The evolution of marginal basins and adjacent shelves in east and southeast Asia

The structural elements on the shallow (Sunda Shelf) and deep seas of east and south—east Asia are interpreted as the result of past interaction between lithospheric plates. During the Mesozoic the western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean were parts of the Tethys Sea and were moving to the north relative to Antarctica. A Mesozoic ridge system trending east—west produced east—west trending magnetic anomalies throughout the entire area. The ridge system was bisected by large north—south transform faults which divided the eastern Indian Ocean—western Pacific Ocean into sub-plates traveling at different speeds. The Mesozoic evolution of the Sunda Shelf and the deep seas resulted from such horizontal differential movement in a north—south direction. During Late Cretaceous—Eocene the various segments of the spreading ridge gradually submerged beneath the deep sea trenches to the north, causing a gradual change in the direction of motion of the Pacific plate. The change in motion of the Pacific plate resulted in the separation between the Pacific and the eastern Indian Ocean plates, the formation of large northeast—southwest tectonic elements on the Sunda Shelf and elsewhere in south—east Asia, the formation of the western Philippine Basin and the rapid northward motion of Australia. The only remnant of the Mesozoic ridge system exists today at the western Philippine Basin.     

Late Quaternary history of northern Russia and adjacent shelves — a synopsis

This synopsis highlights some of the main results presented in this issue of Boreas. The collection of papers deals with ice sheet reconstruction in space and time, isostatic and eustatic response to deglaciation, land to shelf sediment interaction, and Eemian and Holocene environmental variations. The most significant new results are that the last glacial maximum of the Kara Sea and Barents Sea ice sheets were both much smaller and much older than in most previous hypotheses. This puts new constraints on, for example, climate and ice sheet linkages, ice sheet interactions (Scandinavian-Barents Sea-Kara Sea), and land-ocean riverine input through time.     

海南岛周邻新生代沉积盆地构造与差异性演化特征

海南岛周邻发育有4个重要的新生代沉积盆地,即莺歌海盆地、北部湾盆地、琼东南盆地和珠江口盆地珠三凹陷。根据最新的地球物理数据,重新厘定这些盆地的构造与沉积演化及其与海南岛陆上构造的关联。这些盆地发育NE和NW向断裂构造,但存在极大差异性。前者受红河哀牢山断裂构造影响,表现为张扭性的拉分盆地。而后三个盆地则总体表现为裂陷盆地,夹于江绍 博白断裂与丽水 南澳断裂南段之间。伸展始于古新世,具有四次裂陷作用,并发育NW向走滑伸展断层。晚期岩浆对沉积盆地具有一定改造作用,表现岩浆喷发、热流值高。我们厘定了这些NE向断裂在海南岛延伸,滨海断裂可能延至海南岛东南缘,并表现出明显的地震活动性,推断海南岛新生代构造演化与南海北部陆缘演化具有一致性。     

盐源—宁蒗及邻区重力场特征及其对油气勘探的启示

近年来,随着四川盆地周缘在油气勘探上取得的重大突破,盐源—宁蒗地区成为了新区新层系油气调查的重点研究区域。盐源—宁蒗地区位于扬子地台西缘,其复杂的断裂体系和频繁的构造、岩浆活动,制约着该区油气的生、运、储。鉴于当前油气资源开发所能达到的深度较浅,本文首先利用Crust 1. 0库提供的地球深部结构,采用频率域界面正演的方法获取研究区的区域重力异常,然后将地表布格重力异常减去区域重力异常,获取上地壳激发的剩余重力异常。通过对盐源—宁蒗及邻区的区域剩余重力分布特征的分析,将盐源—宁蒗及邻区在平面上分为Ⅰ区、Ⅱ区、Ⅲ区和Ⅳ区。结合地表地质情况,将最有利于油气资源开发的Ⅳ区采用Parker界面反演对其基底起伏进行反演,进一步将其细分为8个子区。综合分析8个子区基底起伏情况、重力剖面反演和大地电磁测深剖面反演,推测该区为康滇古陆西侧、北东走向的向斜构造;向斜南东翼和金河 箐河断裂之间存在的背斜构造,为有利的油气勘探构造,具有较好的资源潜力。     

New gymnosperms from the Lower Cretaceous of the Primor'ye

A new species of Caytonia, C. orientale, and a new genus and species Chankanella vachrameevi are described from Neocomian-Aptian coal bearing strata in the Primor'ye Territory, Suifun basin. The new species of Caytonia is differentiated from C. sewardii Thomas and C. canadensis (Berry) Bell on the basis of size and slight morphological variances. Only one specimen of a megasporophyll was available for study. Leaves found in the same stratum and attributed to the new species differ from other species of Sagenopteris chiefly in the greater length of the petioles of the leaflets. Chankanella vachrameevi is described as a Sagenopteris-like leaf. It differs from Sagenopteris in having a larger number of leaflets and in lacking anastomoses of veins in the leaflets. It is compared with Lesleva Lesquereux. Its leaflets are compared with Thinnfeldia pinnae, and the leaves of Tersiella Radczenko, Linquifolium and Protophyllocladus. — F. M. Hueber.     

Paleozoic oil in Uzbekistan and adjacent territories

Direct evidence of the presence of oil in the region is characteristically widespread within a broad stratigraphic span as well as territorially. This Paleozoic oil is of the naphthene-aromatic type, in contrast with the Mesozoic and Tertiary oils of Uzbekistan, suggesting a justifiable hypothesis of an independent Paleozoic cycle of oleogenesis involving accumulation of hydrocarbons. – IGR Staff.     

南襄盆地及邻域壳幔结构地球物理特征与油气条件分析

位于秦岭-大别造山带中部的南襄盆地,主要由泌阳凹陷、南阳凹陷和襄樊凹陷组成.该盆地及邻域的壳幔结构主要特点是中部地壳明显比两侧地带厚,而上部地壳和下部地壳薄于两侧;Moho界面起伏较大,盆地中部Moho界面深约30 km,盆地边缘约35 km;Moho界面起伏与盆地呈"镜像关系";地震软流圈顶部在盆地一带表现为凸起"柱状"形态,最浅约70 km.根据该盆地内控制凹陷的断层形态以及泌阳凹陷油气条件,预测该盆地具有良好的油气前景.     

Tectonics of the Kola collision suture and adjacent Archaean and Early Proterozoic terrains in the northeastern region of the Baltic Shield

As preparation for the deep-seismic and other geophysical experiments along the Polar Profile, which transects the Granulite belt and the Kola collision suture, structural field work has been performed in northernmost Finland and Norway, and published geological information including data from the neighbouring Soviet territory of the Kola Peninsula, have been compiled and reinterpreted.Based on these studies and a classification according to crustal and structural ages, the northeastern region of the Baltic Shield is divided into six major tectonic units. These units are separated and outlined by important low-angle, ductile shear or thrust zones of Late Archaean to Early Proterozoic age. The lateral extension of these units into Soviet territory and their involvement in large-scale crustal deformation structures, are described. Using the “view down the plunge” method, a generalised tectonic cross-section that predicts the crustal structures along the Polar Profile is compiled, and the structures around the Kola deep drill-hole are reinterpreted.The Kola suture belt, through parts of which the Kola deep bore-hole has been drilled, is considered to represent a ca. 1900 Ma old arc-continent and continent-continent collision suture. It divides the northeastern Shield region into two major crustal compartments: a Northern compartment (comprising the Murmansk and Sörvaranger units) and a Southern compartment (including the Inari unit, the Granulite belt and the Tanaelv belt, as well as the more southernly situated South Lapland-Karelia “craton” of the Karelian province of the Svecokarelian fold belt).The Kola suture belt is outlined by a 2–40 km wide and ca. 500 km long crustal belt composed of

• 1.(1) Early Proterozoic (ca. 2400-2000 Ma old) metavolcanic and metasedimentary sequences which originally formed part of the attenuated margin of the Northern Archaean compartment, and
• 2.(2) the remains of a ca. 2000-1900 Ma old, predominantly andesitic island-arc terrain.

This island-arc terrain was built up above a SW-plunging subduction zone, initiated ca. 2000 Ma ago in the southern part of a newly formed oceanic domain, the Kola ocean. Due to continued subduction and complete consumption of this ocean, the northern passive margin deposits and the island-arc terrain were brought into tectonic juxtaposition, and during the final arc-continent and continent-continent collision, they were overthrusted onto the northern Archaean continent.Along its southern boundary, the Kola suture belt is tectonically overlain by the Archaean rocks of the Inari unit. This unit was derived from a microcontinent split from the Southern compartment, the depositional basin of the protoliths of the Granulite belt being formed to the south of the microcontinent. The Inari microcontinent appears to have wedged out towards the southeast, as the continuation of the Granulite belt north of the White Sea is in direct tectonic contact with the Kola suture belt.The Granulite belt is composed of high-grade paragneisses and minor amounts of meta-igneous rocks. The paragneisses formed from thick turbidite and mass flow deposits lain down in a back-arc basin south of the Inari microcontinent. A thermal anomaly beneath the partly oceanic basement of the back-arc basin is believed to have contributed to the ca. 2000-1900 Ma old granulite facies metamorphism of the granulite assemblages. Granulite facies conditions still prevailed when the Inari microcontinent overrode the granulites and when the Granulite belt as such was formed and was overthrusted (for at least 100 km) towards the southwest. In conjunction with the latter event, the rocks of the basement of the basin also became involved in thrust movements. These now form the Tanaelv belt, which shows gradational tectonic contacts towards underlying cover and basement rocks of the South Lapland-Karelia craton. Although not all parts of this craton were affected by the Svecokarelian deformation, it is considered to belong to the Karelian province of the Svecokarelian fold belt.A ca. 1900-1800 Ma old episode of wrench faulting and the intrusion of 1790-1770 Ma old post-kinematic granites concluded the Svecokarelian evolution of the northeastern Shield region.     

Hydrocarbon potential of the shelves

Large accumulations of oil and gas in shelf zones under the sea are definitely indicated, on consideration of the geochemistry of organic substance in such environments, modern ideas on geochemistry, genesis and migrations of hydrocarbons, and exploration-production experience in different parts of the world. However, truly scientific prognosis and exploration are contingent upon further comprehensive research, basic as well as applied.     

Formation of oil and gas fields

Cycles of the geosynclinal-orogenic-platformal development of the continental crust are separated by natural phases of crustal destruction. They are determined by pulses of degassing of the Earth’s core marked by decelerated inversions of the magnetic field. Such pulses occur under the influence of fluid flows that ascend from the core and loss hydrogen. Consequently, the fluids acquire acidic properties and become aggressive to rocks of the continental crust (H₂ + 2CO = H₂ O + 0.5CO₂ + 1.5C). Oceanization of the continental crust represents the main result of its destruction accompanied by the formation of seas and sedimentary basins largely on the underwater margins of continents. Development of geodynamic compression setting of the Earth’s crust due to its evolution creates conditions that impede the loss of hydrogen from ascending fluid flows. Consequently, they acquire the ability to generate hydrocarbons (4H₂ + 2CO = 2H₂O + CH₄ + C) and produce oil and gas pools. This setting is marked by intrusions of alkaline rocks with characteristic water-hydrocarbon inclusions in minerals and by the development of fold-thrust and reversed fault dislocations in depressions. The dislocations controlled not only the fluid-related leaching of rocks, but also the distribution of oil and gas pools within both sedimentary basins and their basement.     

Man and climate in the Maya lowlands

A 15-m sedimentary core from Lake Salpeten provides the first complete Holocene sequence for the lowlying Peten District, Guatemala. Today, Lake Salpeten is a brackish, calcium sulfate lake near saturation surrounded by tropical semievergreen forest. The basal pollen record depicts sparse juniper scrub surrounding a lake basin that held ephermal pools and halophytic marshes. The lake rapidly deepened to > 27 m in the early Holocene and may have been meromictic, because nearly 2 m of gypsum “mush” was deposited. Mesic forests were quickly established and persisted until the Maya entered the district 3000 yr ago and caused extensive deforestation. Any climatic information contained in the pollen record of the Maya period is thus masked, but a regional pollen sequence linked to the archaeological record is substantiated because environmental disturbance was pervasive. Local intensification of occupation and population growth are seen as an increased deposition of pollen of agricultural weeds and colluviation into the lake, while the Classic Maya collapse is marked by a temporary decline in Compositae pollen. Effects of perturbations induced by the Maya persist in the pollen and limnetic record 400 yr after the Spanish conquest.     

Observed oil and gas field size distributions: A consequence of the discovery process and prices of oil and gas

If observed oil and gas field size distributions are obtained by random samplings, the fitted distributions should approximate that of the parent population of oil and gas fields. However, empirical evidence strongly suggests that larger fields tend to be discovered earlier in the discovery process than they would be by random sampling. Economic factors also can limit the number of small fields that are developed and reported. This paper examines observed size distributions in state and federal waters of offshore Texas. Results of the analysis demonstrate how the shape of the observable size distributions change with significant hydrocarbon price changes. Comparison of state and federal observed size distributions in the offshore area shows how production cost differences also affect the shape of the observed size distribution. Methods for modifying the discovery rate estimation procedures when economic factors significantly affect the discovery sequence are presented. A primary conclusion of the analysis is that, because hydrocarbon price changes can significantly affect the observed discovery size distribution, one should not be confident about inferring the form and specific parameters of the parent field size distribution from the observed distributions.This paper was presented at Emerging Concepts, MGUS-87 Conference, Redwood City, California, 13–15 April 1987.     

油气化探方法在方正断陷油气勘探中的应用

方正断陷近地表油气地球化学勘探工作采用土壤酸解烃、蚀变碳酸盐(△C)和荧光光谱分析技术,筛选出多个反映油气异常的指标,圈定出红旗Ⅰ级综合异常、西六方Ⅱ级综合异常和宝兴Ⅲ级综合异常。红旗Ⅰ级综合异常和西六方Ⅱ级综合异常具有异常强度大、平均衬度和评价指数高等特征,为最有利含油气远景区,是进一步勘探的主要方向;而宝兴Ⅲ级综合异常强度弱,仅具一定的参考意义。方3井、方401井、方6井和方4井均部署在西六方Ⅱ级综合异常上,获得工业油气流,证实了异常下油气的存在。     

Effect of capillary pressure on distribution of gas and oil occurrences in lateral migration of oil and gas

In a chain of structural traps the same collector stratum sometimes contains oil, sometimes gas, sometimes water. Phenomena here disclosed show why empty or half empty traps occur between others filled with gas or oil, both in the pattern resembling the differential trapping of these fluids and in any other pattern. While still an important principle in the forming of deposits, differential trapping of oil and gas during their lateral migration is neither universal nor exclusive. – Authors.     

中国石油油气勘探面临的形势与陆上油气资源战略选区的五大领域

从油气公司的角度阐述了开展全国油气资源战略选区调查与评价工作的必要性和重要意义。分析了中国石油天然气股份有限公司油气勘探面临的形势,指出未来陆上油气资源战略选区主要有五大领域：前陆盆地、叠合盆地中下组合、青藏高原、中小型盆地和非常规油气。这几个勘探领域都有良好的资源条件,具有多个战略目标及较好的勘探前景。建议战略选区项目工作要遵循四大原则：战略性、前瞻性、基础性和风险性。