Heat flow in the rifted continental margin of the South China Sea near Taiwan and its tectonic implications

Temperature measurements carried out on 9 hydrocarbon exploration boreholes together with Bottom Simulating Reflectors (BSRs) from reflection seismic images are used in this study to derive geothermal gradients and heat flows in the northern margin of the South China Sea near Taiwan. The method of Horner plot is applied to obtain true formation temperatures from measured borehole temperatures, which are disturbed by drilling processes. Sub-seafloor depths of BSRs are used to calculate sub-bottom temperatures using theoretical pressure/temperature phase boundary that marks the base of gas hydrate stability zone. Our results show that the geothermal gradients and heat flows in the study area range from 28 to 128 °C/km and 40 to 159 mW/m², respectively. There is a marked difference in geothermal gradients and heat flow beneath the shelf and slope regions. It is cooler beneath the shelf with an average geothermal gradient of 34.5 °C/km, and 62.7 mW/m² heat flow. The continental slope shows a higher average geothermal gradient of 56.4 °C/km, and 70.9 mW/m² heat flow. Lower heat flow on the shelf is most likely caused by thicker sediments that have accumulated there compared to the sediment thickness beneath the slope. In addition, the continental crust is highly extended beneath the continental slope, yielding higher heat flow in this region. A half graben exists beneath the continental slope with a north-dipping graben-bounding fault. A high heat-flow anomaly coincides at the location of this graben-bounding fault at the Jiulong Ridge, indicating vigorous vertical fluid convection which may take place along this fault.     

Post Gondwana breakup evolution of the SE Australia rifted margin revisited

Low‐temperature thermochronology (LTT) is commonly used to investigate onshore records of continental rifting and geomorphic evolution of passive continental margins. The SE Australian passive margin, like many others, has an elevated plateau separated from the coastal plain by an erosional escarpment, presumed to originate through Cretaceous rifting prior to Tasman Sea seafloor spreading. Previous LTT studies have focused on reconciling thermal histories with development of the present‐day topography. New apatite LTT data along an escarpment‐to‐coast transect define a classic “boomerang” (mean track length vs. fission‐track age), indicating variable overprinting of late‐Palaeozoic cooling ages by a younger, mid‐Cretaceous cooling event. Regionally, however, the boomerang trend diverges NNW away from the coast and crosses the escarpment, implying the underlying thermal history pre‐dates escarpment formation and is largely independent from post‐breakup landscape evolution. We suggest that Cretaceous cooling might relate to erosion of Permo‐Triassic sedimentary cover from a formerly more extensive Sydney Basin.     

佳木斯地块东缘晚古生代大陆边缘构造演化

佳木斯地块位于中国东北微陆块群的最东缘,其东缘地区晚古生代的岩浆和沉积演变进程为欧亚大陆东缘由被动陆缘向活动陆缘构造环境的转化提供了关键证据。年代学和地球化学研究表明,佳木斯地块东缘中泥盆世黑台组砂岩,形成于被动陆缘的构造环境,黑台组上覆的老秃顶子组流纹岩也形成于被动陆缘的构造环境;晚石炭世珍子山组砂岩,形成于活动陆缘的构造环境;早二叠世的二龙山组安山岩以及相邻地区早二叠世的其它火成岩形成于活动陆缘的构造环境。同时,佳木斯地块东缘泥盆-二叠纪的沉积地层也呈现出由浅海相到陆相地层转化的特征。因此,佳木斯地块东缘由被动陆缘向活动陆缘的转化应该发生在中泥盆世到晚石炭世,而该构造环境的转化也为晚古生代时期蒙古-鄂霍茨克洋向欧亚大陆之下俯冲过程的研究提供了关键信息。

     

Thermotectonic evolution of a rifted continental margin: fission track evidence from the Kangerlussuaq area, SE Greenland

Fission track analyses of apatites from sediments, Precambrian gneisses and Caledonian to Tertiary intrusive rocks from the Kangerlussuaq region reveal its post-Caledonian thermotectonic history. Inland the history involves cooling to temperatures within the high temperature part of the apatite annealing interval and slow cooling (or reheating) continued in Cretaceous times through this interval. Apatites from coastal areas between Kangerlussuaq and Tasiilaq reveal only Tertiary cooling. In Tertiary times cooling accelerated after the main intrusive phase in the Tertiary. The evolution is taken as evidence for a general uplift/erosion since Caledonian times probably disturbed by basin formation and sedimentation and reheating due to magmatic activity. Thermal subsidence of the rift shoulders following the opening of the adjacent oceanic basin is not indicated. Annealing patterns inland of the plume centre in the Kangerlussuaq provide no evidence for the earlier movement of the plume from a westerly direction.     

Anomalous heat flow belt along the continental margin of Brazil

International Journal of Earth Sciences - A comprehensive analysis of thermal gradient and heat flow data was carried out for sedimentary basins situated in the continental margin of Brazil (CMB)....     

Magnetic anomalies of offshore Krishna-Godavari basin,eastern continental margin of India

The marine magnetic data acquired from offshore Krishna-Godavari (K-G) basin, eastern continental margin of India (ECMI), brought out a prominent NE-SW trending feature, which could be explained by a buried structural high formed by volcanic activity. The magnetic anomaly feature is also associated with a distinct negative gravity anomaly similar to the one associated with 85°E Ridge. The gravity low could be attributed to a flexure at the Moho boundary, which could in turn be filled with the volcanic material. Inversion of the magnetic and gravity anomalies was also carried out to establish the similarity of anomalies of the two geological features (structural high on the margin and the 85°E Ridge) and their interpretations. In both cases, the magnetic anomalies were caused dominantly by the magnetization contrast between the volcanic material and the surrounding oceanic crust, whereas the low gravity anomalies are by the flexures of the order of 3–4 km at Moho boundary beneath them. The analysis suggests that both structural high present in offshore Krishna-Godavari basin and the 85°E Ridge have been emplaced on relatively older oceanic crust by a common volcanic process, but at discrete times, and that several of the gravity lows in the Bay of Bengal can be attributed to flexures on the Moho, each created due to the load of volcanic material.     

Late Quaternary stratigraphy and paleo-oceanography of the Grand Banks continental margin, eastern Canada

Quaternary sediments cored on the continental slope off the Grand Banks and on nearby seamounts and abyssal hills have been correlated back to at least isotopic stage 6. using lithologic and hioslratigraphic markers and warm-cold cyclicity in microfossil assemblages. The sequence is dated using limited oxygen isotope and ^l4C data. The oldest continental slope cores penetrate to a glacial stade with an extrapolated age of 50. 0(H) B. P. The oldest scamount cores probably penetrate to isotopic stage 13. Watcrmass distribution over the area results from interaction of the Labrador Current with locally generated shelf water, and to a lesser extent, the Gulf Stream. Planktic foraminiferal assemblages and sedimentological evidence suggest that arctic Labrador Current core water extends onto the eastern Grand Banks only during full interglacials. During intcrstadials, this arctic core water is absent, probably because its source-was blocked by ice. Cold water during stadials probably results mostly from local cooling on the continental shelf.     

北美东部被动大陆边缘盆地的分段性与油气勘探

北美东部被动大陆边缘是世界上最古老的完整被动大陆边缘之一,是研究被动大陆边缘发育演化的天然实验室。本文在大量国外研究成果的基础上,应用盆地构造解析方法,深入研究了北美东部被动大陆边缘盆地群的地质结构和构造演化特征,并揭示了盆地群的油气地质规律。研究认为,北美东部盆地群沉积充填和不整合面发育具有明显的分段性和差异性。以区域不整合面为界,不同段盆地可划分为不同的构造层：南段盆地可划分为两套构造层;中段南部盆地可划分为3套构造层;中段北部盆地可划分为4套构造层;而北段盆地可划分为5套构造层。盆地群整体经历了陆内裂谷—陆间裂谷—被动大陆边缘的演化过程,但不同段盆地的构造演化具有明显的分段性和迁移性：晚三叠世沉降中心位于南段盆地;早侏罗世初期迁移至中段盆地,南段大陆开始裂解;中侏罗世逐渐迁移至北段盆地,中段大陆开始裂解;早白垩世晚期,北段大陆开始裂解。受持续的抬升剥蚀及大西洋岩浆活动省的联合作用,南段盆地和中段大多数盆地缺乏油气保存条件;斯科舍盆地和大浅滩盆地是主要的含油气盆地,以上侏罗统烃源岩为主,主要发育断层—背斜圈闭和盐体刺穿圈闭,整体表现为“自生自储”和“下生上储”的特征。     

华南东部陆缘新生代隆升历史及其动力学机制

华南陆缘在新生代期间经历了千米量级的上覆盖层剥蚀和山脉隆升;同时,其东侧的东海陆架盆地经历多次构造应力场的反转并发育多期反转构造。东海陆架盆地内的构造反转与华南陆缘隆升的发生时间和触发机制是否一致有待研究。为此,本文对浙江地区的岩石样品进行磷灰石裂变径迹测试和热演化史反演分析其隆升历史,并通过地震剖面分析东海陆架盆地的反转时间及其反转所导致的地层剥蚀量;最后,将二者进行对比分析并研究其动力学机制。结果发现,华南东部陆缘地区至少存在晚始新世（34.5~33.5Ma）、中中新世（16~11.5Ma）、上新世以来（5~0Ma）三期明显的快速隆升事件,三期隆升导致的地层剥蚀量分别为227m、593m和865m;东海陆架盆地经历了古新世末-始新世初（~56Ma）、始新世末-渐新世初（~32Ma）和晚中新世（~10Ma）三期构造反转,三期反转导致的局部地层最大剥蚀量分别可达1200m、1300m和2000m。在时间上,东海陆架盆地的始新世末-渐新世初（~32Ma）和晚中新世（~10Ma）的构造反转分别滞后于浙江的晚始新世（34.5~33.5Ma）和中中新世（16~11.5Ma）的隆升时间,说明这两期挤压-剥蚀事件分别具有自西向东的迁移性,即印度-欧亚板块碰撞的远程效应可能是导致该迁移特征的原因;在强度上,东海陆架盆地的反转剥蚀量大于浙江境内的地层隆升量、挤压强度东强西弱,中新世晚期菲律宾海板块向西俯冲导致冲绳海槽弧后伸展产生向西的挤压力、这种挤压应力向陆内传递且强度变弱可能是导致该特征的原因。

     

Seismic image of undercrusted serpentinite beneath a rifted margin

During the continental rifting the upper mantle was unroofed, and the mantle rocks were transformed into serpentinite at the ocean-continent transition of the west Galicia margin (Spain). The serpentinite layer, several km thick, extends probably eastwards, beneath the highly thinned continental crust of the margin.
The serpentinite layer was recently imaged by seismic reflection. It is discontinuously and deeply layered. As serpentinized peridotite can have densities and seismic velocities comparable to those of the lower continental crust, we suggest that undercrusting by serpentinite can play a part in building the lower seismic crust in highly stretched continental rifted areas.     

Mismatch of geophysical datasets in distal rifted margin studies

The interpretation protocols for defining offshore rifted margin architecture normally include seismic‐reflection analysis supplemented by refraction and/or potential field modelling to help constrain sedimentary, basement and Moho geometries at depth and/or the presence of magmatic material. Interpretation of modern high‐resolution long‐offset reflection profiles shows that significant mismatches may arise between the structural observations made from these data and the common translation of density, magnetic or velocity values into specific rock types made by geophysical models. We illustrate this problem with three examples from the Mid‐Norwegian rifted system, and discuss the implications with respect to the geological interpretation.     

中国东部陆相断陷盆地成熟探区油气勘探新领域分析*

经过50多年勘探开发,中国东部陆相油气田均已进入勘探中后期阶段,受石油地质认识局限性和勘探技术的限制,待发现目标日趋隐蔽,油气勘探难度日益增大。针对中国东部陆相断陷盆地深层低孔渗—致密砂岩储集层评价方法的局限性、深部砂砾岩储集体成因模式问题以及基岩风化壳形成和分布的复杂性问题,作者经过近几年的探索和总结,取得以下主要研究进展: (1)基于砂岩储集层物性演化动力学原理,提出了致密砂岩储集层动态评价的新思路和新方法,指出过去评价较低的深部凹陷带低孔渗—致密砂岩体仍然具有较大的勘探潜力; (2)运用地震地层学方法,通过建立断陷盆地陡坡带斜向大型扇三角洲沉积模式,指出斜向大型扇三角洲砂砾岩是断陷盆地深层有利的储集体,可以作为下一步有利勘探方向; (3)根据基岩风化壳双层结构新模式,结合风化壳储集层改造—破坏—保存机理的动力学新模型,指出断陷盆地中低部位是最有利风化壳储集层发育带,断陷盆地缓坡内带(洼槽区)风化壳是下一步油气勘探的重要新领域。文中提出的上述3大勘探新领域不仅是对断陷盆地油气成藏模式的补充和发展,更重要的是展现出中国东部断陷盆地深层常规和非常规油气勘探领域的巨大潜力,为深化东部成熟盆地油气勘探指出了明确的方向。     

中国东部陆相断陷盆地成熟探区油气勘探新领域分析*

经过50多年勘探开发,中国东部陆相油气田均已进入勘探中后期阶段,受石油地质认识局限性和勘探技术的限制,待发现目标日趋隐蔽,油气勘探难度日益增大。针对中国东部陆相断陷盆地深层低孔渗—致密砂岩储集层评价方法的局限性、深部砂砾岩储集体成因模式问题以及基岩风化壳形成和分布的复杂性问题,作者经过近几年的探索和总结,取得以下主要研究进展: (1)基于砂岩储集层物性演化动力学原理,提出了致密砂岩储集层动态评价的新思路和新方法,指出过去评价较低的深部凹陷带低孔渗—致密砂岩体仍然具有较大的勘探潜力; (2)运用地震地层学方法,通过建立断陷盆地陡坡带斜向大型扇三角洲沉积模式,指出斜向大型扇三角洲砂砾岩是断陷盆地深层有利的储集体,可以作为下一步有利勘探方向; (3)根据基岩风化壳双层结构新模式,结合风化壳储集层改造—破坏—保存机理的动力学新模型,指出断陷盆地中低部位是最有利风化壳储集层发育带,断陷盆地缓坡内带(洼槽区)风化壳是下一步油气勘探的重要新领域。文中提出的上述3大勘探新领域不仅是对断陷盆地油气成藏模式的补充和发展,更重要的是展现出中国东部断陷盆地深层常规和非常规油气勘探领域的巨大潜力,为深化东部成熟盆地油气勘探指出了明确的方向。     

Onset of magmatic accretion within a magma-poor rifted margin: a case study from the Platta ocean-continent transition, eastern Switzerland

Exhumation of subcontinental mantle rocks and its exposure at the seafloor is known from different magma-poor passive continental margins. However, the transition from largely amagmatic passive rifting to seafloor spreading is still poorly documented. In this contribution we use MOR-type gabbroic and basaltic rocks to characterize the magmatism associated with the formation of an ancient ocean-continent transition preserved in the Platta nappe, eastern Switzerland. Gabbros form individual small intrusions into exhumed serpentinized subcontinental mantle rocks. Mineral and bulk-rock chemistry and simple modeling indicate that each gabbro body records different magmatic processes ranging from predominantly fractional crystallization to solidification without fractionation. Mg numbers and Ni contents of equilibrium olivine calculated from basalts and gabbros indicate that few mafic rocks are primary melts but most represent fractionated compositions ranging from T- to N-MORB. Whereas most mafic rocks may be explained by low to moderate degrees of melting of an N-MORB-type mantle, the source of some basalt is enriched in incompatible elements. This compositional variation seems to correlate with the spatial distribution of the mafic rocks within the ocean-continent transition whereby mafic rocks with T-MORB signatures occur close to the continental margin whereas N-MORB signatures are predominantly found oceanwards. As in an opening system time and space are closely linked, the chemical evolution of the mafic rocks along the ocean-continent transitions suggests continuous thinning of the subcontinental mantle and associated uplift of the underlying asthenosphere during the time between the crustal and the lithospheric breakup.     

Gravity field and structures of the Rajmahal Hills: Example of the Paleo-Mesozoic continental margin in eastern India

A narrow strip of Gondwana basins separates the Rajmahal traps from the peninsular shield in eastern India. This part of the shield margin is associated with a conspicuous gravity high of 100 km wavelength and 48 mGal amplitude over an area of 25,000 km². Second order residual anomalies due to Gondwana sediments and traps are superposed on this wider gravity high. Gravity interpretation, partly constrained by seismic data, suggests that the wider high is caused by a denser metamorphic layer (amphibolite and granulite) up to 3.5 km thick. The metamorphic layer also extends below the eastern Rajmahal hills where the Gondwanas, traps and younger sediments have covered it. The Gondwanas are downfaulted against the shield edge and are preserved over an irregular basin floor whose deepest part underlies the eastern flank of the Rajmahal hills adjacent to the Bengal basin. It is inferred that the Gondwanas were deposited over a rifted and highly faulted shield margin that was intruded by the Rajmahal traps nearly 100 m.y. ago. High-grade metamorphism along the shield edge presumably preceded the continental rifting, perhaps occurring in the Precambrian as a part of the Eastern Ghats orogeny, along the east coast of India.     

Geological framework of the Brazilian continental margin

Based on distinctive stratigraphic and/or structural characteristics, the Brazilian continental margin can be divided into two main provinces:

1. The southeastern-eastern province, extending from the Pelotas to the Recife-João Pessoa Basin, presents a tensional tectonic style of Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous age, paralleling the structural alignements of the Precambrian basement, except in the north-eastern segment where the Mesozoic faults of the Recife-João Pessoa Basin cut across the east-west basement directions. The basin-fill, Upper Jurassic through Recent, consists, where complete, of three stratigraphic sequences, each of a distinct depositional environment: (a) a lower clastic non-marine sequence; (b) a middle evaporitic sequence, and (c) an upper clastic paralic and open marine sequence.
2. The northern province, extending from the Potiguar Basin to the Amazon Submarine Basin, displays both tensional and compressional tectonic styles of Upper Jurassic (?) to Upper Cretaceous age either paralleling or cutting transversally the basement alignments. The stratigraphic column differs from the southeastern-eastern province in lacking the Lower Cretaceous evaporitic rocks.

The integration of the stratigraphie and structural data allows one to determine in the eastern Brazilian marginal basins the main evolutionary stages of a typical pull-apart continental margin: a continental pre-rift and rift stage, an evaporitic proto-ocean stage, and a normal marine open ocean stage. In the northern province it is possible to infer a continental rift-valley-stage, a transform stage and an open continental-margin stage. The relationship between the rift-valley and the transform stages is yet not clear.     

Distribution, migration and derivation of Mesozoic-Cenozoic regional fault systems in the central continental margin of eastern China

Deep-large faults in the central continental margin of eastern China are well developed. Based on the regularity of spatial and temporal distribution of the faults, four fault systems were divided: the Yanshan orogenic belt fault system, the Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt fault system, the Tanlu fault system and the East China Sea shelf basin-Okinawa trough fault system. The four fault systems exhibit different migration behaviors. The Yanshan orogenic belt fault system deflected from an EW to a NE direction, then to a NNE direction during the Indo-Chinese epoch-Yanshanian epoch. The thrust-nappe strength of the Qinling-Dabie orogenic belt fault system showed the tendency that the strength was greater in the south and east, but weaker in the north and west. This fault system faulted in the east and folded in the west from the Indo-Chinese epoch to the early Yanshanian epoch. At the same time, the faults also had a diachronous migration from east to west from the Indo-Chinese epoch to the early Yanshanian epoch. On the contrary, the thrust-nappe strength was greater in the north and west, weaker in the south and east during the late Yanshanian epoch-early Himalayan epoch. The Tanlu fault system caused the basin to migrate from west to east and south to north. The migration regularity of the East China Sea shelf basin-Okinawa trough fault system shows that the formation age became younger in the west. The four fault systems and their migration regularities were respectively the results of four different geodynamic backgrounds. The Yanshan orogenic belt fault system derived from the intracontinental orogeny. The Qinling-Dabie-Sulu orogenic belt fault system derived from the collision of plates and intracontinental subduction. The Tanlu fault system derived from the strike-slip movement and the East China Sea shelf basin-Okinawa trough fault system derived from plate subduction and retreat of the subduction belt. Translated from Journal of Jilin University (Earth Science Edition), 2005, 35(5): 554–563 [译自: 吉林大学学报 (地球科学版)]     

Seismotectonics of the passive continental margin of Egypt

The results of focal mechanisms determination for the recent seismic activity (earthquakes of 1951, 1955, 1987, 1988, and 1998) in the passive continental margin of Egypt may shed some light on the local stress field in this area. Moreover, studying the source mechanism of these events provides an opportunity to understand the structural style of the passive margin of Egypt, as well as the tectonic setting beside its variation in space and time. This study reveals that there are two types of tectonic regimes which caused these mechanisms. The first is a tensional regime, represented by NW oblique (normal-dextral) faults and the second is a compressive one represented by E–W to ENE (reverse-sinstral) faults. These fault trends probably indicate rejuvenation of inherited E–W Mesozoic and NW Oligo-Miocene faults.     

Flexure of the lithosphere and continental margin basins

The accumulation of sediments at an Atlantic-type continental margin constitutes a load on the lithosphere which simply sags due to its weight. Studies of the geometry of deformation suggests the lithosphere will respond to these loads either by local loading of an Airy-type crust or flexural loading of a strong rigid crust. Sediment loading models of either type cannot, however, explain the substantial thicknesses of shallow-water sediments observed in commercial boreholes from Atlantic-type margins. Other factors such as thermal contraction, gravitational outflow of crustal material or deep crustal metamorphism may contribute to the subsidence. We have used biostratigraphic data from commercial boreholes from the Gulf of Lion and the East Coast U.S.A. to quantitatively determine the contribution of sediment loading to the subsidence. From these data we determined sea-floor and basement depths for sequential time intervals during margin development. Using the sediment loading models the sediment layers at each margin were progressively “backstripped” and the depth basement would have been without the sediment load calculated. The computed basement depths indicate there is a recognizable component of the subsidence of these margins which is caused by processes other than adjustments to the weight of the sediment. The nature of this subsidence is discussed and comparisons are made with that which would be expected from thermal-contraction models.     

The behaviour of platinum-group elements in basalts from the East Greenland rifted margin

. The continental flood basalts of the East Greenland volcanic rifted margin were extruded during continental breakup above the ancestral Iceland mantle plume at 55 Ma. Three distinct magma types, the low-Ti, high-Ti and very high-Ti series (LTS, HTS and VHTS respectively), are found intercalated in the ~6-km-thick Plateau Lava sequence. Incompatible trace elements indicate that the LTS are derived from a more depleted mantle source compared to HTS and VHTS. The LTS is characterised by increasing Cu (105 to 248 ppm) and Pd (7 to 24 ppb), constant Cu/Pd ratio (~10,000), and decreasing Ir (1.1 to <0.05 ppb) and Ru (1.8 to <0.3 ppb) concentrations during magmatic differentiation (16 to 7 wt% MgO). The constant Cu/Pd ratio reflects silicate- and chromite-dominated fractionation without concurrent segregation of sulphide. S-undersaturated differentiation is also indicated in the HTS, which also displays increasing Pd (6-16 ppb) and decreasing Ir concentrations (1 to <0.05 ppb) during differentiation, and the Cu/Pd ratios for the entire series average 21,000. However, some HTS samples have elevated Cu/Pd ratios (up to 33,000). Cu/Pd ratios in the HTS do not correlate with MgO, and this is interpreted to reflect varying Cu/Pd ratios of HTS parental magmas rather than S-saturated differentiation. During S-undersaturated differentiation of the LTS and HTS, Pt/Pd ratios decrease from 1.3 to 0.11 and 1.1 to 0.2 respectively, which indicates that Pd is much more incompatible than Pt during S-undersaturated differentiation. The VHTS consists exclusively of highly evolved samples with low MgO (6.6-6.1 wt%) and Pd/Ir ratios 98-228. Here, Cu/Pd ratios increase from 17,500 to 35,000 with decreasing Cr concentrations which indicate that these magmas experienced silicate fractionation with concurrent segregation of sulphide. The LTS represent melting of a depleted source and show high PGE concentrations and constant Cu/Pd ratios during S-undersaturated differentiation. Melting of a normal depleted upper mantle source generates S-saturated melts (MORB), and the depleted LTS source is therefore considered an extraordinary S-poor component within the ancestral Iceland plume. Of the three series, the VHTS contain the largest contribution from enriched mantle portions. The VHTS have similar PGE but much higher Nb concentrations for instance compared to the most evolved LTS and HTS samples, indicating that the enriched source contributes Nb but not PGE.