The extensional systems were overprinted by three NNE-trending, right-lateral strike-slip systems (fault zones). Although the principal displacement zones (PDZ) of the strike-slip fault zones are developed only in the basement and lower basin sequences in some cross sections, the structural deformation characteristics of the upper basin sequences also indicate that they are basement-involved, right-lateral strike-slip fault zones. According to the relationships between faults and sedimentary sequences, the extensional systems were mainly developed from the middle Paleocene to the late Oligocene, whereas the strike-slip systems were mainly developed from the Oligocene to the Miocene. Strike-slip deformation was intensified as extensional deformation was weakened. Extensional deformation was derived from horizontal tension induced by upwelling of hot mantle material, whereas strike-slip deformation was probably related to a regional stress field induced by plate movement.     

Evolution of the Grenada and Tobago basins and implications for arc migration

The tectonic mechanisms controlling how volcanic arcs migrate through space and geologic time within dynamic subduction environments is a fundamental tectonic process that remains poorly understood. This paper presents an integrated stratigraphic and tectonic evolution of Late Cretaceous to Recent volcanic arcs and associated basins in the southeastern Caribbean Sea using seismic reflection data, wide-angle seismic refraction data, well data, and onland geologic data. We propose a new tectonic model for the opening of the Grenada and Tobago basins and the 50-250-km eastward jump of arc volcanism from the Late Cretaceous Aves Ridge to the Miocene to Recent Lesser Antilles arc in the southeast Caribbean based on the mapping of three seismic megasequences. The striking similarity of the half-graben structure of the Grenada and Tobago basins that flank the Lesser Antilles arc, their similar smooth basement character, their similar deep-marine seismic facies, and their similar Paleogene sediment thickness mapped on a regional grid of seismic data suggest that the two basins formed as a single, saucer-shaped, oceanic crust Paleogene forearc basin adjacent to the now dormant Aves Ridge. This single forearc basin continued to extend and widen through flexural subsidence during the early to middle Eocene probably because of slow rollback of the subducting Atlantic oceanic slab. Rollback may have been accelerated by oblique collision of the southern Aves Ridge and southern Lesser Antilles arc with the South American continent. Uplift and growth of the southern Lesser Antilles arc divided the Grenada and Tobago basins by early to middle Miocene time. Inversion of normal faults and uplift effects along both edges of the Lesser Antilles arc are most pronounced in its southern zone of arc collision with the South American continent. The late Miocene to Recent depositional histories of the Grenada and Tobago basins are distinct because of isolation of the Grenada basin by growth and uplift of the Neogene Lesser Antilles volcanic ridge.     

Geology and volcanism of the underwater Vityaz Ridge (Pacific slope of the Kuril Island Arc)

This paper presents the results of geological studies carried out during the two marine expeditions of the R/V Akademik M.A. Lavrent’ev (cruises 37 and 41) in 2005 and 2006 at the underwater Vityaz Ridge. Dredging has yielded various rocks from the basement and sedimentary cover of the ridge within the limits of three polygons. On the basis of the radioisotope age determinations, petrochemical, and paleontological data, all the rocks have been subdivided into the following complexes: the volcanic ones include the Paleocene, Eocene, Late Oligocene, Middle Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene; the volcanogenic-sedimentary ones include the Late Cretaceous-Early Paleocene, Paleogene undifferentiated, Oligocene-Early Miocene, and Pliocene-Pleistocene. The determination of the age and chemical composition of the rocks has enabled us to specify the formation conditions of the extracted complexes and to trace the geological evolution of the Vityaz Ridge. The presence of young Pliocene-Pleistocene volcanites allows one to come to a conclusion about the modern tectono-magmatic activity of the central part of the Pacific slope of the Kuril Islands.     

Stratigraphy and formation conditions of the sedimentary cover in the Sea of Japan near the Bogorov Rise

The results of the complex study of the sedimentary cover (continuous seismic profiling and diatom analysis) in the northeastern part of the Sea of Japan, including the Bogorov Rise, the adjacent part of the Japan Basin, and the continental slope, are presented. Two varied-age complexes were distinguished in the sedimentary cover of Primorye’s continental slope, namely, the Middle Miocene and Late Miocene-Pleistocene; these complexes were formed in a stable tectonic environment with no significant vertical movements. The depression in the acoustic basement is located along the continental slope and it is divided from the Japan Basin by a group of volcanic structures, the most uplifted part of which forms the Bogorov Rise. The depression was formed, probably, before the Middle Miocene. In the Middle Miocene, the Bogorov Rise was already at the depths close to the modern ones. In the sedimentary cover near the Bogorov Rise, buried zones were found, which probably were channels for gas transportation in the pre-Pleistocene. Deformations of sediments that occurred in the beginning of the Pleistocene are established in the basin.     

Geology and hydrocarbon accumulations in the deepwater of the northwestern South China Sea——with focus on natural gas

The deepwater of the northwestern South China Sea is located in the central to southern parts of the Qiongdongnan Basin(QDN Basin),which is a key site for hydrocarbon exploration in recent years.In this study,the authors did a comprehensive analysis of gravity-magnetic data,extensive 3D seismic survey,cores and cuttings,paleontology and geochemical indexes,proposed the mechanism of natural gas origin,identified different oil and gas systems,and established the model of hydrocarbon accumulations in the deep-water region.Our basin tectonic simulation indicates that the evolution of QDN Basin was controlled by multiple-phased tectonic movements,such as Indochina-Eurasian Plate collision,Tibetan Uplift,Red River faulting and the expansion of the South China Sea which is characterized by Paleogene rifting,Neogene depression,and Eocene intensive faulting and lacustrine deposits.The drilling results show that this region is dominated by marineterrestrial transitional and neritic-bathyal facies from the early Oligocene.The Yacheng Formation of the early Oligocene is rich in organic matter and a main gas-source rock.According to the geological-geochemical data from the latest drilling wells,Lingshui,Baodao,Changchang Sags have good hydrocarbon-generating potentials,where two plays from the Paleogene and Neogene reservoirs were developed.Those reservoirs occur in central canyon structural-lithologic trap zone,Changchang marginal trap zone and southern fault terrace of Baodao Sag.Among them,the central canyon trap zone has a great potential for exploration because the various reservoirforming elements are well developed,i.e.,good coal-measure source rocks,sufficient reservoirs from the Neogene turbidity sandstone and submarine fan,faults connecting source rock and reservoirs,effective vertical migration,late stage aggregation and favorable structural–lithological composite trapping.These study results provide an important scientific basis for hydrocarbon exploration in this region,evidenced by the recent discovery of the significant commercial LS-A gas field in the central canyon of the Lingshui Sag.     

The Black Sea basins structure and history: New model based on new deep penetration regional seismic data. Part 1: Basins structure and fill

This work is based upon results of interpretation of about 8872 km-long regional seismic lines acquired in 2011 within the international project Geology Without Limits in the Black Sea. The seismic lines cover nearly the entire Black Sea Basins, including Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria sectors. A new map of acoustic basement relief and a new tectonic structure scheme are constructed for the Black Sea Basins. The basement of the Black Sea includes areas with oceanic crust and areas with highly rifted continental crust. A chain of buried seamounts, which were interpreted as submarine volcanoes of Late Cretaceous (Santonian to Campanian) age, has been identified to the north of the Turkish coast. On the Shatsky Ridge, probable volcanoes of Albian age have also been recognized. Synorogenic turbidite sequences of Paleocene, Eocene and Oligocene ages have been mapped. In the Cenozoic, numerous compressional and transpressional structures were formed in different parts of the Black Sea Basin. During the Pleistocene–Quaternary, turbidites, mass-transport deposits and leveed channels were formed in the distal part of the Danube Delta.