Nano-scale pore structure and fractal dimension of organic-rich Wufeng-Longmaxi shale from Jiaoshiba area,Sichuan Basin: Investigations using FE-SEM,gas adsorption and helium pycnometry

Much attention have been recently paid to the upper Ordovician Wufeng shale (O₃w) and lower Silurian Longmaxi shale (S₁l) in the Jiaoshiba area of Sichuan Basin, which is now the largest producing shale gas field in China. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), low pressure gas (N₂ and CO₂) adsorption, helium pycnometry, X-ray diffraction and geochemical analyses were performed to investigate the pore structure and fractal dimension of the pores in O₃w-S₁l shale formation in the Jiaoshiba area. FE-SEM images show that organic matter (OM) pores are dominant in the organic-rich samples and these pores are often irregular, bubble-like, elliptical and faveolate in shape, while in organic-poor samples, limited and isolated interparticle (interP), intraparticle (intraP) and OM pores are observed. Reversed S-shaped isotherms obtained from nitrogen adsorption are type Ⅱ, and hysteresis loops indicate that the shape of micropore in the samples is slit-or plate-like. BET surface areas and total pore volume vary from 12.2 to 27.1 m²/g and from 1.8 × 10⁻² to 2.9 × 10⁻² cm³/g, with an average of 19.5 m²/g and 2.3 × 10⁻² cm³/g, respectively. Adsorption volume from both N₂ and CO₂ adsorption increases with respect to TOC contents. Porosities obtained from helium porosimetry are comparable with these from gas (CO₂ and N₂) adsorption in O₃w-S₁l shale. However, porosity determined by quantitative FE-SEM analysis is much smaller, which is mainly related to limited resolution and the small areas of investigation.Based on the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) model of low-pressure N₂ adsorption, fractal dimensions of the pores varied from 2.737 to 2.823. Relationships between pore structure parameters and TOC content, mineral composition and fractal dimension reveal that the fractal dimension is mainly associated with micropores. Samples with higher TOC content, higher quartz content and lower clay content tend to contain more heterogeneous micropores, resulting in higher fractal dimensions and more complicated pore structure in shales. Therefore, fractal dimension is an effective parameter to reflect the complexity of pore structure and the degree of micropore development in O₃w-S₁l shale.     

A new tree fern stem,Tempskya zhangii sp. nov. (Tempskyaceae) from the Cretaceous of Northeast China

A new Cretaceous tree fern species from the family Tempskyaceae, Tempskya zhangii sp. nov., from Keshan County, Heilongjiang Province, Northeast China, is described based on silicified fragments. The species is characterized by dichotomizing stems embedded in a matrix of adventitious roots, together forming a solid and compact false trunk. The dorsiventral stems are composed of solenosteles, and their internodes are short with 2–3 (rarely 4) leaf traces. A three-layered cortex includes a sclerenchymatous outer zone, parenchymatous middle zone, and an inner zone composed of sclerenchyma band and parenchyma cells. The pith consists of a parenchymatous outer zone and sclerenchymatous inner zone. The petiole has a single C- or U-shaped vascular strand. The adventitious root has diarch xylem surrounded by an inner sclerenchymatous and an outer parenchymatous cortex. In possessing these characters, T. zhangii is more similar to T. wyomingensis from the Cretaceous of North America than to other species of Tempskya. However, the Chinese species distinctly differs from T. wyomingensis in having a sclerenchymatous outer cortex, parenchymatous middle cortex, and sparse parenchyma in the xylem. It is the first record of Tempskya from China and the fourth from Asia. This species, together with Cyatheaceae, Osmundaceae, Cycadeoidaceae, and conifers found in the same region constituted the plant community at the time.     

Subsidence in the Kathmandu Basin,before and after the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha Earthquake,Nepal Revealed from Small Baseline Subset-DInSAR Analysis

Land subsidence in densely urbanized areas is a global problem that is primarily caused by excessive groundwater withdrawal. The Kathmandu Basin is one such area where subsidence due to groundwater depletion has been a major problem in recent years. Moreover, on 25 April 2015, this basin experienced large crustal movements caused by the Gorkha earthquake (Mw 7.8). Consequently, the effects of earthquake-induced deformation could affect the temporal and spatial nature of anthropogenic subsidence in the basin. However, this effect has not yet been fully studied. In this paper, we applied the SBAS-DInSAR technique to estimate the spatiotemporal displacement of land subsidence in the Kathmandu Basin before and after the Gorkha earthquake, using 16 ALOS-1 Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) images during the pre-seismic period and 26 Sentinel-1 A/B SAR images during the pre- and post-seismic periods. The results showed that the mean subsidence rate in the central part of the basin was about ?8.2 cm/year before the earthquake. The spatial extents of the subsiding areas were well-correlated with the spatial distributions of the compressible clay layers in the basin. We infer from time-series InSAR analysis that subsidence in the Kathmandu basin could be associated with fluvio-lacustrine (clay) deposits and local hydrogeological conditions. However, after the mainshock, the subsidence rate significantly increased to ?15 and ?12 cm/year during early post-seismic (108 days) and post-seismic (2015–2016) period, respectively. Based on a spatial analysis of the subsidence rate map, the entire basin uplifted during the co-seismic period has started to subside and become stable during the early-post-seismic period. This is because of the elastic rebound of co-seismic deformation. However, interestingly, the localized areas show increased subsidence rates during both the early-post- and post-seismic periods. Therefore, we believe that the large co-seismic deformation experienced in this basin might induce the local subsidence to increase in rate, caused by oscillations of the water table level in the clay layer.     

Sedimentology of the continental end‐Permian extinction event in the Sydney Basin,eastern Australia

Upper Permian to Lower Triassic coastal plain successions of the Sydney Basin in eastern Australia have been investigated in outcrop and continuous drillcores. The purpose of the investigation is to provide an assessment of palaeoenvironmental change at high southern palaeolatitudes in a continental margin context for the late Permian (Lopingian), across the end‐Permian Extinction interval, and into the Early Triassic. These basins were affected by explosive volcanic eruptions during the late Permian and, to a much lesser extent, during the Early Triassic, allowing high‐resolution age determination on the numerous tuff horizons. Palaeobotanical and radiogenic isotope data indicate that the end‐Permian Extinction occurs at the top of the uppermost coal bed, and the Permo‐Triassic boundary either within an immediately overlying mudrock succession or within a succeeding channel sandstone body, depending on locality due to lateral variation. Late Permian depositional environments were initially (during the Wuchiapingian) shallow marine and deltaic, but coastal plain fluvial environments with extensive coal‐forming mires became progressively established during the early late Permian, reflected in numerous preserved coal seams. The fluvial style of coastal plain channel deposits varies geographically. However, apart from the loss of peat‐forming mires, no significant long‐term change in depositional style (grain size, sediment‐body architecture, or sediment dispersal direction) was noted across the end‐Permian Extinction (pinpointed by turnover of the palaeoflora). There is no evidence for immediate aridification across the boundary despite a loss of coal from these successions. Rather, the end‐Permian Extinction marks the base of a long‐term, progressive trend towards better‐drained alluvial conditions into the Early Triassic. Indeed, the floral turnover was immediately followed by a flooding event in basinal depocentres, following which fluvial systems similar to those active prior to the end‐Permian Extinction were re‐established. The age of the floral extinction is constrained to 252.54 ± 0.08 to 252.10 ± 0.06 Ma by a suite of new Chemical Abrasion Isotope Dilution Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry U‐Pb ages on zircon grains. Another new age indicates that the return to fluvial sedimentation similar to that before the end‐Permian Extinction occurred in the basal Triassic (prior to 251.51 ± 0.14 Ma). The character of the surface separating coal‐bearing pre‐end‐Permian Extinction from coal‐barren post‐end‐Permian Extinction strata varies across the basins. In basin‐central locations, the contact varies from disconformable, where a fluvial channel body has cut down to the level of the top coal, to conformable where the top coal is overlain by mudrocks and interbedded sandstone–siltstone facies. In basin‐marginal locations, however, the contact is a pronounced erosional disconformity with coarse‐grained alluvial facies overlying older Permian rocks. There is no evidence that the contact is everywhere a disconformity or unconformity.     

南图尔盖盆地Aryskum坳陷钾盐的测井响应特征及其分布

钾盐作为战略资源,在农业、工业等领域具有重要的使用价值。世界大多数固态钾资源发现于大规模的石油勘探过程中,充分利用各种油气地质、地球物理资料开展钾盐勘探对于国家发展尤为重要。位于哈萨克斯坦的南图尔盖盆地地质构造简单、资源勘探潜力较大。文中以南图尔盖盆地Aryskum坳陷为研究区块,基于其沉积地质特点,结合多口井的常规测井资料及前人研究成果,综合分析自然伽马、自然电位、三孔隙度等测井曲线的响应特征,含钾层段具体表现为自然伽马异常高值,并通过无铀伽马曲线等排除铀、钍元素影响,扩径使得中子值偏高,自然电位异常幅度由砂岩层的负异常变化为正异常,电阻率值偏高,密度值介于2.25~2.45 g/cm³,声波时差在270~350 μs/m范围内。基于含钾层测井曲线特点,利用测井曲线综合识别法、重叠法、交会图法进行研究区钾盐识别。在研究区30余口井中发现有可溶性钾盐层分布,分布在M-Ⅱ-3、M-Ⅱ-2小层底部,其中M-Ⅱ-3层底部为主要钾盐层段,并对各井含钾层段累计厚度进行统计分析。最后,借助地层对比分析含钾层段在横向和纵向上的展布情况,通过等厚图的绘制开展了找钾有利区分析,拓展了测井资料在南图尔盖盆地钾盐勘查中的应用,进而为今后研究区钾盐找矿提供重点方向。     

Structural characteristics of the KPR-CBR triple-junction inferred from gravity and magnetic interpretations,Philippine Sea Plate

The intersection of the Kyushu-Palau Ridge (KPR) and the Central Basin Rift (CBR) of the West Philippine Basin (WPB) is a relic of a trench-trench-rift (TTR) type triple-junction, which preserves some pivotal information on the cessation of the seafloor spreading of the WPB, the emplacement and disintegration of the proto-Izu-Bonin-Mariana (IBM) Arc, and the transition from initial rifting to steady-state spreading of the Parece Vela Basin (PVB). However, the structural characteristics of this triple-junction have not been thoroughly understood. In this paper, using the newly acquired multi-beam bathymetric, gravity, and magnetic data obtained by the Qingdao Institute of Marine Geology, China Geological Survey, the authors depict the topographic, gravity, and magnetic characteristics of the triple-junction and adjacent region. Calculations including the upward continuations and total horizontal derivatives of gravity anomaly are also performed to highlight the major structural features and discontinuities. Based on these works, the morphological and structural features and their formation mechanisms are analyzed. The results show that the last episode amagmatic extension along the CBR led to the formation of a deep rift valley, which extends eastward and incised the KPR. The morphological and structural fabrics of the KPR near and to the south of the triple-junction are consistent with those of the western PVB, manifesting as a series of NNE-SSW- and N-S-trending ridges and troughs, which were produced by the extensional faults associated with the initial rifting of the PVB. The superposition of the above two reasons induced the prominent discontinuity of the KPR in deep and shallow crustal structures between 15°N–15°30′N and 13°30′N–14°N. Combined with previous authors’ results, we propose that the stress produced by the early spreading of the PVB transmitted westward and promoted the final stage amagmatic extension of the CBR. The eastward propagation of the CBR destroyed the KPR, of which the magmatism had decayed or ceased at that time. The destruction mechanism of the KPR associated with the rifting of the PVB varies along strike the KPR. Adjacent to the triple-junction, the KPR was destroyed mainly due to the oblique intersection of the PVB rifting center. Whereas south of the triple-junction, the KPR was destroyed by the E-W-directional extensional faulting on its whole width.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office.     

云南楚雄盆地上三叠统沉积及地球化学的海相特征

楚雄盆地为中生代形成的典型前陆盆地。三叠纪是其形成的主体阶段和盆山转换的重要时期,也是由海相向陆相沉积环境的转折期,同时上三叠统是楚雄盆地最重要的油气资源层系。通过对楚雄盆地上三叠统进行系统的沉积学、层序地层学和波动地质学分析,在上三叠统识别出3个三级层序,建立了层序地层格架和高频波动曲线。对层序地层格架内的碳、氧同位素和微量元素的特征进行分析,发现楚雄盆地晚三叠世诺利晚期—瑞替期沉积具有海相沉积环境的地球化学特征,同时综合多学科的研究成果,指出楚雄盆地该时期为一与海域相接的近海湖盆,并受到间歇性海侵的影响。而海相烃源岩与陆相烃源岩在生烃能力、分布规律等方面均具有较大的差异。因此,这一认识对于重新评价楚雄盆地晚三叠世烃源岩具有重要意义。     

新疆焉耆盆地绿洲景观的空间格局及其变化

通过GIS技术的叠加和提取功能建立了焉耆盆地两个时间段的景观类型转移矩阵。在此基础上,分析了焉耆盆地内部绿洲景观类型的动态演化过程和空间分布特征。结果表明:焉耆盆地经过近40年的土地开垦后,人工绿洲呈现出上升的趋势,农田向自然绿洲和荒漠的扩张在整个研究阶段均可见;农田开垦的对象表现为从草地(含部分沼泽地)→多汁木本盐柴类荒漠→超旱生灌木半灌木荒漠迁移,体现了农田绿洲开垦从易到难,自然绿洲不断缩小,人工绿洲不断扩大的过程;对土地和水资源的不合理利用,导致盆地内湖泊水体、湖泊周边及农田绿洲出现明显的生态退化。焉耆盆地今后的规划和发展必须高度重视人工绿洲生态系统和自然生态之间的平衡,盆地环境治理很大程度决定于水资源的合理利用和合理调节。     

塔里木盆地区域地下水环境同位素特征及其意义

以大量水环境同位素样品测试结果为依据,对塔里木盆地的区域水环境同位素特征进行了分析,得出了一些有意义的认识:(1)塔里木盆地不同14C年龄的地下水的δD、δ18O值差异不明显,反映了水资源形成区在最后冰期和冰后期气温相差不大,推测是由于新构造运动使山体隆升,同一位置因高程变化产生的气温变化弥合了气候的变化,这一特征使我们难以运用δD-δ18O关系区别古水(冰期)与现代水(冰后期)。(2)在δD-δ18O关系图上,沿大气降水线可把盆地内主要河流及其补给形成的地下水大致圈定在3个域内,这3个域的区别不是大气环流作用的结果,而是河流源区山脉高程效应的反映。(3)与西北内陆盆地其他大型河流比较,阿克苏河流域下游承压自流水的14C年龄小得多,这是由阿克苏河径流量大、下游为河槽洼地、不完全具备山前倾斜平原水文地质特征等决定的。阿克苏河下游承压水水循环交替迅速,开发潜力较大,在西北内流盆地中是一个特例。(4)塔克拉玛干沙漠第四系松散层地下水主要是从盆地南缘侧向补给的,在沙漠腹地由深部向浅部顶托排泄。盆地内深层油田水处于高度封闭的滞留状态,与上部松散沉积层地下水之间基本没有联系。