Deep-water Depositional Features of Miocene Zhujiang Formation in Baiyun Sag,Pearl River Mouth Basin

Eleven lithofacies and five lithofacies associations were indentified in the Miocene Zhujiang Formation on the basis of detailed core analysis.It could be determined that three depositional types developed,namely submarine fan,basin and deep-water traction current.Six microfacies were further recognized within the fan,including main channels in the inner fan,distributary channels in the middle fan,inter-channels,levees and the outer fan.The lower Zhujiang Formation,mainly sandstone associations,was inner fan and inner-middle fan deposits of the basin fan and the slope fan. The middle part,mainly mudstone associations,was outer fan deposits.With the transgression,the submarine fan was finally replaced by the basinal pelagic deposits which were dominated by mudstone associations,siltstone associations,and deep-water limestone associations.During the weak gravity flow activity,the lower channels,the middle-upper outer fans and basin deposits were strongly modified by the deep-water traction current.The identification of the deep-water traction deposition in Miocene Zhujiang Formation would be of great importance.It could be inferred that the deep-water traction current had been existing after the shelf-break formation since the Late Oligocene (23.8 Ma) in the Baiyun sag,influencing and controlling the sediment composition,the distribution, and depositional processes.It would provide great enlightenment to the paleo-oceanic current circulation in the northern South China Sea.     

Alluvial fans of the Eastern Italian Alps: morphometry and depositional processes

Abstract

Alluvial fans are abundant in many valleys of the Alps, consisting of important sites for human settlements. Relationships between alluvial fan morphometry and drainage basin characteristics have been investigated in six valleys of the Eastern Italian Alps, displaying different geological and morphological conditions. Both debris flow fans and fluvial fans are present in the studied region, the latest occurring only in quite large basins. Expansion of alluvial fans is greatly determined by the topographic characteristics of receiving valleys. Fan gradient is mainly affected by basin ruggedness conditioning depositional processes, by debris size, and, in some cases, by post-depositional reworking of fan surfaces.     

南海北部长昌—鹤山凹陷渐新世陆架边缘三角洲—深水扇地震响应及形成条件*

位于现今大陆斜坡之上的长昌—鹤山凹陷是继中国南海北部白云和荔湾深水区油气勘探突破之后的又一个深水战略性勘探区块。根据地震反射上超、下超和顶超等典型反射终止关系、地震相组合以及旋回特征,将渐新统珠海组自下向上划分为ZHSQ1—ZHSQ6共6套三级层序,并在层序格架中,识别出陆架弱—中振幅高连续席状、陆架斜坡变振幅中连续S型—斜交前积楔形、盆地斜坡变振幅中连续丘形双向上超等6种地震相类型,其中大型斜交S型前积和陆坡丘形双向超覆地震反射分别代表陆架边缘三角洲和深水扇沉积。研究表明,随着构造活动、海平面等地质条件的变化,陆架边缘三角洲及深水扇发育特征发生了相应变化。在珠海组ZHSQ1和ZHSQ2沉积时期,断层继承性活动,陆架坡折类型为断控型,沉积体系以局限浅海和近源的三角洲沉积组合为特征。在珠海组ZHSQ3—ZHSQ6沉积时期,盆地进入拗陷阶段,陆架坡折类型为沉积型坡折;在古珠江稳定充裕的供源作用下,陆架坡折带不断向海迁移且范围逐渐变大;伴随着相对海平面下降,大套的前积体不断向前推进,最大前积距离近20,km,且前积角度不断增大;同期深水扇自下而上出现频率增高,且位置更靠近陆架边缘三角洲,规模变大。     

西非第三系深水扇沉积特征及发育演化规律

以西非主要深水油气产区——下刚果盆地和尼日尔三角洲盆地为样本,分析西非地区典型深水扇的沉积特征、发育演化规律及主控因素.结果表明:受物源供给类型、盆地结构、构造活动及地形、海平面升降等因素影响,两个盆地深水扇体系表现不同特征和演化模式,其中下刚果盆地深水扇体系表现为点物源河流直接供给的大型单扇模式,深水水道及溢岸沉积构成该类型深水扇的主要沉积单元;尼日尔三角洲盆地深水扇为线物源三角洲供给的中型群扇模式,深水沉积单元类型多样.由于沉积物流速和沉积物结构改变,控制重力流流体性质,导致深水扇体沉积特征及储层分布在平面和垂向上发生变化.     

准噶尔盆地西北缘车—拐地区三叠系沉积相特征

通过岩心观察、薄片鉴定、测井和录井资料分析,以及单井沉积相、剖面沉积相研究,结合研究区的构造背景和沉积环境,分析沉积相特征.结果表明:准噶尔盆地西北缘车—拐地区三叠系主要发育砾岩和砂岩;三叠系的主要物源来自研究区西北角,次要物源来自研究区西部C45井以西.该区百口泉组主要发育冲积扇、扇三角洲沉积,冲积扇由研究区西北部向东南部延伸,克拉玛依组在继承百口泉组沉积特征的基础上,主要发育由西北向东南方向的扇三角洲前缘亚相沉积;白碱滩组在继承克拉玛依组沉积特征的基础上,主要发育扇三角洲前缘亚相及浅湖亚相沉积.三叠系由早期到晚期的水进沉积特征控制了研究区优质储层的分布.     

ZONATION OF GLACIOMARGINAL ENVIRONMENT INFERRED FROM PLEISTOCENE DEPOSITS OF MYSLIBORZ LAKELAND, NW POLAND

The study area in Mysliborz Lakeland (Western Pomerania), NW Poland, is located in the glaciomarginal zone of the Pomeranian Phase (Weichselian glaciation). Three subenvironments of deposits are exposed in the six analysed pits: glacial ice-contact subenvironment, transitional subenvironment and glaciofluvial subenvironment. The glacial ice-contact subenvironment is dominated by coarse-grained, massive and thick beds derived from debris flows and also horizontally laminated sand and gravel deposited by sheet flows. The transitional subenvironment represents deposits between end moraine and proximal outwash plain (sandur). The transitional subenvironment is dominated by coarse-grained diamicton derived from debris flows, horizontally laminated beds deposited by sheet flows, and additionally cross-stratified sediments from channel flows and massive sand from hyper-concentrated flows. The glaciofluvial subenvironment corresponds with the distal part of the glaciomarginal zone. The processes of sediment deposition in the glaciofluvial subenvironment are derived from shallow sheet flows and channelized flows. Architectural element analysis highlights the change in lithofacies associations from glacial ice-contact, through transitional to glaciofluvial subenvironments. This sedimentological zonation of the glaciomarginal zone may have been developed in other glaciomarginal belts and remains to be recognized.     

Rock varnish microlamination dating of late Quaternary geomorphic features in the drylands of western USA

Varnish microlamination (VML) dating is a correlative age determination technique that can be used to date and correlate various geomorphic features in deserts. In this study, we establish a generalized late Quaternary (i.e., 0–300 ka) varnish layering sequence for the drylands of western USA and tentatively correlate it with the SPECMAP oxygen isotope record. We then use this climatically correlated varnish layering sequence as a correlative dating tool to determine surface exposure ages for late Quaternary geomorphic features in the study region. VML dating of alluvial fan deposits in Death Valley of eastern California indicates that, during the mid to late Pleistocene, 5–15 ky long aggradation events occurred during either wet or dry climatic periods and that major climate shifts between glacial and interglacial conditions may be the pacemaker for alteration of major episodes of fan aggradation. During the Holocene interglacial time, however, 0.5–1 ky long brief episodes of fan deposition may be linked to short periods of relatively wet climate. VML dating of alluvial desert pavements in Death Valley and the Mojave Desert reveals that pavements can be developed rapidly (< 10 ky) during the Holocene (and probably late Pleistocene) in the arid lowlands (< 800 m msl) of these regions; but once formed, they may survive for 74–85 ky or even longer without being significantly disturbed by geomorphic processes operative at the pavement surface. Data from this study also support the currently accepted, “being born at the surface” model of desert pavement formation. VML dating of colluvial boulder deposits on the west slope of Yucca Mountain, southern Nevada, yields a minimum age of 46 ka for the emplacement of these deposits on the slope, suggesting that they were probably formed during the early phase of the last glaciation or before. These results, combined with those from our previous studies, demonstrate that VML dating has great potential to yield numerical age estimates for various late Quaternary geomorphic features in the western USA drylands.     

近岸水下扇沉积体系高精度层序地层学研究

以东营凹陷胜北断层下降盘坨85块沙河街组沙三中亚段近岸水下扇沉积体为例,对近岸水下扇沉积体系下的高精度层序地层学进行了研究。经过分析认为,近岸水下扇沉积体系中的高精度层序地层单元划分为准层序组、准层序、层组、层四级,并对准层序和层组的类型和对比方法进行了总结。将近岸水下扇积体系中的层组类型划分为Fu(Fineup)、Cu(Coareseup)和Hu(Homogenicup)三大类,准层序类型划分为Cu-Fu、Cu-Cu、Cu-Hu三大类,同时总结出了沿物源方向的相序递变和垂直物源方向的侵蚀切割对比2种准层序对比模式和侵蚀叠置、相变对比、薄砂层对比、相似渐变等4种层组对比模式。     

华北平原地貌区划新见

在埋深20~15 m(山前平原)或10~8 m(中部和滨海平原)以上的三维空间,将地貌形成演化的同一时段,具有同一结构、构造特征的组成物质和形态-成因上有相互联系的地貌类型的组合体视为一个地质-地貌体。基于这一观点,将冲积扇从传统地貌区划中的"山前倾斜平原区"中分离出来,与冲积泛滥平原合并,称作"中部冲积扇-冲积泛滥平原区",更符合国民经济合理布局的需要。     

Denudation intensity and control in the Chinese Tian Shan: new constraints from mass balance on catchment‐alluvial fan systems

Tectonics and climate are usually seen as the main controlling factors of denudation rates, which seem to rise with the tectonic activity and to decrease when the climate becomes drier. However, the low denudation rates observed in semi‐arid to arid contexts are generally measured on orogenic plateaus where the respective influence of the flat relief and the dry climate cannot really be unravelled. The Chinese Tian Shan was chosen as a case study. In the northern piedmont of this mountain range, a series of well‐preserved Quaternary alluvial fans offer the opportunity to perform a mass balance study at the scale of several catchment areas and several hundreds of thousands of years. Based on a geometrical reconstruction of these fans, the volumes of sediments exported out of 10 drainage basins during the Middle–Late Pleistocene (from ～300 to ～12 kyr) and the Holocene (from ～12 kyr to present) have been estimated. From these volumes, an average denudation rate of ～135 m/Myr was determined in the Tian Shan Range for the last 300 kyr. In agreement with other mass balances performed in the same area, the typical denudation intensity of the northern Tian Shan is thus of a few hundred meters per million years at most, regardless of the space and time scales considered. From a comparison with denudation rates in other mountain ranges throughout the world, we suggest that a dry climate can dramatically limit the denudation intensity even in active orogenic systems with a high topographic gradient like the Tian Shan. As a result, the time required to reach equilibrium between denudation and rock uplift in these systems could be extremely long (i.e. of more than several million years). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.