Paleoenvironmental changes in the northern shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk during the Holocene

The combined micropaleontological (spores and pollen, diatoms, benthic foraminifers), lithologic, and isotopic-geochemical analysis of sediments from the northern shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk recovered by hydrostatic corer from the depth of 140 mbsl elucidated environmental changes in this part of the basin and adjacent land areas during the last 12.7 thousands cal. years. Geochronological scale of the core is established using the acceleration mass-spectrometry method for radiocarbon dating of benthic Foraminifera tests. The first insignificant warming in the northern part of the sea after glaciation occurred in the mid-Boreal time (9.6 ka ago) but not at the onset of the Holocene. The strongest warming in the region took place in the mid-Atlantic epoch to reach climatic optimum in the second half of the Subboreal (6 to 2.5 ka ago). A cooling in the northern shelf and adjacent land areas is established at the beginning of the Subatlantic (2.5 ka). A comparison of results obtained for Core 89211 with dated hydrological and climatic changes in central and southern parts of the Sea of Okhotsk (Gorbarenko et al., 2003, 2004) is used for a high-resolution analysis of climatic fluctuations in the study region and other areas of the basin during deglaciation and the Holocene.     

The composition and age of the Argillite Sequence (sedimentary cover of the continental slope, Sea of Japan)

The Argillite Sequence located at the base of the sedimentary cover on the continental slope of the Sea of Japan was studied by petrographic, palynological, and X-ray diffraction methods. Two spores-pollen complexes were distinguished in it: the Late Oligocene reflecting cooling and the Early Miocene corresponding to initiated warming. The data obtained indicate that the sequence is composed of terrigenous silty-clayey sediments that accumulated in shallow coastal-marine settings. The global sea-level rise at the Early-Middle Miocene transition, combined with the regional tectonic processes, determined the basin deepening, owing to which the argillite sequence was overlain by thick Middle Miocene diatomaceous-clayey sediments. Due to tectonic movement along existing faults in the terminal Late Miocene, the argillite sequence occurring initially at depths of at least 400–500 m was locally exhumed to the basin bottom.     

Geological structure of the sedimentary cover and evaluation of the oil and gas potential of the Deryugin Basin (Sea of Okhotsk)

Results of interpretation of the seismic refraction survey in the southern part of the Deryugin Basin are presented. A geological-geophysical model was developed, and a scheme of the sedimentary cover evolution of the basin (Late Cretaceous-Pleistocene) is suggested. The data obtained indicate a high hydrocarbon potential comparable with that of the adjacent oil and gas-bearing shelf of northeastern Sakhalin.     

New data on the structure of the Sea of Okhotsk bottom

The reinterpretation of the time and deep sections along CDP Profile 1632 revealed different previously unknown structural features: (1) a buried bar and a Late Pliocene regional unconformity, the Bol’sheretsk and Lebed subaerial shield volcanoes, and the Koni-P’yagina and Magadan megadikes at its level; (2) morphological evidence for the nappe structure of the Okhotsk Arch (homoclinal thrust slices of the acoustic basement with ramp half-grabens in the frontal part and a pull-apart zone with a solitary diapir in the Kol’skii Trough, which divides the arch into two allochthonous megablocks with opposite vergence of their thrusts), which is related to a divergent sheet decollement, probably, at the M discontinuity.     

Fe-Mn crusts from underwater rises of the Kashevarov Trough (Sea of Okhotsk)

Dredging on nonvolcanic underwater rises in the Kashevarov Trough area (Sea of Okhotsk) carried out during Cruise 178 of R/V “Sonne” yielded sedimentary (conglomerates), metamorphic (biotite hornfels, tectonic breccia with inclusions of biotite hornfels), and igneous (granodiorite) rocks as well as Fe-Mn crusts up to 15 cm thick. The study of the structural-textural properties and the thorough analysis of the mineral and chemical compositions of these crusts, including the REE and Y distribution, show that the ore sediments are hydrogenic in nature.     

Manganese metalliferous sediments of the Deryugin Basin (Sea of Okhotsk): Chemical composition and geological setting

This paper reports the results of an investigation of the chemical composition and distribution of manganese-rich metalliferous sediments in the Deryugin Basin. They compose an upper sedimentary layer up to 30 cm thick within a strip up to 40 km wide and 180 km long in the central part of the basin along the East Deryugin suture zone bounding the Deryugin sedimentary basin to the east. The sediments are enriched relative to the regional background composition in Mn (by a factor of 35); Au; Ni; Zn; Co (by a factor of 3–5); and, locally, in Mo, V, Ba, Cu, Pb, and Hg. It was supposed that their formation was controlled by several processes: precipitation of Mn and some other trace elements from hydrothermal plumes of seawater that occasionally form above submarine hot vents in the northern part of the basin, precipitation from anoxic bottom waters at the eastern boundary of the Deryugin sedimentary basin, and early diagenetic migration of Mn into the surface sediments.     

Characteristic features of the occurrence of gas-fluid emanations on the northeastern slope of Sakhalin Island, Sea of Okhotsk

This paper summarizes the results of combined studies in the areas of the occurrence of gas-fluid emanations in the water column, on the seafloor, and in the upper part of the sedimentary section on the northeastern slope of Sakhalin Island (Sea of Okhotsk). The phenomena typical of methane seeps were characterized in detail: the presence of acoustic anomalies, high concentrations of methane in the water and sediments, and the specific features of the sedimentary section (the textural and structural features, the character of the mineral inclusions and gas hydrates, and the chemical composition). The component composition of the gases (including the accompanying gas hydrates), which is almost free of heavy hydrocarbon homologues of methane; the light carbon isotopic compositions of the methane and carbonate concretions; and the low temperatures of the near-bottom water and sediments suggest that the occurrence of numerous methane emanations is related to gas generation in the upper part of the sedimentary sequence. No evidence was found for the existence of a deep center of gas formation within the seafloor area considered. Typical submarine mud volcanic edifices were also not found.     

南海西北次海盆新生代构造 沉积特征及伸展模式 探讨

通过对穿越西北次海盆的3条地震测线以及一条深反射地震剖面的解释,对其新生代的构造 沉积特征进行研究,探讨了伸展模型,并进而对其新生代的构造演化过程和动力学机制进行了分析。结果显示：西北次海盆在30 Ma时开始发育,断层的活动期集中在渐新世,并大致以海盆中部的岩浆岩凸起为轴对称分布,对渐新统的沉积起控制作用。海盆扩张东强西弱,西部显示出更多的陆缘裂谷盆地的特征。25 Ma后扩张轴向南跃迁,西北次海盆的海底扩张运动停止,进入裂后沉降阶段。构造展布方向受到其南侧的中-西沙地块的影响,大致沿其北部边界展布。深反射地震剖面所反映的深部地壳结构也显示出大致沿海盆中轴对称的特征,显示研究区很可能为纯剪的变形模式。     

Foraminiferal sequence biostratigraphy of the Oligo‐Miocene Janjukian strata from Torquay,southeastern Australia

The foraminiferal fauna from two holes near the coastal section of marls and limestones at Torquay is dominated by inner to mid‐shelf benthic forms, especially the cibicidids, discorbids and miliolids. Planktonic species are rare and rarely age‐diagnostic. A cluster analysis of the species occurrences and relative abundances identified four assemblages, A to D up‐section. These assemblages also closely correspond to lithological changes characterising lithostratigraphic units: Angahook Formation (assemblage A), lower and upper Jan Juc Formation (B, C) and Puebla Clay (D). Biofacies trends based on the relative abundances of inner and outer neritic taxa led to the recognition of third‐order sequences and boundaries equivalent to TB1.1 to TB1.4, confirming a previous identification on sedimentological grounds. They demonstrate that foraminiferal assemblages were directly influenced by third‐order sea‐level fluctuations and can be used to predict third‐order sequences. The long‐uncertain regional Oligocene‐Miocene boundary is placed at the Jan Juc Formation—Puebla Clay contact, across which there was a major faunal change. Several benthic forms disappeared, at least temporarily: Cibicidoides perforatus, Amphistegina lessonii and Pararotalia mackayi. The typical Miocene planktonic taxa Globoquadrina dehiscens and Globoturborotalita brazieri made their first appearance. These events were associated with an increase in inner neritic benthos signalling a low sea‐level, consistent with the contemporaneous global pattern.     

Mineralogical and geochemical indicators of anoxic sedimentation conditions in local depressions within the Sea of Okhotsk in the late Pleistocene-Holocene

This paper reports specific mineralogical and geochemical characteristics of deposits from the local depressions of the Derugin Basin. They were formed in an environment with periodic changes from oxic to anoxic conditions and show evidence for the presence of hydrogen sulfide in bottom waters. The deposits of this type can be considered as a modern model for ancient ore-bearing black shale associations. Compared with typical metalliferous black shale sequences, which are characterized by high contents of organic matter, the sediments described here are depleted in the elements of the organophilic association (Mo, Ni, Cu, Zn, V, and U) but have higher Mn contents.     

Statistics of sediment mass in the South China Sea: Method and results

Sediment mass volumes for periods since the Oligocene (E₃, N₁ ¹, N₁ ², N₁ ³, N₂, and Q) in the South China Sea (SCS) were calculated on the basis of geological and geophysical data including ODP borehole data. Above the pre-Oligocene base, the estimated sediment volume is 7.01 × 10⁶ km³ and the mass is 1.44 × 10¹⁶ t for the entire SCS, with an average sedimentation rate of 6.22 cm/ka and accumulation rate of 12.8 g/(cm²·ka) since the Oligocene. Most of the sediment was deposited on the continent shelf and slope, while only 5% of the total mass accumulated in the Central Basin. Sediment basins on shelf and slope occupy 34% of the entire SCS area bounded by the 2 000 m thickness contour, but receive more than 82% of the total sediment mass, indicating that sediment basins played a central role of sedimentary process in the SCS. The highest sedimentation rate and the largest mass volume occurred in the Oligocene SCS, which is quite different from global sedimentation rate patterns. Therefore, we conclude that deposition in marginal seas was primarily controlled by local tectonics. Translated from Advances in Earth Science, 2006, 21(5): 465–473 [译自: 地球科学进展]     

Petromagnetic parameters of bottom sediments as indicators of the climatic and environmental changes in the central zone of the Sea of Okhotsk during the last 350 kyr

Bottom sediments from the central zone of the Sea of Okhotsk were preliminarily dated. The petromagnetic parameters of two groups of samples formed at cold and warm climatic stages were studied. Warm oxygen isotopic stages and substages were characterized by the coexistence of pseudo-single-domain allogenic magnetite and predominant magnetite and greigite (pyrrhotite) grains subject to biologic control. At cold stages, sediments containing a mixture of pseudo-single-domain and multidomain terrigenous magnetite particles accumulated. The petromagnetic curves agree with the normalized standard oxygen isotopic curve over the last 350 kyr of the column section.     

鄂霍次克海南部OS03-1岩心MIS6期以来的沉积记录及其古环境意义

通过对取自鄂霍次克海南部的柱状岩心OS03-1的古海洋学研究,包括浮游有孔虫壳体AMS14C测年、底栖有孔虫壳体δ18O分析、蛋白石含量测定、有机碳含量测定、浮游有孔虫组合、冰筏碎屑含量变化、沉积物粒度分析等内容,建立鄂霍次克海OS03-1岩心年代地层学框架,分析该海区古表层海水温度、古生产力变化,并研究其古环境意义。结果表明,Neogloboquadrina pachyderma(sin.)百分含量变化曲线与Globigerina bulloides百分含量变化曲线呈很好的负相关性,与氧同位素曲线对比显示,两者均可作为该海区古温度替代性指标;浮游有孔虫绝对丰度、蛋白石含量、有机碳含量变化显示,研究区古生产力水平整体表现为间冰期较高、冰期较低;冰筏碎屑和沉积物粒度特征指示,鄂霍次克海南部间冰期陆源粗颗粒百分含量较冰期高。     

Late Oligocene sedimentary environments and provenance abrupt change event in the northern South China Sea

A significant change in composition was recorded in late Oligocene sediments from the northern South China Sea. This abrupt event coincided with the seafloor spreading axis jump across the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, leading to sedimentation breaks and slumps as well as obvious changes in sediment geochemical composition, and representing the greatest tectonic activity in the South China Sea region since the Oligocene. Through this tectonic event, the sedimentary environment in the Baiyun sag area transformed from a continental shelf in the late Oligocene to a continental slope since the early Miocene, the provenance of the sediments changed from neighboring areas to the hinterland of the South China block, and the sea level rose since the early Miocene in the area. Therefore, this abrupt change event has a profound influence on the evolution of petroleum offshore in the northern South China Sea. __________ Translated from Geology in China, 2007, 34(6): 1022–1031 [译自: 中国地质]     

南海北部渐新世末沉积环境及物源突变事件

南海北部沉积物成分在渐新世末(23.8Ma)发生剧烈改变,出现地球化学成分上的突变,并在深海沉积中发生沉积间断及滑塌堆积。这些沉积事件在时间上与南海扩张轴由东西方向转为北东—南西方向发生跳跃的时间十分吻合,是渐新世以来南海构造演化史上最为重大的构造事件。经过这次构造事件,白云凹陷由渐新世晚期的浅水陆架环境转为中新世以后的深水陆坡环境,南海北部地区沉积物源由渐新世近源为主转变为中新世远源为主的供给特点;并使南海北部地区自中新世以来总体呈现海侵的特征。这次沉积环境与物源突变事件对南海北部地区油气藏的形成影响深远。     

Geological structure of Cenozoic sedimentary basin in the Northwestern margin of the Barents Sea shelf

There are two stages in Cenozoic development of the West Barents continental margin: rifting and passive margins. The main thickness of the Pliocene-Eocene complex is typical of the Serverstsnaget Basin, Vestbakken Volcanic Province, and Hornsund fault zone formed under conditions of strike-slip tectonics (“pull-apart” conditions). However, the thickness of the Oligocene-Pliocene sediments reaches its maximum on the eastern slope of the North Atlantic ocean basin. Paleogene and Neogene sediments consist mostly of claystones and siltstones but there are also sandy intervals formed because of gravity flows. The sandy layers can form lithological hydrocarbon traps.     

东海盆地中、新生代盆架结构与构造演化

基于地貌、钻井、岩石测年和地震等资料,分析盆地地层分布、盆架结构、构造单元划分和裂陷迁移规律,结果表明东海盆地由台北坳陷、舟山隆起、浙东坳陷、钓鱼岛隆褶带和冲绳坳陷构成,是以新生代沉积为主、中生代沉积为辅的大型中、新生代叠合含油气盆地;古元古代变质岩系构成了盆地的基底。该盆地不仅是印度-太平洋前后相继的动力体系作用下形成的西太平洋沟-弧-盆构造体系域一部分,而且也是古亚洲洋动力体系作用下形成的古亚洲洋构造域和特提斯洋动力体系作用下形成的特提斯洋构造域一部分,晚侏罗世至早白垩世经历了构造体制转换,盆地格局发生重大变革,早白垩世以前主要受古亚洲-特提斯洋构造体制影响的强烈挤压造山和地壳增厚作用演变为早白垩世以来主要受太平洋构造体制控制的陆缘伸展裂陷和岩石圈减薄作用,经历侏罗纪古亚洲-特提斯构造体制大陆边缘拗陷和白垩纪以来太平洋构造体制弧后裂陷两大演化阶段。白垩纪以来太平洋构造体制的弧后裂陷演化阶段可细分为早白垩世至始新世裂陷期、渐新世至晚中新世拗陷期和中新世末至全新世裂陷期。     

Mesozoic and early Cenozoic tectonic convergence-to-rifting transition prior to opening of the South China Sea

We have investigated Mesozoic geological problems around the South China Sea (SCS) based on gravimetric, magnetic, seismic, and lithofacies data. Three-dimensional analytical signal amplitudes (ASA) of magnetic anomalies clearly define the inland tectonic boundaries and the residual Mesozoic basins offshore. The ASA suggest that the degree of magmatism and/or the average magnetic susceptibility of igneous rocks increase southeastwards and that late-stage A-type igneous rocks present along the coast of southeast China possess the highest effective susceptibility. The geophysical data define Mesozoic sedimentary and tectonic structures and reveal four major unconformities [Pz/T–J, T–J/J, J/K, and Mesozoic/Cenozoic (Pz, Palaeozic; T, Triassic; J, Jurassic; K, Cretaceous)], corresponding to regional tectonic events revealed by nine palaeogeographic time slices based on prior geological surveys and our new fieldwork. Showing both sedimentary and volcanic facies and regional faults, our palaeogeographic maps confirm an early Mesozoic northwestward-migrating orogeny that gradually obliterated the Tethyan regime, and a middle-to-late Mesozoic southeastward migration and younging in synchronized extension, faulting, and magmatism. Three major phases of marine deposition developed but were subsequently terminated by tectonic compression, uplift, erosion, faulting, rifting, and/or magmatism. The tectonic transition from the Tethyan to Pacific regimes was completed by the end of the Middle Triassic (ca. 220 Ma), reflecting widespread Mesozoic orogeny. The transition from an active to a passive continental margin occurred at the end of the Early Cretaceous (ca. 100 Ma); this was accompanied by significant changes in sedimentary environments, due likely to an eastward retreat of the palaeo-Pacific subduction zone and/or to the collision of the West Philippine block with Eurasia. The overall Mesozoic evolution of southeast China comprised almost an entire cycle of orogenic build-up, peneplanation, and later extension, all under the influence of the subducting palaeo-Pacific plate. Continental margin extension and rifting continued into the early Cenozoic, eventually triggering the Oligocene opening of the SCS.     

南海北部新生代海陆变迁与不同盆地的沉积充填响应*

新生代以来南中国海的多幕旋回运动形成了其北部陆坡性质各异、演化有别的多个陆缘沉积盆地。依据各盆地新生界发育特征、主干地震剖面及钻井资料对南海北部的相对海平面变化与沉积环境进行系统分析,采用年代地层对比的方法探讨南海北部构造演化序列与海陆变迁规律的内在联系,再现了南海北部陆缘新生代的海陆变迁过程,从而建立了南海北部陆缘裂谷盆地、走滑拉分盆地和陆内裂谷盆地的构造—沉积充填一体化模式。新生代海平面整体呈上升趋势,古近纪各盆地以陆相河流、粗粒三角洲湖相沉积为主;而新近纪主要发育滨浅海及三角洲相,呈现出明显的早陆后海的规律。靠近陆地一侧的陆内裂谷盆地北部湾盆地海侵最晚,其古近系充填厚度明显大于新近系,以发育近源扇三角洲为特色;而靠近海域一侧的走滑拉分盆地(莺歌海盆地)则以新近纪海相沉积占优势;陆缘裂谷盆地(琼东南与珠江口盆地)古近纪陆相与新近纪海相相对均衡发育,发育大型三角洲与碳酸盐岩台地。不同盆地的沉积充填特征主要受构造运动与海侵规模控制,并由此奠定了不同盆地的资源前景。