Whole petroleum system in Jurassic coal measures of Taibei Sag in Tuha Basin,NW China

Based on the latest results of near-source exploration in the Middle and Lower Jurassic of the Tuha Basin,a new understanding of the source rocks,reservoir conditions,and source-reservoir-cap rock combinations of the Jurassic Shuixigou Group in the Taibei Sag is established using the concept of the whole petroleum system,and the coal-measure whole petroleum system is analyzed thoroughly.The results are obtained in three aspects.First,the coal-measure source rocks of the Badaowan Formation and Xishanyao Formation and the argillaceous source rocks of the Sangonghe Formation in the Shuixigou Group exhibit the characteristics of long-term hydrocarbon generation,multiple hydrocarbon generation peaks,and simultaneous oil and gas generation,providing sufficient oil and gas sources for the whole petroleum system in the Jurassic coal-bearing basin.Second,multi-phase shallow braided river delta–shallow lacustrine deposits contribute multiple types of reservoirs,e.g.sandstone,tight sandstone,shale and coal rock,in slope and depression areas,providing effective storage space for the petroleum reservoir formation in coal-measure strata.Third,three phases of hydrocarbon charging and structural evolution,as well as effective configuration of multiple types of reservoirs,result in the sequential accumulation of conventional-unconventional hydrocarbons.From high structural positions to depression,there are conventional structural and structural-lithological reservoirs far from the source,low-saturation structural-lithological reservoirs near the source,and tight sandstone gas,coal rock gas and shale oil accumulations within the source.Typically,the tight sandstone gas and coal rock gas are the key options for further exploration,and the shale oil and gas in the depression area is worth of more attention.The new understanding of the whole petroleum system in the coal measures could further enrich and improve the geological theory of the whole petroleum system,and provide new ideas for the overall exploration of oil and gas resources in the Tuha Basin.

Significance of Coal Seam in Recognition of Sequence Boundaries and Systems Tract of the Jurassic in East Fukang Slope, Junggar Basin, China

The Jurassic in the East Fukang Slope can be divided into six sequences based on sequence stratigraphy by combining logging, core and seismic data. The indicators of sequence boundaries include unconformity, coal seams, change of spore and pollen abundance, scour surfaces and base conglomerate, change of logging curve and sedimentary facies. How to determine the location of the first flooding surfaces and the maximum flooding surface is the key step to divide the systems tract. There occurred a topographic slope break in the East Fukang Slope when the Jurassic was deposited, and therefore we can recognize the location of the first flooding surface and establish the sequence stratigraphic framework with the slope break in the study area. Coal seams regionally distributed are correlatable and isochronic, and record the termination of a depositional event or episode. So, the regional coal seam （more than 60 percent coverage） can be used as the genetic stratigraphic sequence boundary, while locally distributed coal seam （less than 60 percent coverage） can be used as the systems tract boundary. The thick coal seams distributed regionally in the middle of the Badaowan Formation and the lower part of the Xishanyao Formation in the study area act as the sequence boundaries, while the thin and locally distributed coal seam acts as the systems tract boundary, which results in the correlation of the division of sequence stratigraphy of the Jurassic to the whole basin where coal seams are developed extensively.

Equilibrium modeling of water-gas systems in Jurassic–Cretaceous reservoirs of the Arctic petroleum province, northern West Siberia

To reveal the equilibrium state of oil and gas and water in a petroliferous basin with a high content of saline water, calculations of water-gas equilibrium were carried out, using a new simulation method, for the Arctic territories of the West Siberian oil and gas bearing province. The water-bearing layers in this area vary widely in gas saturation and have gas saturation coefficients(C;) from 0.2 to 1.0. The gas saturation coefficient increases with depth and total gas saturation of the formation water. All the water layers with gas saturation bigger than 1.8 L/L have the critical gas saturation coefficient value of 1.0, which creates favorable conditions for the accumulation of hydrocarbons;and unsaturated formation water can dissolve gas in the existent pool. The gas saturation coefficient of formation water is related to the type of fluid in the reservoir. Condensate gas fields have gas saturation coefficients from 0.8 to 1.0, while oil reservoirs have lower gas saturation coefficient. Complex gas-water exchange patterns indicate that gas in the Jurassic–Cretaceous reservoirs of the study area is complex in origin.

Hydrocarbon Generation Characteristics of Coal-measure Source Rocks and their Contribution to Natural Gas:A Case Study of Middle and Lower Jurassic Targets from the Southern Junggar Basin Margin

In order to study the hydrocarbon generation(HCGE)characteristics of coal-bearing basins,the coal-measure source rocks of the Middle Jurassic-Lower Jurassic(MLJ)of the piedmont thrust belt in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin in Northwest China are taken as research objects.More than 60 MLJ samples were collected from outcrops and wells.Total organic carbon(TOC),rock pyrolysis(Rock-Eval),organic petrological,vitrinite reflectance(%Ro),and hydrous pyrolysis were performed to analyze the relevant samples.The pyrolysis gases and liquid products were measured,and then the chemical composition,as well as carbon isotopes of the gases,were analyzed.The results indicate that the MLJ source rocks have the capacity for large-scale gas generation.In addition,for coal-measure source rocks,the heavier the carbon isotope of kerogen(δ^(13)C_(kerogen)),the lower the liquid hydrocarbon and hydrocarbon gas yield,and the easier it is to produce non-hydrocarbon gas.It is worth noting that when theδ^(13)C_(kerogen)in organic matter(OM)is relatively heavier,the fractionation of its products may become weaker in the evolutionary process.The vital contribution of the MLJ source rock to natural gas resources in the study area was further confirmed by comparing it with the Jurassic source gas.

Accumulation sequence and exploration domain of continental whole petroleum system in Sichuan Basin,SW China

Based on the oil and gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin,combined with data such as seismic,logging and geochemistry,the basic geological conditions,hydrocarbon types,hydrocarbon distribution characteristics,source-reservoir relationship and accumulation model of the Upper Triassic–Jurassic continental whole petroleum system in the basin are systematically analyzed.The continental whole petroleum system in the Sichuan Basin develops multiple sets of gas-bearing strata,forming a whole petroleum system centered on the Triassic Xujiahe Formation source rocks.The thick and high-quality source rocks in the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation provide sufficient gas source basis for the continental whole petroleum system in the basin.The development of conventional-unconventional reservoirs provides favorable space for hydrocarbon accumulation.The coupling of faults and sandbodies provides a high-quality transport system for gas migration.Source rocks and reservoirs are overlapped vertically,and there are obvious differences in sedimentary environment,reservoir lithology and physical properties,which lead to the orderly development of inner-source shale gas,near-source tight gas,and far-source tight–conventional gas in the Upper Triassic–Jurassic,from bottom to top.The orderly change of geological conditions such as burial depth,reservoir physical properties,formation pressure and hydrocarbon generation intensity in zones controlled the formation of the whole petroleum system consisting of structural gas reservoir in thrust zone,shale gas-tight gas reservoir in depression zone,tight gas reservoir in slope zone,and tight gas–conventional gas reservoir in uplift zone on the plane.Based on the theory and concept of the whole petroleum system,the continental shale gas and tight gas resources in the Sichuan Basin have great potential,especially in the central and western parts with abundant unconventional resources.

The Upper Jurassic sediments,Marib-Shabwa Basin,Yemen:Lithofacies aspects and sequence stratigraphic analysis

The present study is devoted to understanding the evolution of the Upper Jurassic Sab'atayn Formation in the Marib-Shabwa Basin,Yemen,through a sequence stratigraphic analysis based on integrating datasets of sedimentology,seismic sections,and well logs.The Sab'atayn Formation(Tithonian age)is represented by a series of clastic and evaporites that were deposited under fluvio-deltaic to prodeltaic settings.It is divided into four members including Yah(at the base),upwards to Seen,Alif,and Safir at the top.Two third-order depositional sequences were determined for the Tithonian succession which were separated by three sequence boundaries.These sequences were classified into their systems tracts signifying several sedimentation patterns of progradational,aggradational,and retrogradational parasequence sets.The first depositional sequence corresponds to the early-middle Tithonian Yah and Seen units that can be classified into lowstand,transgressive,and highstand systems tracts.The second sequence comprises the late Tithonian Alif unit that can be subdivided into transgressive and highstand systems tracts.The sandy deposits of the Alif Member(highstand deposits)represent the most productive hydrocarbon reservoir in the basin.The Upper Jurassic sediments in the study area were resulted from a combination of eustatic and tectonic effects.

High-resolution CT-scan data reveals the tooth replacement pattern of the Late Jurassic tyrannosauroid Guanlong wucaii (Dinosauria, Theropoda)

The Tyrannosauridae,which is characterized by specialized pachydont dentition and putative bone-cracking predatory strategies,is one of the most extensively studied theropod lineages.Although tooth replacement patterns,crucial for understanding feeding behaviors,have been thoroughly studied in this group,studies on non-tyrannosaurid tyrannosauroids are relatively scarce.This study utilizes high-resolution CT data to investigate the tooth replacement pattern in two specimens of Guanlong wucaii,a Late Jurassic tyrannosauroid,and provides insights into the evolution of tooth replacement across Tyrannosauroidea.Second-generation replacement teeth,a rarity observed mainly in giant predatory theropods(e.g.some tyrannosaurids),were detected in the dentary dentition of the juvenile Guanlong.Zahnreihen reconstructions display a consistent cephalad alternating tooth replacement pattern in the maxilla and the dentary of both of the examined individuals,with Z-spacing values exceeding 2.0.As Guanlong grows,the Z-spacing value in the maxillary dentition increases,resembling the ontogenetic changes documented in the Tyrannosauridae.Additionally,like Tarbosaurus,Guanlong also displays a discontinuity between the tooth replacement waves at the premaxilla-maxilla boundary.This study thus demonstrates that some tyrannosaurid-like tooth replacement patterns were acquired before the origin of the Tyrannosauridae.

Two Jurassic Mammaliaforms from China Shed Light on Mammalian Evolution

Mammaliaforms are extinct and extant organisms that are closely related to mammals.Studying mammaliaforms helps scientists understand the evolutionary processes that led to various mammalian features.In two consecutive studies in Nature,Dr.MAO Fangyuan and Dr.ZHANG Chi from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology(IVPP)of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS),together with colleagues from Australia and the United States.

A New Genus of Mesoserphidae (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupoidea) from the Upper Jurassic of Northeast China

The genus Beipiaoserphus gen. nov. is established and referred to Mesoserphidae with Beipiaoserphus elegans sp. nov. as its type species. The type specimens were collected from the lower part of the Upper Jurassic Yixian Formation at Huangbanjigou Village near Shangyuan Town, Beipiao, Liaoning Province, China and are housed at Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Academia Sinica, Nanjing.

Middle Jurassic Sporo-pollen Assemblages in Northern Turpan Depression, Xinjiang, Northwest China

Eighty-one species of fossil spores and pollen assigned to 52 genera are found from the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao, Sanjianfang and Qiketai Formations of boreholes Le 1, Mi 1, Shan 1 and Dun 1 in the northern Turpan Depression, Xinjiang, northwest China. Three assemblages have been proposed as: Cyathidites-Psophosphaera-Cycadopites assemblage, Cyathidites-Quadraceculina-Classopollis assemblage and Cyathidites-Callialasporites-Classopollis assemblage obtained from the Xishanyao Formation, the Sanjianfang Formation and Qiketai Formation respectively. Based on the sporo-pollen assemblage features and con-elation, their geological ages are regarded as of Middle Jurassic, probably Aalenian to Bathonian. The results of the study indicate that the vegetation of early Middle Jurassic in this region consisted mainly of Gymnospermae of Ginkgoaceae of Cycadales, Podocarpaceae, Pinaceae and Pteridophyta of Cyatheacene, Osmundaceae, Lycopodiaceae and Dicksoniaceae, etc. They reflect a warm-moist subtropic climate. To the middle-late Middle Jurassic, Cheirolepidaceae was dominant in the vegetation, which indicates that the climate was in the trend of becoming dry.

A new understanding of Jurassic provenance and sedimentary framework in northwestern Sikeshu Sag, Junggar Basin, China

For a basin or sag with low exploration maturity,the understanding of its provenance system and clastic distribution system is the key to the analysis of its sedimentary framework and further influence the decision making and deployment of exploration.This study analyzed the Jurassic provenance of the Sikeshu Sag based on the data from cores,well logging,and seismic survey.The analysis of seismic profile characteristics revealed that there is a remote possibility that the Chepaizi Uplift in the northern part serves as the main Jurassic provenance of the Sikeshu Sag.On the contrary,systematic indicative signs of provenance have developed in the study area,including west-to-east progradational reflection config-urations and composite mounded reflections that show bi-directional downlapping contact in both the south and north directions.These systematic indicative signs suggest that the denuded uplift area in the western part is the main Jurassic provenance in the study area.Controlled by the provenance in the western part,the study area shows an orderly distribution of paleosedimentary systems from west to east and from shallow to deep water.The paleosedimentary system mainly exhibits the following characteristics after undergoing later high-intensity transformation.(1)The western part is dominated by the subfacies of a braided river delta front and is composed of three microfacies including distributary channels,interdistributary bays,and sandbars;(2)The middle and eastern parts show a semi-deep lacustrine environment,where debris flow sedimentary systems of slumping origin or in deep can-yons,gullies and channels connected to the denudation area developed from west to east.These debris flow sedimentary systems jointly form the clastic sedimentary system under the control of western provenance.

Jurassic Tectonic Revolution in China and New Interpretation of the “Yanshan Movement”

With acquisition and accumulation of new data of structural geological investigations and high-resolution isotopic dating data, we have greatly improved our understanding of the tectonic events occurring in eastern China during the period from the Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous and may give a new interpretation of the nature, timing and geodynamic settings of the “Yanshan Movement”. During the Mid-Late Jurassic （165±5 Ma）, great readjustment of plate amalgamation kinematics took place in East Asia and the tectonic regime underwent great transformation, thus initiating a new tectonic regime in which the North China Block was the center and different plates converged toward it from the north, east and southwest and forming the “East Asia convergent” tectonic system characterized by intracontinental subduction and orogeny. As a consequence, the crustal lithosphere of the East Asian continent thickened considerably during the Late Jurassic, followed immediately by Early Cretaceous substantial lithospheric thinning and craton destruction featured by drastic lithospheric extension and widespread volcano-magmatic activities, resulting in a major biotic turnover from the Yanliao biota to Jehol Biota. Such a tremendous tectonic event that took place in the continent of China and East Asia is the basic connotation of the “Yanshan Movement”. In the paper, according to the deformation patterns, geodynamic settings and deep processes, the “Yanshan Movement” is redefined as the Late Jurassic East Asian multi-directional plate convergent tectonic regime and its associated extensive intracontinental orogeny and great tectonic change that started at -165±5 Ma. The substantial lithospheric attenuation in East China is considered the post-effect of the Yanshanian intracontinental orogeny and deformation.

Radiometric Dating of Ignimbrite from Inner Mongolia Provides no Indication of a Post-Middle Jurassic Age for the Daohugou Beds

Lacustrine deposits exposed at Daohugou, Inner Mongolia, China, have yielded superbly preserved vertebrate fossils. The fossil beds were first misinterpreted as of Early Cretaceous age, based on alleged occurrences of key fossils of the Jehol Biota. Compelling evidence revealed by more rigorous research involving regional biostratigraphy, radiometric dating, and paleontology supports the Middle Jurassic age of the fossil beds. Despite the awesome evidence for the Middle Jurassic age of the Daohugou beds, the age dispute has been resurrected recently by invoking an overturned stratigraphic sequence. A careful review of the data, however, found no evidence that this sequence has been overturned. In addition, many of the assumptions, on which the conjecture of the fossil beds being post- Middle Jurassic is imprudently based, are self-contradictory or otherwise misleading. Thus, the post- Middle Jurassic age of the Daohugou beds as an unfounded conclusion can readily be dismissed.

Quantitative Analysis of Paleoatmospheric CO2 Level Based on Stomatal Characters of Fossil Ginkgo from Jurassic to Cretaceous in China

A better theoretical and practical understanding of the linkage between paleo-CO2 and climate during geological history is important to enhance the sustainable development of modern human society. Development in plant physiology since the 1980s has led to the realization that fossil plants can serve as a proxy for paleoatmosphere and paleobiosphere. As a relict gymnosperm with evolutionary stasis, Ginkgo is well suited for paleoenvironmental reconstruction. This paper analyzes fossil Ginkgo species from integrated strata in the north of China using anatomic data of plant physiology. Using stomatal parameters, a trend for the paleo-CO2 level during the Early-Middle Jurassic and the Early Cretaceous was obtained, which is consistent with the estimates by GEOCARB. The trend is also similar to that of Mean Global Surface Temperature in geological time. Compared with three other atmospheric CO2 concentration parameters, the trend of paleo-CO2 level based on the stomatal parameter of the fossil Ginkgo specimens from three contiguous strata is more exact.

Jurassic Tectonics of North China:A Synthetic View

This paper gives a synthetic view on the Jurassic tectonics of North China, with an attempt to propose a framework for the stepwise tectonic evolution history. Jurassic sedimentation, deformation and magmatism in North China have been divided into three stages. The earliest Jurassic is marked by a period of magmatism quiescence （in 205-190 Ma） and regional uplift, which are considered to be the continuation of the “Indosinian movement” characterized by continent-continent collision between the North and South China blocks. The Early to Middle Jurassic （in 190-170 Ma） was predominated by weak lithospheric extension expressed by mantle-derived plutonism and volcanism along the Yanshan belt and alongside the Tan-Lu fault zone, normal faulting and graben formation along the Yinshan- Yanshan tectonic belt, depression and resuming of coal-bearing sedimentation in vast regions of the North China block （NCB）. The Middle to Late Jurassic stage started at 165y.5 Ma and ended up before 136 Ma; it was dominated by intensive intraplate deformation resulting from multi-directional compressions. Two major deformation events have been identified. One is marked by stratigraphic unconformity beneath the thick Upper Jurassic molasic series in the foreland zones of the western Ordos thrust-fold belt and along the Yinshan-Yanshan belt; it was predated 160 Ma. The other one is indicated by stratigraphic unconformity at the base of the Lower Cretaceous and predated 135 Ma. During this last stage, two latitudinal tectonic belts, the Yinshan-Yanshan belt in the north and the Qinling-Dabie belt in the south, and the western margin of the Ordos basin were all activated by thrusting; the NCB itself was deformed by the NE to NNE-trending structural system involving thrusting, associated folding and sinistral strike-slip faulting, which were spatially partitioned. Foliated S-type granitic plutons aged 160-150 Ma were massively emplaced in the Jiao-Liao massif east of the Tan-Lu fault zone and indicate important crustal thickening in this part of the NCB. The Jurassic deformation patterns, different tectonic systems and multi-directional contractions in North China recorded far-field effects of synchronous convergences, toward the East Asian continent, of three different plates, the Siberian plate in the north, the paleo-Pacific oceanic plate in the east and the Lhasa block in the southwest. This Middle to Late Jurassic intraplate orogenesis and pervasive shortening deformation preceded lithospheric attenuation and thinning in East China, which most possibly started by the Early Cretaceous around 135 Ma.

Early Jurassic Soft-Sediment Deformation Interpreted as Seismites in the Wuqia Pull-Apart Basin and the Strike-Slip Talas-Ferghana Fault, Xinjiang, China

The early Jurassic soft-sediment deformation occurring within lacustrine sandstone is distributed mainly in the Wuqia region of SW Tianshan Mountains, Xinjiang, western China. Triggered by earthquakes, such deformation was found to occur in three beds overlying the lower Jurassic Kangsu Formation. The main styles of deformation structures comprise load cast, ball-and- pillow, droplet, cusps, homogeneous layer, and liquefied unconformity. The deformation layers reflect a series of three strong earthquakes at the end of early Jurassic in the Wuqia region. The differences of deformation mechanisms undergone might represent the varying magnitudes of the earthquake events. During the early Jurassic, the Wuqia region was located in a pull-apart basin controlled by the significant Talas-Ferghana strike-slip fault in central Asia, which initiated the soft-sediment deformation induced by earthquakes. Our research suggests that the paleoseismic magnitudes could have ranged from Ms 6.5 to 7.

Xingxueanthus: An Enigmatic Jurassic Seed Plant and Its Implications for the Origin of Angiospermy

The origin of angiosperms has been tantalizing botanists for centuries. Despite the efforts of palaeobotanists, most of the pre-Cretaceous angiosperms are regarded either non-convincing or misdated. The applications of SEM and LM （light microscope） enable us to recognize a coalified fossil plant, Xingxueanthus sinensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Haifanggou Formation （Middle Jurassic, 〉160 Ma） in western Liaoning, China. Xingxueanthus is an ＂inflorescence＂ with more than 20 female units spirally arranged. Each female unit is situated in the axii of a bract. The female unit is composed of an ovule-container and a style-like projection at the top. There is a vertical column bearing several ovules in the ovule-container. The general morphology and the internal structure of Xingxueanthus distinguish itself from any known fossil and extant gymnosperms, and its structures are more comparable to those of angiosperms. Xingxueanthus, if taken as a gymnosperm, would represent a new class, demonstrate an evolutionarily advanced status of ovule-protection in gymnosperms never seen before, and provide new insights into the origin of angiospermy. Alternatively, if taken as an angiosperm, together with Schmeissneria, it would increase the diversity of Jurassic angiosperms, which has been underestimated for a long time, and suggest a much earlier origin of angiospermy than currently accepted.

New Jurassic Fossil True Bugs of the Pachymeridiidae(Hemiptera:Pentatomomorpha)from Northeast China

Four new fossil genera and species of true bugs from the family Pachymeridiidae, Beipiaocoris multifurcus, Bellicoris mirabilis, Nitoculus regiUus, and Viriosinervis stolidus, are described. New specimens were collected from the Middle and Upper Jurassic non-marine sedimentary strata from the Jiulongshan and Yixian Formations of northeast China. The species Karatavocoris asiatica Becker-Migdisova, 1963, which was considered to be a member of the family Coreidae is transferred to the Pachymeridiidae. A new map of all known and newly discovered fossil pachymeridiid localities is given. The diagnosis of the family is modified.

Jurassic Intra-plate Basaltic Magmatism in Southeast China:Evidence from Geological and Geochemical Characteristics of the Chebu Gabbroite in Southern Jiangxi Province

Geochemical and isotopic investigations have been carded out on the Chebu gabbroite in southern Jiangxi Province, southeast China and these results are compared with gabbro bodies along the coast of Fujian Province in order to understand their magma sources and tectonic implications. The Chebu intrusion formed at the beginning of the Middle Jurassic （172~4.3 Ma）. These rocks are Ti-rich and Al-poor in major elements, characterized by strong enrichment in large-ion lithophile elements （LILE） and moderate enrichment in high field strength elements （HFSE） and light rare-earth elements CLREE）, without pronounced Nb or Ta anomalies. Age-correlated Sr-Nd isotope ratios show moderately high ranges of （^87Sr/^86Sr）i from 0.7065 to 0.7086 and 0.5124 to 0.5125 of （^143Nd/^144Nd）i. The geochemical characteristics of the Chebu gabbroite suggest that it is notably different from island-arc basalt and similar to intra-plate basaltic rocks. By combining interpretations of its geological and geochemical characteristics and the regional geological development history, the Chebu gabbroitic intrusion is thought to be the product of asthenosphere upwelling and rapid lithosphere extension during a transition of tectonic systems in southeast China. The tectonic environment and source characteristics of the intrusion are different from Cretaceous gabbro bodies along the coast of Fujian Province, The former formed in a tectonic environment of rapid intra-plate lithospheric extension and the source characteristics were of a weakly enriched primitive mantle, whereas the latter originated mainly in a volcanic-magmatic arc extensional tectonic environment and the nature of the source was an enriched mantle with more subduct subducted components.

Middle Jurassic-early Cretaceous radiolarian assemblages of the western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone: Implications for the evolution of the Neo-Tethys

Cherts in the Zhongba melange of the western Yarlung Zangbo Suture Zone(YZSZ) contain well preserved radiolarian assemblages. These radiolarian assemblages indicate that the Zhongba melange has middle Jurassic-early Cretaceous remnant, are coeval with those from the central and eastern parts of the YZSZ. Cherts from the Najiu area yield Aalenian to Aptian radiolarians, while cherts interbedded with siliceous mudstones from the Bielongjiala area yield Aptian radiolarians, indicating that terrigenousderived sediments were deposited during early Aptian. The above observations indicate that the entire YZSZ have a similar geochronological framework and thus they underwent similar geological evolution:(1) during the Jurassic, the Neo-Tethys was a wide ocean with pelagic sediments distal from continents;(2) during the Cretaceous(around 130-120 Ma), the Neo-Tethys started to subduct along the southern margin of the Lhasa block, and terrigenous-derived siliceous mudstone began deposition.