Origin of organic matter and paleoenvironment conditions of the Late Jurassic organic-rich shales from shabwah sub-basin (western Yemen): Constraints from petrology and biological markers

Late Jurassic organic-rich shales from Shabwah sub-basin of western Yemen were analysed based on a combined investigations of organic geochemistry and petrology to define the origin, type of organic matter and the paleoenvironment conditions during deposition. The organic-rich shales have high total sulphur content values in the range of 1.49–4.92 wt. %, and excellent source rock potential is expected based on the high values of TOC (>7%), high extractable organic matter content and hydrocarbon yield exceeding 7000 ppm. The high total sulphur content and its relation with high organic carbon content indicate that the Late Jurassic organic-rich shales of the Shabwah sub-basin were deposited in a marine environment under suboxic-anoxic conditions. This has been evidenced from kerogen microscopy and their biomarker distributions. The kerogen microscopy investigation indicated that the Late Jurassic organic-rich shales contain an abundant liptinitic organic matter (i.e., alginite, structureless (amorphous organic matters)). The presence of alginite with morphology similar to the lamalginite alga and amorphous organic matter in these shale samples, further suggests a marine origin. The biomarker distributions also provide evidence for a major contribution by aquatic algae and microorganisms with a minor terrigenous organic matter input. The biomarkers are characterized by unimodal distribution of n-alkanes, low acyclic isoprenoids compared to normal alkanes, relatively high tricyclic terpanes compared to tetracyclic terpanes, and high proportion of C₂₇ and C₂₉ regular steranes compared to C₂₈ regular sterane. Moreover, the suboxic to anoxic bottom water conditions as evidenced in these Late Jurassic shales is also supported based on relatively low pristane/phytane (Pr/Ph) ratios in the range of 0.80–1.14. Therefore, it is envisaged here that the high content of organic matter (TOC > 7 wt.%) in the analysed Late Jurassic shales is attributed to good organic matter (OM) preservation under suboxic to anoxic bottom water conditions during deposition.     

Bicyclic alkanes in source rocks of the Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin and their inconsistency in oil-source correlation

The Triassic Yanchang Formation is the main source rocks for Mesozoic oil in Ordos Basin. The formation includes 10 oil-bearing beds (Ch 1–Ch 10), that each can be further divided into two to three intervals. Abundant C₁₂–C₁₄ and C₁₅–C₁₆ bicyclic alkanes have been detected in the formation in the Xifeng oilfield, Ordos Basin. The C₁₂–C₁₄ group is dominated by C₁₂ and C₁₃, and the C₁₅–C₁₆ group contains abundant C₁₅. The groups show three distribution patterns: A) the C₁₂–C₁₄ group is the major component in the non-source rocks of the Ch 7-1 and Ch 8-1 intervals; B) both groups are abundant and are common in source rocks of the Ch 7-3 interval; and C) the C₁₅–C₁₆ group is the major component in source rocks of the Ch 7-3 interval and also in sediments that contain type Ⅰ or partial sapropel type Ⅱ₁ organic matter (OM) in the Ch 7-2 and Ch 8-1 intervals. Although thermal maturities of the source rocks in the Ch 7 section are similar, they show significant differences with respect to the drimane isomerisation index, which indicates that the drimane rearrangement is controlled by thermal evolution of the sediments, but may also be closely related to the depositional environment. This study determined that reducing environments are more conducive to preservation of drimane than oxic environments. The drimane isomerisation index and the value of the hopane parameter Tm/Ts are positively correlated. The parameter Tm/Ts varies over a wide range within the sequence, and the large variations may be a result of terrigenous OM input by turbidity currents and/or gravity flows, mixed with the autochthonous sediments. Abundant homodrimane in both source rocks may reflect reducing environments in deep lakes and major input of higher plant OM. Organic-rich shale and oil shale in the Ch 7-3 interval of the Yanchang Formation are the primary sources of oil in reservoirs in the Xifeng area. The crude oil is rich in bicyclic alkanes that are dominated by C₁₅–C₁₆ as source rocks with pattern C for bicyclic alkanes, which indicates an origin mainly from the Ch 7-3 interval. The main peaks in all of the crude oils are associated with 8β(H)-drimane and lower abundance of rearranged drimane. However, most of the source rocks have a main peak associated with 8β(H)-homodrimane or rearranged drimane. Weak microbial action, selective degradation and water washing may be the cause of the significant difference in bicyclic sesquiterpane composition between the crude oil and the source rocks. The result suggests that oil-source correlations based on the bicyclic sesquiterpanes are questionable.     

Origin of the Breno and Esino dolomites in the western Southern Alps (Italy): Implications for a volcanic influence

The Esino Limestone of the western Southern Alps represents a differentiated Ladinian-Lower Carnian (?) carbonate platform comprised of margin, slope and peritidal inner platform facies up to 1000 m thick. A major regional subaerial exposure event lead to coverage by another peritidal Lower Carnian carbonate platform (Breno Formation). Multiphase dolomitization affected the carbonate sediments. Petrographic examinations identified at least three main generations of dolomites (D1, D2, and D3) that occur as both replacement and fracture-filling cements. These phases have crystal-size ranges of 3–35 μm (dolomicrite D1), 40–600 μm (eu-to subhedral crystals D2), and 200 μm to 5 mm (cavity- and fracture-filling anhedral to subhedral saddle dolomite D3), respectively.The fabric retentive near-micritic grain size coupled with low mean Sr concentration (76 ± 37 ppm) and estimated δ¹⁸O of the parent dolomitizing fluids of D1 suggest formation in shallow burial setting at temperature ∼ 45–50 °C with possible contributions from volcanic-related fluids (basinal fluids circulated in volcaniclastics or related to volcanic activity), which is consistent with its abnormally high Fe (4438 ± 4393 ppm) and Mn (1219 ± 1418 ppm) contents. The larger crystal sizes, homogenization temperatures (D2, 108 ± 9 °C; D3, 111 ± 14 °C) of primary two-phase fluid inclusions, and calculated salinity estimates (D2, 23 ± 2 eq wt% NaCl; D3, 20 ± 4 eq wt% NaCl) of D2 and D3 suggest that they formed at later stages under mid-to deeper burial settings at higher temperatures from dolomitizing fluids of higher salinity, which is supported by higher estimated δ¹⁸O values of their parent dolomitizing fluids. This is also consistent with their high Fe (4462 ± 4888 ppm; and 1091 ± 1183 ppm, respectively) and Mn (556 ± 289 ppm and 1091 ± 1183 ppm) contents, and low Sr concentrations (53 ± 31 ppm and 57 ± 24 ppm, respectively).The similarity in shale-normalized (SN) REE patterns and Ce (Ce/Ce*)_SN and La (Pr/Pr*)_SN anomalies of the investigated carbonates support the genetic relationship between the dolomite generations and their calcite precursor. Positive Eu anomalies, coupled with fluid-inclusion gas ratios (N₂/Ar, CO₂/CH₄, Ar/He), high F⁻ concentration, high F/Cl and high Cl/Br molar ratios suggest an origin from diagenetic fluids circulated through volcanic rocks, which is consistent with the co-occurrence of volcaniclastic lenses in the investigated sequence.     

Does compaction-induced subsidence control accommodation space at the top of prograding carbonate platforms? Constraints from the numerical modelling of the Triassic Esino Limestone (Southern Alps,Italy)

The demise of the high-relief, steep-slope, prograding Ladinian-Early Carnian carbonate platforms of the Esino Limestone (Central Southern Alps of Italy) is marked by subaerial exposure of the platform top associated with different erosional (mainly karst-related), depositional and diagenetic processes (Calcare Rosso). The exposure-related deposits consist of three major facies associations: 1) residual soils with thin lenses of conglomerates with black pebbles, and, locally, weathered vulcanites; 2) chaotic breccia lenses irregularly distributed in the uppermost part of the Esino Limestone carbonate platform, interpreted as collapse breccias in karstic setting: 3) inter-supratidal carbonate cycles with dissolution and development of paleosols and tepee structures.Facies distribution follows the sub-environments of the underlying Esino Limestone. Facies 1 and 2 typically characterize the core of the platform, covering the underlying inner platform facies. Facies 3 instead develops toward the edge of the platform, above reef-upper slope facies of the prograding facies of the Esino Limestone. The thickness of facies 3 decreases toward the core of the platform. Facies distribution reflects differences in the accommodation space and sedimentary processes from the rim (highest accommodation, favouring the deposition of peritidal-supratidal carbonates) to the core (reduced accommodation, causing pedogenesis and karstification) of the carbonate system.The observed thickness changes may be controlled by different factors: 1) syndepositional tectonics, 2) subsidence induced by magmatic activity or 3) differential subsidence controlled by the stratigraphic architecture of the Esino Limestone platform and adjoining basins. As evidence of tectonics was not observed and the presence of volcanic bodies is only documented tens of km away from the study area, the scenario involving the creation of accommodation space by compaction of the basinal sediments (resedimented, fine-grained calciturbidites) during the progradation of the carbonate platform is here investigated. Numerical modelling was performed to verify the compatibility of compaction-induced subsidence with the observed depositional architecture. The models were built to simulate the architectural evolution of the platform by progressively adding layers from deepest to shallowest, while compacting the underlying sediments, in order to evaluate compaction-induced subsidence (and accommodation space for the Calcare Rosso) after the deposition of the youngest platform strata. Modelling results allow us to conclude that the wedge geometry of the Calcare Rosso, deposited on top of the extinct Esino carbonate platform, can be explained by subsidence controlled by compaction of the basinal sediments present below the early-cemented, fast prograding platform slope deposits.     

A late Holocene winter monsoon record inferred from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, northern China

The variation of the Asian winter monsoonal strength has seriously affected the climate and environmental conditions in the Asian monsoonal region, and even in marginal islands and the ocean in the East Asian region. However, relevant understanding remains unclear due to the lack of suitable geological materials and effective proxies in the key study areas. Here, we present a grain-size record derived from the palaeo-aeolian sand dune in the southeastern Mu Us Desert, together with other proxies and OSL dating, which reflect a relatively detailed history of the winter monsoon and abrupt environmental events during the past 4.2 ka. Our grain-size standard deviation model indicated that >224 μm content can be considered as an indicator of the intensity of Asian winter monsoon, and it shows declined around 4.2-2.1 ka, enhanced but unstable in 2.1-0.9 ka, and obviously stronger since then. In addition, several typical climate events were also documented, forced by the periodic variation of winter monsoonal intensity. These include the cold intervals of 4.2, 2.8, 1.4 ka, and the Little Ice Age (LIA), and relatively warm sub-phases around 3.0, 2.1, 1.8 ka, and the Medieval Warm Period (MWP), which were roughly accordant with the records of the aeolian materials, peat, stalagmites, ice cores, and sea sediments in various latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Combined with the previous progresses of the Asian summer monsoon, we preliminarily confirmed a millennial-scale anti-correlation of Asian winter and summer monsoons in the Late Holocene epoch. This study suggests that the evolution of the palaeo-aeolian sand dune has the potential for comprehending the history of Asian monsoon across the desert regions of the modern Asian monsoonal margin in northern China.     

西藏改则县多不扎地区上侏罗统对望山组的建立及意义

对望山组是发育在羌南板块南缘的一套岩石组合,以安山岩、流纹岩、玄武质凝灰岩为主,有少量的玄武安山岩夹层,具有明显的岩浆喷出相和沉积相韵律分布的特点。利用LA-ICP-MS同位素定年技术对对望山组安山岩中的锆石进行了U-Pb同位素测年,获得锆石的~(206)Pb/~(238)U年龄加权平均值为150.5±0.6Ma,表明对望山组的形成时代为晚侏罗世中晚期,在详细剖面测制和区域对比的基础上建立了对望山组。对望山组的建立对完善班公湖-怒江缝合带的地层系统、探讨班公湖-怒江洋的晚侏罗世构造演化具有重要的地质意义。     

西藏白朗南部地区三叠纪地层沉积环境及物源

综合露头剖面、砂岩碎屑组分、地球化学、阴极发光等资料的研究,对西藏白朗地区南部三叠系沉积环境及物源开展了研究。该区三叠纪地层以灰黑色泥岩、浅灰白色石英砂岩、长石石英砂岩、灰色灰岩为主,沉积背景为拉轨岗日被动陆缘盆地的浅海-半深海环境。碎屑岩及其地球化学分析结果反映,物源总体来自克拉通内部。阴极发光结果表明,物源区石英主要为变质成因,次为火成岩成因。综合判定,研究区该套地层为下—中三叠统吕村组和上三叠统涅如组,物源区来自南部高喜马拉雅基底杂岩带。     

Morphological and Phylogenetic Study Based on New Materials of Anchiornis huxleyi (Dinosauria,Theropoda) from Jianchang,Western Liaoning,China

Anchiornis huxleyi, which is a member of the Middle–Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota, is the smallest feathered dinosaur ever known. It has been described as a critical link between feathered dinosaurs and birds. Recent studies, including those of Anchiornis, Xiaotingia, Eosinopteryx and Aurornis, challenged Archaeopteryx as the most basal bird. The new Anchiornis huxleyi specimens that are described in this paper show some minor different characters compared to previously reported Anchiornis specimens, which has revised the character list of Anchiornis and indicates a different phylogenetic point from former opinions.     

Late Cenozoic Sedimentary Evolution of Pagri‐Duoqing Co graben,Southern End of Yadong‐Gulu Rift,Southern Tibet

The north trending rifts in southern Tibet represent the E–W extension of the plateau and confirming the initial rifting age is key to the study of mechanics of these rifts. Pagri–Duoqing Co graben is located at southern end of Yadong–Gulu rift, where the late Cenozoic sediments is predominately composed of fluvio-lacustrine and moraine. Based on the sedimentary composition and structures, the fluvio-lacustrine could be divided into three facies, namely, lacustrine, lacustrine fan delta and alluvial fan. The presence of paleo-currents and conglomerate components and the provenance of the strata around the graben indicate that it was Tethys Himalaya and High Himalaya. Electron spin resonance (ESR) dating and paleo-magnetic dating suggest that the age of the strata ranges from ca. 1.2 Ma to ca. 8 Ma. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating showed that moraine in the graben mainly developed from around 181–109 ka (late Middle Pleistocene). Combining previous data about the Late Cenozoic strata in other basins, it is suggested that 8–15 Ma may be the initial rifting time. Together with sediment distribution and drainage system, the sedimentary evolution of Pagri could be divided into four stages. The graben rifted at around 15–8 Ma due to the eastern graben-boundary fault resulting in the appearance of a paleolake. Following by a geologically quiet period about 8–2.5 Ma, the paleolake expanded from east to west at around 8–6 Ma reaching its maximum at ca. 6 Ma. Then, the graben was broken at about 2.5 Ma. At last, the development of the glacier separated the graben into two parts that were Pagri and Duoqing Co since the later stages of the Middle Pleistocene. The evolution process suggested that the former three stages were related to the tectonic movement, which determined the basement of the graben, while the last stage may have been influenced by glacial activity caused by climate change.     

A New Ootype of Dinosaur Egg (Faveoloolithidae: Duovallumoolithus shangdanensis oogen. et oosp. nov.) from the Late Cretaceous in the Shangdan Basin,Shaanxi Province,China

A new ootype collected from the Upper Cretaceous Lijiacun Formation in the Shangdan Basin, Shaanxi Province is described in this paper. Based on general external shape, size, eggshell thickness and honeycomb‐like eggshell microstructure, eggs are referable to the oofamily Faveoloolithidae. Compared with other members of Faveoloolithidae, specimens described in this paper show special characteristics: adjacent pores are usually separated by two eggshell units between which often develop interspaces; columnar eggshell units are relatively closely arranged in radial view. According to these characteristics, we erect a new oogenus and a new oospecies: Duovallumoolithus shangdanensis oogen. et oosp. nov. The new discovery expands the diversity of Faveoloolithidae.