Intra-seasonal variability of the abyssal currents in COMRA’s contract area in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone

In this paper, the intra-seasonal variability of the abyssal currents in the China Ocean Mineral Resources Association (COMRA) polymetallic nodule contact area, located in the western part of the Clarion and Clipperton Fraction Zone in the tropical East Pacific, is investigated using direct observations from subsurface mooring instruments as well as sea-surface height data and reanalysis products. Mooring observations were conducted from September 13, 2017 to August 15, 2018 in the COMRA contact area (10°N, 154°W). The results were as follows: (1) At depths below 200 m, the kinetic energy of intra-seasonal variability (20?100 d) accounts for more than 40% of the overall low-frequency variability, while the ratio reaches more than 50% below 2 000 m. (2) At depths below 200 m, currents show a synchronous oscillation with a characteristic time scale of 30 d, lasting from October to the following January; the energy of the 30-d oscillation increases with depth until the layer of approximately 4 616 m, and the maximum velocity is approximately 10 cm/s. (3) The 30-d oscillation of deep currents is correlated with the tropical instability waves in the upper ocean.     

High-resolution record of tectonic and sedimentary processes in growth strata

Growth strata are used to determine the kinematics of synsedimentary structures such as faults. Classical methods of analysis such as thickness versus throw plot consider that the available space created by fault slip in the hanging wall of faults is instantaneously filled up by sediments. This has lead many previous works to identify a cyclic activity for growth faults. Here we perform a careful analysis of the variation of strata thicknesses on each side of a very well documented normal growth fault in the Niger delta. We show that these thickness variations are induced by the alternation of sedimentary processes during continuous fault slip. Suspended-load processes induce either uniform or slightly variable thickness of a large majority of mudstone layers. Bedload processes result in a preferential thickening of sand layers in the hanging wall. These high quality data thus provide strong grounds for doubting the polycyclic growth diagnosed for some faults at the scale of sedimentary cycles and supports the notion that fault displacement rates can be very well behaved. Our study emphasizes the important conclusion that stable fault growth, and related displacement rates, can appear to be punctuated when viewed at the scale of sedimentary cycles. It follows that care should be taken when attempting to derive displacement rates on temporal scales equivalent to those of alternating sedimentological cycles.     

Mechanisms of collapse of the cretaceous helvetiafjellet formation at Kvalvågen,eastern Spitsbergen

Coastal cliffs at Kvalvågen, eastern Spitsbergen, expose palaeolandslide blocks and related slope failure features that record local collapse of an otherwise undisturbed succession of paralic sediments. The collapse occurred along a shallow sloping shelf at the edge of an epicontinental sea in the Early Cretaceous. The event was coincident with a rise in relative sea level along a coast that had just previously experienced a major paralic regression across a muddy marine environment. The low relief environment in which the slope failure structures formed, as well as the timing of the collapse raise questions regarding the cause of the topographic instability and the possible influence of sea level changes or tectonic activity. These outcrops have been previously interpreted as the collapse of a deltaic system triggered by local seismic activity or collapse of a shelf break in the headwall regions of submarine canyons. This paper presents new structural and stratigraphic data that refine and adjust the previous interpretations through the evaluation of a variety of possible mechanisms for collapse based on the new data. Our data suggest that active delta deposition was not occurring at Kvalvågen at the time of collapse and that the collapse was likely due to allogenic forcing. Despite the possible influence of pore fluids and rheological controls on the collapse, we find that the geometry and kinematics of landslide slip planes, synsedimentary folds, and other slope failure related features require over-steepened topography and that these are most consistent with westward-directed collapse off of a north striking escarpment with elevated topography on the east side. Fault exposures, a large contrast in palaeo-elevation, and liquifaction features support previous interpretations of a tectonic cause for the collapse and suggest that this topographic feature may have been a fault or fold scarp. This study demonstrates the importance of combining stratigraphic and sedimentological data with structural data and kinematic analysis in the interpretation of sedimentary processes.     

Origin of transverse folds in an extensional growth-fault setting: Evidence from an extensive seismic volume in the western Gulf of Mexico

Growth faults in gravity-driven extensional provinces are dominated by coast-parallel trends, but coast-perpendicular (transverse) trends are far less documented. The Clemente–Tomas fault in the inner Texas shelf has corrugations that are transverse to the fault and that plunge downdip. A large (8500 km²), high-quality, 3D seismic survey allows a uniquely encompassing perspective into hanging-wall deformation above this corrugated fault surface. Synextensional strata in the hanging wall are folded into alternating transverse ridges and synclines, typically spaced 10 km apart. Forward modelling in dip profiles of an extensional fault having three ramps produces ramp basin-rollover pairs that compare with the seismically revealed ridges and synclines. As they translated down the undulose fault plane, ramp basins and rollovers were juxtaposed along strike, forming the hanging-wall ridges and synclines observed offshore Texas. Fault-surface corrugations correlate broadly with footwall structure. We infer that corrugations on the Clemente–Tomas fault formed by evacuation of an allochthonous salt canopy emplaced in the late Eocene to early Oligocene. Early salt evacuation (Oligocene) created an undulose topography that influenced incipient Clemente-Tomas fault segments as they merged to form an inherently undulose fault. Late salt evacuation (early Miocene) further deformed this fault surface.     

A climatology of mesoscale model simulated low-level wind jets over Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait, Alaska

Weather in the North Gulf of Alaska is characterized by a high frequency of deep synoptic-scale low-pressure systems, especially during the cold season. The strong pressure gradients of these storms interact with the extremely rugged terrain of the coastal mountains to produce a variety of channeled flows. These surface wind regimes are not well documented in the scientific community, due to the paucity of observations. Modeling of these phenomena in regions of complex terrain is of great interest to those working with hydrodynamic, wave, and pollutant transport models in coastal and shelf areas. Such models, when coupled with ocean and coastal-ecology counterparts, give a broad view of the role surface winds play in shaping local coastal marine ecosystem in this region. This paper presents a climatology of simulated low-level wind jets over the domain of Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait along Alaska's south-central coast. Daily simulations using the RAMS model were conducted in a 36-h forecast mode for the cold-season period 10/1/03 to 3/31/04. Systematic analysis of the resulting simulated low-level wind field makes it possible to characterize these jets and gap flows in spatial and temporal detail. The comparison between the RAMS winds and the Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)-derived winds when available verifies the existence of these wind jets and the capability of the model to simulate these cases. Clearly, the results of a study in this region depend on the fidelity of the model at these scales (O[5 km]). The SAR comparisons attempt to help establish this. From the 6 months of simulations over Cook Inlet and Shelikof Strait, the low-level wind jets are classified into 10 different regimes by location and orientation. These regimes are categorized into four more general groups: cross-channel westerly, easterly, and up and down Inlet flows. The nature of a particular regime is largely a function of pressure gradient orientation and local topography. Jets in the same group have a similar occurrence distribution with time. Some form of jet occurred in the study region almost daily each month of the period, with December 2003 having the highest frequency of wind jets.     

New insights into the carbonate karstic fault system and reservoir formation in the Southern Tahe area of the Tarim Basin

As worldwide hydrocarbon exploration has extended from shallowly to deeply buried strata, reservoir quality has attracted substantial and persistent interest in petroleum geology. In particular, deeply buried strata (>5500 m) in the Tarim Basin have attracted considerable attention because carbonate reservoirs that have experienced fracture or dissolution have also been shown to demonstrate considerable hydrocarbon potential. Therefore, it is necessary to determine how these reservoirs are developed and distributed in detail from both scientific and practical standpoints.In this paper, we address this issue using a case study in the southern Tahe area, which is contained within the largest Palaeozoic marine oilfield in China. In the northern Tahe area, mega-paleokarst systems developed in the Ordovician strata; however, the reservoir quality in the southern part of the Tahe area is relatively poor because it is covered by insoluble formations during karstification. Observations of cores and analyses of images of well logging demonstrate that these reservoirs are dominated by caves, vugs and fractures that have developed near faults. We speculate that the faults penetrating insoluble formations represent the main dissolution passages that originally developed these karstic fault systems. Additionally, we analyse a series of outcrops, seismic data, and structures to characterize the spatial geometry of these major faults and their surrounding fractures in detail. Most of these are strike-slip faults, and their subsequent reservoirs can be divided into three categories based on their development, including dendritic, sandwich and slab reservoirs. Recent studies demonstrate that karstic fault reservoirs are most common traps in the study area. Although various types of carbonate karstic fault reservoirs are represented in this region, the dendritic karstic fault reservoir is the most hydrocarbon-rich.Guided by these initial results, 108 wells were drilled from 2013 to 2014, producing 485 thousand tons of oil and yielding success ratios greater than 89%. The average production of dendritic reservoirs is 37.4 tons per day (t/d), while those of sandwich and slab types are 20.2 t/d and 14.0 t/d, respectively. These results represent significant references for future hydrocarbon exploration and the development of similar deeply buried karstic fault reservoirs in the Tarim Basin and elsewhere.     

Down-scaled regional ocean modeling system (ROMS) for high-resolution coastal hydrodynamics in Korea

A down-scaled operational oceanographic system is developed for the coastal waters of Korea using a regional ocean modeling system(ROMS).The operational oceanographic modeling system consists of atmospheric and hydrodynamic models.The hydrodynamic model,ROMS,is coupled with wave,sediment transport,and water quality modules.The system forecasts the predicted results twice a day on a 72 h basis,including sea surface elevation,currents,temperature,salinity,storm surge height,and wave information for the coastal waters of Korea.The predicted results are exported to the web-GIS-based coastal information system for real-time dissemination to the public and validation with real-time monitoring data using visualization technologies.The ROMS is two-way coupled with a simulating waves nearshore model,SWAN,for the hydrodynamics and waves,nested with the meteorological model,WRF,for the atmospheric surface forcing,and externally nested with the eutrophication model,CE-QUAL-ICM,for the water quality.The operational model,ROMS,was calibrated with the tidal surface observed with a tide-gage and verified with current data observed by bottom-mounted ADCP or AWAC near the coastal waters of Korea.To validate the predicted results,we used real-time monitoring data derived from remote buoy system,HF-radar,and geostationary ocean color imager(GOCI).This down-scaled operational coastal forecasting system will be used as a part of the Korea operational oceanographic system(KOOS) with other operational oceanographic systems.     

平湖油气田主断裂西部烃源评价及油源对比

平湖油气田主力含油气区位于平湖主断裂以东区域,油源主要来源于东部生烃凹陷的半封闭海湾暗色泥岩和煤层.公司于2011年11月在主断裂西部钻了一口探井XY井,目的是为探测主断裂西部含油气情况,扩大油气储量.结果钻遇油气层12m,测试获日产气14.66×104m3,日产油107.8 m3,取得了一定突破.为进一步评价西部含油气规模,钻后进行了油源对比研究,认为西部的油气主要是东部运移聚集的结果,西部源岩也有一定贡献.西部有形成一定规模油气藏的潜力.     

琼东南盆地深水区东区凹陷带结构构造及其演化特征

琼东南盆地深水区东区凹陷带,即松南—宝岛—长昌凹陷,位于琼东南盆地中央坳陷东端。在大量地震资料解释的基础上,对38条主要断层进行了详细分析。获得以下认识:(1)琼东南盆地深水区东区凹陷带平面上表现为近EW向展布的平行四边形,剖面结构表现为自西向东由半地堑—不对称的地堑—半地堑有规律变化。(2)琼东南盆地深水区东区凹陷带断裂系统可划分控制凹陷边界断层、控制洼陷沉积中心断层和调节性断层3类。(3)琼东南盆地深水区东区凹陷带古近纪时期受到太平洋板块俯冲和南海海盆扩张的双重影响,构造应力场发生NW—SE→SN转变。构造演化可划分为3个阶段:~32 Ma,应力场以区域性NW—SE向伸展为主,断裂系统以NE—SW向为主,控制凹陷边界;32~26 Ma,以南海海盆近SN向拉张应力场为主,断裂系统以NWW—SEE向为主,断层活动控制凹陷沉积中心;26~ Ma,区域性伸展与南海海盆扩张应力均逐渐减弱,NE—SW向和NWW—SEE向断裂继承性发育。(4)琼东南盆地深水区东区凹陷带内部主要断层在渐新统崖城组和陵水组沉积时期活动速率快,地形高差大、沉积水体深、沉积厚度大,控制了崖城组和陵水组的大规模沉积,有利于烃源岩的发育。圈闭以受断层控制的断鼻和断块为主,长昌主洼凹中隆起带发育2个最为理想的构造圈闭。     

斑岩Cu-(Mo-Au)矿床的成矿构造环境及勘查意义

斑岩矿床是重要的矿床勘查目标。斑岩矿床的成矿构造环境研究有助于确定斑岩矿床的战略勘查方向。斑岩矿床形成的成矿构造环境包括板块汇聚边缘、大陆转换板块边界、陆内造山环境和非造山环境。本文重点对斑岩矿床在汇聚边缘和大陆转换板块边界的成矿构造环境及其勘查意义进行初步总结。构造变化对斑岩矿床的形成起到触发作用。微弱和中等程度的转换挤压应力最有利于岩浆的集聚、上升和就位。岩浆侵入可以是在广阔的转换挤压断层带内或在其周围局部呈引张的地区集中出现。对于斑岩矿床战略勘查方向而言,应注意研究区域走滑断层与侵入体的关系,加强对地表浅部喷气蚀变的识别。在我国西南地区已勘查发现的5个斑岩成矿带中,应注意沿区域走滑断裂构造方向开展找矿。从成矿构造环境与哀牢山-红河构造带对比来看,鲜水河-小江断裂带可能是西南地区新的斑岩矿床勘查区。